Grandson Photo Fun Plus July Blogging Break

*Don’t miss a special giveaway going on over on my Mother of the Bride Blog. You don’t have to be a mother of the bride to win!

When the month of July rolls around each year, that means it’s time for some Summer Photo Fun here on the blog. And what better kind of photo fun to feature this year than Grandson Photo Fun, right? How can I not share this kind of sweetness with you!

For those of you who don’t already know, God has blessed us with TWO sets of twin grandsons! Isaiah and James are pictured above on the left (James on left, Isaiah on right) and belong to our daughter Kristin and her husband Shawn. Samuel and Silas are on the right (Silas on left, Samuel on right) and belong to our daughter Kelli and her husband Jake. Isaiah and James are now 2 ½ years old and Samuel and Silas will be 11 months old in a few days. We love these little guys beyond words. And yes, they keep us hopping!

Life is so busy for me right now—and July is always extra busy when my husband is on vacation for a few weeks—so I’m going to take a blogging  break and leave these photos of our sweet boys up here on the blog for the next few weeks. Hope you enjoy seeing these little sweethearts—and I will be back with regular weekly blog posts in a few weeks. Have a great July!

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV

Sweet Samuel

Busy Silas

*I have some family events and travel scheduled for July. Will you be doing anything special this month?

The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early August. One lucky subscriber (new or current) will receive $15 cash (summer mad money!) and a signed copy of my book to use personally, give as a gift, or donate to a library. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

Summer Photo Fun: Sweet Grandsons Isaiah and James

IMG_9075

*Our new set of twin grandsons arrived last week! I will try to have a post featuring them later this week. They have been in NICU so it can be challenging to get good photos. They are doing well, though, and we are overjoyed!

You knew I couldn’t let Summer Photo Fun get by without featuring some photos of our sweet grandsons Isaiah and James, right? After all, they are one of the best parts of our lives, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share them with you!

So today’s the day—here’s a little photo fun featuring our first two dearly loved grandsons. They are growing up so fast. What one does, the other has to as well—whether cute or naughty :) And yes, that in itself makes them especially adorable :) Oh how we love them!

IMG_6635They loved seeing the chickens at Aunt Kelli and Uncle Jake’s country home in July.

IMG_6596They love playing with the kitchen set that used to be their mama’s. Their aprons were made for them by our long-time friend Pam. They love wearing them :)

IMG_6647Of course they’re learning a love for music and piano from their musical mama. Notice in the background, shelves have been cleared and other areas barricaded for their visit :)

IMG_6342Reading with Grandpa. These boys love books!

IMG_6833Our sweet boys. Brothers and friends for life!

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”  Proverbs 17:17 NIV

*Do you have brothers and sisters? Do you enjoy a special bond?

*The newest issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*All photos are mine except for the next to last one. That one is Kristin’s.

Mother of the Bride Memory Boosters for Shopping

silly MOBMother of the Bride, I hope you like to shop because you will be doing a lot of it while you’re helping your daughter get ready for her big day. You may even find that all those dresses and décor are starting to run together. The details you thought you’d remember from one store turn to a haze by the time you’ve shopped around at others.

Why not go ahead and give your overworked brain a break and plan to boost your memory with two of the best friends an MOB-shopping-machine can have—a notebook and a camera. Pull out your cute little MOB journal/planner and jot down the name of the store along with the colors, prices, and other details you may need to remember. And if it’s not against store policy, snap a photo of each item. You’ll be glad you  did. (Notice I have my journal in hand in the photo above!)

My wedding planning notes and photos saved my MOB skin more than once. Even after my girls’ weddings, I referred back to my notes for certain information, and during our months of planning, the photos provided the perfect memory jog.

So next time you head out on one of your wedding shopping expeditions, MOB, arm yourself with a memory booster or two. Your weary brain—and your bride-to-be daughter—will thank you!

*You might also like to read A Planning Journal for Your Mother of the Bride Notes.

*Photo by my daughter Kristin; the dress is not the one my daughter Kelli eventually chose, but she still looked good in it! :)

*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, I hope this encore post has been helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in August 2013.

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter came out this week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Blogging Break Calls for Grandson Photo Fun!

IMG_4808Hey everyone, I’m taking an extended Spring Break blogging break but will be back two weeks from today on March 28th. Sometimes I’m so busy over spring break that it’s much like that age old dilemma of needing a vacation to recover from vacation. So doggone it, I’m going to do it. I’m going to extend my blogging break to two weeks so I can give myself a little more leeway. Makes sense to me!

And what better to leave up my blog in the meantime than a few photos of my adorable grandsons, huh? I don’t post many pics of them here on my blog but now seems like the perfect time to do it. Spring break is for fun—and what could be more fun than twin grandsons?!

The photo above was taken on Isaiah and James’ first birthday in January. Isaiah is on the right and James is on the left. Hope you enjoy seeing our precious boys once again! See you in a couple of weeks!

IMG_4774These boys are on the move all the time now so it’s a challenge to get good photos of them anymore! :)

12509096_10153792390803232_4285918969609564987_nOur sweet Isaiah. Love him so much!

1929039_10153792391033232_4715517595459124427_nOur precious James. Love him equally as much!

IMG_5139Did I mention how busy they are? :)

IMG_4780And yes, they are even cute from behind! We are so blessed!

“From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise . . .” Psalm 8:2a

*What little ones do you love like crazy? Tell me about them!

*Photos by Kristin and me