Hall, party of five...first few weeks!

I thought this was fun to see her before and after!

Sleeping Little Ones

The first few weeks, as many of you know, babies sleep a lot!!  I seem to have a hard time resisting taking pictures of her sleeping!  Adalynn provided some precious sleeping pictures (while holding her Bible!!) too!

I couldn't believe the similarities in the girls in these two pictures!

After nursing, laying on my chest!

Precious girl!

Awake Time

Somehow I continue to forget to get pictures with my mom and the kids when she's here.  It is usually so busy!  Thankfully, we have the wonderful professional photos done by Shannon (last post!).  I do have one below of her with the kids the day she left.  

Adalynn adores holding her "Sissy" aka "Wi-wee Fayf!"  Lily Faith is becoming more alert and still trying to figure out how she'll suck her fingers or thumb.  

My dad came down a couple of weeks ago to meet her.  He ended up getting to spend some quality time with Zeke and Adalynn reading the paper and playing with a frog toy they have.  I know they felt so special to have Papa play with them!

Sissies!

So safe in Daddy's arms

We LOVE Wynna!

Meeting Papa

Reading the comics with Papa!

Precious personalized shirt from Jan Cartwright

Zeke and Adalynn

What have the big kids been up to since the arrival of their baby sister?  We are out of school for summer, so our schedule has been a little all over the place.  Gregg was home until June 12th, so they got to have a lot of quality time with Daddy.  Such a gift!  Zeke is participating in the summer reading program at the library.  His personal goal is to read 25 chapter books and 75 other books.  He's doing really well and we know he can reach his goal!  Adalynn's goal is to have 25 books read to her.  She loves being read to, but also loves "reading" on her own!

Adalynn will attend ballet camp at the end of the month (Mommy can't wait!!).  I'm still trying to find an activity for Zeke...possibly tennis camp.  I'm not sure if they'll attend VBS this summer because we'll have company that week.  We start school mid-August and I know that will be here before we know it.  I'm trying to relax and enjoy the freedom of schedule we have currently!

In the meantime, Gregg and I have tried to take them each on individual "mommy/child or daddy/child" dates even if it's just to run errands.  We have all enjoyed that!

Wynna got us a pink bow for the mailbox!

Trying to learn to ride his bike with Wynna!

Riding her "bike!"

Getting ready to go swimming with Wynna

Bright, hot sunny day!

Swimming one last time before Wynna left

Hunting their stuffed animals! (bows were gifts for them from Wynna when Lily Faith was born!)

Daddy's jacket and vest are slightly big!

Ready to go to church with Daddy!

First library summer reading program for this summer...music from around the world!

Daddy took Zeke to Callie's birthday party at a local bakery

Zeke with the birthday girl, Callie!

Snuggling on the couch

Fun "painting" with water.  Mess free!!

Celebrations Continue

I turned 36 on June 3rd and Gregg and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on June 7th.  Zeke and Gregg made my birthday special by making a little trip to Walmart to bring me some goodies!  Sheeba and Nikita took me out to lunch, which was so nice!  

My Georgia t-shirt (picked by Zeke), dark chocolate, and "Marked as Christ's own forever" sign from Sheeba and Nikita

Lunch at the Bistro

Gregg and I decided to go to Ruby Tuesday for our anniversary dinner.  We had Katelyn (our neighbor who is home from college) come babysit Zeke and Adalynn and we took Lily Faith with us.  It was so nice to spend that time together focusing on one another!

Cutest little photo bomber!

She really wanted to be in the picture!

On our dinner date...she slept the whole time!

Complete

Lily Faith is now 3 weeks old.  It's hard to believe it, yet as I felt with both Zeke and Adalynn, it just feels like she has always been a part of our family!  It feels so COMPLETE.  

I was listening to a sermon recently by Keith Moore called "Perfection Through Correction - pt. 1 Godly Perfection."  As he taught on Philippians 3, he said that the word "perfect" basically means "complete."  The enemy wants us to think nobody can be perfect, so why even try.  Jesus is perfect and our goal is to live like Jesus.  This will require a mind renewal of our definition of what perfect means.

"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~ Matthew 5:38

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained." ~ Philippians 3:12-16

Keith Moore said God has called us to perfection (completeness/all the way)...not of flesh...not of knowledge...but of heart.  Jesus said in John 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."  I believe God says what He means and means what He says.  I take Him at His Word and I trust Him.   Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.  We see all the imperfections, but God looks at the heart.  It's time to renew our minds and ask God to reveal to us what it means to be "perfect!"  

There is so much more to this teaching, so I'd recommend listening to it.  You can find it at: http://www.flcsarasota.org/listseries.php?xml=rss/PerfectionThroughCorrection.xml

Why do I share all of this?  If you remember, the word "perfect" was big throughout our journey with Lily Faith.  Zeke prayed for her to be "perfect" and the perinatal specialist and nurse used the word "perfect" to describe her!  Now, it makes "perfect" sense.  God made her complete...she even needed an extra week and 2 days to be complete!  She completes our family and we are so thankful for her!

May God bless each of you who read this.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

I'll leave you with a fun little collage of the kids when we had two compared to now!