Going on a little trip...

We leave tomorrow for Virginia to meet the family. We are all very excited. I hope you all are blessed and have wonderful days while we are away. Hugs.

Happy Father's Day Honey

There is something very sexy and simply beautiful about a father who really fathers.

I love to see my man hanging out with his children, being a father.

I love to see him laugh with them, play with them, hug them, and read to them.

I love to hear him pray for them, pray over them, and pray with them.

I feel secure when he disciplines them, guides them, and leads them.

I feel warm and fuzzy when he consoles and comforts them.

I feel lucky to love them with him.

We are very lucky to have a man who places our family second to God. We are very lucky to have a man who loves to be with his family. We are very lucky to have a man who provides for his family. We are very lucky to have a man who prays for his family.

My precious husband, we are so lucky and blessed to have you in our family... in our lives. Our children are very lucky to have you as a father. Happy Daddy's Day Honey... we love you so very much... Dawn, Abby, and Marc

Bubbles in Black and White

I shot this last one without even looking through the lens as I held it with one hand and blew bubbles with the other... it's my LUCKIEST Favorite shot!

Backyard Bubbles on a Thursday Afternoon

I had Marc in a little pool while I cut down a bush in the backyard today. Abby was swimming at the pool with a friend. After my work was done, the bubbles appeared and within a few moments... the camera appeared. Abby soon joined us, the lighting was perfect, and I captured some very scrapbook worthy photos!

Try again! I LOVE how the camera captured the soap flying through the air on this one! (and the beads of water on her skin!)

Of course this one is one of my favorites... I LOVE the bubble taking shape!

Get ready.

Blow.

Catch one.


And eat it. Yep... it was her new trick today.

Hmmmmm... they were watered down bubbles.

I LOVE his little fingers reaching for them in this one!

Too cool... love it.

Precious.

Did I mention precious?

Love his hands and toes... and the bubble just about to hit the grass!

Photography by mommy.

Wardrobe provided by grammy.

Moments captured through Nikon!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

A Legacy of Love

A guest blog post from Don...

My Mom's sister, Genevieve, and her beloved Husband, Parker, married in 1955... they moved to Houston, Texas in 1959 and bought a house in a beautiful place called Garden Villas. They had 4 children (my cousins... Lucy, Bill, Eleanor, and Carl). In 1968, my Dad, Mom, brother and I were far away, living in Guam, while my Dad was flying the skies over Vietnam... word came that Uncle Parker had died unexpectedly on June 15th, 1968.
In an age when most women, finding themselves widowed with 4 children, would be encouraged by their friends to find another husband, Genevieve had other priorities. Aunt Gene was a strong woman... she raised her kids well, was deeply involved in her community and church, traveled all over the world (hiking the Grand Canyon numerous times, chasing whales and birding around the globe), was an avid reader and student of history and science, made many lifelong friends, and lived a good life. For the next 40 years, she lived in the same house in Garden Villas. In fact, she never changed the phone listing... to this day, it remains "Parker White".
A couple of years ago, I attended Aunt Gene's 80th Birthday celebration in Houston. Sadly, and largely by my own fault, I had been mostly out of touch with her for many years. When I suprised her by showing up at her birthday party, she was excited to see me and showered me with love and kindness. The next day, she would begin chemotherapy in hopes of driving back the cancer that had invaded her body.
Since that time, I began visiting her and my cousins, in Houston, fairly regularly. Never once did Aunt Gene ask where I had been all those years or why I didn't stay in touch with her... never once did she express anything but unconditional love for me. She loved my wife and daughter like the family that they were to her. My time with her helped me rediscover a legacy of unconditional love in my family.
In 2008, Hurricane Ike drove right through Houston... it nearly knocked Aunt Gene's house off it's foundation... it uprooted and toppled a beautiful, massive oak tree that had been there for over 100 years and had shaded her backyard since the very first day she lived there. As it did so, Aunt Gene was living out her last days... the loss of that majestic oak was a metaphor for the end of her life... she was just as strong and beautiful.
Genevieve always considered herself "Mrs. Parker White". Her undying love was not strange or obsessive... it was real and true and deep. In naming our son Marc Parker Sullivan, we hope to honor Uncle Parker and Aunt Genevieve's memory... and leave for our kids that same legacy of love.

Getting It Done

I have had a couple of productive days.

In addition to falling in love with my precious little "buster brown" (thank you Derrick), I have...

cut the grass

replaced the gold kitchen cabinet knobs with fabulous rubbed bronze ones

cut down five bushes

trimmed three trees

unpacked a couple boxes

washed four loads of laundry

folded three loads

ironed and hung a new set of curtains

bathed the dog

had three play dates

scraped "some" wall paper

played "Chutes and Ladders"

played kick ball

gone to the pool

been the tickle monster

read several stories

rocked a baby

taken a nap

baked some cookies

loved every minute of it

One of the favorite parts of my day is rocking this precious one to sleep before his nap and bedtime. Another is when I lay him in his bad and his scoots his bottom up.

These toes are some of the most precious ever. Did I mention I am in love?

My Abby Grace

Prayers are requested for Abby. She is having an increase in seizure activity. We "thought" she had gone about two months without one. However, she had one the morning after we got Marc, another one four mornings later, and then last night she had two. Two. That is a bad sign to go to two so quickly.

But I KNOW part of what this is and it is an outright spiritual attack. We are praising the Lord to high heaven and sitting in precious sweet joy and there is one who roams like a starving lion, looking for ones to devour and to steal their joy. He is not happy that we are exalting our Lord and is attacking full force.

I will not be shaken. At 5 a.m. when Abby had her second one, my heart sank. He knows all too well how to QUICKLY get to my heart and pierce my spirit. "Oh Lord, please... you have the power and authority to stop this... please," I implored. Then I praised Him. I praised Him for being there, for loving her, for carrying her, for giving her to us to love, for choosing me to be His child, for loving me, for crying with me, for carrying me, for blessing me, for fighting for me.

So I am calling on the legion of angels to fight for her, to surround her and to protect her. I am calling off evil and holding my genuine joy close to my soul. I am begging for guidance, patience, faith, strength, and spiritual armor.

Please lift her up to Him who can heal her, redeem her, renew her, and protect her. And to Him be all the glory and honor. Thank you... I love you all so very, very much.

So in Love

I am amazed at how I fall more and more in love with this little guy each day. It actually is starting to hurt my heart! (In a good way.)

We have been so busy having fun... NOTHING has gotten done at the new house. Oh well. Priorities are in place!

Derrick and his girl friend, Ryan, left yesterday. It was so nice to have them here. Hopefully they will be coming back in the fall. Hint... hint!

We have spent a lot of time at the pool lately. It is SO NICE having it here in the neighborhood. Marc is a water baby and fits right in with this water loving family. It's great that Abby can touch now and actually swim... making it much easier to have one on the steps and in the baby pool. He is so brave too. He learned how to take a breath and then would fall forward into the water. Amazing. I may see about getting him swim lessons in July.


Abby is swimming like a fish this year! Her swim lessons last year were really the best ones she has had and this year she has just taken off! Sometimes she stays under water too long and comes up gasping for air! This makes mommy very nervous.

We have also been meeting new friends. Our very good friends, the Straders, have a little one just a little over a month younger than Marc and of course Quinn and Abby are big buds... so we are looking forward to many future play dates. They came over today for a "swim" in the kiddy pool and some lunch. The boys just kinda check each other out right now... pretty cute. Today they passed a spoon back and forth... big time!

We remain so very thankful as Marc continues to progress and bloom. He is already babbling words, stands often and sometimes takes about two steps before sitting back down, and gets more and more precious. Abby is growing in her "sharing Mommy" ability and we have good and bad moments. Dusty is a bit jealous too... but has found a comfy place at my feet each time I rock Marc to sleep.


He also really likes to hang out by Marc's chair at meal time... hmmmm... I wonder!?


I have a sitter coming tomorrow and hope to get some things done around here. But we will just take it one day at a time... and continue Praising our Lord from whom all blessing flow!

I KNOW what you want!

My brother and his girl friend are here for a visit. We are enjoying them so much. The house is half unpacked and I desperately need to work some more and buy some groceries! (THANK YOU Kim and Bethany for FABULOUS meals... and the Straders for the best pizza in town!)

But we went to the lake house yesterday for a little jaunt on the boat and to swim. Even though it rained... we still had some fun and I got some great pictures... I KNOW that's all you want now anyone! Love, hugs, and many thanks to you all!

This one cracks me up! I HAD to share. The "newness" is wearing off already for Abby. Marc kept reaching out and grabbing her bathing suit... he knew he was dorkin with her... look at his face... SO smart. And, obviously, she was not happy about it.


Thank you for all your precious comments. They bless us so much. We love you all and appreciate your prayers and your friendship so much. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Be back soon!

My two bundles of big blessings from above...

How can you really thank the God of heaven and all the universe for hand picking two precious bundles of big blessings?

"Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." Psalm 146: 1,2~

We were VERY expectantly granted clearance in THREE days and have been HOME since last night! As my brother Derrick said so perfectly, "It's about time something went right for you guys!"

This is a short post as I am exhausted and need to go to bed early. But Marc is doing so very wonderfully... nothing short of God's very hand on him and many, many, many answered prayers.

I'll be back soon with details... the whole thing was simply beautiful. Thank you. Thank you all for your love and for your prayers. Here is our precious Marc Parker Sullivan. ("Jacob" didn't make the final cut!)