What a Big Girl!

Alayna has been demonstrating that she wants, very badly, to be able to sit up. However, she has not been able to do this unassisted. So, we got her this Exersaucer (a fabulous deal on Craigslist!) and she absolutely loves it!

Rachael...

I'm not sure why I feel led to post this link today....but I do, so I will. This is a website dedicated to the life of Rachael Barlow, a close friend of my sister (Kelly), whom she met through her Teen Mania internship in Texas. I got on her website today, which I haven't done in a very long time, and I am amazed at the extent of it. One thing that I learned today is that although I will never be able to understand why God chose to take this child of his from this earth, her legacy indeed lives on and is still changing hearts and lives to this day. With that, I give you http://www.rachaelbarlow.com/.

Gavin's First Day of School

I can't believe Gavin's first day of school has finally arrived. I think I was just as excited as he was (maybe even more so) as I packed his little lunch box and picked out his outfit to wear. He nervously smiled as we walked in and found his classroom. At first he was overwhelmed.....kids everywhere! Finally, the playdoh table caught his eye and it was there that we said our "goodbye, I'll be back soon"s. Now, just a few more hours and I get to go pick him back up!

Gavin's New Bed

We splurged and bought Gavin a bunk bed set (we found a great deal!). He was outgrowing his toddler bed anyway (plus, we need the crib mattress for Alayna's crib). He's very excited about his new bed (crossing our fingers that he's excited enough to stop coming into our bedroom in the middle of the night).

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Alayna sports fashions from the 70s! This one's for you, Mom! ;o)

Gavin & Alayna

What do you get when you combine a fidgity proud 4-yr-old brother and his wiggly happy baby sister?...a very hard picture to take!

Bath Time

Alayna was in a really good mood tonight right after her bath. Here's some of her cute expressions.

Happy Birthday MADDY!!!

Today Madeline Jane Zollner turned one year old and we had the honor of helping her celebrate with a Hawaiian-themed party. What a blast! Maddy had so much fun that I couldn't even get a clear picture of her, so I posted the best one I've got. I think Gavin has become Maddy's honorary big brother. He really got into "helping" her open her presents.

Adventures in Computerland!

Well, I did it! I've officially joined the ranks of high speed internet users. It only took a memory upgrade for my super slow computer and all afternoon to figure out how to install it! But, my efforts have paid off and (hopefully) I'll actually be able to download pictures onto my blog now. These three pics were taken about two weeks ago, when my sister Karen visited for a week. We had a blast going to the fountain at Blue Lake Park on a really hot day as well as the Oregon Coast where we got ice cream (see the cow picture). We also went to Seattle, but unfortunately I forgot my camera, so Karen, you'll have to email me all the pics you've got! ;o)