a glimpse of Dan's future?

Ellie loves to talk about her wedding. Every day when I tuck her in for her nap she asks, "Mommy, can we talk about my wedding?" Most of the time I can't resist the cuteness, so I oblige. She has already determined many elements of her wedding, and these have never really changed in all the time she's been talking about it.
1. Her dress will be yellow "like Belle's"
2. Her flowers will be purple
3. She wants long hair that is down to the floor "like Rapunzel's"
4. She wants yellow shoes to match her yellow dress
5. Daddy will walk her down the aisle
6. She will wear a beautiful crown and pretty jewelry...A LOT of pretty jewelry
...and most importantly...
7. She is going to marry God

Good luck to her future groom...#7 gives him a lot to live up to! I'm glad she has such high standards!

Happy 5th Birthday Luke!

Yesterday, November 18th, was Luke's 5th birthday. He fills us with so much joy, and dare I say it, pride. He is so kind and gentle, fun and energetic, thoughtful and sensitive, smart and even spiritually minded. Every single week, either his Sunday school teacher or AWANA teacher heap praise on him for being so sweet- spirited and helpful. My heart swells when they share how much they enjoy having him in their class. My heart doesn't swell because I think Dan and I have done such a superb job, but truly because God has graciously given us this tender-hearted boy who has been an incredible blessing to us since the moment he entered our lives. Oh, how our cup overflows! And most importantly, numerous times over this past year Luke has told us that he trusts Jesus and believes that He died for His sins. Nothing gives Dan and me more joy than to know that our son trusts Jesus!
Happy Birthday Luke!

handsome boy

he had been hoping to get this suit for his birthday for months!

The Sweet Things in Life

unfortunate sideways pic still captures the moment :)

One very fond memory I have of my childhood was making chocolate chip cookies with my mom and then licking the bowl clean of the cookie dough. I almost enjoyed the dough more than the cookies. Well, I had to carry on the tradition. Luke and Ellie were the quietest they had been all day...until Luke got the last official lick and Ellie started crying. All in all, I think they enjoyed themselves. :)

I Walked Away for Only a Minute...

I walked into the kitchen to find Adalyn with a foam dart stuck to her head and Luke standing next to her with a big smile on his face. Thankfully, there was no gun in sight and he explained that he had simply slathered that sucker with slobber and stuck it to her vulnerable forehead. At least she seemed to enjoy it!