Marchhhhh

Hello March 2019. What better way to start than an adorable Hattie&David picture. These two in Jessica's gorgeous kitchen- what could be cuter!?

This was the year that I ordered a bunch of gifts with the boys' art. I got them for Mother's Day- a water bottle with each image, a cloth tote bag, a set of cards, and a cling sticker. I mixed up the items, and gave them in the bag to my Mom, Mrs. Teresa, and me! It was the sweetest thing, and I loved it!

The boy's art walk - we visited each of their classroom's displays. I love seeing all the things their art teacher guides them to make. So great!

March always brings the Gate River Run! David went with me to get my race packet, so we snapped a pic under the big welcome arch. I am so thankful for this annual run. It motivates me to run, keeps me in better shape than I would have been in, and is a well done event.

Anthony's 18th birthday! Matt took his YL guys to play some laser tag to celebrate, so we tagged along. Our boys LOVE these fellas. It is a cool thing to have this kind of friendship.

Beach Day in March, yes please! It is always cold, but the boys never seem to mind. They can't stay away from the water.

Spring Break camping at Hanna Park! Bike riding, beach glass hunting, shark tooth finding, camp fires, and tent sleeping in the cool nights. Absolute blast! We went with our besties, the Wests, and love having their company. Makes it even better!

James recreating an arm drawing that him Mimi made for him once with his charred stick from the fire. Future tattoo? yeeesh!

And then there is the time that one of your favorites pies you in the face during club. What an awesome sport!!

Lucky us- Matt had a work conference that met at one of the Universal hotels, so we tagged along! They had a great pool, so we invited our friends to come swim for the morning and hang out. It was really lovely. Lindy is fantastic, and her three boys are so close in age to my four. They loved being at the new pool with its awesome slide, but friends make it exponentially better.

Our 7 little boys. Getting less little everyday.

We took a day trip up to Ft. Clinch to explore for fun, and ended up seeing an alligator in the water!?! It isn't common, but it did scare me pretty good. I got some great group shots of these boys.

The boys' soccer season kicked off with game day! Love their uniforms- I love seeing them play. (insert heart emoji! haha, I've gotten too used to using emojis when I text these days...!)

David&I chilling between lunches at Orange Park High School! He was such a great sport to go with me to visit my Young Life friends. These boys LOVE 'big David' as we call him! We all showed up to watch him in the Mr. OPHS contest, and my boys cheered him on!

This is what our daily life turns into at the end of the day: wrestle match with Daddy, boys in their undies, a pile of arms&legs. haha, it never gets old!

Thank you Lord for a full month of school, sports, camping, and adventure. All these pictures of my four boys together make my heart so happy. Thank you Lord for this age where they can all play together. Thank you for these golden years of childhood! Amen.

Februaryyyyy

Hello February! What a joy it is to look back- you may be thinking, dear son, that I say this constantly. and I do! Because, SURPRISE, JOY! The Lord gives so many good gifts, that I cannot contain them all. This remembering is a lovely way to remember more than my brain can hold, and I am continually grateful for that. Also, time. Time has marched on&on since these days, over a year... and I? I still get more days to make more memories. These need tucked away. 

And now... I bring you 'shark boy'! Probably the last time he could actually pull this all the way over his head. He's so tall now! Best gift, thank you Aunt Cindy & Uncle Robbie!

Our precious church: opened the doors for a new building, and then hung the sign with a new name. MARANATHA, come Lord come! I absolutely love it.

James mixed in the fray with some buddies for a paintball birthday party- Happy 9th Wyatt!

Our precious friend, Christian! We were lucky enough to meet him shortly after his birth, and what an honor it was! His family came and visited, so we celebrated with a group picture.  Jessica we are so happy for y'all!

David's backyard kingdom. I love where we live-it's so beautiful.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!!! Wow, David turned 3 years old! We celebrated with a balance bike & and ice cream cake & lots of Incredibles toys. We think you are 'mr. incredible' David!

David's birthday party day! Welcome to the Incredibles party. :-)

We took all the kids to the Get Air to jump for an hour & then headed back to our house for birthday cake!

Mimi made David's cake, and it was INCREDIBLE! I love the awesome colors and shadows of the characters. David loved it too!

Oh my goodness this bouquet! I'm falling in love with it all over again. Probably my favorite flower arrangement of all time- I told Matt that I liked it even better than my wedding bouquet, and I'd still say the same. Absolutely beautiful- Happy Valentines 2019!

and of course, our tulip tree! The Japanese Magnolia in our front yard usually blooms in February, so this time it was like a Valentine's tree. It looks like some kind of lovely party when all the petals are on the ground, like a wedding!

A little Valentine's love at Young Life with some of our favorites! :-)

James got to be the helper in the magic show at school- Mr. G is our neighbor!

Wellness check-ups! James' 9th & David's 3rd. That buzz cut & that little scrunchy smile!

Some Gal-entines fun with my YL girls!

AH! Celebrating baby Memphis! What a fun treat.

Oh boy, oh boys! Prose family ski trip 2019!!

These guys were ready to go!

What a great group picture with Mimi&Grandpa!

James wanted to play this monopoly game with Mimi in this little shed at the top of the hill where we had rented a house. She is always a good sport!

And our trip to Mystery Hill! Who can forget the 'make you seem taller when you stand on the right side' slab of concrete.

You laugh, but Matt is about 2 inches shorter than Mike, but does he look it?? When they change places, you can easily tell Mike is taller!

And the crazy gravity room that made me so motion sick!! The panning for cool rocks was my favorite part.

Hayden&me at the Dan'l Boone Inn restaurant when he was a baby- We recreated it!! Same exact spot! Nailed it.

The rest of the boys wanted in on the action.

Day 2 on the slopes!

Woke up to a fresh dusting of snow & the boys got to have a snowball fight on the deck. The best- Mimi wanted to build an igloo, and they all played in the snow for the whole morning.

The boys warmed up with a soak in the hot tub.

We packed up & drove over to Gatlinburg to meet up with John&Kelsey. The cabin there was awesome! The boys loved the games, and I loved the view & the rocking chairs.

Us at the Donut Friar! My favorite donut place, anywhere. We are 'old instagram favorites' and James' picture in on the wall there!! You can see him standing next to it. He was only as tall as the Friar, but now is a whole head above him, haha.

Our favorite fountain for family pictures. No group shot because of the rain, but I couldn't help snapping this one of our four.

Probably the boys' favorite activity: laser tag!! David in this vest is just awesome- they were so nice to let him play too!!

And this gem- why do we take old time photos? Who knows- but we have a bast doing it. Once you forget about the germs. ha!

We ended our month with one last YL group at my house & a birthday!! Beautiful Leilani. Gosh, turning 18 is such a thing y'all. Nearly an adult, but still such a kid at heart. The struggle between the two.

Thank you Lord for these memories. Thank you for these precious faces, the laughter that I can hear in my mind, the excitement & fun. The beauty that lives on in the photo, glimpses of those moments in time. Thank you for how full this life is, even when it feels like the river rushes on without us. Thank you for the opportunity to save some, to hold on & feel these days over again. Reminiscing is a gift & a joy. Thank you Lord for pictures.