a regular ol' update + some beautiful kid pictures

Emma spends hours crafting, creating, gluing, taping, and making beautiful things. Along with huge messes that she doesn't like to clean up (sounds like someone else I know... personally).

She is eager to tell you she is growing strong. Currently she wants to be as tall as daddy. Since she isn't ahead of the growth chart at all (in the 30th percentile), I imagine she won't make it to 6'2".

Emma is still very girly. The word "princess" is thrown around a lot, but we aren't watching Disney movies lately and that helps her attitude. Those princesses are not great examples of godly young women. She wears a skirt most days and tries to dress up her sister who could care less.

Speaking of attitude, I've seen a huge improvement. She has such a strong will and I constantly see her struggle. I explained the idea of a "sun beam" the other day after she asked about the song. Now she usually sighs and says, "I guess I need to be a sunbeam here." Or the other day after playing at her cousins (instead of resting), she said, "I wasn't a sunbeam at my cousins house. I was pretty naughty."


A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam. A sunbeam, a sunbeam, and I'll be a sunbeam for Him.


I hope you have that song stuck in your head all day. I don't want to be alone.





Mandy's biggest loves are talking and hugging. Her ideal day would have her talking non-stop, being held by mom, reading books (while talking through them), and eatings suckers.

She tells me funny things all the live-long day. From the moment she wakes in the morning, we hear her sunny and sometimes whining chatter. At the grocery store the other day, we were getting out of the car and she asked, "Can I take my blanky into this business?" I am constantly amused by her.


We're working hard on potty training. She is out of diapers during the day, but has at least one accident a day. Usually because I forget to take her. She doesn't ever say she needs to go, but will go when I take her. Of course, she still needs heavy bribery. This is the slow way of potty training and hopefully she'll figure it out before she graduates college.





And now Remi who is 4 and a half months. He seems to develop and grow before our eyes. He is still very easy-going, putting up with all kinds of torture from the girls including pink hats being shoved on his head, baby doll thrust into his face, and stroller rides of terror.

He "needs" toys now -- no more laying on the floor contentedly. He cries if his toy falls out of his reach.

Rem-ster also can roll both ways. He's still pretty tentative and looks really freaked out when he flips over. I found him turned over in his crib yesterday and he wasn't very happy about it.

He sucks on his pointer finger. A little weird, but he is soothed. And yes, his hands are as gigantic as they appear in the picture.

This smily boy brings us so much joy, I'm not sure what we did without him. But I've said that about each of my children. They add dimension and God knew exactly what He was doing when He placed them in our family. I soak up their love every day. I'm so blessed.