first day of preschool

the day finally arrived!



first day of school




















She had a great first day!




















Yes, that is a stuffed poodle in her backpack!

Ethan - no news is good news

Ethan has had a completely healthy summer and is your typical pesky little brother-we are so thankful he is in our lives. He only has one volume-very loud! His next cardiologist appointment is in a month - September 17. We are praying that his heart continues to look as good as it did in June. We don't want any surprises!

I do have to mention that for the first time since Ethan was born, he has a $0.00 balance in all of his accounts at Children's Mercy! It takes a long time for insurance to process all the claims and just last week, everything was settled. Yeah! No more blue and green statements coming in the mail-at least until we go back next month.

Cat Island, Bahamas

To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, we spent a week in the Bahamas. It was an incredible break from the real world - I didn't have to act like a mom for a whole week! But, I can honestly say that I am glad to be home and ready to be "mommy" again.

The beach at our resort

The Atlantic Ocean - on the opposite side of the island

abigail's new glasses


goodbye hoarse vocal cords

We are relieved and so grateful to report that Ethan's hoarseness is completely gone! Just another example of God's grace and healing in this little guy's life.

our newest niece!

Brice and I are proud to announce the arrival of our newest little niece -
Katherine "Kate" Belle, born on July 2.
She is the daughter of my brother, Jared and his wife Emily.