Happy Birthday to Our Little Men!

It's been a week of birthday celebrations around here for our 2 boys! So crazy that we now have a 10 year old and 1 year old in the house. Where does the time go?!

 

First off was Dathan turning 10 last week and we took a fun trip to the Smokey Mtns to celebrate his special milestone. He had a blast picking some places to visit and eat while we were there. It's unreal how quickly he is growing up into a young man! Love his tender heart and funny, artistic personality. He is definitely one of a kind and I wouldn't have it any other way! And just look how handsome he is too. :)

 

 

 

 

Next up when we got back home was Daxton turning one so we had another special milestone to celebrate! I'm still in disbelief that it's been a whole year since he was born but we are loving this fun age that he is now. Taking a few steps here and there but no full fledged walking yet, which has not slowed him down in the least. Jabbering in his own language, laughing with his mouth opened wide, and overall bringing lots of joy to our lives. So thankful for this sweet, baby boy!  He had a blast eating his first cupcake (made from black beans. true story.) or mostly smashing it on his face. And look what a cutie he is too. :)

 

So there's a little post about our boys! Grateful to have them both in our family. Such a blessing to raise them and watch them grow! More pictures to come later of all the fun we've been having the past week......


                                      Tyra

  

Summertime Randomness {a what we've been up to post}

Is it just me or has summer literally flown by?! Seems like only yesterday we were finishing up our school year in May and now it's already the middle of August! Anyway, I haven't written much about things we are doing these days so thought I would share some of the fun and crazy moments of our lives the past couple months. Here are the 4-D details, in no certain order.....

~ Daxton is taking a couple steps here and there but hasn't totally started cruising yet. It definitely doesn't stop him from getting around though! He also seems to love climbing so we have to keep a close eye out for that.

~ Delancey has discovered sign language in the past couple months and is loving it! It's so fun seeing her so excited about learning something new. Can't wait to see how she progresses in the future.

~ Dathan is still loving making his own movies. He writes scripts, takes pictures, records, and then puts it all together on the computer. I really think he may go somewhere with this when he's older!

~ Darcey has grown up so much in the past few months! I have to sometimes remind myself she's still only 2. She loves learning new things, writing, drawing, reading, and watching her favorite shows. Her vocabulary never ceases to amaze us.

~ The kids have all loved swimming at my parents, of course. The liner had to be replaced on the pool this year so they didn't get as early a start as usual. And now it's already seeming cooler than normal so the water is getting chilly. I'm sure they will try to get in as much of it as possible before they start freezing!

~ We've done some school days here in there finishing up various subjects and grasping a few concepts a little better after having a lighter load with the new baby last year. The kids weren't totally crazy about it but it's been good for them I think.

~ A missionary friend of ours is home from Brazil and has made a couple of trips down to see us this summer. He is a great man of God and the kids absolutely love spending time with him! So glad that they can have real heroes to look up to in their lives instead of what the world would have them admire.

~ Got to attend a campmeeting in TN back in July for a few days. It was such a blessing to fellowship with other believers and hear some great singing and preaching. The kids had fun making new friends and Delancey got a new penpal as well.

~ Allergies and other health issues have abounded this year. Some days, well, weeks really have been rough as we struggle with reactions to the chemicals they put on the crops nearby. It can be challenging to try and do just normal life stuff when the way you feel isn't normal. Not to mention, how it effects our sleep habits. Chronic tiredness is the worst. thing. ever. ((yawn))

~ We've enjoyed doing some Bible/Character studies in the past couple months. I think I've learned as much and been convicted over certain behaviours more than the kids! It's amazing what the Lord can show you when you're truly desiring to learn. Another neat thing was that several times what we had been studying about during the week was the same or similar to the devotions Blake would share with us as well! No coincidence there I'm sure.

That's about all I'm thinking about at the moment! It's definitely been a summer full of good and not so good times but looking back I'm thankful for every single one I got to spend with my kiddos. We are getting back into the swing of schooling more full time again. But first we have a couple of birthdays to celebrate in the next week! Can't wait to share the details of all the fun with Dathan turning 10 and Daxton turning 1. Until then.....

                                   Tyra 

Walk for Life Fundraiser!

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to volunteer at our local Choose Life pregnancy center as a receptionist. Some of the things I saw there was heartbreaking, but it was also encouraging to see how many young ladies received help. They provide several different services but the most important by far is the free ultrasounds that so often are what makes the abortion minded clients change their minds.

I haven't been able to volunteer since having our last little "D", but we are excited to be a part of their Walk for Life fundraiser  this Saturday to try and help them get more money for the ministry they provide. We would greatly appreciate you visiting our page to get more info and donating to our team if you feel led. And if you can't give then please pray for Choose Life that their needs will be met as they work hard on this issue. We need to be doing all we can to save the lives of these precious babies!

If you happen to be local then be sure to come out and join us for the Walk as well! There's free food and fun for the whole family. Either of the above links will take you to a page with all the details or you can click on the picture below. There's only a couple more days left so don't forget to spread the news. Thanks and have a blessed day!