Stories From A Life Gone Crazy: how we are and our family pictures

So this summer has been a little different than the summer we envisioned for ourselves a few months ago. People have worried about us and asked how we are--thank you enough for caring it is very sweet. We are doing fine. We move back to Indiana in a week and are very excited. We have made many great memories staying with Granny and Pappy this summer, and I am sure this special time with grandparents will benefit the boys greatly. Still, it will be nice to finally feel like we are completely settled back into our lives. We had pictures taken of us this summer by Sarah Ward who did an awesome job and was very patient with the boys-- and let's be serious-- with the adults as well.

So here is a tiny bit about how everyone is doing and then enjoy our family pictures.

Thomas- he is almost 1 now and I can't believe it. He loves to sing and talk (sometimes he actually says words like hi, bye, and ball). When he smiles he scrunches up his nose and it is the cutest thing ever. He can pull up and cruise but doesn't seem very interested in moving away from furniture just yet. This summer he has loved balls and swimming in the pool.

Luke- has made huge advancements in his language skills and it is so awesome to hear him begin to talk. When we left he only said one or two words--sometimes--and he was 2. Once in Germany he began to say 3 or 4 words in German. When we came back he continued to use his German words but very little else. Then about a month ago he just had an explosion in language. I am not sure if it is because he has had so many aunts and cousins around who have helped him or if he just decided it was time to start, but the difference from the beginning of summer to now is amazing. He has loved having the aunts and cousins around because they would carry and play with him like he was their little pet. He likes having little baby things (small tiny things) to carry around and be his pets-like toys, balls, or balloons. He took swim lessons this summer for one week and loved that he got to be a big boy and do something Thomas couldn't.

Jack- has taken to the water like a fish this summer. At the beginning of the summer he was nervous of the water and unsure about what to do while in it, but now he has no fear. He jumps in , does cannonballs, can doggy paddle the length of Granny's pool, has jumped off the diving board multiple times, puts his head completely underwater,is starting to learn the frog kick, and wants to be in the water every day. It has been so fun to see this transformation and emergence of confidence. He went to VBS even though he didn't know anyone in it and it was at a church he was not familiar with-I was so proud of him for doing something that I know was outside his comfort zone.

Pete and I are doing fine too-- there isn't much to report on us so you will just have to take my word for it.

Ok let the family pictures begin----