happy anniversary!

8 beautiful years have passed since ryan and i said, "i do."

they have been the most wonderful and rich years of my life.

although this year has held challenges greater than any we had yet faced, it made my love for him grow so much stronger and deeper.  watching you, ryan, as we faced such uncertainty and hardship, gave me so much strength.  you were a pillar of hope and faith for us during my struggles and crosby's hospital stay and i will never be able to say "thank you" enough for all you did for me during those months.

i love you more than words could express.

thank you for choosing me.

happy anniversary!!

::firetruck::

we had the pleasure of helping to celebrate our friend, david's, 4th birthday last weekend.

my kids were thrilled as the local fire department arrived at the party.

the firefighters were so gracious and kind to the kids and we all learned a ton.

they let the kids climb up inside and even spray the hose.  it was awesome!

happy 4th birthday, david!  thank you for letting us celebrate with you!

::5 months old::

crosby is 5 months old!

it is hard to believe our little warrior is so big!

as crosby passes the 5 month mark, it means that his days at home will now exceed his days spent in the NICU.

and that feels like a huge step forward.

he will have spent more days at home in the care of his family who adores him than in the hospital under the care of physicians and nurses.

and while we are forever grateful for his care at the hospital, it is oh so good to have him home.

praise be to God.

::big::

i have been struck in the last few weeks by just how big lily is.

although i certainly don't think of her as my baby, i still think of her as "little."

but then she says things, or helps finn, or seems so tall, or speaks with such compassion and i am floored by how old and big she is.  (and of course then she throws a fit and she feels little again!) :)

it is so bittersweet.  i want to savor every minute of my kids being little.  but, then i watch her right now and i am so excited for the years to come and the memories we are making.

 i realized recently that she is now at the age that i start to have solid memories of my youth.  and they are such fun, magical, free and creative memories and it makes me so happy for her.  watching her pretend to be a dolphin in the pool transports me right back to my days spent at azionaqua.  or hearing her talk about the fairies living in the house she and finn built in the basement makes my heart long for those days of make believe.  and the thousands of questions she asks all day long makes me love how much she yearns for knowledge right now.

my baby is so big.
and yet so little.
and i am savoring it so much...

we have have just been enjoying the hot days of summer around these parts.

we have been spending a lot of time poolside.

today finn discovered the wonder of seeing underwater with goggles.  oh the joy!  

and crosby went for his first swim yesterday...he loved it so much that he promptly fell asleep in the warm water.

and crosby is working diligently to get a thumb (or even just a finger) to stay in his mouth for more than a second...