Visiting Gampa- Part II

Sunday brought Ashlyn's birthday.  We, of course, went to church that morning which was one of the sweetest times of the trip for me.  We picked up MomMom and then headed to the service.  During the summer they combine the traditional and contemporary services.  Besides being able to worship with 4 generations of my family I was surrounded by more elderly people than I have worshipped with in a long time, if not ever.  All the songs ended up being worship songs I enjoy but are contemporary and I'm guessing that none of the precious older generations knew.  But they stood and worshipped their hearts out.  The pastor spoke God's truth passionately and in a very gripping way.  I left sensing the Lord's presence and a little more in love with Him.

We swam that afternoon and then MomMom, Aunt Nancy, and Uncle Hank came over to help celebrate the sweetest, most amazing 9 year old girl I know!  We cooked out, had cake, opened presents, and celebrated our Ashlyn Jean.  What a blessing she is!



Visiting Gampa- Part I

These girls love their Gampa!  And it's been a tradition since Ashlyn was less than a year old for my dad to take his granddaughters to IHOP.  Every time they are together, they all venture for a huge breakfast just the 4 of them.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, so guess where they were headed Saturday morning?

Laney didn't care what we did in Pennsylvania as long as Gampa and swimming were involved.

This is one of my favorite pics of our time together.  I love the pure joy on Reesie's face walking back from the pool with her Gampa.

Another special part of our trip was getting to spend time with MomMom, my 93 year-old grandmother.  She truly is an amazingly strong woman, a woman of great faith in the Lord, and a woman with great love for her family.

The last time I saw MomMom I was pregnant with Reese. It was a fun time of Reesie getting to meet her in person for the first time.  Of course, all 3 girls love their MomMom.  We got to go over to my Aunt Nancy, Uncle Hank, and MomMom's house Saturday night for dinner.  Here is our 4 generation picture from the night:

 I am so thankful for the family the Lord has blessed me with.  We are far from perfect, and definitely have our quirks, but we love one another dearly, forgive one another when it's needed, and truly enjoy spending time together.



I Never Knew I Could Love...

...someone so much until a precious 7lb. 7oz. baby girl came into my life 9 years ago.  That end of July night it literally felt like my heart beat out of my chest so full of love, and it has never been the same since.

I need to scan in some baby pics of this sweet girl but here she is at her 4th birthday.  Isn't she the cutest?

Fall of 2007

I love this picture.  It captivates so much of who our Ashlyn is: joyful, sweet, kind, easy to laugh.

My Precious Ashlyn Jean,  You are no longer a little girl, and yet I am so proud of the young lady you are becoming.  You are the daughter every parent dreams of...loving, kind, considerate, smart, beautiful in every way inside and out.  Your heart for the Lord and for your family make me love Jesus even more.  My heart never knew I could love so much until you came along.  You have brought us such joy, and we are blessed beyond measure to be given the gift of you for our family.  I love you, sweet girl.  Happy 9th birthday!

Love forever and always and even more than that, Momma