Project 365, Week 29

This week was all about friends and family and the slower pace of summer.  Looking back on the group pictures and the babies makes me feel so incredibly blessed.

It was also a week of some highly frustrating times with the big boys but with small victories woven in.

It was failing, wishing for an easy button and experiencing God's mercy and love up close and personal.

July 13

The day Aiden's been looking forward to finally arrived...he turned 5!  We had fun celebrating our special guy.

 July 14
He was up early the next morning, digging into his new legos.

 AND...my newest niece arrived!  Sadie Elizabeth....cousin #18 for my kids!

 July 15
We went to a friend's pool party and there were about 15 little kids, so I'm not sure how this is the only picture I came away with.  But she sure is sweet.  :)

 July 16
Kids being crazy.

 July 17
It had been a year since we'd seen Allie and Levi.  They are up from Texas for a couple weeks and it was SO good to see them and the kids had a blast hanging out.

 We walked down a couple blocks to the Third Thursday Street Festival and stopped at Nathan's booth.  Hard to miss!  :)

 Checking out the honey bees with Grandpa Tom.

 We let the big boys go explore on their own.  Not sure what Uncle Micah is saying here...

July 18
We dropped R off in RI and met my brother for a few minutes in between their appointments so we could all meet the baby.  She's just over 6 lbs and it looks like I'm holding a flat blanket.  She's tiny, tiny and was a good sport about getting passed around to very excited cousins.  New life!!

 My friend Shelva was visiting from Colorado with her two.  Thankfully we'd done breakfast earlier in the week, because its a different dynamic when we add the kids.

We've been friends since high school and I'm so grateful for her life.  There's never been any demands or expectations for our relationship, just lots of love, understanding and space.

 July 19
Shaun's family is pretty small (he has just three first cousins) until you get up into the older generations, who all do a pretty good job of staying in touch and getting together.  At a family reunion last summer, Nathan reconnected with someone from our generation and Nathan thought it'd be great for "the kids" to get together, now that they've moved back into the area.

Shaun's mom and their dad are first cousins, so I guess that makes these boys second cousins?  First cousins once removed?  It'd been 25 years since Shaun and the older brother had seen each other, and I'd never met him.  We all connected immediately, as only family can, and had such fun talking, laughing and getting to know each other and eating really yummy food.

 And these third cousins (??) were fast friends.  So sweet!

 Sarah and Tony stayed later so we got some good Armand time.  I love this one that Sarah captured.  He's so personable!

I hope your week is great.  Not sure what ours holds, but I know Who I can trust in.

Current quote on our chalkboard:

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.  ~C.S. Lewis