Fun in the Sun

We enjoyed a really fun and relaxing vacation at the end of May.  Mrs. Pat (Jonathan's mom) was celebrating a milestone birthday and requested the mother of all celebrations!  She invited my family to join in the fun, so my sister and her husband (Heather and Dustin), my parents, and Jonathan's brothers and Brianna (Jeff's girlfriend) all met down in Gulf Shores, AL for a week at the beach.  Yes, for those of you wondering, before the oil made it ashore!  It was amazing to have so much help with the kids, so my experience was most restful.  The kids got the rare opportunity to bond with some of the aunts and uncles they rarely see.  What a treat for Jonathan and me to hang out with both of our families at the same time!  We are so grateful that our families are so close and enjoy one another.

They really do love each other.

Isn't she just beautiful?

Uncle D let Jackson use his I Pad to play games...brave soul!

Sunbathers

My sweet sister.

Jackson's New Favorite Pastime.

Strawberry time in West Tennessee

We made a trip home in May to visit the Strawberry Festival in Humboldt.  Jackson loved the floats and marching bands....and the pretty girls!!  We had a wonderful, relaxing trip home.  

It was a hard choice...watching the parade or loving on sis :).

Such a good patient.  He always lets his Mamma Z clean those teeth.

Relaxing with her Papa Z on the tire swing.

Month in Pictures

We had a great April here in Dallas. We have enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather and been out out out!! We had several visits from family and lots of time playing with friends. Jackson remembered quickly the candy part of Easter. Yes, we really did share with him the real meaning of Easter, but in reality all he cared about was the eggs full of candy! Hopefully one day he will understand that the abundance of Christ's love for us is far sweeter than any morsel of chocolate.

Show me the candy!


Little love from my handsome fellow.


Splashing around with his BF Peyton....with a bit of a sugar rush!


Gran Pat donated a computer mouse just his size. Now he is totally independent...scary that he is only 2.

We took a trip to the Arboretum that basically was a bust! Jackson missed his nap that day and was quite the grump. We managed to get just a few pictures that were decent out of about 300. These were my favorites.


Looks like we are laughing, right? WRONG. Jonathan and I, yes, Jackson is actually screaming in anger. Just didn't want to be there, poor thing. So tired :(


Leave it to little sister to get the only smile of the day out of him. Thank goodness for sweet sweet girls.


Jackson had an amazing day at the zoo and got to ride a camel. "Alice the Camel" that is. He learned a song at school called "Alice the Camel" so of course this camels name had to be Alice. He was so brave. Riding was totally his idea!


We went to the zoo with our friends Erin, Cara, and Emmet. Jackson and Cara played really well and had a great time together. We are so blessed with such great friends here in Dallas.

All Things Girl.

Jackson went to visit the grandparents this week in TN and Jonathan and I got the blissful privilege of doing all things JOSIE!! For the first time since the hospital we got to spend some one on one time with her. Lots of fun and R & R was had this week. We slept in every morning...that meaning 8:00 :). We had a salon day and painted toe nails. A photo shoot at the Arboretum was on the list as well. Apart from losing our beloved cocker spaniel, Hope, on Thursday, it was a perfect time together. Josie stares at her toes all day long....definitely a girly girl!! She shined this week and loved every minute as much as we did.

Our Hope

The story of how Holly and I met, dated, dated again, and got married is one of my favorite stories to tell. (Many of you who are reading know our story very well because you lived it with us!) I think it is a great story. For one thing I get the girl in the end :) But I also think it is a great story because you get to see the many different threads of our lives, (with their twists and turns, being divinely pulled together and sometimes divinely pulled apart) start to weave into a little family... and I for one can't help but see that God had his hands all over it. Those threads of life brought with them the full gamut of experience: love, faith, romance, fun, joy, and friendship, but also heartache, uncertainty, grief, and loss.

However, the thread of our story that I am writing about tonight brought us the experience of ... Hope.

Figuratively... and Literally.

At one point along the way Holly thought that we were not going to end up together, so she decided that she wanted to get a new puppy to love on and move forward with. She picked a quiet, shaking, buff colored cocker spaniel from the box of yapping brothers and sisters, because this puppy looked like she needed Holly just like Holly needed her. She named her "Holly's Hope from Heaven." Thankfully it wasn't long before Holly and I got back together for good. Although my brothers like to joke that Holly only got me to take care of Hope, kind of like a live-in pool boy. : )

Hope hated Dallas. I mean REALLY REALLY hated Dallas. When it came time to make a decision that involved moving to a building that didn't allow pets, it wasn't as difficult as one might assume. Holly's parents, Roger and Paula, graciously invited Hope to "retire" at their home in the country with "hopes" of returning to our family when our time was over in seminary. She was so happy there and made the transitions easily. Roger and Paula loved Hope like their own...she was their own in many ways. She never lacked in the love department. We always felt assured and at peace that she was where she needed to be when returning to TN. No words will ever express our gratitude to her family in TN, Roger, Paula, and Tanner, for providing for her what we couldn't during her last year.

Our sweet Hope died today, April 1, 2010. She had been struggling with kidney failure for several months (maybe longer) and her little body finally just gave in. Holly and I (and everyone else) were hoping she would make it until we got to come home in May, but she did get to spend her last week running and playing with Jackson, who was home for a visit with the grandparents. He loved on her and threw her ball for her alot, which we know made her happy... maybe even content. We will tell Jackson that just like God is taking care of Cinders, God is now taking care of Hope.

Our hearts are heavy and sad, but we are thankful for the years we got to spend with our little girl. We miss you Hope.