Happy Birthday Day, Nathan!!

Spent the morning with Daddy, Papa, Mama, and Aunt Tristi on the course.

We have done so so much of this the last few days...not the golf part...

...mainly because of this...

We had a Mini -Buzz Light Year party with the grandparents...enjoyed some monkey golf/hillbilly horse shoes/ladder golf/aggie golf (depends on where you live and what your story is)...

Best Buds Forever!

Today you turned 3, Bud! You are absolutely hilarious and make us laugh all the time. You so amaze me at how goofy you can be one minute and serious the next. You have been riding around on your tractor Papa gave you today with nothing but a straight face, but deep down inside you are just bursting with excitement. You are learning that you have the ability to be very very funny. You're timing and approach is almost perfected. We have loved watching you adore your sister and want to be a part of everything she does. She loves you so and will have lots to teach you. And you and Luke have finally bonded and found how you, as guys, can bond...a good chase around the island and an occasional wrestling match, well a big brother smashing really. You recently have started loving the hugs and kisses from your Mommy again and it just makes my heart melt! You look so much like your Daddy so I think you are just out of this world adorable! And because he is probably your most preferred person I pray you develope into an amazing, fun, godly man just like your Dad. We love you, Naters! Happy Birthday.

Strollin'...fun photos

Texas, here we come...

"Don't worry, Pooks, I will take care of you." -Abigail on Luke's first flight

We have been anticipating this trip to Texas for quite some time now. It has been a year and a half since we traveled back to The Great State and for many reasons this one seems like it has the potential to be the best one yet. The kids are what make it so exciting. They have heard us go on and on about our love for Texas and it is neat to see them long for "home" too. Abigail is now old enough to understand that these are her roots. Today we drove her by the home where she spent the first year of her life. She didn't understand why she couldn't go in and see her old room. She is curious and asks to look at pictures of Mommy and Daddy when they were little. We get to watch our own children get excited about the things we loved growing up...nights on the back porch, trampolines, 4-wheelers, sunsets and starry night skies that extend forever, family and friends, a real snowcone, Taco Villa, Tex-Mex in general, the 4th of July festivities. Lots of memories in this small Texas town I tell ya.

To the picture show with the Marshman's

The Marshman's treated the kids to the new and exciting Toy Story 3 and I wanted the family back home to see because I was just dying laughing at some of these pics. Go HERE to see more. Thanks again, Marshman's, for a great time!

Cowboy-up

Geared my gang up today for our first day at Saddle Ridge Ranch, VBS 2010. (Can you tell who the Entertainer is in our family?) And then next week, TEXAS!!

(Sorry about the blurry pic, who knew going from an air conditioned home to humid heat would fog the lens. Really.)

Celebrating Super-Nate turning 3

Air time

During the summer, we LIVE in the backyard. I did get a few fun shots as Tory introduced to them "the launch" last week. We love water!

Time with Jonas

My sweet friend, Rachel, also mother to the very popular Georgia and Henry and the new baby Jonas, began to get very ill Memorial Day weekend with some pain in her back. After many tests the following days it was learned that she had a fluid-filled cyst the size of a softball on her kidney. Waiting on a procedure to be done last Friday she began to get a fever which showed the cyst to be infected. It became more urgent to drain the cyst and it was done last Wednesday. Though such trying circumstances, we were thrilled to get a phone call Tuesday night asking us to take in their new little one, Jonas. It has been a fun week for us as a family to get to have him. Mama Marshman is doing well and we are happy to say she is headed home tomorrow. A little bitter-sweet to send the little one back but I am happy to see Rachel get her chicks back together with her under one roof. Though she would not say so, she is such a strong woman to have gone through what she has in the last couple of weeks. I admire her. She is a wonderful mom! One whose children will "rise up and call her blessed".

Here is Luke, making mends with Jonas for getting jealous and reacting on his time in his Mama's arms.

And lastly, a Tribute to Daddy Marshman...

...a Giddens' boy sweater vest.

Don't worry, we have already heard retaliation threats of rompers and soccer attire.

Thanks Marshman's, for entrusting your youngest in our arms. We have cared for him as we would one of our own. We love you guys and are blessed to call you Friend.

Home Study Visit #2

Uneventful. That is how I would describe our last home study. Basically, the entire 45 minutes we went through the "home study" that she had written up for us (which, by the way, she did a fabulous job) she kept saying how much she "loved this part" and "you guys are so great". I guess I thought they basically all looked the same. Not so, I am learning.

With that being said, what I thought was going to be a lot of rummaging around through our house checking outlet safety covers, making sure meds were locked, fire extinguisher was current, yada yada yada, was not the case. We never left the kitchen table. Completely fine with me. Reminded me of one of those tests I use to freak out about in high school only to take it and wish I hadn't lost so much sleep.

We also spent a few minutes going through 4 of our 10 needed hours of "training". Again, she looked at us as if we could handle it. We did get some good tips on handling all those comments about why our child doesn't look like us...good to know.

And finally, we concluded with a long list of what we need to do to meet KY requirements in documenting in our dossier....uuuuhhhhhhhh?!? Something about notarizing every document, verifying with the county the notary is from that they are in fact a notary, sending KY documents to receive state seals and be "authenticated" and TX documents their respective seals. And I am sure I have left something out. Please pray for me.

Anyway, if you have read this far into this post, thank you. Thank you for letting me debrief and recollect my thoughts. Really, thank you. We will continue to update you as things progress.

Much love,

Kedra

Hitting the Beach. Happy Bday Abigail!