Remembering

As always around this time of year

I am remembering ...

Thinking of those I love who are gone and looking forward to the day I will see them again ...

Sweet angel baby, I love you and I can not wait to meet you and hold you in my arms!

And to both of my dear grandpa's ...
I miss you both so much

and wish you had been able to be here a little longer.

Grandpa Baker, I'm posting these pics

of your favorite flower in honor of you ...

Finding joy today in the remembering

and hope in the knowledge that someday we will be together again ...

Love you!

Tubs

If you had seen my basement a week ago, you would know why this is putting a smile on my face ...

Neatly organized shelves ...

... full of nicely labeled tubs.

Speaking of tubs ...

There's something delightful about a whole stack of brand new, waiting to be filled tubs to replace all those old, nasty brown boxes ...

Oh, what a perfectly wonderful accomplishment!

A Car and a Concert

While Mom was helping me organize the basement today it rained.

When she went out to her car, which was parked under a big tree,

this is what she found ...

Mom, Chandler, and I found this to be quite hilarious for some reason!

And tonight was my precious Hannah Joy's school program!

She looked so pretty ...

and she did a fabulous job!

I love you, sweet girl!

My Sweet Boy

Since his birthday is in the summer,

Chandler celebrated his birthday at preschool today. 

He was so excited to take the special frosted cookies he picked out ...

And he was thrilled that his mommy was there, even though it was a super short celebration. 

He watched me the whole time the class was singing to him.

I love this sweet boy so much!

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with precious Chandler Martin!

Beauty All Around Me

Love this beautiful redbud tree in our backyard ...

... and have I mentioned that tulips are my favorite flower?

And I can't help but smile when I see

this precious boy ...

... and this beautiful girl ...

... especially when they are having fun playing together.

I am learning to see the beauty all around me -- through the lens of my camera.

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways you have blessed me!

Joy in a Mother's Heart

What could bring more joy to a mother's heart than this?

Yesterday Hannah was taking notes during the sermon at church ...

I was amazed at how well she was listening! 

How precious it is to see my sweet daughter learning to love the Lord!

Today I found joy in so many little things ...

 blackbirds on the mantle at Mom's house

Hannah and Chandler tiptoeing into the kitchen

in search of the huge fly that found its way in today

and the sepia adjustment on paint.net.

Things That Are Above

"Set your minds on things that are above,

not on things that are on earth."

Colossians 3:2

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:7

The Little Things

It's the little things ...

A cup of coffee

Bright flowers by an old picket fence

A yummy cinnamon roll

And the smiles on Hannah's and Chandler's faces as they ate ice cream this evening

after Chandler's spring program at school

I am blessed!

Such Brave Kids

Hannah and Chandler both had dentist appointments today

and made me so proud!!

Hannah:  x-rays, cleaning, sealants, flouride treatment

Chandler:  x-rays, cleaning, flouride treatment, and a tooth pulled

They were so brave and cooperated perfectly

so they were rewarded with a trip to Toys R Us.

My sweet boy with a missing tooth ...

I am so proud of my sweet babies and so thankful to my mom for being there with us today!

*********

This post would not be complete if I did not include two hilarious quotes from today:

CHANDLER

Picture Chandler in the dentist's chair.  They have seriously numbed his gum with topical stuff, the nurse is holding out his lower lip and suctioning out his mouth, and the dentist is giving him a shot. 

Chandler manages to say, "Are you giving me a shot? Because if you're giving me a shot, I can't really feel it."

HANNAH

We were in two cars and as we left the restaurant

Chandler climbed into Chad's car and sat in Hannah's booster seat. 

 I'm sitting in the van and hear Hannah say, "If he toots in my seat I am going to be extremely upset." 

Silliness

After I picked Hannah up from school today I decided to take a picture of my two cuties together in their red shirts.  It's a good thing I wasn't needing to get a "good" photo for a Christmas card or something, because this is what I got ...

And, right about here, things really started to fall apart ...

Of course, all of this really begs the question, "What exactly is the definition of a 'good' picture?" 

Because, if a good photo is one that brings a smile to your face,

then I got some great photos today!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Coffee in a red mug ...

A stack of books ...

And a delightful pillow stitched by my mom.

These are a few of my favorite things!

Spring Tulips

I love, love, love TULIPS!! 

Chandler and I went on a little drive in our neighborhood so I could photograph

some of the gorgeous tulips in bloom right now ...

Journey the Way

We worshiped for the first time on Sunday at a new church plant in downtown Wichita called Journey the Way.  The church meets in the old Murdock Theatre ...

We felt blessed to worship here with brothers and sisters in Christ!

Bike Riding Fun

Hannah and Chandler were super excited to ride their brand new bikes. 

Daddy spent time helping Hannah learn to ride her bike without training wheels ...

she's starting to get the hang of it and she's so excited!

It won't be long and we'll be able to go on a family bike ride!