Additionally, we’ve discovered Sean is a pretty talented photographer. Our friend Em passed along her old Nikon SLR last September and Sean has put it to good use. Here’s a slideshow he created of his favorites:

I have to say I love that he used Best of What’s around- one of my favorite songs! It turns out Sean and I have lots in common :)

A wedding and an anniversary! Yesterday Cam officiated the wedding of our friends Thomas and Jess Haymaker. We are happy to share our anniversary with such a sweet couple! Their wedding was lovely and their vows were beautiful and sincere. You could feel the love and sense the excitement they felt about starting their married life together. They reminded me of how Cam and I felt on the day of our wedding (12 years ago). We wanted to be married more than anything and to begin living life together.

Each year on our anniversary, we look back and say to each other, “This was the best year yet!” This year represents so much growth and new levels of trust and respect for each other. We have watched each other push ourselves beyond our assumed limits and have cheered and encouraged one another in doing so. I feel the most vulnerable I have ever felt and yet so safe and secure. For all the wonderful aspects of our relationship, there are definitely challenges and struggles. We are just two broken sinners trying to figure this thing out together! The security and peace that I feel at this point in our marriage is a direct result of the fact that Cam and I desire to seek God first and what’s in each others best interest second. God alone is our security and our strength. We are confident that without His love poured into us, we would not have what we need to love each other well.

I pray that year after year we will continue to say, “This was the best year yet!”

[photo credit:  Scott Kallin]

Favorite night of the week -Friday.

Favorite place to have dinner out right now -Milagros Mexican Restaurant in Fairhaven.

Favorite food- Fajita taco salad

Favorite park- Boulevard.

Favorite person- Cam.

We love you so much Audrey Faith! It’s hard to believe you are already a year old. You have such a sweet spirit and a very engaging manner. Your life has brought so much joy and we are blessed to be your family! Happy Birthday to you Baby Girl!

We have had a whirlwind 2 weeks! Another memorable visit to the Magic Kingdom (this time was extra special because Holly & Shane came too); Kelly’s graduation from Biola; visiting friends in Huntington Beach; home for about 40 hours (in which we had Aliza and Audrey stay with us for about 30 of those hours); then off to Eugene for a few days for Grandpa Art’s memorial service. Whew… just writing all of that makes me tired! We had a great time but are all really glad to be home and back to our routines.

Check out more pictures here!

This little man was SO sweet! He was such a good sport this afternoon as I followed him around Boulevard Park with a camera in his face. You could tell this little guy is such a joy to his parents. I’m so glad that weather and health cooperated with us to make this happen today!

Cam has been gone since Thursday morning and we miss him a lot! The boys and I spend tons of time together throughout the week- like pretty much most of our waking hours- and we very much look forward to having dad home in the evening and on the weekends. In Cam’s absence, the weekend has definitely had it’s ups and downs.

This picture was from today at Boulevard- one of the “up” moments of the weekend :) Being brothers is so different than being sisters- for many obvious reasons but mainly I see the differences in terms of the physical expressions. My sisters and I would find the smallest couch, chair, bed or whatever and all pile onto it like “puppies” as Cam would call us. Sean and Caleb also are like “puppies” but in a more aggressive way. They are always in constant contact with each other but it’s more like wrestling for who’s most dominant. They love each other more than words can describe but they also find their best/worst opponent in each other. Some days it’s very balanced and then there are days like today…

Looking forward to finishing out our weekend with Cam tomorrow!

You, sweet girl have lived up to your name! A beautiful and joyful addition to our family. Love you baby girl!

We have been having BEAUTIFUL, spring-like weather this February! After working really hard yesterday to do some major deep cleaning and organizing, we decided to get outside today to enjoy the sunshine (and in all honesty, if we aren’t home the house stays clean). The camera and tripod came along for fun :) Check out the rest of the pics from today here.