April 28th

Logan and I at her 5th birthday party and Logan when she was a month old!

Logan will be 5 in about 30 minutes. For some reason, 5 is very hard to digest. I remember everything when I was 5. I learned to tie my shoes, ride a bike, go to school, do chores etc. I am very thankful for Logan. She has an extremely tender heart. She cares about the needs of others and rarely speaks unkindly about anyone. She does a great job as a big sister even when Lilly tries to push all of her buttons. Logan's biggest enemy is moods. She can be so up and down depending on the change of wind. She requires a lot of patience with gentle pushing when she wants to quit (which happens quickly because she gets bored easily). She loves anything and everything girly and absorbs any attention thrown her way. We can find her staring at herself in the mirror and complementing herself pretty regularly!
We hope she has a wonderful birthday. Kirk is going to take most of the day off to lavish her with both of our attention!
In other exciting news....I just found out I am going to Africa this summer! I am so excited! www.visitingorphans.org organizes mission trips to 10 different countries for the sole purpose of spending time with orphans; playing with them, loving on them and bringing home the experiences so that others will go and be a blessing/be blessed. Kimberly and I leave June 26-July9. Sweet, sweet, sweet Kirk is super excited for me and will be watching the girls for me. Pray for safe travel and strength and joy for Kirk for 2 weeks of Mr.Mom!
Also, next week Josie turns one, we leave for the beach and Kirk and I are having our 10 year anniversary soon............wow! So much to look forward to. I am so thankful and pray that I will never take life for granted. I pray that God will always be my first priority above everything and everyone else in my life. That I would seek him first through daily prayer, reading, meditating and doing what his word says and not just reading it. I am not who I will be but I am thankful that I am not who I used to be :)!!

April camera fun

The girls love to take my camera and create their own creative memories. You can come along for the ride......



Josie's eye

April 19

• Josie is starting to army crawl. She can get from point A to B by crawling with her hands and dragging her feet behind her. Pretty cute. She is in a "big girl" car seat now which faces forward. She loves looking around. She is drinking milk now too. She still loves that pacy and apples. If you give her a whole apple or carrot she just sucks on it till it is gone and gets very upset if you take it away!
• Logan and Lilly are busy gals these days. They both are in swimming lessons T/TH for a half an hour, gymnastics on Mondays and Logan does ballet on Mondays. Logan LOVES ballet. Lilly is getting really brave in the water and putting her head under without crying!
• I am up until 2am tonight. I just put application in to go on a mission trip to Uganda and Kenya this summer. I am so excited about the possibility it is hard to sleep!
• Logan will be attending New Hope Academy in the fall for preschool. She will go M,W,F and Lilly will go to Mustard Seed Preschool on W and F. We are all soooo excited about the incredible educational, spiritual and diverse environment they will be around. So......homeschool is OUT for the time being. Every year (and every minute) can change with Kirk and I :) Kirk is always telling me how I am keeping him on his toes. I think it is really God keeping him on his toes!!
• Logan- "I am glad that it is raining. Me- "So it will water the flowers? Logan- No. So it will get all the poop off our car. Nice.
• Logan wants to be a "real life" princess when she grows up. You know....like at Disney World where all the princesses are real.
• Being out in the yard and Lilly was getting so dirty. She said she loves getting dirty and playing in the mud. Logan said she doesn't. It messes up her pretty dresses she said.
• Lilly pointed out a girl that looked like a friend of mine. I rudely said, "No, she doesn't look like (blank). (Blank) is prettier than that. Logan quickly jumped all over that comment. "Mom, that is bragging (she actually said dragging but I knew what she was getting at). "Mom, God made everyone beautiful and handsome and you should not say that about people". She is absolutely right. I think I was pathetically trying to defend a friend when being compared to a teenager with two toned hair and too tight jeans. It doesn't really matter does it? Logan was right and I made sure she knew it.
  

April 3rd

The girls enjoy lots of bubbles in their bath
Josie is standing up!
Logan doing one of her many poses
"Jo Jo" as the girls call her

Justin Beiber as a baby. Baby Bieber
Lilly likes to take my camera and "capture the world" :)

• I put Josie on the floor of Logan and Lilly's room. I came back a minute later and she had somehow moved all the way over to their bed and pulled herself up to a standing position from their bed rails. She seemed very proud of herself. She doesn't crawl so I don't know how she got over there. Maybe she will walk and skip crawling all together. I would actually like that. I wouldn't be so worried about her putting as many things in her mouth.
• Kirk and I went out the other night. After being put to bed Lilly told the sitter that she needed to go downstairs and do the dishes before mommy and daddy get home.
• Lilly said she wanted to be a fireman when she grows up. Logan said she wanted to be a real life princess.