special visitors..

we were really excited for july to start because we were expecting fun visitors and a little time away with family. grams and grandpa came to stay with us for a few days on their trek back across country from california, and then we had a long weekend in ohio with d's extended family for a mini reunion. it's always so fun and relaxing to have mike and sharon here.. they're up for anything (or nothing at all), don't need to be entertained, get a kick out of rubes, and find as much joy in spending time with us as we get from being with them (or so they tell us :)).

ruby and i started out the mornings while g & g were here by going to vbs at our church. she went to class, and i volunteered with a group of 2nd graders. it was fun, tiring, and encouraging keeping up with their sweet selves. from what rubes said, she really loved "PBS".

the neatest part of mike and sharon's visit was being able to take them with us for our "gender reveal" ultrasound. even though sharon wasn't pregnant with her babies all that long ago, there weren't ultrasounds then. i was so thankful for how far technology has come.. not only to be able to see our own sweet sadie girl that day, but also to allow mike and sharon to share in something so incredible for the first time.

there she is.. sweet sadie ann mehaffie. coming november 2012. :)

a little DQ treat by the lake after our appointment. we also enjoyed nice weather while they were here; which was a treat since it had been about a bazillion degrees everyday the week before.

just imagining what getting a decent family photo will be like once there's another little one in the picture. :)

the other highlight of their visit was going out for a fancy adults only dinner to a restaurant we kept hearing about in the area. the staff team from mike and sharon's summer project wanted to do something special for them to thank them for a great summer, so they decided to send them out for some quality time with me and d. our sweet friend mya let ruby hang out at her house for the evening and we went for an awesome steak dinner overlooking the water. 

getting a few shots while the sun went down and before the rain came rolling in.

love this shot of these two sweeties.

lovebirds married 40 years this month. and still so sweet and sassy together. :)

very thankful for their love and hardwork through the years that brought me a sweet husband and our girls a great daddy. <3 p="p">

snuck in a shot with my mom-in-love just as the rain drops were starting to pelt us.

and a look at rubes and grandpa bubble blowing time just for good measure.

it was such a fun and refreshing time having grams and grandpa here. now i just need to have this other baby girl to convince them to visit us again. :)

a post from our time with ohio family coming soon!

thankful..

i'm linking up with punk, pumpkin, and peanut for her weekly {thankful} post. i was excited to come across it this morning because, well, who doesn't need to take a few and simmer on some feelings of thankfulness?
i was actually just thinking on thankfulness last night as i was getting ready for bed, and the thought came to mind - "we have everything we need." no, we do not have everything, or even a lot of what we might want. but when it comes to what we need, i have a very blessed little family who couldn't really ask for more.

 this week, and this moment, i'm grateful for:
air conditioning and protection from some record highs.
a husband who works hard and selflessly for us.
a little girl who is learning and changing everyday.
a growing baby who i can feel wiggling around and growing inside me.
encouragement from unexpected places.
excitement over little surprises.
family and friends in so many places.
medical insurance and our health.
finding sweet treasures at my favorite thrift store and teaching rubes appreciation for secondhand.
creativity and productivity.
momentary relief from a queasy stomach.
feeling connected to people i love even from far away.
a church body full of leaders who care about our growth.
generosity.
having a pool at our apartment complex.
scripture sprinkled around our house that encourages and corrects at a glance.
this blog and the memories it keeps.

how about you?


let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
psalm 107:31

a little swimmer & a big belly..

i'm sure there are a ton of three year olds who could swim circles around our girl, but she's made such great strides in a really short time this summer and it's making me super proud of her. in about a month's time, she's gone from not wanting to get in to only cruising along the sides to swimming with a float and noodle to swimming like a brave little champ as she's demonstrating here:

 

she's actually taken it a step further since i shot this video about a week ago. she'll now take off her float and swim from me to the steps like the fast paddling guppie that she is. it's really fun to watch her warm up to the water and love going to the pool as much as she does. she hasn't lost any stride in her friend making abilities either, and really loves an audience. if someone is in earshot she's asking "what's your name?" and telling them to "watch me do this!" thankfully we have some kind and patient poolmates who don't mind her spunky self. also, did you know that she's "sixtyteen"? fun fact.

on an unrelated, but still blogworthy note, here is a belly pic from 20 weeks. 

halfway, baybee! this was taken a week ago as well. we hit 21 weeks yesterday on independence day, and i have to say that the only independence i'm hoping for right now is from nausea and vomiting. i had high hopes that this baby would ease up at about 20 weeks just like ruby did, but the hits just keep coming. i'm sure this heat isn't helping with the fatigue, so i'm doing my best to stay rested and cool.

we find out if our november baby is a boy or girl on monday.. i don't have "gender feelings" with this babe like i did with rubes, so i'm extra excited to find out. more than anything, i can't wait to see his/her sweet little face and get some fun pictures. praying for a healthy report and check-up during this ultrasound, if you'd like to join along in that.

so, there's a little update. happy thursday!