Happy 14th Birthday Ashlyn!

 It's hard to believe we have a 14 year old! Ash chose a lime-coconut cake.

 Everyone was excited because it was time to start opening presents!

For years Ash has chosen sweet and sour chicken or orange chicken for her birthday dinner. It was a fun day celebrating Ashlyn! I can't believe it's less than a year till she will have her driver's permit.

Cousins Come to Visit!

 It was such a treat to have Scott, Emily, Beck and Gibson come visit for a long weekend! Anna and Audrey were so easily entertained by Beck and Gibson!

 I had to take a picture. What a nice uncle to sit on the floor and read to Audrey.

 Making Sunday dinner! Dave made the curry and the rest of us were making the naan.

Made me smile to see Dave and Scott skateboarding/ripstiking around the house. Thanks for coming! We had so much fun!

Ashlyn's Poem

We were heartbroken to get a phone call a few weeks ago from our very close friends that their 7 week old baby died of SIDS that morning. The kids could tell that something was wrong. As soon as I got off the phone, Ashlyn asked what was wrong. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she went upstairs. An hour later she came down with this poem for me to bring to our friends. It is beautiful.  

Gone For Now is Not Forever

The sun is setting,

The light is gone.

The world is resting,

Though something is wrong.

A sudden shock,

Without a warning

The precious seconds slip by,

The spirit travels home.

An overwhelming ache consumes the heart,

Though no attempt is made to suppress it.

The whispered question fills the thoughts,

How could this happen?  Why?

The memories of the loss and love

are treasured now forever.

Nothing seems to heal the sadness,

It echoes on and on.

But on the cold and lonely path,

A familiar friend reaches out.

He has felt the pain,

The lonely ache and despair.

He has paid the price,

The family will soon reunite.  

Filled with love and understanding,

He will help you through.

We were thankful to spend some precious time with our friends that day. Our hearts ached for them...and I think it made it tougher knowing a bit of the hard road they have ahead of them. We had some friends come in town for the funeral and it was wonderful to spend time with them and catch up a bit! I can't believe how few pictures I got with Keri and Jason here! 

 Keri, Jason, Anna, Audrey and I met Dave at lunch before they drove back home to Missouri. It was a short trip but so great to see them!

Anna just loved Jason! It was so cute to watch. She always reached out to him and wanted to snuggle. 

Sleepy Babies

Almost every night when we check on the babies, they are touching in some way. It's adorable.

They are obsessed with playing on the stairs.

After we say bye to Dave in the morning, we hurry to the window so Anna and Audrey can wave one last time. They get sooooo excited when they see Dave. They wave till they can't see his car anymore.

Nate better watch out next time he gets a banana out for a snack. Instantly he had two little girls trying to crawl on his lap for some bites.

It's hard to practice the piano with two little babies playing at your feet!