The children know how precious these beautiful days are! Beautiful blue skies, beautiful temperatures….just beautiful!

Called for school to move outside!

Thankful we did because the afternoon brought rain, rain, rain!

Sixteen and a half years ago today, a baby boy was placed into our arms at the O’Hare International Airport. Our Grant Evan, who is 17 years old today!

Sixteen years ago yesterday, a baby girl was born and also placed into our arms. Our Addison Mae!

Our sweet babies are growing up! Grant turns 17 today, and Addie Mae turned 16 yesterday. With two birthdays to celebrate, it was a bash!! Sticking with birthday tradition, Addie Mae chose the meal for her birthday dinner. We enjoyed fish tacos! They were so yummy!

Eliza loved the food! She is such a good eater.

Then it was time to open gifts. The kids always tell me they have way more fun planning for someone else’s birthday than they do celebrating their own! We had so much fun preparing for Grant and Addie’s birthdays!

Blake and I are filling Addie Mae’s hope chest! I wonder if she will be able to stand to keep those new kitchen tools in the box!

Grant loved the new belt buckle from David and Kayla!

Speaking of them – aren’t they adorable?!!

Next it was time for cake! And coffee, of course! Kayla made the birthday cake. I think it should be named “Death by Chocolate!” Or “Sugar Coma!” But it was oh, so, good! A chocolate cookie crust, ice cream layers, and chocolate coffee frosting. It was so pretty!

We sang Happy Birthday!

I missed the photo of them blowing out their candles. So I asked for a re-enactment! This is what I got! Oh, Grant, what would we do without you!?!

I did not cut Eliza a piece of cake. She figured out very quickly how to fix that! She would walk from person to person and back up to them so they would pick her up! And then she would beg for a bite! Can you imagine?! This tiny tornado was running the halls upstairs until well after 9 p.m.! Then I put her to bed and she laid in her bed singing for over an hour! Sugar and chocolate overload for sure!

Grant had to borrow a bite for Eliza because, of course, his cake was already gone!

Blake and Grant are headed out for their birthday breakfast together in a few minutes! Another birthday tradition that the kids love. Blake took Addie Mae yesterday!

Tonight we will have chicken parmesan, chopped salad, and fruit salad for Grant’s meal of choice. I suppose we will have to finish that cake! Maybe I better put Eliza to bed first!

What a fun birthday celebration! We love you both so much Grant and Addie Mae! Keep living for the Lord, you two!! His joy is evident in all you do!! Happy Birthday!!

Praise the Lord for this day!!! The sky is clear blue, it is a beautiful mid 70 something degrees, there is a breeze with the fragrance of freshly cut grass coming through our open windows, the littles are running in and out in their bare feet…..

Seriously. So. Good.

And to make it even better, this is our first day of canning this season!! LOVE, LOVE, loving it!!

The girls and I chopped two batches of salsa! It is processing now! We will have 20 quarts, and that is after everyone dipped their chip bowl into the pot for a taste! Last year our garden did so poorly that we were unable to can. Thankfully, the year before we were blessed to can 107 quarts of salsa! We have just a few left!

Time to go “side, side” and enjoy what is left of this beautiful day with my kiddos! I think someone is ready and waiting!! Hope you are praising the Lord for this day too!!

Whenever I open Eliza’s door to get her up in the morning, she loudly and cheerfully says, “HI, MAMA!” Usually I loudly and cheerfully respond, “HI, SWEET BABY!”

But this morning I said, “OH MY! Can you say bedhead?!?!” instead.

So Eliza responds, “BEDHEAD!”

Seems our little Chinese cherub understands her new language more than we realize!