Lindy's first smiles

I love my girls so very much! To me there isn't anything like those first baby smiles and toothless grins. I was so grateful to get these on film before we went to church yesterday morning. Lindy wakes up every morning grinning and happy and smiling. She's starting to coo a bit, too. I just know her first words are going to be "Mommy I love you!" Actually to me there isn't much that is more precious in the world than hearing Laura say that to me each day. Each day I pray for the grace to remember that the challenging moments are just moments, and to enjoy them because I will miss them some day. What a blessing it is to be allowed to have this family....a husband I cherish and adore, and two children to nurture in the love of Jesus. Happy Monday!

About Freedom......

Happy Independence Day! I won't go on and on about the Fourth of July like I would like to......Let me just say that I have had the privilege of spending two Independce Day holidays outside the United States in places that wanted freedom desperately. I always have been a proud American, but those experiences gave me tremendous gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy! I am grateful today for the fact that our freedom as Americans is protected by so many volunteers all over the world, and as I write this there are many thousands who are putting themselves in harm's way to give me the opportunity to thank them. I'll bet those rag tag rebels who gathered together to sign and send the Declaration of Independence 232 years ago had no conception of how they would affect the rest of world history.

Freedom is not free.....I am also grateful today for the Savior who gave His precious life to allow me to be free from sin and death, and free to live in His grace every moment of every day. As I am free, I am also reminded that I am bought and paid for with a price. Praise God for His tender mercies which are new every morning.

Okay, enough preaching. Our July 4th dawned with a gray sky and thunderstorms, which are very welcome here. We are having another very dry summer. We are looking forward to a fun day filled with family and food and hopefully some fireworks! Dabby and Grammy, aka Dad and Karen Stokes, will be here some time this afternoon, and Grandpa and Grandma, aka Mom and Dad Capps are coming over for the afternoon and a cookout. We're excited about having a fun day together!

Now about the photos.....last night we took the girls to the park for the community celebration in Hendersonville. We walked around lots of people and had a good time together. Laura and Mommy got to Bungy jump together. Too bad Kevin was giving the baby a bottle and couldn't document Mommy harnessed and flying through the air. :) I did that on my 31st birthday at Fisherman's Wharf in San Fransisco. My mom got it on film and I looked pretty dorky. But, nonetheless, I decided that 39 wasn't too old to Bungy jump just one more time. I can still flip both directions, although I think that will be the last time. Laura did great and had a fun time jumping. She wasn't ready to flip yet although she tried. We were not going to stay for the fireworks because Laura doesn't like the booms and we were afraid the noise would send Lindy Grace into orbit. But we wound up staying longer and caught the fireworks on the way out. I covered Lindy's ears to keep her from the full blast of the booms, and she cried anyway. So I took my hand off her ear for a moment and she quit crying and went to sleep! And as you can see, Laura thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks display. So we're going to try the fireworks in Gallatin tonight. I'll let you know how it goes! Enjoy a happy day with family and friends on this day celebrating our precious freedom!

Save the Lightning Bugs

In this photo you see some of Laura's latest "new best friends". This was actually taken in Hazel Green, AL at the home of our brother and sister-in-law, Steven and Barbara Capps. They were willing to lend us their "bug box" for Laura's evening ritual of catching the lightning bugs.

You'll notice the sand....she is sure that sand makes a REALLY nice bed for the bugs. Unfortunately for the bugs, Laura likes to shake them up a bit, and I'm sure they sustained at least minor abrasions!



I've been meaning to write this post for two weeks now, but I'm actually glad I've given Laura time to truly hone (sp?) the craft of catching lightning bugs! Here you see her actually holding the death chamber, I mean bug box in the process of providing the sand.

Laura has gotten so good at catching these things that she can get several in each fist before she puts them in captivity. I must refer you to the post about whose child this is because again, those who know me at all, and certainly know me well will know that catching bugs of any variety has never, ever been on my agenda. And certainly not something I would consider fun. But, I found out about the things a mother will do for her child during this visit to Alabama. One of the victims, I mean lightning bugs, was a little too high for Laura to catch, so she said, "You catch it for me, Mama!" Okay, what mother would refuse that request. So, ignoring every pore of my being telling me NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I reached up and very gently, with the least amount of contact possible (for the bugs, of course) caught her little friend. I even put it in the box for her. Then I shuddered for five minutes recalling the feeling of that thing in my hand. Eeewww. Yes, I'm a prissy girl. I'm really okay with me, so I'm okay with admitting it. But I'm proud of my girl who likes bugs and mud, too, because it must be good for you somehow to like those things. As I type this, there are about seven or eight lightning bugs flying hopelessly around a homemade bug box in my living room. I titled this post Save the Lightning Bugs because I think that some activist group would want me to prohibit Laura's catching of these bugs. And were it not for the fact that she would be horribly disappointed, I'd go release them into the wild to do whatever it is that they do every day. She keeps asking me what they eat, but somehow I'm not eager to find out because I don't want our house to become a sanctuary for lost and forlorn lightning bugs.

On another note, everyone at our house is well now. Lindy was MUCH better by Sunday morning, which was quite a relief. She goes for her two month visit and shots in the morning. Poor little thing. She's an angel. I look at her and I still wonder if she's real. Then she spits up all the milk she just drank all over my clothes. Yep. She's real. :) Have a happy, blessed day!