sweet friends + lots of fun=awesome Memorial Day weekend

Our dear friends from Michigan, whom we first met back in our Indiana grad. school days, decided to head to Memphis for a visit over Memorial Day weekend. We've tried to see them once a year since leaving Bloomington. The first year after we left IN, Ben and Elisabeth came to see us. The next year we went to Michigan. We missed a year in there, then all met in Destin the next year, and skipped last year due to both of us having babies in the spring/summer. So, we started up again this year---us with 2 boys now and them with 2 girls now--though their baby girl #3 is due this fall!

The Mills and the Jacksons---2004 (pre-babies)

The Mills and the Jacksons----2007 (plus one boy, plus one girl)

The Mills and the Jacksons---2009 (2 boys, 2 girls and 1 more Mills girl on the way)

When we met in Destin, Luke and Janie were too little to play as friends. This year---what a blast they had! We were blessed to have them stay with us for 3 and a half days and we haven't heard the end of the trip from Luke yet! He had a built in friend for 24/7 and LOVED it!! As you can see from the pics below, they might just be a match made in heaven!!

We kept our families busy and the little ones, Charlie and Juliana, were troopers. In just 3 short days, we made it to the zoo, the sprinkler park, swimming, downtown for BBQ, trolley rides and more! It is so neat to be able to keep in touch with families from a distance, get together and feel like nothing has changed (well except for adding kiddos to the mix)!!

We love you Mills family! Thanks so much for the visit and for your LONG road trip to see us!!

Give me a hug!


Awww, thanks!

pool time fun!


Luke and Janie--sweet little friends. . .

Charlie and Juliana---sweet little friends in the making!

batter up!

Our minor-league baseball team had a 6:05 game this weekend---which is rare. Usually the games start after 7, which is too late for our little ones. However, a 6 o'clock game lets you catch most of the game, eat yummy ball park food and lets the kiddos stay up a little late---all in the name of FUN!

Unfortunately, Charlie couldn't attend because was a little under the weather this weekend. But, we found a babysitter for him and took Luke out for a special treat. We met up with some friends and had a great night! It turned cool on us, so we were all a little cold, but the kids had fun running all over the grass (we didn't sit in the stands---too confining) playing tag, taking breaks to see baseball action and of course stuffing their faces with hotdogs! Luke enjoyed running all around swinging his pretend bat. A baseball star in the making??

Now this is fun!!

Daddy and me!

Our friends caught the game with us!

Hey, do you think I'm ready to join him on the field?

a song from Luke

Every night, as part of our bedtime routine, we sing songs to the boys. One of us puts Charlie down and he gets a song or two after book reading and prayers, before lights out in his room. The other of us is putting Luke to bed, doing the same thing, though, Luke's routine includes "chat time" (more about that later).

We used to sing good ol' songs we all know and love, but lately, Luke has been wanting us to make up songs about sea creatures or other animals, etc. I typically just use a tune to a song I know already and change the words. However, the other night, Luke wanted to sing me a song. I was thrilled. Now before I share the song, I'll remind you about his love for Bun-Bun--his blue "bunny" lovie. If you didn't read my post about Bun-Bun a few months ago, you should check it out here, just so you can get a feel for the love Luke has for Bun-Bun.

Here's his song. It's to the tune of You Are My Sunshine!

My name is Bun-Bun,
I like to hop,
and play with Lukey,
alllll day

I like to eat treats
and play with Lukey
because--uzzz, I do.

So sweet!!

a year in pictures

When both of my boys were born, they received elephants with their name on it. Every month, I took a picture of them with their elephant. Now that Charlie is 1 year old, and actually almost 13 months, I decided to post his first year of growth in pictures!

1 month old (a little floppy)

2 months old!

3 months old!

4 months old! Ahhh, there's a smile!

5 months old--getting bigger!

6 months old!

7 months old!

8 months old! Merry Christmas!

9 months old! Drooling like crazy and haven't stopped since!

10 months old!

11 months old!

1 year old (actually closer to 13 months---Mommy was a little late getting around to it)! Happy first year of life! We love you!

strawberry pickin'

Yesterday, Luke and I went with some friends to go strawberry pickin'! A local orchard has been growing strawberries and for a couple of weeks they've had signs enticing us to pick some! Finally, we had a break from the rain, so a bunch of us decided to check the scene out. We were told to find the reddest ones (the green ones taste like dirt), and because they don't use pesticides, they told us if any of the strawberries called out to us, we could pop them in our mouth on the spot! We grabbed our buckets and headed out. Luke had fun and was a very conscientious strawberry picker. He would examine some that I found and tell me there was a green tip, or that part was too mushy, or that might be a bug hole in the strawberry. He was pleased with his picks though! We have been enjoying our juicy, messy treats at every meal since and he declared this morning, "Mommy, these are so yummy! We will definitely go back and pick more!"

a taste test--yummy!

Luke and his friend checking out berries or bugs--not sure which

This one looks perfect!

Wilson, Griffin, Hil and Luke--cute buds!

celebrating Auntie

My sweet great Aunt, Maryanna Popper, ( we call her Auntie---sounds like Aunt Tea) had her 88th birthday last week! Our family took her dinner and cupcakes to celebrate and spend time with her. She has been the biggest Christian influence in my life. She taught me Bible verses when I was a wee little tot and played the piano while singing hymns with me when I would go to her house. Most important of all, she taught me about trusting the Lord and about His promises to provide us with all we need. She taught me that God would never give us anything that we can't handle without Him. Every year for special occasions, she makes Bible verses in calligraphy, on paper burned around the edges, adds a beautiful sticker and encloses them in a card to me. I save every single one---some are on our fridge, some on my bedroom mirror, some I use as bookmarks, etc. I LOVE them! They are daily reminders of God's love and how I need to spend time in the Word, as well as reminders of how she loves me. Auntie, we all love you so much! Thanks for letting us celebrate your birthday with you!