It's a... GIRL!

We are excited to say that Rose is going to have a sister. Our new addition is due around October 24, right after Rose's second birthday.

We are making up for not having a working camera :) Enjoy these recent pictures from the last week. Hope everyone is doing well...


our little chef making cookies (before and after)


trying on mommy's mascara. we couldn't help
but take this picture.



Rose at a friend's house--she has recently overcome her fears of the swing.


during a trip to Palm Beach with our friends from Nashville, Jeff and Debra.

Yesterday we went to the Pompano Beach Seafood Festival to check out the Starbucks sampling team, enjoy some yummy food, and have a good sunshiney day. Here are a few pics of Rose's first journey inside a bounce house. We weren't really sure if she would go in (she was asking for it like it was her favorite thing ever)--but once she was in, we couldn't get her out! Fortunately we were able to lure her out with an elephant ear. :)
As you can see from the pictures, she was in bounce house heaven!

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry it has been quite awhile since we last posted. Life continues to be a bit of a whirlwind--I can't believe its mid-April! (Hope everyone got their taxes done in time--Justin, I picture you driving to the mailbox at 11:57pm). Spring in Florida means crowded beaches with spring breakers and that it is getting too hot to spend too much time outside. This week the temps are expected in the 90s!

However, it also means visitors--which we love. Yesterday and today, we enjoyed a great visit from Jon and Kristi, my nephew and his wife, who are enjoying some beach time away from Michigan.

The last month has been quite the journey for us. We continue to process the passing of my (Mike's) mom. Thank you so much for all of you who prayed for us and for her during her last days. God continues to strengthen us daily and we are often reminded of her in the simple things. Rose helps us continue to smile--as you can tell from the pictures below... Here is a little catch up of the last few months through photos.

Thanks to Jon and Kristi who shared some of their photos with us so I can share these with you!

1-3 Rose at the beach this weekend--a true beach babe.
4-5 She loves to play 'peek a boo' around the palm trees on the broadwalk
6 Rose and her cousin Olivia
7 A gaggle of cousins...oh what fun!
8 I predict high phone bills in my near future...
9 Little cutie all dressed up...

Here are some fun pictures of Rose this week. Mom was thrilled she had enough hair for a ponytail of sorts. She currently is into coloring (ok, so maybe mommy helped color this picture), loves tennis (shoop is what she calls it--the sound the racket makes), and enjoys being all girl.

Happy New Year!

Here are a few pictures of the last week. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a few friends over for new year's eve, watched an amazing firework celebration off our balcony at midnight (a fun surprise for us), and went to the beach over the long weekend! It was SO fun to see how Rose has become a beach baby and now LOVES the ocean. This weekend, we had the opportunity to go to the circus. Rose was scared at first, but soon was amazed by all the lights and sounds...not to mention the elephants, zebras, camels and tigers...oh my! Tonight, we went to say goodbye to our Christmas tree at a nearby park and enjoyed feeding the squirrels and helping Rose go down the slide (which she loves).

Rose and her date, Avery.

Rose at the Circus...





these pelican's are real! They were waiting for the fisherman at the table next to them to share some fish scraps with them. They were as big as Rose!

a new year's blessing...