Swimming lessons

Father's Day 2013

 We celebrated some most excellent Fathers today.

One of our favorites being this daddy.

 And....

in the words of Alec...

"My Dad is really good at working.

And he loves when I help him.

And my favorite thing about my Dad is his big hugs!"

 I will admit - this guy is pretty special.

To everyone in this family.

He can magically fix anything. 

He is forgiving and generous.

(With a little teeny bit of Irish temper)

and lots of Irish fun.

We love this guy.

More than we can even express.

 We got to celebrate with this awesome Daddy

 for a bit this afternoon as well!

So proud of this guy..

and how much he loves his little girl! 

 We spent a bit of time with MY dad too!

Who also happens to be pretty darn amazing!

So fun to have our parents close by...

to share past and present with.

And lots of love!

 We stopped by to wish another VERY special Dad 

a Happy Father's Day!

He may not be feeling well right now..

but he continues to suffer in stoic silence...(hehe).

So fun to see how grandkids bring 

a smile to his face even on a bad day!

This extra wonderful Daddy spent the day 

driving to celebrate

his Dad and Grandfather...

but we were with him in spirit!

(And wish we could have tried those delicious cupcakes!)

It was a fun...

busy...

on the edge of chaos day.

But a day filled with laughter..

and lots and lots of love.

Great Steps 4NF 2013

 What a great day we had!

Erin posted this wonderful update on FB last night...

and honestly - I can't say it better.

"Today was a very special day for my family. I posted about it this week - we raised money and walked for NF (neurofibromatosis) Awareness and Research.

But really, we walked for Ava and Alec, my little siblings who both have this disease.... My parents bare the brunt of it, as do the two littles. Trips to the NF clinic in St. Louis, MRI's (MULTIPLE), eye surgeries, tummy pain, and scary potential side effects are the realities of right now. We just watch and wait and hope that these two remain mostly unaffected, unlike some other sweet unlucky babies we saw today.

I have watched them since they were teeny (Ava was actually pretty fat)... We spent a long time waiting for these little people, a long time traveling across the world to get them, and a long time bringing them home. My parents are exhausted most of the time with three crazy AMAZING kiddos running around their very happy, loving home. The BLT ranch is complete because of the three A's, and I am so so thankful to have gotten (and continue to be) a part of their lives (and you too Mr. Ayden).

Today was awesome. 

 My family is full of love and PLENTY of life. 

 We continue to pray for Ava and Alec

 and all those affected by NF. We are blessed.

I am thankful."

Except that I cannot express my love and pride

that our family is so supportive 

and in this together.

Loving, accepting, embracing

challenging and supporting each other along the way.

I am a proud momma.

 I gotta say - I think our team bling was

THE BOMB!

And I think these pictures really give 

you a pretty good flavor of the fun we had.

I will tell you that Miss Rae...

was the only kid...

who decided to get in the 

duck pond.

LOL!

Thanks again to all who supported us this year

and in years past.

We look forward to the day

that we can tell you

they found a cure.

And every single one of you

is part of that cure.

Hugs from the BLT and C!

June 1st - a very special day.

 Today is a VERY special day.

For many reasons...

one of the most important being...

happy 22nd birthday Samuel Nathan!

 You were such a sweet little kid.

(still are - but gosh you were a good baby and little boy!)

 Always the social guy..

always the life of the party!

So proud of the man you have become.. 

 and the wonderful daddy you are to your sweet baby girl.

 I love your sense of humor..

your ability to love...

your sense of adventure...

and your sense of innovation.

 So excited to see what life has yet to show you!

And you will enjoy every moment..

cause that is how you roll..

and I love that about you too!

(I love you my Sam...with all my heart.)

Another reason this day is SO special...

 4 years ago today...

in Seoul, Korea...

this little man became our littlest son.

 Honestly - when I look backward in the
 blog to June 1, 2009 

I can't even remember him being that little.

 Tonite we watched his homecoming videos...

and talked about how extraordinary this day was.

 And how extremely blessed we are to have him for our son.

 And he just smiled right back 

and melted my heart..

like he does every time.

(By the way - this guy is doing GREAT in summer school...

and is even starting swimming lessons next week too.

Amazing honestly.)

 We also had our first "sleepover" this weekend!

(To celebrate Ayden's birthday just a little bit longer!)

 And Ava went to her first birthday party...by herself.

A princess party..

complete with hair and a manicure!

She had a wonderful wonderful time.

Daddy and I just spent the day running people around...

and cleaning the garage.

Fun times at the BLT!