Our DC Family

Washington DC is stunning in the Spring.  I was lucky enough to get to go back and watch Liam and Elsie while their parents took a house hunting trip to Iowa.  What a treat!  We tried to make the most of every day.  I can't believe how quick they are growing up.  They had so much to tell me.

Elsie loves meeting Liam at the bus stop to exchange stories of the day.

   

They spent hours creating these little bead projects.  I could listen to their chit chat forever!

 We ventured out for a day to the Aquarium in Baltimore and Nana didn't even get lost!  

 So much to see!

They had fun picking out a souvenir in the gift shop.  

Liam is doing so well in his Karate class!  He will be testing soon to move up.

All three of these kiddos have birthdays within 5 days of each other the first part of May.  We got busy getting ready for a triple birthday bash!  Mom and Dad would be home soon with little Layney.

Parties need great food!

Crab Cakes from Faidley's were phenomenal!  

Thanks for the tip Aunt Janell!!

Face painting for everyone!

                                    Elsie models her Elsa Braids and new Frozen birthday dress.

 Alayna's dress makes her blue eyes shine!

She is such a darling little girl with the happiest disposition.

This instagram captured the joy she has for life.
Nearly one year old now!

We sure love these darling children.

It has been a delightful last visit with our DC family who will soon become our Iowa family!

Elsie is a pro at taking selflies

Liam will shortly complete his second year of French Immersion

 The exciting vibe of the city life will be replaced by the quiet acres of farmland

But this family knows how to explore and find the best in every place they land.  

They know how to find joy in the everyday

To remember its the simple pleasures in life that make each day sparkle

Good bye 4709 Somerset Road

You have been such a lovely home for our DC family and we were lucky enough

to share some beautiful memories with you.

Easter Picnic

I think we all enjoyed Davis' birthday falling on Easter weekend this year.  There is such a sweet comfort in the knowledge we have in the resurrection and the amazing gift our Savior has has given us.
Saturday afternoon we had a little Easter Egg Hunt with Molly and Owen.  The sparkle in their eyes is so fun to see.  What cute ages they are!

On Easter Sunday, we enjoyed a sweet afternoon in church.  Emily wanted to have some quiet time and decided to take a drive up the canyon.  That left the two of us soon to be empty nesters home alone.
I hadn't planned a big Easter meal, so we decided to take an impromptu picnic.  Sometimes those last minute ideas are just the best!  We drove over near Cutler Dam to see if we could spot any birds.  It was so nice to just drive and enjoy the beauty of this little valley of ours.

We might be looking forward to this empty nest thing!

Celebrating Davis

April 19,  2014
He would be 24 today and we are all missing him more than words can express.

We spent the day doing random acts of kindness, because he had a heart

of gold and was always looking out for those around him.

 Launching balloons towards heaven...Molly and Owen send one from Layney, Elsie and Liam :)

 We hear the sod should be down by Memorial Day.

 The rest our our family will be celebrating Davis in their own ways, but we will be united in spirit.

Mark carved his signature in a piece of sand stone.  We enlarged this from his drivers license.  He really only signed his first name!  One of the things so endearing about him.

 Cheez-its were always go-to snack for our boy.  

We loaded up the kids with goodies to share with the skaters.

I printed up these nifty Random Acts of Kindness cards to share.

I found them here

{just scroll to the bottom of her post for her link}

 This new friend was just passing through town.  Wish we could have taken more time to hear his story.  He was grateful for a little cash and a Davis Dreamsicle Jiggy Stick!

 Donuts for Davis!

Of course this was on the top of our list!!  We ordered a couple dozen from the new

 Johnny O's Spudnut Shop and had fun putting smiles on so many faces at the skate park.

 Molly did her part by sharing lots of her beautiful art in our secret envelopes.

 Molly is coaxing a little one to accept an envelope filled with love 

and a little surprise.

 Quietly slipping envelopes with our card and $$ into carts.

 Sharing flowers and a song by Molly to a stranger who needed some love.

  We love it when his friends stop to share hugs with us!

A few instagrams with our new favorite hashtag:

#davisisnear

We are so happy so many played along with us today.

Thank you!!

 We had many sweet cards, flowers and kind surprises dropped by our home today.  

We are still overwhelmed at the love and goodness we are surrounded with.

 A really big thank you to D & L at Jiggy Stick Headquarters for a huge bowl of these awesome
Davis Dreamsicle Jiggy Sticks!!  They are some of the most giving people on the planet!  It was so much fun to share these with friends and family.

We worked our way through another first.  A pretty big one, too.  Wonder what birthdays are like in heaven.  We hope he had the chance to look down and see how much we all love him and will try every day of our lives to keep his memory and that heart of gold of his foremost in our actions.

We love you more than words, Davis.