Hilton Head Island

Bethany loved the beach!

Jacob and Naomi loved it even more!



Our condo--Evian 249






The kids were very brave! They would walk as far as they could, then ask Daddy to carry them.

Hilton Head Island was where we were engaged more than 8 years ago.

Quotes from Naomi

Naomi was in rare form with her funny quotes today! I thought you might enjoy a few of them.

Naomi, reading a "make and do" princess book--"Look, Momma, we can make a king and queen crown! Jacob could be the king and I could be the queen, and you...you could be the servant!"

Naomi, reading an animal and insect book--(background: Eric, as in Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, has been a pretty consistent imaginary husband for Naomi. He can crop up in conversation at any time) "Momma, what kind of snake is this? (a Cobra) Oh, Eric was bitten by a Cobra. I was there and got to see it, but I didn't get bitten...Eric also got stung by a bee. AND he got caught in a spider web. It was really sticky. He was walking along and all the sudden was just wrapped up in it! Bitten by a snake, stung by a bee, and caught in a spider web! Isn't that awful! And did you know that Eric and I had a kitten which we don't have any more. It either wandered away and got lost or it met up with some wild dogs. But we got a new cat that had kittens--30 and 9 kittens! There are cats everywhere in our house."

I think the above monologue could have gone on for longer, but I was done with dusting that room and moved on to another. Naomi moved on to reading her book somewhere else. What can I say? Maybe we have the next J. K. Rowling (author of Harry Potter) on our hands. : )

River Park

Chattanooga has so many parks! Today we walked and played and ate lunch at River Park, a park Chattanooga created that spans many miles of the Tennessee River.

Sweet Ari giving Bethany a kiss.

Meghan Siira

Naomi, Jacob, and Bethany enjoying a fish bench.

Newest Pics of Bethany

She's growing as always! She'll pretty much smile on cue now (whenever you talk sweetly to her), but we think everything she does is cute.

The Patio

Wow! We had no idea what a difference pressure-washing the patio would make! We feel like we have a brand new patio. Thanks for the pressure washer, Mom!
The greenish-black area is the dirty patio and the brown and gray is the new, clean patio.

Our Bedtime Routine

The "Going to Bed" Routine has always been a big deal for us and our kids. Not that our older two go right to sleep or anything, but I think that having a routine is a good way to calm them down (or at least to try to calm them down.) As the kids have gotten older, the routine has become more and more involved. It now has (I counted) FIFTEEN parts!
Every night we either have a bath or a "wipe down," brush teeth, and put on pajamas. Both Jacob and Naomi can dress themselves now which is wonderful. Then Nate reads them a story, they go potty one last time, and they get a sip of water. We pray as a family and then fan goes on and lights go off as Daddy leaves and says "Good night!" I stay for a few minutes to sing a lullaby or hymn, say the Lord's Prayer with them, and sing the Doxology. Then I make my way to the door as they both come up with creative ways to keep me in the room. Naomi often wants a second (or third) kiss and hug and Jacob always has a story to tell me about falling off something. Finally I stand at the doorway and say "I love you both" and blow them big kisses.
Whew, what a routine! Imagine what it will be when they're sixteen. It will probably take all night. : )

New School and A Walk at Covenant

Naomi met her new teachers today! She's pictured here with Mrs. Skogen

After visiting Naomi's new school, we stopped off at Covenant for a walk and a snack.


As always, Bethany is enjoying it too.


This is the new building in front of Carter hall. The grassy area pictured here used to be the circular drive in front of Carter.

Naomi and Jacob in front of the stained glass window. They were fascinated by the fact that up close all you can see is color, but farther away, you can see Bible stories.

A view of Carter and the new building. Again, this grassy area used to be the driveway.

Naomi was most worried about not knowing her teachers names. Now she's ready to start school!