Emotions

My Baby Boy is 3 Years Old Today! I enjoyed every moment of the day. Then I cried as I carried my sleeping "baby" to bed. Something about my baby boy turning 3 and my baby girl heading to Kindergarten this fall has gotten me all emotional. Sad is more like it. Sigh. I love them. I will miss the hugs around my legs and the random kisses all over from "my babies." I just want to freeze time, and yet I want more sleep (ahem, Josiah--sleep through the night boy!) all at the same time. Sigh again. Can anyone relate? Silly, I suppose, as I really do want them to grow and be healthy. I am thankful for their health. Truly, I am. Yet I still want to keep things just the way they are! Okay. Enough for now. Just had to get that out.

I'll post the "Happy Birthday, Josiah" post sometime tomorrow...with pictures and everything! :)

Uncle Zac's Visit

We were delighted to have "Uncle Zac" visit us this past weekend. Thanks to our season passes (courtesy of David's parents) we had an extra coupon to get a friend in for free! We totally enjoyed being able to take Zac to Dollywood with us. As you'll see from the pictures below, the kids totally enjoyed their Uncle Zac! Josiah driving the car at "Watson Motor Company." (I was his passenger!)
Just behind us was Mackenzie driving Uncle Zac in the blue car.

I love the way Josiah was looking up to Uncle Zac, literally! :)

This one's pretty sweet, too, with Zac glancing down to check on Josiah as they walked hand-in-hand.

Hmmm, who stole the show for the weekend..."UNCLE ZAC!" He really is a natural with the kids. They obviously love him dearly. And David and I totally enjoyed the extra adults help for the weekend. Thanks, Zac!!! :)

Mackenzie and Uncle Zac riding the Scrambler.

I love this picture! It's great of Zac, and hysterical of Mackenzie...all you can see is her pink sock and shoe sticking out!

This sums up the weekend. The kids enjoying time with their Uncle Zac...and totally worn out! (Notice Josiah totally conked out on the couch in the background?! He was actually asleep.)

Backyard Fun!

Warning: This post contains 14 pictures! :) Mackenzie had her school program today, and she chose to wear a dress. I loved the way she looked from the back, still in her dress and pigtails, watering the garden!
Kinda makes me think of a little pioneer girl. (Except she's using a water hose instead of carrying a bucket full of water from the nearby stream. Ha.) :)

Complete with the bare feet!

This picture gives you an idea of how our garden is doing. We are excited about it! We've even eaten three salads picked right out of the garden this week.

The two kiddos.

Mackenzie offering Josiah a turn with the water hose. (Aaaww.)

Water the garden? What? I wanted to water Mackenzie, Mom! (She actually loved it!)

Josiah watering the garden...in a gun-like fashion.

They are great little helpers.

I love the water droplets spraying in the air in this picture.

Our two garden boxes...growing well, so far!

The nest in our maple tree. We have totally enjoyed watching the Momma bird build her nest this week. As of right now, there are no eggs in the nest. I'll keep you posted!

This is a random pic of our back yard, just to give you an idea of how GREEN it is!

Another view of the back yard...we're so happy that we have grass growing now! The kids are able to play in the yard without getting so muddy, and the yard is much more level, too. We had dirt brought in and the yard seeded a couple months ago. We are so thankful for the grass and user-friendly space! :)

Bunny, Worms, and Mother's Day!

So. I'm WAY behind on my blogging. Here's 3 posts in 1, with more to come in the near future! :) Our wonderful neighbors found this teeny, tiny bunny rabbit in their back yard! They called us so we could go see it, too. Mackenzie just LOVED it. We really appreciate our neighbors and are grateful they think of us so often.
I love this picture of Mackenzie holding the bunny.

Tiny little thing.

Here's an attempt at a picture of the kids and me on Mother's Day. Classic, as Josiah has his tongue out. :)

This one turned out pretty good, too. Josiah is smiling in this one as he has his "pet worm" clutched in his fist...but he just didn't look up at the camera. Oh, well!

Josiah proudly displaying his worm.

The kid LOVES worms. I love hearing Josiah say, "Mommy! I think he likes me!" Well, of course he like you, Josiah. Who wouldn't like you?! :)

Wet Waddling Wayward Wanderers

I looked out the windows this morning and this is what I saw...in our front yard!!!
Aren't they cute?!

After they finished in our yard, they waddled on over to the neighbors yard in the wet weather. The kids loved it! I called them to the window as soon as I spotted the ducks. All three of us were delighted by getting to watch the two ducks this morning. We've gotten so much rain that the ducks think it's all wetlands now. Sometimes I think God sends fun things our way just to watch us smile! :)

Twin Bed for My Big Boy!

Sorry there are no pictures...yet! I'll take care of that tomorrow. ;)

But I'm posting to say that Josiah is now sleeping in a twin bed. He was beginning to outgrow his toddler bed which he's been in since he was about 21 months old when he began climbing out of his crib. Thanks to Nona & Mzee, we were able to go pick out a twin bed for Josiah this past weekend. It's his upcoming Birthday present from them. Hooray! He loves it.

He and I went together today to pick out sheets for his bed. He likes the monkey ones with bananas on them the best, so that's what's on the bed right now. He climbed right in tonight, with his stuffed animal puppy that Vanessa, one of the night nurses at the hospital, gave him a while back. He curled up, sighed, and said this bed's just right for him and his puppy!

Now, let's pray together that he will sleep through the night, consistently, now that he's in a bigger bed. :) Have a good night, Everyone!

Two Specific Prayers: Update

Update: Memphis news online has the story, but I am TERRIBLY upset to hear that Micah's body was found last night. Her husband told authorities where to find the body. Obviously, he is in custody at this time. They expect charges to be filed against him today. I am stunned. I am sad. I am asking for prayers on behalf of her parents and brother. May the Lord provide them with a comfort that can only come from Him. May He surround them with love and support from those that loved Micah. She was an amazing person. Words cannot do her justice. I cannot imagine the depth of grief that her family is struggling with today...and for days to come.

With the sadness surrounding the disappearance of Micah Rine Pate, a friend from growing up days at school, I'm posting to ask for prayers on her behalf. Please pray that Micah will return safely and quickly, to her home in Bartlett, TN. Pray for those searching for her. Pray for her husband and her parents, too. Pray for safety and peace for all involved. She went for a run on Thursday evening at 8:30pm and never returned home. She left all her personal items (cell phone, keys, car, purse, etc.) at home. Obviously, everyone is very concerned as this is NOT characteristic of Micah, a very responsible person.

To add a more uplifting note to the terrible news above...
Leonidas Salza is HOME from the NICU!!!! I posted a few months ago asking for prayers for him as he was born at 25 weeks gestation. Now I am posting to say thank you for those prayers, please continue praying for his health as he grows and develops, and PRAISE GOD that he is alive and well weighing over 5 lbs now and HOME from the NICU. Woooo Hoooo!!! The Lord is good and He hears our prayers. Just wanted you all to know! Here's the link to the Salza's blog. Shellie does a great job updating it and if you click over there you'll see some pictures of TWO CUTE BOYS! :)