sophie's 7th birthday

So this little lady turned 7 on Wednesday. We had a fun party with our parents on Sunday and then she chose Cheddar's and the monster cookie for her actual birthday. She got Disney gif tcards for her birthday as we're taking the kids to Disney in January after we go there with Young Life. So this entire year, everyone's getting Disney stuff for birthdays, Christmas and other other gift giving times.

So year six was a good one for Sophie. Although this list is not totally inclusive, it hits some of the major highlights:

learned to read

stopped sucking her thumb

started growing her hair longer

got an expander

discovered a love of headbands

loved gymnastics

lost a lot of teeth

learned to tie shoes (although she doesn't have a pair with laces)

lots of laughing and making us laugh

dress up dresses from my sister

climbing wall at camp

younglives camp and playing with the babies

finding some amazing slugs

her first "pedicure" (read: getting nails painted someone other than me)

growing 2 inches and 2 shoe sizes

an extreme love of patterned clothing

a million and one nicknames

school book club
a collector (hoarder?) of all things

continuing to love to wear dresses and be covered in dirt at the same time

Doh made another beautiful cake:

 A found the most awesome candle ever . . .

It even set off the smoke alarm!

So here's the annual cake pics

Sophie, you are a light and a joy. (Although lately it's turned into a bit of sass, but we're on that!) I love your sweetness and your kind heart. I love your love language of physical touch. I love your excitement for all things. You are a gem and I'm thankful that I get to be your mama! Happy Birthday, Sue! We love you!

expanders, field trips & friends

I'm pretty far behind. Please excuse the large amounts of pictures.

A couple of weeks ago (a month ago?) we celebrated Hudson's birthday. Love that Bethany and I get to see our kids love each other.

 Our view in the mornings cranking on Sophie's expander. Thankfully we're done with turning it for awhile. Just waiting for her mouth to want to stay where it was expanded to. You'll be happy to hear that cleaning it is MUCH, much better these days.

 The Lutyen's had us over for a house warming party to the house they just bought. It's so cute. And has this cool thing in the back yard until the previous owners come to collect it. So my kids took full advantage to play in it . . .

 . . . and jump off of it!

Ted has discovered the Sunday funnies. (He was banned from all electronics for over a week after a major meltdown and disrespectful attitude towards me. So we was resorting to all sorts of things.)

I planted flocks last year in my back garden out of total desperation of what to do. They are growing like crazy and I LOVE them. 

I love our little back yard. This was about 2 weeks ago. The flocks in the back have grown to fill almost the entire space. 

I found these three like this one morning just before walking to the bus.

Sophie finished gymnastics for the semester. She's a sad puppy because she loves it so much. 

We said good-bye to our good friend, Laura. She babysat the kids the past 2 summers. She and her husband are moving and we're so excited for their next adventure. This was at the senior night we had for our graduating senior YL leaders.

The weather has been HOT the first week of May - upper 80's, low 90's. This was a couple of weeks before that on a Saturday morning. Ted had baseball practice. Sophie took her yogurt and granola and hot tea outside for a breakfast picnic and some sidewalk chalk art.

 I went on the 1st Grade Field Trip with Sophie. Field trips are not for the faint of heart. God bless teachers. We to Meadowcroft Village in PA. It's a little village that has buildings from the 1800's. We saw and experience a blacksmith shop . ..

a one room school house . . . 

we dipped candles . . . 

and saw how people lived back then.

We've been hitting the rail trail for walking, biking and the occasional scooter ride. 

Ted gave me a card and spoke my love language for Mother's Day. A trip to Dairy Queen on him.

Sophie and I had a milkshake at the Poky Dot after church on Saturday. She said she wasn't paying because it wasn't Mother's Day.  I hear  ya sister.

mother's day 2015 - to our mom's

I am a terrible gift giver. The worst. Of the 5 Love Languages (acts of service, words of affirmation, gifts, physical touch and quality time), gifts is at the bottom for me. So when birthdays and Christmas and holidays like Mother's Day roll around, it stresses me out. I want to give meaningful gifts and then often times, think about it too long and too hard and then it's over. So today, I'm going to give the gift of words of affirmation to our moms. Because that's the gift I can give best. (And I'll do it here because that way it will be one time!) I told you I'm terrible at this.

It's an interesting phenominom when you reach a certain again and look back and realize what your parents were doing in that same life stage. Mom, I remember when I realized that you had three kids under the age of three, lived in the country with one car that dad drove to work most days. It's a wonder you didn't loose or mind. (Well, maybe you did at the time, but thankfully you regained it at some point.) And I'll never forget when Ben realized that when he was was your age, Terri, that you had lost your husband and had two teenage boys to provide for and raise. I look back at the crazy mornings our family used to have and how Mom decided that you would get up much earlier than us and pray for our family. It changed a lot of things. And when you remarried, Terri, you were so close to having an empty nest but you invited three small girls into your heart and home to raise.

I look at you now as Mom's who love your adult children deeply. You pray for and encourage all of us regularly. And you LOVE their grandchildren. You are loving our kids in ways we can't as parents. You have instilled in your children and are showing your grandchildren what it means to be

sacrificial

loving

hard working

kind

funny

good friends

resiliant

encouraging

faithful

beautiful

loyal

understanding

nurturing

strong

intelligent

supportive

fearless

a woman after God's on heart

I am thankful for you Mom and Terri. Both of you have taught me so much of what it means to sacrifice for and love your family well. You have both been such an example in completely different ways. I consider myself blessed to have you as my mom and mother-in-law. You are women of strength, honor and courage. I want to be like you when I grow up.