Snapshots of Our Summer...(pic heavy)

First day of official summer break...

Bible time...

Bowling with the CCA students!



We found Trusten here after naps...

Swimming at Papa and Nina's!!!





Waterplay in the back yard...(courtousy of Mrs. Lamb, the boys' teacher on Wed nights)







Uncle Bryce came for a visit...

Typical!

Fireman Trusten...

One night in a bad thunderstorm, we lost power, so we camped out in the front room
(This is without a flash)...

This is with a flash... (I nearly blinded them!)

Brotherly love

Getting sodas at the Chanute Old-fashioned soda machine...



Just days away from my due date...

Trusten's camel pic...

...(See pics in previous post of the birth of Liberty Joy)...


Samuel's first haircut...


Liberty Joy (1 week old)

Olivia and Trusten...

More play-dough!

CCA got a new sign! This is big time stuff, folks! :)

Our Liberty Joy (2 1/2 weeks old)

Liberty with Brahm...

Daddy and Trusten

Liberty Joy (3 weeks old)

First family walk with Liberty...

Now we need 2 double strollers!

Liberty Joy (3 weeks old)

The brothers...

The whole crew...

They look happy, but they were just fighting over who got to hold her...

Samuel took A LOT of spills this summer...

This one was a head (hard to see in this pic),

nose and chin injury...

Liberty's first bathing suit!

Watching a "woo-bie" together...

Samuel was just chillin' on the bed, calling his friends, settin' up a play date...

The '09 cousins...

He wouldn't admit he was tired...

Trusten took Liberty and I for a date! First to visit the train...

(He really wanted to be with sister when she saw it for the first time!)

Then to McDonalds! (He got a happy meal, but got a "girl" toy for Liberty. All his idea!)

The boys gathered around our prayer board...

Liberty Joy (6 weeks old)

We went to Wichita for my 6 week check-up

and for my niece's 8th birthday...

Elliott Michael with Liberty

MooMaw with Liberty...

Isabelle's birthday breakfast...

Daddy making Liberty grow up too fast...

Bonding...

Love this smile!

Isabelle's birthday wish...(A ride in MooMaw's convertable!)

Wheelers Poppin' Wheelies...well, almost...

Well, okay, so we may not be to the point yet of poppin' wheelies (yet!), but lately, we've been doing some pretty serious bike riding!

Earlier this week I took the boys (who were getting a little stir crazy at home) to the bike trail...

That's right...I attempted to take my 4 little friends on a walk! I got some funny looks (and as always, some sarcastic comments--but that's a whole different post!) as I "wore" Liberty in my BabyHawk carrier, pushed Brahm and Samuel in the double stroller and Trusten rode his bike beside us.

But about a mile and a half into the walk, Brahm decided he wanted to try to ride Trusten's bike. I was quick to say "no, let's just wait till we get home" but Trusten thought it was a great idea and wanted to teach Brahm how to ride.

Wheelers aren't really known for our height, so it takes a while before our feet can touch the bike peddles, so Brahm had never tried a "big boy" bike, until this day. (Up until now, it was just tricycles)

So Trusten spent the rest of the half mile coaching Brahm. It was the sweetest thing. I kept hearing "You can do it Brahm!" "Peddle hard now!" "You're doing it!" "You look so big!" and so on.

I didn't have my camera with me, but once we got back to the car, I took some video...

Keep in mind, this was all done with no initiative from me! I just love it!




Then yesterday when Ryan got off work, we decided to take them up to the college's parking lot to let Brahm practice riding and to see if we could finally wean Trusten off the training wheels. He rides with no training wheels in the grass, but hasn't tried it on the concrete yet.

So first we tried it in the grass...


Once he felt confident there, we convinced him to give it a try (with daddy by his side) on the concrete...


He was so proud of himself and within minutes was just flying around the parking lot all by himself!

He even perfected his dismount... **(listen for the tire skid, he's pretty proud of it!)

Our Liberty Joy has arrived!!!

We are delighted to announce that Liberty Joy is here with us now!

Isaiah 61:1-2
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor."

She was born at 7:16am on July 4th weighing 7lbs, 10 oz and 19 inches long.

James 1:25
"But the one who looks into the perfect law,
the law of liberty, and perseveres,
being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts,
he will be blessed in his doing."

I woke up with strong contractions at 3:30am and just over 3 1/2 hours later, she was born!

My home birth was wonderful!!! My favorite part was using the jacuzzi!

We delivered at a place in Wichita, Kansas called the "Birth Inn" and it was a WONDERFUL experience. My midwife and the assistant prayed over me during labor as well as encouraged me with praises and blessings!...But as always, my FAVORITE labor partner was my wonderful hubby, Ryan! He just knows me SO well and without a single word, knows from a look or a hand motion just exactly what I'm needing. He read scripture to me and was the biggest encouragement to me through it all! We love laboring together because it always brings us so close together!

Towards the end of my pregnancy and during labor, my midwife was fairly sure the cord was around Liberty's neck, so we were concerned about it, but in the end, it wasn't--Praise the LORD!

Everything went so smoothly and Liberty Joy is doing great! I had a rough recovery on Saturday, but by Sunday I was back to feeling great again! Saturday was full of a lot of emotions, but the Lord was faithful and drew me into himself like He never has before! I'm so thankful that through all the ups and downs of that day, I can say that it was worth it all because of how the Lord met with me!

You can see more pictures on this on-line album by just clicking on this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90796&id=727443115&l=036c7c4be3

I'll be updating my blog soon too, so keep your eye out for that!

Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Romans 8:20-21
"For the creation was subjected to frustration,
not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it,
in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay
and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."


She's here!!!



Daddy and Liberty


Meeting her brothers...

Getting ready to go "home" (to Sarah and Chad's)

Wide awake!

Daddy time

Trusten wants to be with her every minute!

Mommy and the kids!

Our new family!

My first daughter!