Danny & Amanda's Wedding

 On April 6, (my sister) Amanda & Danny got married in an amazing, beautiful ceremony on the rolling hills of a farm near Birmingham, AL. The weather was perfect-70's and sunny.  The wind was blowing, the sky was blue, and as Amanda walked down the aisle with Dad to the song, "Oh, how He loves us," tears welled up in my eyes.  As she walked, it was like time stood still for a minute, and she shook her head slowly, as if to say, "No way! I cannot believe God has this for me!" It was a beautiful moment, and one I'll never forget. 

The reception was in the barn & a big white tent.  "In lieu of gifts, please bring a dish to share," said the invitation.  So we had ourselves a good old fashioned Southern Barbeque Carry-In!  The food was wonderful, and each guest got to take home a beautiful recipe book with family and friends' favorites.

Emma loved being the flower girl.

Clayton caught a bass in this pond right before the ceremony. We had to go looking for him, the ring bearer, right before we were to walk down the aisle.  He was out exploring on the other side of the pond! Silly boy.

Hudson, almost 3 years old, with his mischievous smile...

Even little Chapper had his bow-tie on.

Sisters' Toast: "If it weren't for Amanda..."

Sharing a cupcake and listening to toasts

Danny & Amanda, we are thrilled for you, and so happy we could share in your special day.  Jesus was there...high and lifted up. Can't wait to see where He takes you.

To follow them in India & Uganda right now, here's their blog.

Amanda's Shower

We had a fun shower for my sister a few weeks back.  She's getting married April 6 in Birmingham.  It was so good to celebrate with over thirty women what God has done in her life!

Jeff's mom made these pretty strawberry treats.

 Above is all the Lehman ladies and Grandma Marge.  I'm so thankful for these women and little girls!  The photo below captures a bit of the fun we had asking Amanda "How Well Do You Know Danny?" questions.  When she got one wrong, she had to put on a piece of Bridal Attire.

 There was also some time for kids' snow activities with Grandpa Dave and Uncle Austin.

Hunter of Beauty

 I'm reading an amazing book by Ann Voskamp, called One Thousand Gifts.  In it she writes about being a "hunter of beauty" and looking for the places of beauty all around us.  I picked up my camera and though normally I would look for flowers or close-ups of home decor or food, this time I went looking for evidence of my children, and their imaginations.  It was fun to find the areas of "make-believe" all around our house!

Blue eyed, brown hat brothers

A few days ago, our kids told us they had a show for us.  We all got bundled up and sat on the front porch, where we were met with a "Stomp"-type rendition... Clay playing the 5 gallon bucket, and Emma blowing into a piccolo- type thing while shaking some bells.  We were impressed.  :)

This is one of the first "happy" face pictures we've gotten of Chapman.  I think he must have been enjoying the show too...

7 wks.

 Sleeping baby...happy momma!

Hudson's trying to play with Chap.  You see the pile of toys he's giving him, all the while using his tool to move the toys around.  Yesterday Hudson whispered, "I lub you soooo much, Baby Chap-MAN!"

Chapman's gotten to meet all of his grandparents now.  Here he is with Great Grandma Marge last week, and below in the arms of Great Gramps, when Chapman was just a few days old.

This is a pretty lucky little guy to be loved by all these people!  Here's Chap with Jeff's parents and grandparents.

The Everyday

Sometimes I get so used to things that they just seem "normal," but then I realize they're special... Like Emma holding her baby brother while she does her homework...

Or this list of things to do while Emma had a friend over last week.  Now you know what 7 year old girls like to do on a playdate! Clayton didn't like their idea listed as #8.

 This is a common sight-Clayton with a book in hand.

 And, I just happened to look in Hudson's room the other day while he was playing trains-with a helmet on! Silly boy.

Every day, Hud asks to have Baby Chapman come to his bed when he lays down for his nap.  He wants me to put Chap under the covers with him.  Someday they will share this bed and probably get into lots of mischief together! I think they'll be good buddies.

"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering." Romans 12:1, The Message

8 Days Old

My sweet neighbor and friend, Megan, happens to be a professional photographer.  She came over the other day with her space heater, heating pad, amazing camera, and lots of tricks. Here are a few of my favorite photos she captured that day of Baby Chap.  Thank you so much, Megelaine Images!