I think we've got a thumb-sucker on our hands.

I've caught him several times. He LOVES it. Hmmm....

Update on the piano lessons

Since the last time we gave you an update, Steve is happy to report that Joshua has gone from just watching to actually joining in banging on the keyboard.

Today (Friday) = 24 weeks since Joshua was born...that makes him SIX MONTHS OLD!! How did that happen so fast?! I'll call you with the date for his first recital.

Our *first* date!!

...Since Joshua, that is.

Our marriage mentors greatly encourage us to *date* one another after we marry, and especially after having children, in order to keep the husband/wife relationship primary and healthy, separate from kids. We've admittedly been slow on this since Joshua arrived on the scene, honestly, because we simply adore being with him and have so much fun (and, we have dates at home that Steve makes special every week)! But alas, we finally got out for an *official date* (without Joshua) last night, and had a fabulous time!

I was a little nervous, but totally excited :) We had a super-duper baby-sitter, my good friend Melody (we coordinated clothing for the occassion, haha.)
Steve and I had a nice walk around the Ballston neighborhood - I loved their summer flags for the adorable ladybugs (my favorite!), so we had to get a picture.

And then onto...the Melting Pot! A four-course Fondue experience...YUMMMM.
We had lots of fun being silly together :)
Dessert. Wow.
So fun!
We missed our little man, but we had such a great time and he did too! Thanks, Mel for watching him - and thanks Grandpa and Granny J for treating us to dinner!! :)

New Cousins!

Wow...both of my cousins had their babies last week (of the three expecting in our family!). They're sisters - one on the West coast and one on the East coast and they delivered just two days apart. Amazing. Praise God for healthy deliveries and healthy babies!!

Robert David Guthrie (David) was born at 11:39pm on Monday June 16th, weighing in at 8 pounds 6 ounces and 21 inches long.

Congrats, Scott and Susanne!!

Robert James Silva, III ("Tripp") (short for triple :)). Born on Wednesday, June 20, at 6:47 pm. He was 6 lbs 11 oz and 19.5 in long.
Congrats Rob, Julie & Sydney!!

Guthrie’s and Silva's, we're so happy for you!! Joshua can't wait to meet his new cousins, Tripp and David.

Jumpin' for joy

...or not.

Yeah...so he doesn't quite "get it" yet. But he's awfully cute just hanging there!

An afternoon with my new friend, Rachel Anne!

Just hangin' out together...
"Hmmm...that Joshua guy...notsosure about him..."

"There, there, it's okay, I'm not so bad."

Thankfully, they became fast friends...
Total Cuteness!!

What a blessing Rachel is to our dear friends, David and Grace!

Thankfulness and Uncle Mike (the two go hand-in-hand)

The first reason for this post is to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE MIKE!!

The second reason is to express our gratitude for Uncle Mike and the special place that he holds in our life. We're not quite sure when he was officially adopted into our family, but it's never been the same since! ('85, Mondale, perhaps?;)

Mike manages to attend every family event (even when we don't), and he is always that friend willing to go the extra 10 miles, or more. We have much to learn from his incredible hospitality and constant generosity.

Yes, dear Uncle Mike, we are THANKFUL for YOU!

What's not to love about THIS guy??

(And an additional thank you for hosting your own birthday party;)

The burning birthday cake with no candles...ooops ;(

Joshua helped sing "Happy Birthday!" and blow out the matches:
There's that Cool Whip again...
We love you, Uncle Mike! Thanks for being part of our family!

Stroke-a-versaries and the rest of Grandpa's visit

One year ago today, my (Savannah's) dad had a stroke. It was one of the scarier days of my life, and I'm so glad that it's passed.

Thanks to his wife's smart thinking and quick action, it is with much gratitude to God that we celebrate his full recovery today, one year later!

Love you, Dad.

Happy belated (Grand) Father's day! So glad we could celebrate with you!

We greatly appreciate your loving patience in your new role.

(Joshua has taken to grabbing things lately...including, but not limited to, people's faces. Grandpa was very gracious to take this abuse...in fact, I think he loved it! ;)

Great to see you, Dad!

We hope to celebrate many more stroke-a-versaries with you!!

Oh, those baby blues!

So precious!!

Joshua's first dip in the pool!

Whew, finally...Grandpa to the rescue!!

Joshua is mightily blessed with a Grandpa that will dive into any pool he can find, ours being no exception. Grandpa was in town for less than 24 hours, but managed to take his favorite grandson for his first dip in the pool.

And though it was quick, we had so much fun!!

At first he wasn't so sure...
Yes, we even had a few tears:
Alas, he finally warmed up to it and even managed to giggle a bit!

SWIM BUDDIES!!
Thanks for taking me swimming, Grandpa!!

Seriously, is anyone going to take me to the pool?

"Anyone, anyone?? I'm ready..."

Father's Day for a fabulous father!

Joshua and I set out to make Steve's favorite dessert, Strawberry pie, while he was out Saturday. We surprised him with it after a special lunch!

Clearly, it was a big hit...
An even bigger hit?

The fact that Cool Whip finally comes in a can -

Steve was thrilled!

Going, going...
All gone.

Joshua also helped by eating the card he had for his daddy.
Happy Father's Day to my wonderful hubby!

It has been such a joy to watch you become a father to our little one...I love how you love him, how you laugh with him, and how you lead him by your example of loving his mama so well! ;)

You're the best, babe.

So thankful...

For so many things. We've had opportunity and reason to reflect on such things lately, and we want to share with you a few reasons for our abundant gratitude.

So here goes...

We are thankful:

*For having spent a wonderful amount of time this past Spring completing a training in biblical counseling with this incredible group of women: ...for which Steve and I are so eternally grateful.

*For dear friends that cared for our little boy while I did the above mentioned training - and the friendship that it cemented for Joshua with Ethan: *For my (then) pregnant friend in the first picture, Grace (bottom right); what a blessing she has been in my life and my marriage, and for the healthy delivery of her and David's precious baby girl, Rachel Anne: *For an incredible church that has grown our faith in God in innumerable ways.

*For a good reminder.

*For summer...only because it means fall is coming!!!
*For a husband that dreams of a simpler life for us...one that he daily deliberately labors for and leads us toward.

*For the joy that God brings us when we faithfully strive to serve Him.

*For our BLOG, that we may share glimpses of our humble life with our family and friends around the world.

*For our precious baby boy, who makes us laugh everyday! *For electricity! (okay, so we could do without the heat (101+ today!), but other than that, we are so grateful to God for providing us with such rich blessings in our life!