Saturday

Eli has been asking Eric for a while now to take the training wheels off his bike. We thought he was still too young to even attempt it! But this week he ramped up his requests and insisted he was ready, so on Saturday afternoon Eric took the training wheels off! And...

Eli rode like he's been doing it all his life! Eric helped him a bit at first, but Eli did it totally on his own after that. He practiced for hours that afternoon getting on his bike, getting going, riding, and then stopping on his own. He didn't want any help, and he totally mastered bike riding! He's an old pro now. :) We're super proud of him!

On Saturday morning Kelly and I and our sweet friend Jessica did a super fun 5k called "Color Me Rad." We went from very clean to very dirty very quickly! :) It was a blast.

Before:

After:

It was a great Saturday!

Fall Begins

We so enjoyed a calmer pace this summer! And I think we're finally ready for the start of fall and all the activities that it entails.

Last week Eli started back at his preschool (two days a week). He is so excited to be in the "4 year olds class," and he has done just great so far. We love the program and the teachers; we're so thankful that Eli gets to be a part of it.

Last weekend Eric and Phil planted a big fall garden. Eli and Timothy enjoyed helping out, too. :)

These last pictures have nothing to do with fall, but they make me smile and are so indicative of "Eli right now." He loves playing "policeman" and "fireman," and his latest game is sort of a combo of the two. Here he is on his firetruck (which doubles as a police car), with his fire hat on, with his beloved toy gun from Grandpop bungee-corded to the back. (He calls the bungee cord his lasso.) This game, or some version of it, keeps Eli and Timothy busy for hours. I love it!

Maine Vacation

We are so thankful for the 9 days we got to spend in Maine again this summer! It was the perfect trip, full of beautiful scenery, gorgeous weather, and such special time spent with each other and with my sweet, wonderful grandparents.

A bunch of pictures...

We flew into Boston again this year and ate at our favorite place, the Barking Crab. From Boston we took a train to Portland, Maine.

The next day we went to White Lake, where we spent the day swimming and hiking. It is such a beautiful, peaceful place!

On the way home we stopped at a local firehouse that was having a town dinner right inside the fire station! Eli was in heaven, because he got to meet firemen, see the inside of a firehouse, AND climb up on a fire engine!

On Sunday (after a trip to the doctor to get Eli some medicine for a nasty cough/cold he had), we took a hike up Pleasant Mountain.

And later that afternoon we took a boat ride around Moose Pond, where Eli, slightly sick and extremely exhasuted, promptly fell asleep! It was adorable. :)

On Monday morning we got up really early and drove to Bar Harbor, home of Acadia National Park, which I think is the prettiest place I've seen in America. Eric and Eli had never been before, so we were super excited to experience it together!

We ate lunch at the famous Jordan Pond House, and then we hiked around Jordan Pond.

The next day we spent the day at Sand Beach.

And we did some more hiking in gorgeous weather with gorgeous scenery.

On Wednesday morning we dragged ourselves and poor Eli out of bed at 4am to drive up to Cadillac Mountain, which is the first place the sun touches the continental United States. It was a really moving experience to watch the sun rise over the ocean that early morning together. I don't know how anyone could watch that and doubt the existent of a powerful, loving, beautiful God!

After a great breakfast and some shopping around quaint, beautiful Bar Harbor, we packed up and headed back home.

Thursday we spent the day at Pine Point, which is always a blast!

And on Friday we did what Eli has been talking about for a full year- saw the moose and fed the bears at the Maine Wildlife Park. He was pretty happy. :)

On Saturday we made our sad goodbyes and headed back to Texas.

I could go on and on about how wonderful this trip was, what a joy Eli was, and how meaningful it was to spend the week with each other and with my grandparents. We praise God for this experience and eagerly look forward to next summer!

The End of Summer

I can’t believe summer is almost over. In just another few weeks, we’ll be back to preschool, back to Awana and Bible studies, back to a more scheduled, busier life. I’m so thankful for the laid-back and restful summer we’ve had.

We’re done some fun things, too… trips to the lake with friends, a boating Saturday on Lake Ray Hubbard, plenty of afternoons at the Aquatic Center and the wave pool, Burger’s Lake with the family, summer reading club (which fizzled out after they ran out of good prizes :) ), lots of bike rides, scooter rides, walks, and trips to the ice cream/frozen yogurt shop, visits with family, and, of course, tons and tons of time logged in the pool.

Eli learned how to swim really well this summer. I learned how to bake good, healthy sandwich bread totally from scratch. We all learned the value of down time, good friends, and family. I think I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m ready for fall (I LOVE summer and don't like to let it go!) and all that it brings.

But before all that? We get to go to Maine for 8 days!!! We are so excited to see my grandparents, spend time at the beach, hike, and enjoy the cooler weather and beautiful scenery. We can hardly wait! It will be the perfect finale to a perfect summer.

And perhaps I’ll even start keeping up with this old blog a little better, too. :)

Sweet Izzie

Yesterday we had to have our sweet dog Izzie put to sleep. :( It was so, so hard. She got super sick at the beginning of the week and spent three days in the vet hospital with great medical care. But none of the doctors could figure out what was wrong, and she was just suffering so much. Our decision was clear, and we're thankful for that. But saying goodbye was so difficult.



She was the sweetest, most gentle dog, so loveable and fun. We're going to miss her so much. We'll always have such fond memories of our sweet "Beast."

The End

Concern over Eli's tiny size began before he was even born, and it has been an issue for his entire life. We've seen so many doctors, had so many tests, and have spent hours praying over this situation. Last month we saw two new doctors- a geneticist and an endocrinologist. Today we got the results back from the final round of tests that Eli needed to have. The nurse said, "Everything looks perfectly normal."

I cried. :) This is the end of this issue that has been a struggle for more than four years. Eli is "perfectly normal" with nothing wrong at all. He's little, but that's okay. In the doctor's words, he has plenty of time to catch up in size, and he will. No more worrying about this! Short or tall, big or small, he's healthy.

We are so, so thankful to the Lord for helping us to carry this burden, and we are so, so thankful to set it aside. We praise Him for the strength He provides and for the blessing of a healthy child. We try so hard to never, ever take it for granted.

Praise the Lord, who is our salvation, who is good whether things look "good" or "bad," who was faithful and kind to us when Eli was at his sickest, and who is still faithful and kind to us today in Eli's health. He is always the same, always faithful, always good.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great long weekend for Memorial Day. On Saturday morning Eric did his annual 100k bike ride in the Mesquite Rodeo Ride. And I did my annual marvelling at how my husband can cycle 62 miles in 95 degree heat and live to tell about it! Super proud of him!

After the ride, we took Eli and Timothy to the air show that they had at the Mesquite Municipal Airport. The boys were mesmerized! It was a great show. I loved the boys' excitement most of all.

On Sunday we went to the church picnic, which was fantastic as always.

On Monday morning we went for a run at White Rock and then to breakfast at one of our favorite places. And in the afternoon/evening my parents hosted a big picnic/pool party for lots of friends. By the end of the long weekend we were sunburned and exhausted, but super happy. It was a perfect way to start the summer!