Part of my anniversary gift from Michael

Below the Oak

Does the stately oak
in its Autumn grandeur
arrest, silence, and invoke
a sense of rapt wonder?

Does its intricate leaf,
rich in death, provoke
praise and heighten belief
in the God who spoke?

Does its lofty height inspire
peaceful humility?
Do you unconsciously admire
its graceful sublimity?

If you gladly offer praise
for the beauty of the tree,
think, ponder, then appraise
the source, the root of all you see.

Beneath the soil, unnoticed,
overlooked, unthought of,
roots toil, providing ballast
and nutrition for the tree above.

Likewise, if you admire a man
of praiseworthy reputation-
one who carries out his plan
and excels in his occupation.

If you praise his stability
and his wisdom commend.
If you envy his family
and long to be his friend.

Look beyond, look beneath,
observe the helper's role:
the source of his strength,
the root of his soul.

Her loyal love bolsters
him in life's oft turbulence.
Her confidence nurtures
despite the world's violence.

7 Years

We're celebrating 7 years of marriage today! "Happy Anniversary" to my wonderful Michael and "Thank You" to my wonderful God.

Farm Song Medley

Viviane had been singing "Jesus Loves Me" before the arrangement and performance of this Farm Song Medley. That should explain the beginning. I've gotten loads of good laughs out of this one :-)

Viviane, the Hat, and the Cow

Viviane LOVES this baseball hat that her cousin Micah gave her...she also thinks cows are pretty neat. So, wearing the hat to go on a walk with Daddy to see cows made her day!

"Sweet Adeline" (Hey, that sounds like a song...Oh, wait, it is! The only problem is, we pronounce her name A-da-lynn NOT --line. :-) )

Here's our big 5-month-old!

Sisters Laugh

Happy Birthday to our Vivacious Viviane!

We love you, sweet Viviane. You are truly a gift from our kind Heavenly Father! Have a wonderful day celebrating your 3rd Birthday!

Two Sets of Tiny Tootsies

The Shirt Says It All...

Tradin' Shades

We've got to do SOMETHING to entertain ourselves in the van!

Swan Lake; Sumter, SC

After our Sunday meeting in Sumter, SC, we thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful Monday at Swan Lake. The weather was gorgeous and so were the swans and the lake.

Crib Time!

Viviane loves to stand on her stool and "play" with Adeline while she's in her crib. It's so cute. Viviane tries to be a little too helpful sometimes, though, so I try to protect Adeline from her kindness :-)

Another Fun Rockford Excursion

The day after Valentine's Day (which shows you how late I am in posting this :-) ), we got to make another fun excursion into IL to visit dear friends. We were privileged to meet Olivia Karis Hanson just one day after her arrival into the world, and we also had a wonderful time with Jeremy and Anouk, Joy, and Bob. Thanks, everyone, for making time for us again! We love you all!

Happy Valentine's Day! (Just a day late :-) )

Catching Up!

Alot has happened in the last month, so I'm doing a quick "catch up" post. We're settling into life with 2 precious girls (still not getting much sleep, but it will come eventually, right?!) We've started our traveling schedule again...we've taken just 2 weekend trips so far, but we're leaving Friday for a 2 1/2-3 week trip.

Here's a quick summary of the collage:
Row 1: Pics 1-6--Michael took a long lunch break one sunny day about a month ago so we could spend some family time in the park!
Pic 7--"Aunt" Debb came for a visit one afternoon.
Row 2: Pics 1-2--A visit to Nana and Poppa's gave us a chance to get pics of them with all their "babies."
Pic 3--A weekend at Community Baptist in NC
Pic 4--"Papi" Bixby with the girls when the Bixbys came over one evening before going back to France
Pic 5--A weekend at Faith Baptist in AL
Pics 6-7--We had the privilege of visiting Michael's Mamma and Pappa on the way back from AL. This is Mamma with the girls.
Row 3: Pics 1-2--Visit at Mamma and Pappa's continued (Pic 2 is Michael's Aunt Janet)
Pics 3-4--Viviane has a blast with her Water Wow painting toy! The four cards are white with color underneath, so when they are
"painted" with water, the color appears. They dry white again, so they can be used over and over!
Pic 5--Adeline has had RSV (a respiratory virus), so we've been doing nebulizer treatments. Here she is during a treatment with
her little "Bubbles the Fish" nebulizer mask. Praise the Lord that she's doing much better now!
Pics 6-7--Sister time!
Row 4: Pics 1-3--Sister time continued :-)
Pics 4-5--Adeline loves tummy time on the boppy looking at her octopus mirror and black and white designs.
Pic 6--My beautiful sleeping baby
Pic 7--"Right back where we started from, Doo Dah, Doo Dah!"

1 month old already!

It's hard to believe our little Adeline Elisabeth is already 1 month old! Saturday was the big 1 month birthday, and we took these pictures yesterday. She brings so much joy to our family and we praise God for her!

Our first "official" family photo--with a 4th member, that is!

(Okay, so we actually took a family photo in the hospital, but I didn't want to claim it as the first official :-) )

Sleepin' Like a Baby