The Elephant Zone

We have tried for a while now to capture it and now we've finally got it...
Eleanor has this stuffed elephant that she sleeps with and when we give her the pacifier and her elephant she goes into this zone or happy place. She takes the trunk and rubs it so gently back and forth across her own nose. It really is one of the sweetest things ever.

More from Higgins...

A couple weeks ago Josh's brother Nick and his family came to the Lake with us. I can't believe it was there first time there...It only took us six years to make it happen. We had a great time on the water and playing many hours of "Ticket to Ride"(our favorite board game of late). My niece Sydney had been on a tube once before earlier in the summer and couldn't wait to do it again. I didn't even think about the possibility that Jack might be interested. I was amazed when he jumped right in the tube next to her. He is still a little small to do it by himself but he was fearless. Go Jack!

What a great smile! I love when he actually looks at the camera for me. It doesn't happen very often.

Jack and Hailey having a snack and watching the boats...

In...

and out... Jack figured out that he could actually fit inside the compartment in the boat where we keep all the life jackets. He climbed in and out for at least a half hour. What doesn't keep a 3 year old entertained?

We had a lot of fun swimming this past weekend, however Josh and I both came away with Swimmer's Itch! Thankfully somehow Jack and Hailey avoided it.

This picture is currently the wallpaper on our computer...Josh has been giving me grief for not having posted it because he thinks it's so great. So here it is! We think Ellie is looking more and more like Jack all the time.

"what do i know of holy"

I made you promises a thousand times.
I’ve tried to hear from heaven, but I talked the whole time.
I think I made you too small.
I never feared you at all,
no …If you touched my face, would I know you,
Looked into my eyes, could I behold you?

What do I know of you who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean?
Are you fire? Are you fury?
Are you sacred? Are you beautiful?
What do I know of holy?

These are the opening lines from a new song from the group, Addison Road. It is a beautiful song, with powerful lyrics … hinting at, pointing to, making suggestions about, the awesome mystery that is God! I have been listening to this song a lot the past few days and it continues to speak into my heart. It's an illusion that I have God figured out or that God exists to answer my need of the moment...I'm just on a journey to know Him! May God open our minds and shatter our illusions and open our hearts and fill them with praise!

Birthday Cake

Eleanor's birthday party was Wednesday night. It was so fun to have our friends and family all together to celebrate Ellie. I love to see how much she is loved! It took her a little bit to figure the cake out, but in the end I think she got it. We were so busy entertaining that we only ended up with a few pictures. I do have some video we may put up later.

"Thank goodness it's Friday! I've had a long week...Is it my birthday yet?"

I love the little dress Allison! Eleanor looks adorable :)

Happy Birthday Ellie!

I can't believe my 4 lb. baby is already one year old! I am so thankful for God's mighty hand in Ellie's life thus far. She is a constant blessing and joy. The one thing i can say to describe Eleanor right now is that she has an opinion about everything. She is very strong willed and will let you know what she likes and dislikes. We didn't do anything special today on her actual birthday since we'll be celebrating on Wednesday night with friends and family...can't wait for the party. Here are some images of Ellie throughout our day.

I'm One!

I was cutting Ellie some cheese on the tray for lunch and accidently left a huge chunk. She picked it up and started slowly devouring the whole thing. She was in heaven!

There seems to be no need for walking when you're so efficient on your hands and knees

July 4th

This year for the 4th was a bit different than usual. We spent time with Josh's family at a cottage of some friends. We all had a lot of fun and time spent together was great. We had so much fun, I didn't actually get a lot of great pictures. Here are a few of the ones we did get.