Great Week

I'm very late in posting these pictures from a couple of weeks ago.  Mike was gone for a few nights earlier this month, and we had such a fun time with Figgy & Pop and then with Granna & Grandaddy.  Here are some highlights from the week!

Always a ham for the cam

Pops' Story Hour

Pop and Fig watching girls swim

Pop was a good sport to do this princess puzzle with Hannie

Finally, a manly toy.  We named him Elky.

I love, love this pic (and these people)!

Getting wiggles out

Giving Charis some love

Figgy made chicken parmesan with the girls

More good stories

Back scratchin'

Our sweet next door neighbor, Hailey, looks like she could be one of the kids!

Fresh air

Mama's little ducks

Trying to organize the kiddies for a picture.

There we go!

Tablet time!  The girls love all the tech fun G&G bring with them.

Playing ring toss

Can we tell yet that these kids LOVE stories?

It looks sweet, but it quickly turns into pinching...

Smile!

She was posing at the park and loving every picture she saw of herself, haha!

Puzzle Princess

Playdate with some other families at the park

"Can you found my binky?"

Mike and I were in no hurry to wean Bethany from her binky (pacifier), but she lost her last binky yesterday, so we had no choice. She cried at nap time and asked me, "Mommy, can you help me stop crying? Can you found my binky?" Still no sign of the bink, so I guess we have no babies with pacifiers anymore!

Charis took her first shower yesterday, all by herself.  I can't believe she's so independent. She specifically requested that I leave the bathroom, and she shut the door.  

Hannie is amazing me with her little artistic skills and the letters and sounds she's learning.  She loves to work on school.  We're going to try to start reading soon!

Nathanael [finally] is out of the infant carseat as of today, and he looks so tiny in his big convertible seat!  I can hardly stand it.  I wish I could stop time!

Always in motion

Girly girl

Cracking up trying to read in a British accent

Aunt Sally, Uncle Petey, Susannah and John came for a visit, and he was not lacking in Junior Mommies.

Oh little Sus, that's just for the baby dolls!

Han & John

Out back for a swim

Susannah's first popsicle!

Lil' Man found a good mud hole.  He's started saying quite a few words.  His favorite is, "wuh sha?" (what's that?)

This Morning

The fact that the sun rose on us this morning was overwhelming evidence to me of the greatness of the Lord's mercy and patience toward a nation that is becoming increasingly callous and dark.  Everyone knows that we as a nation have legally murdered over 50 million unborn babies since 1973.  But after seeing the visuals and hearing the heartless speech in the videos released recently by the Center for Medical Progress, I do not understand how a single man or woman could block the bill to defund Planned Parenthood in the U.S. Senate last night.

But this is not a political issue.  It is not a partisan issue.  Where is our conscience?  Where is our sense of duty to defend the helpless and speak for the voiceless?  For those who are guilty (and aren't we all guilty of belittling the sacredness of human life at one time or another?), where is our brokenness over this?  We have blood on our hands.

The depths of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ are unfathomable for those who turn to Him.  Will we respond in repentance before it's too late?

I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. 

Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow...