Absence makes the heart grow

 Stronger. And fonder. And thankful.

Our new family of 3 embarked on our first little road trip a couple weeks ago.  Accompanying Andrew to his away rotation at Travis Air Force Base in California was our mission. Due to a one month old (at the time) who needed frequent stops and to a mama who feared her little one would display her hatred for the car seat rather robustly the entire drive, we chose to make the 9 hour drive a two day event. 

 To our pleasant surprise, Bonnie did AMAZING in the car ... as long as one of us rode back there with her and as long as our day was framed around her needs (feed, play a bit, then back in the car for nap time and get as far as possible before she woke up!). Bonnie was also exposed to Andrew & Jenna's car trip concert extraordinaire! A.k.a.- Andrew sings beautifully and Jenna sings ridiculously loud and annoyingly and then we spend many minutes in out of control laughter. Over and over again... And you thought only Andrew was the goofy one... 

I sure hope Bonnie is taking notes on how to sing from her dad and not her mom.

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We spent the first night in Ashland, OR. What a neat little town! 

Next stop, Travis AFB. 

Andrew LOVES planes. It made my heart so happy that he wanted to walk around and "show Bonnie all of the planes." I found the shaded area and admired their mini daddy-daughter date from afar. It was quite certainly roasting hot the entire trip. 

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I sure love watching Andrew be a daddy. He's the best. Bonnie is one lucky gal.

 

A quick Chick-fil-a stop made for a great birthday treat before Bonnie and I caught our flight back home. My little travel buddy did a fantastic job once again.

 Literally counting down the hours until we get to see our guy again. And, they are very few! We are meeting half way for the weekend and couldn't be more excited! A certain Daddy is missing his little girl too much...

"I'm dying to get to the weekend so I can hold her again."

Heart melting over here... 

A dad and his girl

 There are few things more beautiful to my heart and soul than seeing the man I love become a father. Not just a father, but the best father a little girl could ask for. These two are precious together. 

Bonnie, your Dad simply adores you. He doesn't even flinch when taking care of poopy blow outs or spit ups all over his shirt. He often gets you bathed and dressed for the day with matching head bands and all. Your daddy cherishes his snuggles with you. He loves staring into your beautiful blue eyes and singing you the same songs he did when you were inside momma's belly. He rocks you in the middle of the night when you need a little extra help going back to sleep. He gives you kisses galore. If you're going to give smiles, they are always in response to him. Somehow, you already know he's the fun one. I've never seen your Daddy take so many pictures on his phone, let alone ask me to take a picture of him (holding you of course). He calls you "the girl" when talking about you amongst all of your other nicknames. I can't wait to see you two kicking soccer balls back and forth and going on jogs together as you get bigger. Thank you for making us parents, sweet girl. You have the best daddy in the world...

 

That I'm her mother...

 

It hasn't set in yet. That she's mine. That I'm her mother. I'm not sure when it will. It feels as though I'm simply borrowing this precious gift for a while. 

I suppose that's not far from the truth...

 

I'm sure glad that God entrusted us with her. What a gracious gift you are, Bonnie Grace. I'm so thankful to be your mother. 

Children are a gift from the Lord... Psalm 127:3

 

 

Photo credit to my hubby, Andrew.

Summer Fountain Fun with Isaac & Eliza

We had a great time with these two little ones and their mama yesterday afternoon. We played in the fountain for a bit and then enjoyed a refreshing fro-yo treat. I think the photos speak for themselves... Isaac sure loves the water! ((Isaac is 2 and Eliza is 7 months))