Introducing Abigail Rose

Our newest blessing, now one week old,

arrived Tuesday, July 29th

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Abigail Rose

8 lbs. 9 oz.

20.5 in.

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The Lord blessed with a safe, natural delivery ...

Abigail Rose had the unique privilege of being our doctor's final delivery after over thirty years of practicing OB. His relaxed manner caused him to be loved by both patients and nurses alike, and every. single. nurse. we interacted with told us how fortunate we were to have him and how much they personally were going to miss him. It's special to see God's hand in allowing us to have him as our doctor ... we originally thought our due date would be early August, but the ultra-sound set it at July 30. His "retirement" date was July 31, and when I contacted him back in the spring, he was willing to accept me as one of his last OB patients. So. thankful.

Meet Janet and Pat, our awesome labor & delivery nurses. SO thankful for these ladies!! They helped me so much through a very challenging labor.

Grandma held down the fort while we were in the hospital and patiently answered the question "Have you heard any news???" at least a bazillion and one times. ;)

The kids were so excited to meet their baby sister! ♥

 ♥

By Wednesday evening, we were ready to head home ...

Where Miss Abby has been snuggled and loved and held ever since ♥

 Grandma and Hannah worked together to make matching shirts for Hannah and Abby ... Grandma painted Abby's while Hannah painted her own. 

Grandpa surprised us all by arriving a full day earlier than expected! He was here when we got home from church Sunday morning! He spent his afternoon doing one of his favorite things with new grandbabies ... 

We have been so thankful and glad for good friends who have had opportunity to come visit ... both at the hospital and at home. ♥

And here's a few pictures of a precious bundle all by herself ...

♥

We are abundantly blessed.

365Project.2014 | June & July

The summer has been flying by! We've been blessed to fill it with lots of fun and special memories.

We started our summer school schedule when we returned from Michigan in June. Doing school three days a week for June and July allows us to take August off and still finish up at the beginning of next May. Matthew has loved learning his letters with Grandma in K4! :)

Our weekly Park Hop has been one of the highlights of our summer. Every Tuesday morning we packed lunches, and after Hannah's piano lessons we headed out for the local parks. Just this week we met our goal of visiting 16 parks ... it's been a blast! :) Probably the best day was when Daddy joined in the fun one Saturday. :)

Hmmm ... I think I might have been borderline on this one ... ;)

Our 16th park!

Of course, most days are filled with the ordinary stuff of life:
Gardens ...

 And snipping beans ...

 Swimming ...

 Breakfast smiles ...

 Lunch with friends ...

 Lovin' on Sweet Pea ...

 Cooperative computer time ...

Craft time with Grandma ...

A new addition to our dining room!!!! Eeeee! SO SO SO excited about this one! It's an incredibly special gift from my Grandma and Grandpa!! ♥ It makes my heart happy every time I see it. ♥

Snuggles with my two littlest babies ...

Little boys who have discovered new adventures in the world of letters of books ...

Lego sorting ... to make building easier :)

A visit to the Blueberry Festival where the Home Depot tent was the highlight of the morning ... :)

And celebrating National Ice Cream Day! :)

We were also blessed to enjoy a very special day in Atlanta. :) Miss Beth joined forces with Mommy and we took our crew to Atlanta so that Hannah could purchase the American Girl doll for which she has been saving for nearly two years. It was a super, super special day! :)

Independence Day was another special day. We didn't do anything "big," but it was a blessing to have Daddy home and simply enjoy being together as a family.

Hannah-bug made dessert ...

The boys had fun outside ... and Mommy actually took pictures of the sort of stuff they're outside doing most days. :)

A board and a log make a pretty nifty teeter totter. :)

Daddy enjoyed finishing up an outstanding project ...

Peter perfected his wood chopping skills! :)

And Mommy thoroughly enjoyed a couple hours on the swinging bench with beautiful weather and a good book. :)

At the end of the day, we found ourselves a quiet spot to watch the local fireworks.

And now we wait for Sweet Pea, our littlest blessing, to make her appearance ... she's been steadily growing and we are very much looking forward to meeting her soon!! ♥