Full of the fullness

These last few weeks have been full of the fullness of relationships.  Yep, full of the fullness.  Full x 2.  It's been good.  :)  This past weekend Emerson and I took off to spend some time with some old, dear friends, the Archers.  It was a wonderful time of catching up and relaxing.

Our families, if you weren't aware, actually "lived together" for about 3 years at one point.  We rented their basement apartment from them and eventually moved with them into a larger home, creating an apartment of our own connected to them.  Our girls, Emerson and Aliyah, 9 months apart, spent the first few years of their lives not knowing anything other than seeing each other every day, eating many many meals together and taking baths as babies together.  We served alongside this family in ministry.  Their family was there for us during the ups and downs of job losses and job gains.  They celebrating with us during the birth of Braeden and shorty after we celebrated the welcoming of their daughter, Jenayah.  In short, we shared life together.

(I somehow missed Tony in here, too.  Sorry, Tony!)

Every morning one of our girls would knock on the dividing door of our living spaces excited to play, often spending much of the day together.  At night after we had dinner and the girls would take their bath, Mellany and I would often sit together, getting our daughters ready for bed while they watched a short video - most often Praise Baby or Noodle Bug - lotioning arms and legs, combing hair, diapering, and pajamas.  Then over the years, we added two more of our kids into the mix.  This was our norm for so long.



But as life moves quickly, as it often does, we found we were pregnant with Landen forcing us to find a space that would accommodate our growing needs a little better.  Shortly after we moved, they did, too, but closer to family in a town nearly two hours away.  Our families have been growing and the chance to see each other has been few and far between these days.



But when we do, it's magic.  These girls of ours, not having seen each other in several months, pick up right where they left off.  Their connection is real and I pray that they can remain life long friends.  And of course, my time with Mellany is so blessed, too.  It's refreshing and relaxing to spend time with old friends who know our family and cares about and loves us.  It was fun to laugh at some old memories and share the current events of life now and watch our girls laugh and play.







I sometimes think I took for granted the set-up we had those years.  It was a very special time indeed.




(These shots courtesy of Aliyah, age 8 and Jenayah, age 4)


We've been able to cross paths of not only the Archers, but some family, too, in recent days.  It reminds me of why these relationships are so important have been prominent.  Desiring my kids to know and be known among those who have supported, loved, and encouraged us on life's roads has been on my mind lately.  I'm thankful that we have so many of those relationships in close proximity, to keep our foundation firm under our family's feet.  We've been blessed indeed.

The glimpses of some of these other moments the past few weeks:

Celebrating Landen with grandparents, aunts, and uncles.






(The "Jake" Emerson drew freehand for Landen on his birthday)








(My sister who is pregnant - with twins!!)



Long overdue time with Grandmommy:





Grandpa was in town for a weekend, visiting from North Carolina:



And Jon was a sport jumping in the pool with the kids!















And finally some other things I've been enjoying:

Scoping out spots for upcoming photo shoots and getting to test it out on Emerson!







Finding a ladybug in March!



Watching my kids play with this hilarious app on my phone.



And catching Landen from afar.

 

Oh!  I almost forgot!  We are no longer contributing our money to the diaper industry!  Landen is officially a potty trained boy!  Woo hoo!!!

Have a great Monday!