The Bradfords

Some videos

2012-02-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here is Kesed reading her book. I love this video cause it shows how even when she is sitting still her little legs are moving. They are always moving!!!!

Notice Emsleigh talking in this video. She says, "I love you all." One of my favorite things she says :) and then she tickles Kesed cheeks and says "Hi sweetie petes."

Kesed is 9 months old!!!

2012-02-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

She is talking alot and even says MaMa!

She loves a good string and shiny jewelry.

She is happy, happy, happy

and silly

and sweet.

She loves a good snuggle

and a good book...her favorite being, Pat the Bunny.

She likes to eat...as long as she can feed herself.

And she is on the go, into everything, crawling and pulling up.

So thankful for these past nine months!

Grancy for a weekend

2012-02-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a Southwest airline deal, my mom was able to come for the weekend. It was great and way too short. Jeremiah and I went on a date to the Mesa Arts Center to see C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters performed by Max McLean. It was a wonderful yet sobering performance. Oklahoma City friends....it is coming to Rose State Performing Arts Center on March 24....go see it!!! Anyway, here is Jeremiah in front of the Mesa Arts Center. It was a beautiful day!

Grancy and the girls

Loving Arizona weather!!

2012-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Casa Grande Street Fair and Car Show

2012-01-31T15:46:00.000-08:00

Emsleigh and I went on an outing with Monica and Abby a couple Saturdays ago. We headed downtown to the street fair and car show. It was a nice day and we had fun looking at the booths and cars.

Pitas and Hummus....YES PLEASE!

We ended our outing with kettle corn. The girls kept asking for more...that is what they are doing in the picture above too.

A new bike!

2012-01-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Pepaw and Memaw bought Emsleigh a new bike while they were here. Yes, she is wearing her pajamas. She had just woken up from nap and had to try out her bike right away. And yes she does wear pjs for nap time...pretty much she changes clothes all day.

She made her way outside. Emsleigh sticks her tongue out when she is really concentrating on something.

She rode it around the backyard and learned how to pedal.

Kesed had fun watching Emsleigh :)

Now she rides it everyday and is getting better and better at pedaling all by herself! She is such a big girl! And speaking of big girl, she is fully potty trained...it was a REALLY rough road but we have made it and she can go on her own with no help...washing her hands and everything :)! YAY!!!

Old Tucson Studios

2012-01-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

We took a day trip to Old Tucson Studios. It is located in a beautiful area outside of Tucson. Over 300 movies and television shows have been filmed here. We had a great time exploring what the Wild West was like. Our first stop was a show at the saloon. Emsleigh liked the dancing 'princesses.'

Kesed enjoyed taking a nap in the moby. Mommy enjoyed the snuggles.

Jeremiah enjoyed checking out the old church.

We took a stagecoach ride. Emsleigh said, "I like this rollercoaster."

Here mom, want my binky?

The old Reno has been in over 100 movies.

Remember the opening scene from Tombstone?

Memaw and Pepaw came to visit!!!

2012-01-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

The second week in January Pepaw and Memaw came to visit. We were so excited to have them for a whole week! There was lots of book reading, dancing, playing and snuggling!

One afternoon Emsleigh and Pepaw had fun resting together. One time I walked by and Pepaw was telling Emsleigh stories about when he was a kid. Another time I walked by Emsleigh was pouncing on Pepaw's tummy. Sweet memories were definitely made!

Two of my favorite quotes

2012-01-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

"Measure thy life by loss instead of gain;

Not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth;

For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice,

And whoso suffers most hath most to give."

Ugo Bassi

"The enjoyment of God is the only happiness which our souls can be satisfied...fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children or the company of earthly friends are but shadows but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams but God is the sun. These are but streams but God is the fountain. These are but drops but God is the ocean."

Jonathan Edwards

Friends in Texas

2012-01-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

God has given me lots of great friends and many of them happen to live in Texas. I don't get to see all the people I want to when I am home, BUT, I did get to see these three lovely friends (as I was posting pictures realized I have lived with each of them at some point) with their new babies!!

I am holding baby Dax McQueen. He was born the 1st of December. That beautiful girl to my left is Jennifer and we were roommates in college.

These next two pictures are delightful to me. I wish it could happen on a regular basis.

Grancy is holding baby Axton Lain. He was born in July and his dear mother, Roxi, was my roomie in China.

And last, my Alora, holding her fourth boy, baby George Hamilton! Alora and I lived together in Oklahoma City once I graduated from OBU.

We went with the Hamiltons to Babes, YUM! and the Frisco Square to see the lights, which is now officially a family tradition. See that fried chicken in the bottom corner of the picture? I want it, now.

We learned first hand how different boys and girls really are!

SO thankful for friends!

Family in Texas

2012-01-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

We had dinner at Jeremiah's Uncle Jim and Aunt Patty's house. It was fun to see family and visit for an evening. It did not take Emsleigh and Uncle Jim long to become buddies!

It is always fun to be at Grandma's house...Emsleigh enjoyed playing dress-up with Grancy's things. I even dressed up in my wedding dress so Emsleigh and I could dance :)

Even though we do not live close to family, Emsleigh is still very fond of all her aunts and uncles. She will be sure to teach her sister how wonderful they all are. Emsleigh and Kesed had fun playing with Uncle Lynden and Aunt Jennifer.

Just Dance did make an appearance...

Christmas at Grancy's House

2012-01-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Going home at Christmas time is something that I look forward to all year. We had another great trip to Texas. We arrived on Christmas Day and opened presents/Christmas dinner with my family on the next day.

And as always we loved our fun gift from the Bradfords. This year we were elves!

Christmas Day

2012-01-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

My husband gave me some wonderful Christmas presents. Six presents that each represented one of the six Christmases we have been married. He wrote a poem for each gift as well. I love it when he writes me poetry :). My last present was the beautiful Christmas corsage. I love him.

Angels

2011-12-30T22:59:00.000-08:00

We dressed up as angels for AWANA one night. Whenever Emsleigh saw someone she would say, "hark!"

J and I knelt down to be closer to Emsleigh's size. However, she had to kneel down like us!

Christmas Eve at our house

2011-12-30T22:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve morning we opened presents, talked to grandparents, played, watched Christmas movies and ended our night with a Christmas Eve Service at church.

Talking to Grancy

Talking to Memaw and Pepaw

Opening presents

2011-12-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

Thank you Memaw and Pepaw for the amazing kitchen!!!

In this video she is singing Away in the Manger...

Kesed loves Josh

2011-12-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

Decorating Houses

2011-12-26T02:35:00.000-08:00

Emsleigh and Abby made rice crispy houses. They had fun stirring, decorating and eating :)!

Smells like pie!!

The Lights

2011-12-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

We have seen lots of lights this month. It has been fun for all of us. Everytime we drive at night Emsleigh says, 'please see more lights, pleeeeease!"

The story of Jesus' birth has been very exciting for Emsleigh. She has been asking to go to Bethlehem to see Baby Jesus. She also told me that she loved Mary and Joseph. And my favorite was when she told me "I want to see Jesus, it will make me happy!" I agreed. We visited a home that had this nativity scene. The picture is so dark, but you can somewhat see the excitement on Emsleigh's face to see Baby Jesus. She asked to have a picture by him.

And Mary.

And the shepherd.

We visited the Phoenix Zoo Lights with a group from church. We enjoyed the lights and watching our friend, Ralissa, perform with her sign language class.

And Tucson Zoo Lights also made our calendar! Thai food and the zoo is becoming a family favorite outing with the Whites :)!

Kesed loves the Mobi. She loves throwing her head back and looking at everything from upside down. :)

The hat is a little too big. But she never complained, just hung out.

There was a fun band there and Emsleigh and Abby had the best time dancing. Abby was enthralled by the band and Emsleigh fascinated by all the other kids who just all happened to be boys :/!

We love packages!

2011-12-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

We have felt so loved by the packages and cards we have received this Christmas. The girls have enjoyed opening the cards, especially seeing pictures of all our friends across the country. And who doesn't love opening a package!

Here is Kesed opening her gifts from Mimi. Her new baby doll right in to the mouth!

Surrounded by all her new things.

Emsleigh was excited about all her new clothes. She especially loves her new purple shirt!

Here is Emsleigh hanging an ornament on the tree from our closest family friends, Lamar and Charlotte. Charlotte sent me an ornament each year I was growing up and has continued the tradition with Emsleigh and Kesed. We love ornaments!

Our dear friends sent us a package from Asia. Emsleigh enjoys wearing her new slippers. She looks like she could be in Asia with her double pretty outfit on.

A sweet family in the church gave us these cuddly reindeer. This is our friend, Hendrine, who comes over about every week to spend time with the girls and help mommy out :)! We are thankful for her!

Kesed is opening a package from the Lamberts. She was extra excited about the paper :)!

I am excited for her to wear her pretty new outfit!

Emsleigh got a tutu and ballet shirt. She wore them for a good 24 hours! She even wore them to the party we went to that night. She is very serious about her ballet.

Sisters

2011-12-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

This is rare. Both in our bed asleep. Love it.

So helpful.

Love these sisters!!!

Christmas Pictures?

2011-12-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

I tried to take pictures of the girls by the Christmas tree. The lighting was terrible. And I didn't get one shot that I was happy with. It was very disappointing. Here are a few.

Most of our time went like this...

Seven Months

2011-12-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

December 9th marked seven months with Kesed. She is crawling like an inch worm, sitting up and eating lots of different foods. We tried to capture some pictures on her seven month birthday. She wasn't too excited at first.

Look at this sweet face.

Of course, sister has to get in on the action.

Bye!

The first E

2011-12-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

Emsleigh wrote her first E! The E's on the bottom are mine...but those three horizontal lines in the top left corner are Emsleigh's E. She wrote them and said "Ta-da! Yook mom an E!" (Anytime she finishes something these days she exclaims TA-DA!)

It's December??

2011-12-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

It doesn't feel like December since we are still sitting around in short sleeves most days!

However, we have started our advent calendar and decorated a little bit. Emsleigh loves her Little People Nativity Set, especially baby Jesus. See baby Jesus.

Emsleigh wanted a "nest" just like baby Jesus.

She has requested a "nest" at nap times too, so she can be like baby Jesus.

We have also decorated our tiny tree. I have been told getting a real tree in this dry air is not practical or worth the time and money. SO, we will be shopping for a bigger fake tree at the after Christmas sales. Emsleigh decorated the tree this year and mommy withheld her urge to fix it :)!

Told you she wears her ballerina outfit atleast once a day!

Thanksgiving with the Hall family

2011-12-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

Since we couldn't spend Thanksgiving with family we were very grateful to spend the weekend with our dear friends, Joe, Mary Alice and Maleah Hall. Since they live in L.A. they were able to drive over on Wednesday.

We enjoyed lots of food, fun and fellowship....:)!

Don't you just want to grab Maleah up and squeeze her. She is sooo sweet! Love that lip!

Maleah is exactly two months older than Kesed.

Emsleigh fell instantly in love with Mary Alice and Joe. She loved helping Mary Alice feed Maleah and is still talking about all three of them.

We took a hike at the Casa Grande Mountain the day after Thanksgiving. It made all of us feel a little better as we ate more pie later that night!

So thankful for such wonderful friends and look forward to much more time together!

Thanksgiving Week

2011-12-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

We wore new pajamas from Memaw

cooked pies and other yummy things while making a big mess in the kitchen

talked to Grancy on skype and had her read stories

and finished our Thanksgiving Tree. Since our night time schedule is never consistent, we have family worship/devotion in the morning at breakfast. For the past month each morning we wrote on a leaf or pumpkin what we were thankful for. Every single morning Emsleigh said apples before we made her think of something new!

Buddies

2011-11-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

We spent a beautiful afternoon with the Yates. We hung out at the Bradfords eating bbq and playing and talking. Kristin and I even got to sneak away for a coffee run. This was exciting cause in all our time being friends we never once got to do something just the two of us!!

Malachi and Kesed were born one week apart, pretty much on the other ones due date. Kristin being a week early and me being a dreadfully long and miserable week late ;)! Look at these sweet babies!

I love this picture, cause it was usually Emsleigh attacking Josiah...

Josiah and Emsleigh played outside. Jeremiah raked a pile of leaves to play in.

In these next pictures the kids were coming to cover me in leaves!

It was a great trip

2011-11-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed being back in the midwest amongst the trees, grass and falling leaves. We ate lots of bbq, bought some books at Lifeway (there are no Lifeway stores in Arizona), and saw some dear friends.

I promise Kesed is a happy baby!

We did not get pictures with all the people we were able to see and we also were not able to see all the friends we wanted to see. However, we were thankful for our friends the Yates coming over to see us. I got a bunch of pictures of the kids, so I will just put them all in another post. Here is Emsleigh and her buddy Josiah snuggling for movie.

We spent a day in Pattonsburg. The Yates now live in our old home since Dan took the pastorate at Pattonsburg. God is going to use them in great ways in Pattonsburg and we are so excited they are there. One thing I really wanted was Pattonsburg cooking. Me and my tummy were extra grateful for the carry-in dinner after church. It was fun talking and being with the church family. We miss them very much.

We told Emsleigh we were going to go to Josiah's house. When we stopped by the house Emsleigh said, "This is my old house, where's Josiah's house?"

Some things never change....this was last February

We went out to Miriam's grave. Emsleigh is slowly learning about Miriam. She knows Miriam was sick when she was born and that she is with Jesus now. The other day she asked to go to Miriam's grave. She also asked to see Miriam. I was glad that her sister is starting to resonate with her.

I wish I would have taken more pictures. I did get some with the Lamberts. Love the Lamberts. We miss them and many others so much.

As you can see it didn't take Emsleigh long to remember her Rhonda!

AND, on a side note, yes I did go to Panera every morning...

Memaw and Pepaw's House

2011-11-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with Memaw and Pepaw. Emsleigh followed Memaw around everywhere she went, loved playing with Uncle Tommy, and enjoyed watching cartoons with Pepaw. Kesed got lots of snuggles and two more teeth while we were there!

Memaw gave Emsleigh this ballerina outfit. She has worn it almost everyday since!

Love that Pepaw!

The girls with Aunt Angie

Emsleigh adores her cousin Gage!

Love those snuggles and book time early in the morning!

We took a trip

2011-11-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

Emsleigh is always excited to see or hear an airplane. So, she was even more excited when we actually got on an airplane to fly to Missouri to visit MeMaw and PePaw and many other friends!

Emsleigh was such a big helper in all our traveling.

In recent days

2011-11-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

Kesed is starting to push up on her knees and rock back and forth on them. She is rolling and scooting everywhere!

We love AWANA. Emsleigh and Abby on western night.

The weather is cooling off so Emsleigh can wear her favorite thing again, footie pajamas!

"All by myself" is heard more often than not. Emsleigh is opening a package from our dear friend, Rhonda, all be herself!

As always, love these sweet sleeping faces.

Birthday Party at the Park

2011-11-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our friend Gavin's birthday recently. Emsleigh had a great time playing with her friends at the park and eating cupcakes!

Kesed is 6 months!

2011-11-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a few recent pictures of Kesed. She is sitting up and pushing up on her knees and constantly kicking! This girl is a mover. She is constantly smiling and talking. I can't get enough of her!

Five Years

2011-11-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah and I were married FIVE years on Friday, November 4th. These past five years have been very sweet yet very sanctifying. A poem Jeremiah wrote for me before we were married are the perfect words to be shared in celebration of our five years of marriage.

What joyous, spring wind

Carried this love to me

And brought to mind

Hopeful blossoms of what may be?

Passion's seed now sown in heart-soil,

Gains its kernel through love's sweet toil.

Though assailed by frost and pest,

True love stands the seasons' test.

O rain; fall on this dry ground,

And encourage this tender shoot.

Precious Light, shine all around,

And grow your perfect fruit.

Great Vinedresser, we need your cleaning,

Wisely trim and prune this haggard vine.

So it may with charity's fruit be teeming,

And that we may enjoy your holy wine.

Tucson Zoo

2011-11-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

The girls got dressed up for a visit to see lights at the Tucson Zoo. We enjoyed a night out with our dear friends the Whites!

The Butterfly and the Bumblebee

Emsleigh has been into "Pooh Honey" recently.

They were so excited to see the princesses. Emsleigh is still talking about them!

Checking out their goodies

Cool weather has finally arrived!!

2011-11-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Girls are easy to potty train....

2011-11-01T13:08:00.001-07:00

It is a LIE!

Kesed and Ally

2011-10-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Kesed and Ally are already great friends. Crying together...

and snoozing together!

Painting Pumpkins

2011-10-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

We painted pumpkins with the Whites last week. The girls weren't so sure about digging out the seeds.

But they tried anyway :)!

They loved painting the pumpkins.

The tongue had to be out to paint?!

So cute!

Abby's handprints are the green and Emsleigh's are the orange

They bring me joy

2011-10-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

5 months old!

2011-10-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

We had to pull out this precious outfit for Kesed's 5 month birthday! Emsleigh wore it when she turned 5 months, see here. Thank you again Reiner for such a fun outift!

2011-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

First food

2011-10-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

We gave Kesed her first cereal while my mom was here. In the end, she is not so interested yet. But it is always fun to try.

Everyone had to take a turn feeding her.

September

2011-10-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

We have decided that September comes a close second to May in crazy months. It doesn't seem too busy looking at the pictures but when I look back at all we did over the month it makes me tired just remembering! So some things that happened in September...

Kesed turned four months old.

Grace Church started AWANA for the year. Jeremiah and I are teaching Cubbies (3 and 4 year olds). Emsleigh isn't 3 but since we are both in there, we opted to have her in there with us. She loves Cubbies and looks forward to it every week. Her willingness to memorize Scripture encourages me and we pray this is just the beginning of her desire to know God's Word. Here is Ems on mix match day for Cubbies.

A breath of fresh air in this crazy month was a visit from my dear friend, Alora. It was a perfect weekend together with lots of talking, walking, hiking, and eating yummy food. A thank you to Mark, who willingly gave her up and took care of all three boys on his own. We hope to not go another whole year without seeing each other!! Love you Alora.

We welcomed Ally, Abby's little sister, as well. Our friend Melissa visited the hospital with me and the girls. As you can see Kesed is already making Ally share her blanket.

We became homeowners this month. When Jeremiah and I got married I asked him if we could never own a house. Even though this is something I vowed I never would do, I am very thankful for our new home and excited (I think) to have a place that is our own. A special thanks to all our family at Grace Church who came out and helped us move. Thank you for cleaning and moving and helping with the girls. We are so very blessed by you.

The house is on a cul-de-sac with a community playground, basketball court and a huge area of grass. It is one story and a great fit for us. I am especially excited about the open floor plan! Here is the main area of our house before we moved in.

Emsleigh and Kesed saying goodnight on our first night to stay here.

Although greasy and fattening, I have to say finding a Rally's nearby was a highlight of the month. :) Jeremiah and I both stepped back in time to some great childhood memories when we ate here. Mine included my dad, which made it extra yummy for me.

And we ended the month in a grand way with a visit from Grancy. My mom flew out for four days. Not only did she treat us to some yummy meals and fun times but also watched the girls so Jeremiah and I could have a night away at a pastor's conference in Phoenix. Thank you mom!

And we're back!

2011-10-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

We are finally moved into our new home and getting settled. We haven't had internet for a few weeks so I am going to play catch-up on pictures. These pictures are the last time we got to go swimming at our rental this summer. Kesed LOVED the water and we had a great time all swimming together!

Behind

2011-09-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Once again I am behind on transferring pictures from my camera to the computer. And it is only going to get worse cause we are moving. YES finally moving into our new home!! I have some great swimming pictures and a visit from Alora yet to post. However, here is some recent of the girls.

Emsleigh loves cutting with scissors!

Kesed is rolling over and over and over. She is pushing up on her knees. She is so responsive. My favorite is when she smiles and laughs at Emsleigh.

Dancing Queens

2011-09-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Whites came over for Labor Day. The girls had fun cooking and dancing!

Emsleigh is very dramatic with her dance moves!

Sleepy Daddy

2011-09-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

One morning I woke up to this... (I love how they are laying the exact same way, feet and all)

One afternoon I came home to this...

The Francis Family Visits!

2011-09-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Nick and Amanda are dear friends whom Jeremiah has known since college. They were able to come and spend two days with us before heading to a wedding in what locals call the 'high country.' That would be north Arizona were all the trees and cool weather is :)!

Emsleigh has fun playing with Matteo and Jesse. She learned lots of new things from the boys like about dinosaurs and how to be a spy. It was super fun for all of us!!

Snuggles

2011-08-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Kesed woke up earlier than normal on this random morning, so after eating she snuggled with daddy for awhile. There little mohawks are the exact same :)!

Video of Kesed telling us a story

2011-08-25T17:07:00.001-07:00

Video of Kesed starting to laugh

2011-08-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

Abby Time

2011-08-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Emsleigh and Abby had a play date on Monday!

There was cooking...

Playing Hide and Seek...

Feeding each other water...

"Naps" with their babies...

And lots of laughing!!!

Pictureless

2011-08-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have not been taking very many pictures and even worse about loading them to the computer. I am not one to post without pictures, but something seemed necessary after so long. So, here is a quick update. Emsleigh's language is developing by leaps and bounds. Everyday she says words that I had no idea she knew. The word for today was sacrifice. She loves playing with Kesed, dancing, singing, playing with babies, and painting her toes pink. Kesed has begun to roll over every so often, talks to us all the time :), loves music and is sleeping 9 hours at night! Jeremiah has gotten into the routine of going to the office and is enjoying his new ministry. We made an offer on a house a few weeks after we got here which was a short sale and still waiting for approval on that. We, especially me, are very ready to be settled in to our new home! Please pray with us it happens quickly!!! I am still recovering from my mom leaving and being home with two and some days it seems that it still hasn't hit me that we had a baby, graduated and moved all in a matter of weeks. I am really ready for some consistency and more of a routine. All this doesn't come without a however. However, during this time God has been consistent. Showing Himself to me in new ways, graciously providing all that I need and reminding me through His Word and His people that despite circumstances He is consistent and He was, is and always will be enough for me.

My loves

2011-08-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Video for Memaw on her birthday!

2011-08-10T11:19:00.001-07:00

Video of Dancing

2011-08-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Kesed is 3 months old!

2011-08-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Emsleigh loves Kesed so much and Kesed doesn't mind Emsleigh loving on her one bit.

Kesed loves a bath!

She has a constant mohawk no matter how hard we try or what we do to get it to lay down!

Emsleigh was sharing her pink ball with Kesed.

Grancy's Gone

2011-08-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

"Grancy, Texas, I sad." Emsleigh sums it up. The day my mom and brother left I found Emsleigh in this chair. This was Grancy's chair. She always sat here when she read or did her suduko/crossword puzzles this summer. Emsleigh was imitating Grancy. This was a favorite summer game, as seen below.

Always wanting Grancy's sunglasses

Or her reading glasses

Or her reading glasses and her books

It was a fun summer. Grancy did lots of reading.

And lots of cuddling

And lots lots more like the dishes, the laundry, diapers, babysat, mopped and mopped and mopped, took us out to eat, bought us lots of treats, went to the library, and so much more. I agree with Emsleigh, Grancy, Texas, I sad. Miss you mom.

Uncle Lynden Visits

2011-08-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Lynden flew in to help my mom make the long journey back to Texas. We had a fun couple days with him.

Emsleigh was excited to take Lynden to the pool.

There was lots of playing and laughing.

Even playing on the iphones

Dancing for and with Uncle Lynden was a must.

We had lots of fun and are thankful you could come Lynden. LOVE YOU!

The airport

2011-08-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Lynden flew in on Thursday last week. We were all so excited for his visit. Emsleigh was especially looking forward to seeing Lynden. All day we talked about his arrival and going to the airport. So, when his flight was delayed until 9:30p.m. I didn't have the heart to not take Emsleigh with us. It was a late night but worth all the fun!

We rode the escalator to pass time while we waited.

"Where'd my Lynden go?"

A visit from special friends

2011-08-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

My Mimi's dearest friends, Russell and Norma, live part time about 45 minutes north of us. We were all excited that they got to come visit us last Sunday. However, we were all sad that Mimi wasn't there with us too!

VBS

2011-08-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

We had three nights of VBS plus a family night last week. It went really well and we all had a good time. I am thankful for all the teachers and volunteers we had. Ms. Jeannie had the special job of taking care of Kesed each night.

My mom had class with Emsleigh and Abby. The girls enjoyed participating in all the activities.

Snacks

Saying the pledges

Craft time

A new kind of beautiful

2011-08-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

I miss the smell of fresh cut grass and the shade of a big tree. However, I am learning to appreciate and actually enjoy this desert we live in. I like seeing the mountains in the distance and the vast open sky above.

The Casa Grande mountain is right outside of town and I have been hiking it about twice a week with some friends. Occasionally Jeremiah will venture out there with me. It has been my time out there that God has used to help me enjoy my new surroundings more and more.

Saguaro cactus are everywhere.

You may have heard of the recent dust storms in the Phoenix area. The picture does no justice to the storm. But you can atleast get the feel for it.

Joe's Farm Grill

2011-07-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

We took a little trip with Abby, Monica and our friend Melissa to 'the valley' aka Phoenix. We stopped at Hobby Lobby and ate lunch at Joe's Farm Grill as seen on the Food Network's Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. It was a fun trip and always exciting to eat somewhere local!

Nursing

2011-07-29T15:03:00.001-07:00

Everyone told me she would "nurse" her babies...(yes that is my nursing cover)

But no one told me she would actually try and "nurse" Kesed...

A few from recent days...

2011-07-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

A new dress from Memaw

Singing with daddy

My little baller

A bath in the sink...just for fun

Swaddled like sister

Abby Turns 3!

2011-07-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Emsleigh was excited to celebrate Abby's birthday with her last week. Here is Abby opening Emsleigh's present. Don't worry Emsleigh told her before she opened it what it was...a boa and dress shoes!

We took Emsleigh's dress-up shoes and boa for them both to be able to have some and dress up. (My goal was to get a picture of both girls together dressed up but that didn't happen) Here is Emsleigh with her shoes and getting some playtime with some of Abby's birthday presents. She loved that baby doll. So much so that I caught her sneaking it into Kesed's diaper bag to bring home!!!

Here is Abby all dressed up!

Kesed likes Josh. Kesed is ready for Ally to arrive in September so she has a friend too.

Everybody loves Grancy.

Family Photos

2011-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

A picture where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling is hard to come by these days. I have been trying to get a decent picture of our family and of the girls. Here are some of our attempts.

Tucson Children's Museum

2011-07-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Tucson two weeks ago. It was a fun day trip for all of us. We spent some time at the children's museum, ate some chinese food and drove around checking out the city. Here are some pictures from the children's museum.

Pigtails and Bows

2011-07-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Yes we did get free Chickfila!

2011-07-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last Friday if you dressed up like a cow you got a free Chickfila meal. Not just a sandwich but a whole meal! The youth from church planned to go so we decided to tag along. Thanks to Grancy's creativity we made outfits from things we had a home and had fun dressing up and of course, eating!

SEA LIFE Arizona

2011-07-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Arizona SEA LIFE aquarium is a short drive from our home. It was a fun outing for our family. Emsleigh loves aquariums. I love going to museums, aquariums, zoos etc with Jeremiah and my mom. They both love to learn and I love watching them learn and learning new things with them. And now watching Emsleigh experience and learn with the rest of us...anyway, all that to say it was fun!

Kesed and duck. We had to get some pictures of her, even though she slept the whole time.

YAY for a sweet couple in the church giving us their double stroller!!

Jeremiah said, "I really like this picture, except your face." I don't really know why I am smiling like this...

He loves me

2011-07-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

He said so when he gave me these last week.

A little bit about Kesed

2011-07-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Kesed loves to suck her fist.

And she LOVES the binky.

She is proud of her tongue and is always showing it to us.

She has a little mohawk that never lays down. We have found that velcro bows make her mohawk look a little more girly.

Kesed is smiling now. Her whole face smiles and her eyes are bright and alert.

She is a very calm baby. She doesn't fuss too often and will sit awake for a long time before making a peep. Kesed goes to sleep easily, wakes up happy and eats well. These things I am all very thankful for!

We praise God for her!!

A little bit about Emsleigh

2011-07-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

First of all, she loves her sister!!!

She loves to hold baby KK.

She is a little copycat these days. It is really funny to hear her repeat things that we say, especially if one of us is telling an animated story. She is watching our every move. It is a very sobering thing for me! Here she is with Grancy's curlers in her hair.

She likes playing outside when we get the chance!

Emsleigh loves going to "my pool."

especially if it is with Abby.

Emsleigh loves a treat, which is anything sweet in our house. She also likes to dress herself. Here she is with her "pink treat" and an outfit she put together!

Ems is learning more and more everyday. Her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. She describes things by color. Always talking about the "purple one" or "pink one." Whatever that might be. Instead of saying the other one, she says the "two one." Here she is at the library, one of our new favorite places.

Emsleigh is such a funny girl. Always making us laugh!

She loves to wear sunglasses and refuses to wear them the right side up!

Sleeping Beauties

2011-07-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon nap with daddy.

I did find Emsleigh like this during one nap time.

I also found her like this. In our rental there is a normal bed and her travel bed that she is sleeping in (aka The Shrunks, you can find it on amazon, it has been great for us during this transition) anyway, that blue comforter is on the normal bed, meaning that Emsleigh fell asleep half under the normal bed or as she affectionately calls it "mo bed" and we have no idea why...

Casa Grande Ruins

2011-06-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Our town, Casa Grande, is named after a large native american structure found some 15 miles away. It was from the Hohokam people built around 1350 and abandoned shortly after for unknown reasons. For more information you can visit here.

There is the "Casa Grande."

We had a fun time exploring.

Emsleigh really wanted inside.

I am slowly learning to appreciate God's creation in the desert.

And as usual, Kesed hangs out with duck.

Sweet Girls

2011-06-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Father's Day

2011-06-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sundays are the worst days for us to try and get good pictures. Time and energy are usually lacking. But we were able to snap these quick pictures before church on Sunday despite the blazing sun. I love this man and I love that he is the father of my precious children.

Maw...Paw...Gage

2011-06-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Emsleigh has shortened Memaw and Pepaw to Maw and Paw. Maw, Paw, and Gage (Emsleigh's cousin) always go together, sometimes it is like they are one word :). She often talks about Maw, Paw, Gage. And we always pray for Maw, Paw, Gage at night. Here is Emsleigh talking on the phone to Maw and Paw.

Maw sent some swimming wings the other day. She loves her 'pink wings' sometimes they not only help her swim but also fly.

Kesed at 1 month

2011-06-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to make my first contribution to this blog by saying a few words about our precious daughter, Kesed Naomi Bradford. Kenan and I went round and round about her name before she was born. However, the closer we got to her arrival, it became clear that Kesed Naomi was the name for her. "Kesed" is a Hebrew word that is variously translated as "lovingkindness", "mercy", "grace", or "faithful love." Another fitting translation of this important word is "covenant loyalty." It is the idea of being faithful and true to another through it all. We find many examples of kesed in the Scriptures. Ruth and Boaz, to name a few.

Most of all, God is perfect in His kesed towards His people. Our third daughter is a profound reason to rejoice. And may her name always remind us of God's "faithful love."

Ci Ci for the summer

2011-06-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Emsleigh hasn't gotten her "G" or "Gr" sounds down yet. But she has gotten "Cici" from Grancy. My mom made the LONG, DULL drive from Texas last week. We are glad she is here and I have especially enjoyed the help.

Emsleigh took Grancy's glasses while reading one day. She thinks it is so funny to wear them.

It is good to know she will be as cute as ever if she turns out to have eyes like her father's!

As seen below, my daughter sometimes still thinks she is in the Missouri winter weather. I had to hide her footie pajamas cause she only wanted to wear them and was drenched in sweat every time she woke up!

P.S. Emsleigh busted out two full sentences today. "Mama, hold my hand please." and "Cici, are you ready?" I love hearing her language develop!

Just one more of Abby time

2011-06-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Abby Time

2011-06-10T15:51:00.001-07:00

Abby likes to tell her mama that "It's Emsleigh time!" Emsleigh loves her new friend Abby and always enjoys her "Abby time!"

We are thankful for the White Family. They have helped make our adjustment to Arizona much easier and so much more fun!

On my 30th birthday I enjoyed...

2011-06-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

some yummy donuts (love those anxious little hands)

a venti latte from Starbucks (yes, i now live close enough to a starbucks to get up go get coffee and come home within 10 minutes!)

a tea party with Emsleigh

lunch with my friend Monica

this beautiful ring from my husband (I have been wanting this ring for many many years!!!)

a gift filled with 30 items from my thoughtful mother

a pedicure (I thought these feet would be much cuter to show off than mine!)

dinner out with these three loves of my life

and an outreach car wash at church.

It was a good day!

Blessed

2011-05-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

After Kesed was born, five wonderful women in Pattonsburg prepared meals for our family until we moved. My Mimi and mom took us out to eat to some of our favorite places and my husband got us an amazing hotel for our graduation weekend. My mother-in-law hosted a lovely graduation party and let us stay with them until we left for Arizona. We then showed up in Arizona to a pantry and refrigerator full of food and cleaning supplies from Grace Church! And this is the house we showed up to. We are renting this lovely home for the next two months. It is fully furnished and much more than we imagined.

It was a model home for the neighborhood, so it came with a bbq grill and a putting green in the backyard. :)

There is an amazing playground right across the street.

AND a waterpark that we have full free access to!

Emsleigh has been so excited about "my pool." She is slowly becoming more comfortable with the water.

"Dada come back!"

Kesed hanging out with her friend Duck at the waterpark.

We are very blessed to have had such wonderful provisions over the past weeks!