Labor Day Celebrating Jay

Pre-parade activities....balancing acts and the writing of short stories while the boys were busy tossing the football and snacking on a few morning treats!

 These are always my favorite pictures, the anticipation can be read on their expressions....the parade is coming and the candy, oh the yummy sweet candy, is about to be thrown....Jay developed a fine art this year by catching the candy with his bag.

 Dear Maddox Ren, so glad to look back and see this smile on her face.  It wasn't too long after this that I began to notice a warmth about her face and a tired look in her eye, thus the beginning of our week of illness:/  Thankfully, the boys and Ryan were spared, but as for me and the girls, there were a few rough patches.

 Emma and Jay, 8 1/2 and 6 years old.  Time is flying but we sure are having fun watching these two grow.

 Jay is a baseball fanatic and the mention of the Braves swings him into a complete rundown of players, skills, records, etc....and he is playing Fall baseball so we felt a necessity in his lineup would be batting gloves.  I am pretty sure he slept with them on his hands that night!

 And while we are on a note of celebration, Colin celebrated his "half" birthday.  13 1/2.  Each day with him leads me to a new level of disbelief that he is growing up right before our eyes.  

What a true blessing it is to parent this young man!

A Much Needed Day

Sometimes we just need to sit back and take in a day just being us, our little own family.  And today was one of those days.  

 We began with worship at church.....and then we did something we truly have not done in quite a while - TARGET after church;  and Target after church means only one thing - a pizza/breadsticks combo divided amongst our four, it is the "must have Sunday snack."  

 And once our outing to Target was completed, it was home to just veg....we pulled out the inflatable pool, drug out the good ole slip-N-slide, threw in a few toys and sidewalk chalk coupled with a bit of football....and there you have it, a FABULOUS day!

 Our sweet Maddox Ren.  She simply cannot wait to get her little hands on her baby sister, Mary-Gentry.  She asks daily if she can hold her when she comes home and she does not want any help what.so.ever, she has told us this fact more times than we can count.  Her heart is golden though - today she was seen praying and I asked her what she was praying for.  She said, "I pray dat I get to see Mary-Gentry real soon, you know dat, right?"  

 Day turned to night and there was a celebration to be had!  Being that is is September 1, that could only mean one thing - we can have dessert again!  All is well in our home now!

 Oh, dessert, how we have missed thee!

Next up?  A month without going out to dinner!