fearless honesty

today i am humbled and thankful for my dear husband ... who i am thankful for each day ... but who sat on our porch tonight and in fearless honesty challenged me to take a leap of faith. i adore you my groom.

the things i am most thankful for in my life have been difficult. this leap will be one too... but i trust in Lord & I believe he has drawn the boundary lines in pleasant places.

i was moved by this woman's heart and i am looking forward to reading her book.

http://onethousandgifts.com/

Dedicated to the Lord

Hannah Jane Walker - April 3, 2011

photos by: emily murphy
http://pherophotographyandpoetry.blogspot.com/

my sweet boy

joshua has such a tender heart... most of the time :) there is that aggressive, defiant and rambunctious almost 3 yr old side to him (sometimes the whole day! sometimes not at all) but this mama loves him through and through. i was reading that little book "i love you through and through" tonight to hannah.  Joshua's eyes  & ears perked up. it was one of his favorite little books Lane and I would read to him often so I read it to them together and squeezed both their little noses, ears, hands etc when mentioned. such a sweet book!
i have been reminded this week of joshua's tender heart... when i think he is just about to drive me crazy... he does or says something that can only come from God. the past two nights as i put him to bed i asked, "what are we going to thank Jesus for today?" his reply, "for the stone." i ask "the stone? the one that was moved away from the door of the tomb?" - "yes mommy, the stone was moved away from the door place, jesus wasn't there. he is alive!" oh sweet words "yes, yes joshua everyday we need to thank God for Jesus, for dying on the cross and for moving that stone!"
Both nights he has also wanted to pray for the people in Japan whose ground shook and the people who were hit by the tornado. Gentle reminders from a little boy to look outside ourselves, our walls and open our hearts & our eyes to the heart of God!

Cindy Crofford Photography

My best friend growing up (Kristen Crofford McGee)-  has a very talented mother! Yes Cindy Crofford... the photographer! (not the model) Maybe not a "super model" in the eyes of the world, but a 'super model' to me and many others. Her beauty radiates from the inside out! We tucked ourselves in her studio for part of the afternoon to capture Miss Hannah Jane ... (supposed to be her 6/7 month pictures, never mind she is almost 10 months! oh the story of the 2nd child) I wanted pictures of her before she was a year and before she was walking so it finally happened! Here are a few that Cindy kindly emailed me before our projection appointment to narrow down the dozens of fabulous shots that she got. Impossible to choose! I was there for over 2 hrs and we didn't get it all done. Did I mention that Cindy is like my second mom. Kristen and I laugh about how similar our mothers are. So just like my mama and I ... Cindy and I have a hard time staying 'on task' - there is so much to talk about! Thank you Cindy for joyfully loving on Hannah and I ...  and making us feel so treasured during an afternoon in your studio.

To see more of her work you can visit: www.cindycroffordphotography.com

sisters

this is not the greatest quality of pictures... but these two women are the greatest sisters and just two weeks ago we were having the greatest time. it is not often that the three of us are all together - plus our momma was there too (she is behind the camera ;) Friday night at Cyclone Anya's - yummy margaritas and lots of laughter. sometimes i get sad to think that Hannah might not ever have a sister. i don't know what god's plans are for that, but growing up i always wanted an older brother to protect me and look out for me. joshua will be that for hannah and that will be special. but there is something unique about having a sister. as women we thrive on these intimate friendships. i would not trade the relationship with my sisters for anything. they know me better than most anyone. they can make me laugh hard, tear up easily & can put me in my place. we all need those kind of relationships that are honest, true and timeless. there is security in knowing they will always be my best friends. love you Emma and Hailey!

rice owls

we had a great weekend! this was the first weekend in a looooong time that lane didn't have a bunch of work to do. the rice owls are a huge part of Lane's family. here we are this weekend at a rice baseball game in our blue and white.  it was a bit of a trek to get down to the west u area, but worth the trip. we all had great naps (minus lane who watched basketball) when we got home. 

new discoveries

[ the cozy coop!]

[ the pantry]

[ taking my brother down]

[bopping my brother]