happy

Some more pics of all the happy. It was a great trip....and that big girl said more times than I can even count, "I just love you, Mom & Dad. I just love you."

Filled up.

That's what we are.

And I've got more thoughts than I know what to do with rolling around in my head so stay tuned....

I may just let them all out on here. They've got to get out somehow.....

relaxing

We've been relaxing & enjoying each other for the past few days - somewhere where there is less laundry and more time to play. It was great. Many more pictures to come....

swim a thon

Our swim team had a great event. A swim-a-thon to raise money for the United Methodist Children's Home. The kids swam laps from the beginning of swim practice to the end.

An hour.

I had seen my girl at a swim meet and I was confident that she would do her best - but that her best would be about 5 laps....tops. I didn't know that they would let them use kick boards or flippers to help and that one lap would be considered 1 length of the pool.....but even so......10 laps.

Maybe 12.

Tops.

She's young. She LOVES to swim, but she's learning to swim.
Someone didn't tell her that because...
....that little firecracker swam FORTY laps.
FORTY!
I was so proud of her. She swam for the entire hour and thanks to some kind family members she was able to raise a substantial amount of money for this organization.

Check this place out - it's always encouraging for me to see the creative and compassionate things that are happening around us.

the 4th & birthdays

Just some pictures from the 4th weekend. We also celebrated a couple of birthdays that weekend. And those shirts.....I just love those shirts....and I love the gal who made them. She helped some orphans through Takes A Whole VIllage and also helped a family in the middle of an adoption by making these. And be on the lookout because you will see her again....she's so incredibly talented.....

This picture just makes me laugh....are they afraid of the cake? Discussing buttercream? Fascinated nonetheless.

Sixty Feet

You may remember a great big ol cupcake sale happening several months ago. It was a loaves & fishes kind of situation. Over $10,ooo was raised for Sixty Feet - the kids of Mukisa. The boys + a few buddies are headed back over to Mukisa in just a matter of days.

Here's the latest video .......

Nathalie from Sixty Feet on Vimeo.

gardens

Some friends met us at the gardens today - so much fun. When it's a thousand degrees outside it's nice to run around in a fountain of water. At least that's what it looked like - I didn't have my bathing suit on. But I sort of regretting not having it.

My boy made his stop to see his frog friend....this time he wanted his buddy in the picture. It's fun to watch him grow up with those frogs....

Twins. I love those bathing suits. And I adore these girls. That Sarah is a leader and she's gentle and so friendly. It's been awesome to see God working in her life. And her momma is so dear to me. When I realized that Lee & I would be getting married & that we would be living in Atlanta, I began to feel a little lonely. I knew I didn't have history with anyone and I wondered if I could have a real friendship with someone without that. I'm so thankful for so many of the women that have been brought along side me in my time here. Amy is one of those friends - instant connection. Easy to talk about the big stuff with. She's someone who can call me on the carpet. Helps me to be better. I listen to a guy from Stonebridge Church in Marietta who talks about the 'lettuce in your teeth' theory. The idea that you are going to have lettuce in your teeth one day. In the same way, you are going to mess up at some point and it's a good idea to have people who love you walking beside you that can be honest with you. She is one of those people for me.

baby girl

My bug had her first trip to the wter garden at the Botanical Gardens today.
I really & truly didn't think I caught any good shots.....but these really crack me up. This is her. Spicy. Very funny. Confident. And in love with her big brother. I look at each of my chidren and am always amazed at the very different people that they are. I am never confused to believe that I understand them completely. They teach me something different about themselves every day. And I know that they would be different without one another. Each one makes the other a little more of who they are supposed to be. I love love love these kids. But here's a little entry just for that baby.
The baby that never got the memo that she was a baby.

what was lost now is found....

It has been so long since I have blogged. Summer has got me good. I'm in slow down mode. We're learning how to take it easy again now that swim team is over. The big recent happening around here involved the losing of our beloved friend, Lucy - she's a lamb, or a sheep, but not a teddy bear. She's my big girl's bestie. Lucy appears in many of our famiy photos and I will be sad the day something happens to her. Which is why the days that she was gone were hard on her.....and on me. We looked everywhere & called everywhere that we could think of. And in the spirit of the celebration the Father puts on when his lost son returns & the idea that the Father actually leaves the fold to find that one lost sheep....and the fact that we just read a book where a cake is made to celebrate the finding of a little bear's lost trousers, we decided that a cake would be baked upon her return.
We had a swim team banquet one night & when we came home, daddy let us know that he had something for her.
"Close your eyes"
She fell apart into this emotional laughter, falling into my arms, almost crying....and remembering immediately that we would be baking a cake!
"It will say 'WE FOUND LUCY TODAY!'" at which point I reminded her that tomorrow will not be the day that we found her, to which she replied "It will say 'WE FOUND LUCY YESTERDAY!'"
Awesome.