Pictures and a Back

You guys...AWESOME discussion about the birth control/right to prevent thing. Seriously, LOVED hearing all of your wisdom out there. We are still seeking, but feeling definite leading in a specific way...I will update and inform you soon as to "where we are" with it all...our conclusion.

BUT, in the meantime, we are in some MAJOR need of some pictures, wouldn't you say?

A word about pictures on this blog. Some of you may be wondering why I put so many dad-blasted pictures on here...and seemingly of the same pose anyway. Well, here's the deal...I love seeing each and every expression on each and every face. There are no 2 pictures alike with these 4 kids, that's for sure. Besides, I've never been very decisive when it comes to things like that. Going to the portrait studio was alway fun but a bit torturous at the same time. My kids always took great pictures, smiling up a storm at those places (as they do here at home). So, it always took me forever to decide which to get. Anyhoo, so that's one reason.

And, as I said before, this is going to be turned into a blog book eventually. I don't scrapbook and all of our pictures are digital these days of course. I haven't printed pictures out since Grady was 6 months old. So, these blog books will also serve as our family picture albums...nice since they already have captions. Anyhoo, if you don't enjoy the pictures, sorry. But, that's why so many. And I just like looking at my cutie patootie kids. ;)

Be praying for Joel's back. He was laying under a plane on Thursday morning doing maintenance and doesn't remember straining or turning any wrong way. But, when he got up from under that plane, his back was bothering him. By the time he came home for lunch, he had to practically crawl to the house from the car (I'm not exaggerating). He went to the doctor yesterday and got drugs (muscle relaxer)...he's been taking it easy and putting a heating pad on it. The doctor said he figured it was a ligament that was strained in there and it just needs some TLC. Just pray that it gets all better soon. It's horrible not being able to walk.

Now, the pictures...these were all taken Thursday and Friday morning. The kids were having fun cheesing it up for some togetherness shots.







Is this the best picture ever or what? She started laughing out loud (while awake) about a week ago and it is so very, very cute. She will just laugh while you are talking to her, but she is also SUPER ticklish. She'll start laughing when I'm taking her clothes off. SO cute.









And then they all fell down...and thought it was hilarious.
I love how Cass is smiling at them here.



Then they just decided to hang out on the floor for a while.

Mid-jump.
Hadley too.









And...
look...
at...
all...
those curls. :)
Here I am mid-sentence and mid-blink...nice. Thursday night our friends Brock and Auny held an impromptu chocolate tasting to raise funds for some evangelism tools (those Evangecubes I blogged about a while back) for our mission. Go here and here to read about it. But, here we are talking to them (about 70-80 youth pastors, etc....they were at SuperWow in Florida). It SO blessed us...the results, but also just to be able to talk to them. Everyone there encouraged us so much.

Before we signed off one of the leaders in the group prayed for us.

Seemed like a Saturday with Joel and his back yesterday...since he didn't go to Asas. So, we hung out in the bed and then had pancakes. Here's the whole fam.
While Eissa and Cass were sleeping, me and Grady put his train tracks together.
Fun stuff.
And Hadley had some Bible study time with Gillian.