6 Cousins

This past weekend, Kelleigh and the boys came to visit from Ohio.  Noah has just turned one year, and Jude is 9 months old.  They are both so sweet & have distinct personalities already showing through!  On Saturday, we all went to the park, and the kids had a great time.  Enjoy the slideshow!

nine

Yesterday, Abby turned 9, and we were thinking about how it seems like only yesterday that she was born.  And we laughed, remembering how shocked we were to see that a little 5 lb., 6 oz., red-haired little girl had entered our lives.  And now, she's filling our days with laughter at the things she says and ways she expresses herself.  And it makes me think of how just yesterday, I was 9, and begging Dad to let me get my ears pierced.  And it was that year that he finally agreed.  I thought I was so old to be just getting my ears pierced, but he thought of how it had only been yesterday  that I had entered his life...

Today, a new chapter begins in the life of my Dad, for which I ask for more people to pray. He & my mom have traveled to Tampa where he will join a clinical trial which holds hope for reducing the size of cancerous tumors. I am thankful that this opportunity has been made available to him & I'm hopeful that there will be positive results & little or no negative ones. And so, to whom it may concern, please pray for success in this matter. And the picture I'm posting is one of him with one of his biggest fans:)

So, school has officially started & I just don't really know what to think about it. It's definitely quieter at home, but also less "lively" as well. And I guess now it's time to catch up on all the projects I didn't do this summer! Grant & Abby had a good first day & are proud to be in fifth & fourth grade now. Here is our annual drop-off picture!

Going, going,....


Where has the summer gone? We are in our last week of summer vacation & trying to pack as many activities in as we can before it's back to school next week! I have posted a couple of pictures of the kids from this week. Monday, we were downtown at the World's Fair Park sprinklers--Lily did not want to be photographed due to her getting a black eye from running into someone in the sprinklers! Oops!
Tuesday, we beat the extreme heat at a friend's pool, and then yesterday we visited the Knoxville Zoo with our friends. We have had a great summer, full of exciting activities. Grant & Abby have been a great help with the younger ones & that will be missed when they return to school.
Until next time...

A Little Piece of Quiet...
It just occurred to me a few minutes ago that no one had called or cried for me for a record 5 minutes or so, so I stood for a moment, trying to take as little time as possible to decide what to do with my fleeting time for myself. And so I'm here, trying to keep my commitment to posting to this blog regularly. Just typing whatever comes to mind seems to result in babble, and yet I would have so much to say were there time, as I don't think I've ever been accused of being short on words. So...what to say when there isn't time to say much? Maybe just a quote by James Norman Hall from my Mary Engelbreit calendar--"Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life..."- Never mind-my time is up--the doorbell is ringing...

Amy, You're My Inspiration!

Hello--if there's anyone out there who's still listening. No, I have not been in a coma for the past 6 months, I've just been extremely busy. But, my sister's blog has inspired me to try to start mine up again. There's no time to update everything that has transpired since I last wrote, but, in short: Lola is now 8 months old & starting to get around pretty well in her own way, Grant & Abby are out of school for the summer, & we have been busy visiting family & having fun. When I last wrote, Grandaddy was still here, but, he left us in February & was "promoted" to Heaven, as he called it. I miss him terribly, but I feel like he can see us & knows how much we love him. And we will see him again. Back in May, we went to the beach with my whole family which is where this picture was taken. So, until the next time...which will hopefully be sooner than later.

Today is a good day because of the news that my Grandaddy has come out of the surgery with a good report. We are so thankful that the Lord has seen fit to give us more time with him here. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:3

YES-I KNOW blogs are supposed to be updated on a regular basis, but what can I say-- I have been very busy taking care of our sweet little Lola! She arrived on schedule on Nov. 9th & now she's 2 months old already! We are all having so much fun playing with her. And Lily has probably asked me ten times if we can keep her! We've had a great past couple of months. Today I am praying for my Grandaddy who is undergoing a life-threatening surgery at Duke University Hospital. Tomorrow I would like to be able to post that the surgery was a success & all is well. I still need him to be there to hug & kiss me, to call me now & then, & to forward all those emails to me every other day. You know--the ones that say if you really love someone then you'll forward the email to them. He is irreplaceable & I love him.

Day One of our Blog finds us in a very busy time in our lives, as most of you are already aware. In less than 3 weeks, our latest addition will arrive to join the Ryan Family Circus. (Poor thing!)
Somehow we have managed to make it 9 months without finding out if this is a boy or girl doing acrobatics in my belly, but soon we'll all know! Of course, Grant (age 9) is voting for a boy & Abby (age 8) and Lily (age 3) are voting for a girl. All Dave & I want is whomever the Lord gives us!
Business for Dave in the Printing & Promotions world is going well. My part of Lucy & Ethel (purses, totes, baby bags, etc.) is pretty much on hold for a while, but my partner, Denise, is keeping things going for us both. Maybe one day our website will actually be up & running!
Please check back with us frequently & I will do my best to post on a regular basis. Please pray for us, also, as we near November 9, when the baby is scheduled to arrive!