missing her

why does BC have to be so far

missing Joelle...and so we always enjoy seeing pictures that capture her personality and spirit.  love how she seeks adventure and fun always, even on the rainy days!  ❤

firsts

 this was the first haircut for Cree that didn't require him to be on my lap, with myself caped and covered in hair as well!  he was brave, and serious, and quite proud of himself for managing, i think!  i was proud of him too!

below is Miss Nikki, and she's so good with him!

love how the haircut makes those brown eyes even more stunning, when he has them open at least! :)

a boy and puddles

 this is just so wonderful to me.  Cree thought so too.

 the "enjoy the puddle" years are way too short anyway, so why not?!

love the analogy that glares back from these photos as well.  specifically~ find the joy even in the rain storm.  soak up the moments of happiness each and every day.  when the water rises, reasons for gratitude always abound.  no matter what.  so, my personal takeaway: keep the childlike wonder and find the bliss in the every day routines and predictable rhythms.  this little guy has for sure taught me more of that, over and over in the last couple years.  maybe God knew i needed those reminders.  

connected

 as you can see, Cree's got a ways to go in the process of learning to smile authentically for the camera.  which i totally love.  all of our kids took a bit with this, some longer than others (ahem...Adam :)) pretty typical and adorable.  love these days with an almost three year old, especially when he's happy, because sometimes he's not.  keeping it real.

Cree is so drawn to the big kids in our family.  he loves when they come home and make time for him, and they really do that well.  i love watching the creative and fun ways they connect, just differently than i do, which is probably why it's so exciting for him.  lots of older siblings (and parents...haha) investing and shaping and loving him deeply.  it's a win.

love the connection these two have forged.  super sweet to see.  Cree's sure going to miss Layla when she heads off to tree plant again soon.