A year in the life of Daddy

Our lives have changed a lot since last Father's Day with the addition of another little person to our family. And Andrew has taken it all in stride, quickly adjusting and thriving in our Kingdom of Pink. I've said before that I had no idea what a remarkable father Andrew would be when we got married -- I knew that he was kind and funny and passionate -- but the enthusiasm with which he has embraced this amazing responsibility has surpassed my wildest imagination.

He's made simply being there for his girls one of the highest priorities in his life and I know how lucky we are to be the recipients of that kind of devotion. So three cheers this Father's Day for the man who:

opened up his heart to love another baby girl unconditionally,

provided a shoulder to lean on,

kept himself grounded so those around him could soar,

encouraged his family's spiritual development,

played hopscotch in the driveway,

became close personal friends with Dora and Elmo and George,

fostered sweet dreams and cozy mornings,

attended impromptu tea parties,

gave chauffeured zoo tours,

taught a little fisherman how to cast a reel,

eased fears,

calmed tears,

cheered on brave attempts at carnival rides,

and turned an ordinary afternoon into a WWF audition.

That's quite the year you've had, Daddy! Your girls look up to you and absolutely adore you ~ it's easy to see why.  I'm incredibly blessed to be walking this journey as parents with you and I can't wait to see how fatherhood continues to mold you in the years to come.

The sun comes shinin' through

When you're smilin'....keep on smilin'

The whole world smiles with you

And when you're laughin'....keep on laughin'

The sun comes shinin' through

                 ~Louis Armstrong

Cindy Lou Who

Memorial Day mishap

Having the day off of work and all, we decided to cook up a little family adventure after nap time on Memorial Day. We packed up the towels, snacks, sunscreen, etc., put everyone's swimsuits on, and took the 25 minute drive out to Gonzales to play in the Jambalaya Park splash pad thingy.  It looked so neat and refreshing online, so imagine our delight when we got all the way there and saw the big sign that read "Closed on Monday". What the what, G-town? Fail.

So... we let the girls play in a regular old park for a bit but surrendered once the heat became too relentless and went on back home. We dug out Lucy's old splash mat (a 1st birthday present) and let the girls play in the backyard as the sun went down. I think they had a better time than they would have at the fancy water park and their parents were happy to be within reaching distance of a nice cold Abita satsuma beer. :)  Summertime and the livin' is easy... if you let it be.

  

Wordless Wednesday: Saturday morning cartoons edition

You outta be in pictures

So as many of you may know, now that we've finally gotten most of the renovations complete on our 1970s abode... we're gearing up to sell up. I've taken a ton of pictures in the last week getting ready to post our listing on FSBOBR.com, and as I starting scrolling them them I kept finding errant heads and smiles popping up in the frames. Some are goofy, some are cute, and some are completely nonchalant. But they all remind me of the people who live in this house, particularly the little ones who helped us make this house a home.

Here are some of the "outtakes":

Hannah's room

Hallway

Lucy's "Baby Girl Pink" room

Living room

Because we've been in a constant state of renovation the entire time we've lived in this house, I don't know if I ever really and truly felt at home in it (like I didn't need to be painting something, etc.). And now that we're getting ready to leave it, I've never felt more at home here. Of course. I guess it doesn't hurt that the house has never been cleaner!

If you know anyone looking for a house in Baton Rouge, please send them our way! And please keep us in your prayers for a speedy sale -- we have open houses this Sunday and next Sunday. And Lucy's birthday party this Saturday, and a baby shower and Father's Day next weekend, and my church small group here in a few weeks, and a beach trip the weekend after that, and Hannah's 1st birthday party the weekend after that... Calgon take me away!