a pretty sight

I looked out our family room window after the rain the other day and this is what I saw...
My camera along with my nonexistent photography skills don't do it enough justice. It was the clearest rainbow I had ever seen. It looked like the one I use to draw as a little girl minus the 2 clouds at the end.

7 months

Its hard to believe Noah is already 7 months! All 19 lbs and 7 ounces of him :) I was so sad putting more little clothes away and washing all the 12 month outfits. I'm really enjoying this stage. He's sitting up, rolling (if he really has to), eating everything I puree (giving me more confidence in the kitchen), babbling/squealing, and teething as tooth #4 is almost here! The first 2 things people point out about him is how joyful and content he is. I love how easy it is to get him to smile and laugh. He has brought so much joy to our lives! Here's a few favorite moments:

sleeping swaddle free

learning to use the remote

more importantly, learning to read

working on the basketball scholarship

first dip in the pool

just being cute

first peas (which he loves)

contagious smiles

more smiles

eating "mor chikin"

Danny and I love both Chick-fil-A and free food. July 9 apparently is cow appreciation day. (Thanks to my faithful friend Janet for informing me). Dress up as a cow and your meal is covered. Needless to say, I was there for lunch and dinner. I ate vegetarian the following days.

Noah with Josh and Audrey (who were definitely more interested in a pack of ketchup) and Makenna

And back again for dinner with dad :)

June

Its hard to believe today is the last day of June. I'm loving the warm weather. I love being able to slide on my flip flops and go places without 12 other articles of winter clothing. Although, Noah did come with a diaper bag and other accessories, so it still can be slow :) We started off the summer with a surprise anniversary party for my in-laws. It was awesome to see how many people were so excited to bless them (and to see how many people can fit in our home). There's so much that can be said about them, but for now I will sum it up in two words, humility and servanthood. Here's a picture of the happy couple at the end of the night.

The following weekend we had my moms side of the family over. I grew up being with my family ALL the time. On Friday nights we picked an aunt to go visit, and there was always someone to play with. As the family has grown exponentially into 1/4th of the states population, it's much more challenging to get together, but we made an attempt, and I don't regret one loud and hectic minute of it! Lots of people and way too much food...

My mom and I

My aunties (minus one in PA)

Noah with the other 2 December additions, Samuel and Joseph

The world's largest fruit salad

This past weekend Danny took Noah and I to the AVP tournament in NJ. It was so good to go away for the weekend. I love watching Danny play volleyball. But for once, it was nice to watch it together. As you will see, Noah had the time of his life too...

Noah waiting for his free face and foot massage

Noah & Danny with AVP champ & Olympian gold medalist, Phil Dalhausser

Noah's first look at the beach. (We really couldn't get him to look at the camera)
Nap time
Thanks for a great weekend dada!

2009

Danny and I constantly find ourselves looking back at God's kindness towards us. So much has happened since we got married, and now it finally feels that things are settling down (and I have time to blog). In April of last year we bought our first home. Almost every Sunday after church we would stop by our home and see its progress. During those times, I remember talking with Danny about how the Lord directed our house hunt. He blessed us with more than we imagined into the community that we first eliminated. Now we see clearly His perfect wisdom in bringing us here. And yes, about a week after our offer was accepted, we found out I was pregnant with our first! Here's just a small glimpse of the events of 2009..

We watched our first home being built

We started a family :)

We celebrated our first anniversary

Noah, our sweet potato, was born on Dec 19, 2009

just getting started!

Since Noah was born, I've debated for a while on whether or not to start the whole blog thing. Well, here I am. I did it! I really needed one spot to just capture pictures and the events that are happening in these fleeting and precious moments of life. So much has happened in just the past year, and so many brain cells have been lost. I hope this blog will help me look back one day and allow me to see more than just a faded memory.