fun in the sun

we had a fabulous time at the shore with the family.
hope you enjoy the picts
















bear, em and uncle j playing on the shore






















em's collecting sand





















mad discovers first hand why we told her the ocean is salt water and not to drink it.

















wave jumping





















both girls loved wading into the ocean until the jelly fish started attacking

















wandering heart's happy and not so happy family


















Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. I Chron. 29:11






















a belated bday party for em


















an early party for caslon. all the little ones got gifts
















caslon and mad enjoying the party





















em received a fishin' pole from trader mom and dad. of course she had to give it a try

















catfish caught


















mad hanging out on the lagoon dock






















mad fishing with papa





















em fishing with grandma
















em and grandma reeled in the catch of the day - a dirty old coke can


















camera man and caslon taking a break and posing for a picture on our dolphin watching excursion.






















em before she felt sea-sick






















mad before she got tired of being on a boat and seeing nothing

















our happy family. em's feeling dizzy here and taking a rest






















mad eventually crashed and fell fast asleep. the nap rejuvenated her and the girls played into the wee morning hours.






















our science experiments for the week being released into their natural environment

















The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Ps. 19:1






















my three fishermen

















upon returning home we caught this grasshopper and then we went swimming in the neighborhood pool.

em declared, "it's good to be back in our comfortable home." it sure is.



to check out other fun picts from our beach vacation see wandering heart and hannah bear's cave on the side bar.

it's ok for me but not for you...

em defended mad against a couple of bigger kids at the pool today. even though mad was holding her own against the bully, em stepped in and told him off. after that the boys left the girls alone.
interestingly enough, em loves to push mad's buttons, but apparently nobody else is allowed to do the same.

one



























two































three


























four
































five




























six!














Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by God's hand
And perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what He's been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living breathing priceless work of art and...

I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

Just look at you
You're a wonder in the making
Oh, and God's not through, no
In fact, He's just getting started!

miraculous metamorphosis

sorry this is such a
bad picture, but you can
see the orange wings
so well









em showing off her
butterflies and
her fashion
















mad with the
new butterflies


















setting them free

greetings and ...

"salutations"
-mad
it's funny to hear a little one use such big words.

narnian puppy

as many of you know we are huge cs lewis fans. em's read through and listened to the chronicles countless times. mad only has a few more chapters in the last battle. she's loved every second.
em wanted to play a game after dinner the other night. she wanted to be a puppy, mad the princess, n-the king and me, well, i'm always the witch. (i know type casting, ha ha ha) anyway, the puppy continued talking incessantly , so the king said, " i thought you were a puppy. puppies can't talk." our little thinker piped, "i'm a narnian puppy!"

if you're not familiar with lewis' classic tales of narnia you need to know that the animals in narnia can talk; you also need to read the books.

morph

on saturday our
caterpillars climbed
up and rooted themselves
into the "j" position






























a hour later two
jade chrysalis'
formed

now the wait
begins...

a good reminder

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace


The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

john newton/chris tomlin

on our shelf

our school books arrived today!
em wanted to start today, but i told her not until august.
she advised me that she will only like math and science.
shocking...

mad didn't look remotely interested.

any guesses which child is most like which parent?

caterpillars and cast free

another
caterpillar
"sweet ruffer"

one of the last
pictures of em
in her red cast













sweetie and
sweet ruffer
eating milkweed
as em lovingly
looks on












cast free

she thinks it's
cool that her
tattoo is still
on her hand.










em's arm is 100% healed. as long as she's able to straighten it out completely within 30 days, she will avoid any therapy. woo hoo! today we went to a party at rec unlimited (a store that sells rainbow swing sets) and she was negotiating the climbing wall and rope ladder and hanging from a bar (the only thing the doc told her not to do) without problems. praise the Lord!

on a more somber note: while walking through the halls of the ped ortho rehab center i was reminded of how God has protected our little ones since before they were born. a little break is nothing compared to what some children/parents face on a daily basis since they were born. the girls are healthy and vibrant. sometimes they are so energetic and enthusiastic i become frustrated, but i should just be thankful.

smoke, swimming and sweetie

our fireworks



















girls looking
on



































watching
the display
from the truck












mad
swimming














em swimming
in our
neighborhood
pool












em's picture
"under the sea"

check out the
sea monster with
fish in it's belly









making "under
the sea"















em with
sweetie the
monarch
caterpillar













sweetie with
yummy
milkweed
















this one speaks
for itself















we had a terrific weekend. first we had a movie night on friday, followed by a trip to the indianapolis zoo on saturday. at the zoo we got to pet sharks. sorry no pictures. it was a spontaneous trip.
on sunday the girls were tired little monsters.

farm living

mad behind
the farm
house














mad with
gramma's
"kitty"
it really
bothered the
girls that the
cat's name is
kitty










em showing her
cast to kitty

kitty is getting
used to the girls
she only bit mad
once









gramma signing
em's cast













out cold









poor em had a high fever most of our trip. but they both enjoyed running in and out of the house whenever they wanted, mooing at the cows, and searching for kitty.