Memorial Day

I know this is a few days overdue, but here are some snapshots from our weekend.
Sienna marched in our Memorial Day parade for the first time with her Daisy Scout troop!  She was so excited and I was proud to see her walking confidently with her group, smiling and enjoying herself.  She was thrilled when she spotted us shouting and waving to her and her face lit up!  Since they were on the move, I only got one close shot of her, but it's a good one.  Here are a few pics from the morning:



The boys are excited for the parade to start!

What the holiday is truly about: honoring the men and women who have served our country.  I got a little teary watching a number of elderly veterans riding in cars and waving, thinking about the sacrifices they made to protect our freedoms.

 

It was picture perfect weather! 

There's my gorgeous girl!  In typical fashion, she had to add a little flair to her Daisy beanie to make it extra fancy.  See how she is walking right behind the blue parade sign?  David said the leaders instructed the girls to stand behind the sign, and so little Sienna placed herself directly behind the sign, to be sure she was in the right place.  She's a rule-follower, like her Mommy!

Capping off the end of the parade with some festive popsicles!  They had a little ceremony at the school after the parade, during which soldiers fired rifles into the air.  David said everyone was silently watching, and after the guns went off, Charlie said loudly, "Is yem (them) shooting bad guys?"

In other news from the weekend, this special little guy turned SEVEN!


This picture makes me smile.   : )

Our oldest nephew, Sam, turned seven on Saturday.  He is a gorgeous little boy who has such a sweet disposition, is intelligent, funny, creative, loving, and determined.  When he sets his mind to something, he is so focused and won't give anything less than his best.  Sam has a little brother, Joshua, who is five, and his Mom (or Mum, I should say, as they're English--she is David's sister) is about to have baby boy #3 any day now!  It is unfortunate that they live on another continent, but I am so thankful for living in a time with Skype, where we can still talk and see each other in between the times we get to visit in person.  These are some pictures from a trip we took to England last August:

Sienna, Josh, Charlie, and Sam

A more accurate representation of the cousins!

We love you, Sam!

And now a gratuitous baby photo to end the post:

My (Our) Newest Love

On April 26, our family was blessed with the safe arrival of Baby Henry.  I can't believe that at this time four weeks ago he was still in my belly, and after having mild, sporadic contractions all day was by this point pretty sure that I was in labor.  Two hours later I was definitely sure, and by 10 pm that night I would be holding my newly born second son in my arms and my heart felt like it would burst with joy.  Four weeks later, I am still overcome by how much God has blessed our family with this little man.  Maybe you can see why I adore him so much:


Although only four weeks old, I am certain that he has smiled at me and in response to me!  And yes, I'm sure every mother has made this claim. 

 

I'm ready for my nap!

I love love love his soft, newborn baby skin!  As you can probably see in this picture, his face still has a yellow tint to it - remnants of the bilirubin that caused his severe jaundice at birth.  (That's a story for another day).
 

I'm not the only one who's smitten with this little guy...

Exhibit A:

Yes, we love kissing his face!

 

Exhibit B:

Charlie is "sweeping" (sleeping) in this one.  Very convincing, right?  : )



On a side note, when taking the above photos earlier today, I was reminded once again of how Charlie is no longer "the little man" in our house.  I have to admit, I shed a few tears in the first week after Henry being born over how big Charlie is now.  Although that may sound strange, he has been my baby for 3 years, so to see him in the role of a big brother is wonderful, but to see him shed the last remnants of his baby status was bittersweet.  He doesn't seem to be missing it at all, as he is constantly reminding us that he is a big boy and a big brother now.  In fact, if we happen to call him "the little man" he corrects us and says he is not the little man, Henry is. : )  And if we need an added reminder, we can look at this picture:

Yes, Charlie is definitely not the little man of the house, although Henry himself is topping the charts at 11lb 4oz (90th percentile) and 23 1/2" long (98th percentile!)