four today

this picture was taken when bea was only 18 months. there are diapers sticking out the back of her dress. she still has a baby face. but i remember this morning like it was yesterday. sometimes i can't believe it wasn't taken yesterday. today my baby girl turned 4. it was a special day. one with requests that were spoken. this is huge, as last year there weren't really any words uttered. this year i was told that she wanted Doritos, pizza and cake with purple frosting. i was told she wanted a butterfly birthday party. 

which is very fitting for beatrix. 

she is as beautiful as a butterfly and this last year was something of a metamorphosis for her as well. 

i am so thankful for this life. this beatrix sparrow. 

the Lord just must have known how fitting her name would be for her. 

"Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He cares for me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He cares for me.

I sing because I'm happy, 

I sing because I'm free,

For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

His eyes is on OUR sparrow, and i KNOW He cares for her.

Happy 4th Birthday sweetheart, we love being on your team. 

u on my team?

beatrix in the bath, to matt - "daddy.  you on my team?" 

matt - "what do you mean, 'am i on your team?' you're on My team! i'm the captain." 

beatrix grinning - "you the cap. tan.?" 

matt- "yes! first i picked mommy for my team. and then micah and then you and then penelope. and then i decided that the team was big enough. it's a pretty great team, isn't it?" 

beatrix - "YEP!"

kings and queens

Audio Adrenaline - Kings and Queens (Exclusive Music Video Premiere) from audio-adrenaline on GodTube.

a field trip to whole foods

  micah had his first field trip of the year last week. i offered to be a chaperon for any one of his 4 field trips because last year his teacher had said that they had a very hard time getting parents who were available. she  sent a note home to tell me that i was welcome, but i made sure to clarify that the girls would be with me. she assured me that it would be fine to have them along. we arrived at whole foods first and waited for the bus to arrive. i could see micah waving frantically through the window at me. he was so excited. beatrix wanted to climb on to the bus to sit with him and she very bravely did just that. 

 penelope didn't last long in the stroller. i was so happy that i brought both the sling and the stroller with me though.  micah was very careful to bring the items that they were speaking about back to show beatrix and penelope. he would repeat the information to them and let bea feel it. this was a dinosaur kale.

 in the picture below he is tickling penelope's neck. 

 a rare picture of the 4 of us. penelope is pulling my hair. and right after this picture was taken i fell forward trying to get up! haha

 the fish department where they told us all about the local fish they were cleaning for the day. 

 we went all around the store. after the seafood counter we went to the meat counter where they told us about how cold it is back in the freezers and that their meat is different because they lived happy lives. that made the teachers and i laugh as it didn't really matter how happy they had been while they were living, they still ended up dead. they gave us sample of hot dogs. then we moved on to the milk and egg department and we looked at all the different kinds of eggs whole foods carry's  we went next to the cheese counter and then to the pizza oven where a man showed the kids how he made pizza. we got a slice of pizza too. lastly we went to the bakery where they gave the kids a sample of blueberry cake with NO sugar in it and the statement "see how eating good for you can taste good too?" it was funny and cheesy, but good for the kids to see a grocery store. after the tour, whole foods surprised all the students by giving them a ride on the carousel behind the store. in the words of beatrix, "dat was a fun mo-ning mama!"

a homework face

a tale of grandpa harrison

in a very random/providential chain of events, a few weeks ago matt found out that his dad was selling his old F150 pickup truck. we had been looking for a second vehicle for awhile and so we got our pennies together and bought it. for a few days matt was trying to figure out how we would get the truck down here. first his brother was going to drive it down and then matt thought about flying up there to pick it up, but what ended up happening was that matt's dad drove it down himself. the best thing was that he got to spend 3 days with us. it was a wonderful 3 days. he had brought his scuba gear in hopes of getting some time in, but the seas were so rough from passing storms that instead he stayed at home with me and the girls. he spent the mornings waiting for micah and matt to get home playing crazy 8s, watching movies with little girls on his lap, doing puzzles, eating apples and peanut butter and getting asked all kinds of questions by me. there aren't many opportunities to get to know one of your in-laws on a one-on-one basis, especially your father-in-law. but it was comfortable, and cozy, and familiar, and safe. i love being a part of matt's family too. when matt's mom called to see how we were doing i told her she needed to be next for a little one-on-one visit. 

after school

after micah gets home two things happen. first he will get out whatever he did during the day that he brought home to show me, and second he will play with his sisters. he always gives penelope a hug and a kiss. then he will search the house for beatrix. 

 

on this particular day beatrix had found my old umbrella stroller and was pushing her luvy baby around in it. and what usually happens is that penelope wants in on the action. beatrix was not happy and so micah stepped in to mediate. i sense this will be his role quite often with them. 

getting so big

 i love how she sits. with one leg forward and one leg backward. every time i see her sit like this i wonder if her legs were like this inside of me or something. she seems so comfortable in this position. 

saturday morning posing

 i found the picture below while i was going through pictures last night. at first i bypassed it because it appeared blurry, but when i gave it a second look i realized that the blur is a speeding beatrix and what is going on in the back ground is priceless. a captured kiss from my sweet oldest to my youngest baby girl.  

oldest and youngest

just a morning

 little wisps of hair are growing over her ears. 

 

i adore the backs of babies heads.