Backyard Fun...

It has been so much fun to see Dave get outside with the boys from the neighborhood to play sports with them. They all ask for him to play -- yes, my husband is being asked to come out and play - lol. It's wonderful to see Dave with them and we pray he can be a Godly influence in their lives.

Brothers Reunited

What a wonderful thing it was to have Dave's brother Chris be able to spend a night with us this month. It has been a while since we have seen Chris and it was so nice to see Dave with his brother again (they are Irish twins, ONLY 10 months apart!). He is a sweet man and it was a pleasure to have him here with us even for just a brief time. And, yes Dave and Chris are very tall so I totally look like a midget in the one pic!

Blessed...

That's all I can say when it comes to being this man's wife!!

Sleeping in heavenly peace

Watching your sleeping child is just so peaceful to me. I believe God has allowed them to look so angelic when they sleep to keep you focused. Kira has tested us this past month with lying and being mean-spirited to a friend - totally unlike her!! Well, we have definitely disciplined her but it is refreshing to know that each day is a new day and to see her come to the point of true repentance is bliss to a parent. What a blessing it is to love her and be able to raise her to prayerfully be what God wants her to be! (And one pic of Samson thrown in just for fun!)

Sports, Sports, and More Sports!!!

How fun it is to watch your children play sports! I think the thing that amazes me most about being a parent is watching each new stage of your child's life. Sure, you miss some of the old things but each new stage has something even better and even more things to get excited about! For those of you that know me especially, you know that I have been raised on sports. I joke because even our family vacations were based around sports. I have been to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Oh (twice, I might add), the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. Even my parents have been to the Little League World Series Hall of Fame in Williamsport, PA. The thing I loved the most about growing up were our family vacations and to add sports to that was just the icing on the cake. That is why I think it has been so exciting to have our kids in sports, and for that matter so many of them :) Yes, it has been chaos but so much fun!! Here our a few more shots of the kids in their sports -- what an awesome time it is to watch them play and learn. (Andrew is #2 and Kira is #7 which ironically is Andrew's favorite number)

Fall Sports Pics

Some really cute pics of the kids in their uniforms - I must admit I have the cutest kids in the whole wide world (besides your own of course ;) ). I think the team pics are the funniest :)

Soccer '09

Well, as you know in previous posts, we decided to let the kids play a lot of sports this fall and Kira was very much included in this. I had asked her at the end of the summer if she wanted to do ballet again, cheer, or play soccer. She picked soccer!! She actually is pretty good even with it being her first time ever playing a sport. Here are some fun pics I grabbed during practice a couple of weeks ago :)

Fall Ball

We are so excited to have Andrew in Fall Baseball this season. He has an amazing coach and just truly loves the sport of baseball. I was able to capture some shots of him before and during his first game. We are so proud of him and just feel so blessed to have Andrew as our son!!

God's Beauty...

We were on our way to Andrew's first baseball game of the fall season this year (which wound up getting cancelled due to rain) and saw one of the most beautiful double rainbows we had ever seen! What an amazing reminder God has given us of His promise. It was such a wonderful ride in the car because all of us were just talking about God's amazing handiwork. We have really tried to instill in Andrew and Kira an appreciation of the pure beauty and wonder of God's creation. It's neat to hear your son say how awesome God is for allowing us to see these things. These pictures DO NOT do the rainbows justice but it is just a neat reminder for us all to be grateful of the wonder of the God we serve!!

Genesis 9:12-16 -- And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."