The Berry's

Already 3???

2012-01-01T21:34:00.001-05:00

Lily. Lil. Lily Bean. Lily Bear. Teeny Tiny. Sister. Noonie.....

No matter what you call her- this little birthday girl will answer. She's small but mighty and boy, have these 3 years been a blast! We are so excited to what the Lord has in store for our Lily.

So what is it about her?

Maybe it's this face:

Or these ears....

Or how tough she is.

Or how full of life she is.

Or how creative she is.

Or how sweet she can be.

Or how mischievous she is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILD THING! WE COULDN'T BE MORE EXCITED OR PROUD TO HAVE YOU IN OUR FAMILY. WE LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK....

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

There are a ton of great things about living in a small town and Halloween is just one of them. The streets shut down and it seems like EVERYONE east of Asheville comes out to celebrate. It's so fun to see all of our friends dress up and to feel safe letting your kids walk from door to door. Here are some of our pictures from the night.

Piper dressed up as a farmer for school.

Bundled up to walk to school.

Trick or treating with great friends.

a ballerina

Nothing says "Happy Halloween" like an applique vest or shirt

Our gang heading out to get some candy!

Our little kitty cat.

Bubbles+Kids

2011-10-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

For some reason, soapy water in a big bucket is a staple at our house. It makes for a lot of fun (& clean kids so no bath time at night!). It's the simplicity of this game that makes me love it so much and sharing it with these boys was something extra special.....

Summer fun!

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

You can tell I'm behind on my posting....here are some favorite moments from the summer:
Good friends at the pool.

One of our few veggies from our garden this year!

Craft time at home; painting a castle from camp.

Dear friends at camp.

Sweet girls hanging out at boys' camp

1st spend the night parties!

"Campout"dinner in our backyard.

Phil being a man- he just can't help it.

Our little stray, Trekker, who now has a great home!
What an amazing summer!

Folly Beach 2011

2011-09-30T08:00:00.003-04:00

We went back in July with Amy's family and it was an awesome time together. We were right on the beach so the girls ran back and forth all day. Apart from getting to spend the whole week sleeping together in 1 room, it was the perfect trip with family.

Me & Lily.

2011-09-28T21:52:00.000-04:00

These were taken in the summer, but after having some more time with Lily recently (since Piper went to school), these pictures are extra-special to me and really sum up Lily and my relationship perfectly....

Bus time!

2011-08-18T19:21:00.000-04:00

Please, try to ignore the shrillness of my laugh....

Fall Fashion Show 2011

2011-08-07T09:01:00.002-04:00

You will enjoy this if:
1. You are my mom.
2. You are Phil's mom.
3. Maybe if you are a family member.
4. Or if you want to listen to Phil do a really silly voice for much too long.
5. Or if you are into fashion....maybe you'll get some tips.

Sisters=Best Friends.

2011-07-12T16:03:00.003-04:00

I just love this series of pictures....it totally sums up their relationship....

Roomie Reunion 2011

2011-07-12T15:07:00.005-04:00

We've known each other since 1997 and have changed quite a lot since those early days on our freshman hall. We went "potluck" as freshmen at Furman and all found each other. We lived together for the next 4 years and still get together every year- now with husbands and families! We meet up Memorial Day weekends in different spots- this year we chose Moncks Corner, SC where Louise is from and had a blast on the lake. Later this Fall, we'll meet up at Furman for our 10 year reunion. Hard to believe! Enjoy the photos.

Weeze, Grizz, Martha & Cush

We had SO much fun on the lake and on the boat!

Trip to Charleston and Fort Sumter

Finding little friends....and not being scared of them!

Loving some sister time right on a really cool lake!

That is the face of fun!

5 years.

2011-05-16T20:54:00.004-04:00

It has taken me a few days to process that my first-born is 5 and all that turning 5 means (already I'm crying and I've typed like 20 words; I thought if I waited a few days I'd be over this....). For me, turning 5 meant that I got a Strawberry Shortcake bike, doll and cake- my mom is amazing; the cake had pink coconut hair!

For Piper, 5 has been a big deal. She walked a little taller last week when she got to take mini-cupcakes to school. She really understood what having a birthday meant and she made sure we knew she understood. So she planned her own birthday party- "Piper's Carnival"- complete with stuffed animal petting zoo and our dog on a leash. But for me, 5 also means kindergarten, moving out of the baby section and into the big girl clothes, more responsibility for her in her daily routine, me giving her the space she needs- even when that space doesn't include me helping her.

However, she is still my little girl and in no way, am I going to rush the growing up process because that seems to be moving along quickly on its own. She still does need me to help her and she still uses words wrong all of the time and likes for me to get under the covers with her to read her stories. She still gets restless and bored even when we're trying to have a "grown-up team time" and would rather go look at toy trains in the Christmas shop. I'm so thankful that although she is 5, she will always be my kid and I will always be her mom. So enjoy these pictures as we look back at the years Piper has been with us.

We had NO idea the joy we were waiting for: (p.s. I'd like to think that this is at the end of my pregnancy but I'm pretty sure it's not...)

It's so cool to look at a picture and realize that THIS is one of those moments my life changed forever:

Piper, you are forever making us laugh and cry all at the same time by the way you live your life with such purity, simplicity and joy. You are a learner even at 5 and challenge me to think about why I do what I do and say what I say but also to just enjoy being where I am.

On her 5th birthday at tea:

What a beautiful little lady you are turning out to be. Dad and I are so proud of you and so excited about all of the years to come and what the Lord has for you. Happy Birthday, Pi.

Grandparents & Gardens.

2011-04-05T13:20:00.004-04:00

Our kids are so blessed with great grandparents on both sides! They love our kids so well and our girls feel at home with both of them (and really never want to leave either of their houses b/c it's so fun there....not to mention all of the fun treats and marshmallow cereal and Lily snack and chocolate and play time, etc, etc). These pictures are from a weekend my parents came to visit.

Also, it's garden time, which is a lot of fun and A LOT of work.
So far we have planted for the spring:
radish
carrots
sugar snap peas
cabbage
yellow and red onions
buttercrunch lettuce
red lettuce
broccoli
spinach

We are excited about the season ahead. We'll plant for summer in a couple of weeks

Our newly planted garden, a couple of months ago.

Thinning (a.k.a throwing away) radish plants. Well, I am....everyone else is watching.

Piper's Perspective.

2011-04-02T14:02:00.007-04:00

I love getting to see the world through these eyes of my kids. Sometimes I get down on the floor just to see what everything looks like from way down there. Phil swears he remembers the very first time he could see the top of the kitchen counter.

So Piper got a camera for Christmas and it has been so fun to see what she likes to take pictures of and what sticks out to her as "important" or "noteworthy".......we'll work on technique, framing the picture, lighting and getting the objects in focus some other time.

Close-up of our pup.

Sister.

Mom trying to fix the computer.

Us wasting energy. Oops.

I wish I could have put all of the faces of Daddy up. Very funny.

I swear she wasn't there for long by herself.

Best friend, Bunny.

Woodstove.

Just tall enough to see the counter!

Todd.

Caught. She's not supposed to be behind the tree.

And, of course, the self-portrait.

I'm excited to see how their perspectives change over the years.

Our future soccer star....

2011-03-31T07:30:00.003-04:00

For all of our family who loves videos! Here are a bunch of Piper's 1st "soccer" practice. It's at this indoor place, Grey Eagle Arena, in Black Mtn. At Smart Start soccer, the soccer players (that's what the coach calls them and I love it!) learn basic skills like trapping, dribbling, stretching, etc. Please, enjoy! And if you ever wanted to know what I looked like doing anything athletic as a child, then this will give you great insight into my life.....Piper looks just like me.

"Warming up":

My personal fav....jumping jacks:

Drills:

Piper's very favorite thing....the Spirit Tunnel- notice how she gets through twice:

Outside again. Finally.

2011-02-27T21:11:00.004-05:00

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago when it was sunny......now, the rain is here, but these pictures give me hope that warmer weather will come soon. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Cushing for these cut outfits!

You can tell spring is coming by the brighter green peeking through our decaying leaves, the eager crocus popping up all over, a stirring of the birds and squirrels and the sound of the girls running and screaming outside. They are so very happy and so am I.

"Are you all going to the Drum Circle?"

2011-02-27T19:46:00.006-05:00

Phil was out of town so the girls and I hit the town.....that used to mean something different to me, but now it means lots of ruffles, lemonade and ice cream with two girls under 5. It was a really fun IDEA. This was our plan...

We were going to get dressed up (that's a VERY pink skirt I am wearing), then, go out to eat at a sit down restaurant, do a little shopping, come back and build a fort and then, play games (Piper was in charge of those).

We did that. However, there were a few glitches. Lily screamed the whole way to dinner, saying, "Ow, ow, ow." I really thought I had to take her to the ER, but it ended up that's how she deals with being woken up sometimes. Great.

Dinner was fun- minus the fact that I never thought through how you actually do dinner with 2 little kids that cannot be left at the table alone. Piper went to the bathroom no less than 67 times that night and EVERY time, we all went. The booth was also large enough to sit at least a party of 12 which was hilarious for my girls but not for me when trying to wrangle them and the sharp knives from their hands.

A side note from dinner....on one of our many trips to the potty, a waitress asked me if we were dressed up to go to the drum circle. For those of you not familiar with this Asheville experience, it is a HUGE drum circle with a lot of hippy-like people dancing in a frenzied manner. I said, "No. We just dress like this." Then, followed the awkward silence and uncomfortable shifting around.

Shopping....we went to 2 different stores and still did not find the perfect prize. We settled for something lesser (why have I not learned this lesson).....and I STILL hear about it.

We arrived home to Aunt Anne and THIS gift (pictured below). She saved the day and night, which was an amazing glimpse into the future fun I have with my girls. They are great dates and I hope for many, many more Nights Out with my girls.

P.S. We finished the fort and games in the morning....who said Girls' Night couldn't last until the morning?

Lily turns(ed) 2!

2011-02-27T16:48:00.006-05:00

Well....it's only been 2 months since her birthday so I'm pretty much on par for documenting the day. Seriously....how is already March?

Well, back in January, our sweet Lily turned 2. She went from this:

To this....

With a little of this in between....

...all in 1 year!

We are blessed beyond words to have the privilege of knowing this little girl. She keeps us on our toes, surprises us, challenges us, enthralls us, enchants us and brings us more to life by being in our lives. We believe that the Lord is doing a good and great work in the life of Lily Eve Berry.

Why do we even try?

2010-12-17T14:55:00.004-05:00

We hung out with some friends the other day and had to TRY to get a picture. This is about as best as we could get. We are slowly re-poplulating the earth and how about all of these boys around my girls?!

This one is my personal fav:

What a GREAT group of kids! They could all be related. We are blessed to live in a place with so many amazing kids all around us.

Snow Day 2010.

2010-12-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

We had our first beautiful snow of this winter and we were way more prepared for it this year, as was our town! It was so fun to actually have snow suits and boots this year and go play outside! The girls loved it.....for about 30 minutes but that was fine with me b/c then we got to cozy up next to our wood stove! It made for a fun couple of days.

One of Lily's many silly faces....

Piper was SO proud of her own Frosty.

A dad and his girls!

Fall medley. Part 2.

2010-12-13T08:50:00.005-05:00

Here are more pics of our great fall here in Black Mtn. Hopefully, I'll be caught up enough now to keep up! We had a wonderful fall visiting the apple orchards, picking pumpkins, trick or treating, baking a lot, enjoying school, etc. Here are some pictures of our trip to the fire station, one last trip to The Cabin, Mommy's birthday and Boone as a "bad dog."

Open House at the Fire Station where Phil is a volunteer firefighter:

At The Cabin right before it sold. So glad for this place where we got engaged

A night out with good friends for my birthday:

Breakfast in bed on my birthday....I didn't get to eat much of it b/c I had so much help:

Boone made "bad choices" and this is her consequence, which brought us hours of laughs:

Happy Holidays! More updates coming soon!

Catching up....a Fall medley. Part 1.

2010-12-13T08:11:00.008-05:00

So we haven't posted for a while so I'm going to a "medley" of pics from the Fall! Enjoy!
Pi & her great friend!

Our dog's birthday sign made by Pi & Aunt Anne visits!

New fall fashions....

Apple picking with Grandma & Grandpa:

A fall tradition:

Trick or Treating in Black Mtn:

Lily really does love Ron in this picture but our little Sebastian had a little too much fun that night! Part 2 coming soon...

A Princess Surprise.

2010-12-12T08:24:00.005-05:00

So in case you didn't know this about us, we love to surprise our kids with great things. Sure we could just tell them, or show them, or get it for them.... But man it's more fun when we get to make a big deal about it. So, whenever we get the chance, we make it a Big Deal!

One of the most recent examples happened this past Friday. We took a day off work, and made the trip to Greenville, SC for a special show in the Bi-Lo Center. For days, we had been talking about the big surprise. We gave a few hints. We told Piper some of the "supplies" that she might want to bring. And then one of the most fun parts...we let her guess where we were going.

Her Top 3 Guesses of where we would go for a fun surprise....

1 - Windy Gap - a Young Life Camp down the road. One of her favorite places.
2 - Chucky Cheese - a child's mecca
3 - A long Horse Ride...not sure about this one, but we loved it.

We walked into the building, the lobby had been turned into parent hell/ princess dreamland...selling everything a princess would need for only $65. Sure why not, we're here right? Well... Cotton Candy for $10 (the cheapest thing in the building.) A Snow Cone for $20. An authentic Disney wand for $22. It was nuts and we definitely had some great parenting moments of pleading with our 4-year-old why we can't buy the sparkly wand, ugly plastic horse and princess pendant.

All of it was well worth it for both of our girls' reactions to the main event.....Piper squealed and screamed and told me where all the "holes" in the stories were (like "where is Prince Philip's horse?", "where are the animals who help Snow White?", "why did the Genie come out of that part of the lamp and not the other?") and Lily just stared. No talking. Just staring in wonderment. It was such a fun day and I'm so glad that as parents, our job is to make fun for and to love our kids like that!

Right before the skating!

Our crew after the show!

So this is love???

2010-11-11T15:54:00.002-05:00

As previously posted, we spent the weekend at one of our most favorite places, Windy Gap, a few weekends back. Our friends, Kristen and Kyle, from Charlotte came in for the weekend. Kyle and Lily have always had a "connection."

Here is further proof....

Now, THAT'S love.
But so is this:

Piper just doesn't care about boys yet.

And Lily likes to pick horses' noses.
Funny.

A weekend at Windy Gap.

2010-10-15T15:49:00.003-04:00

Pi's favorite thing to do AND on a horse named PIPER!

with our dear friends, Kyle and Kristen

I could take a big bite out of them.

A Surprise for Pi.

2010-09-28T21:32:00.004-04:00

It's one of our most favorite times of year when......
The Mountain State Fair comes to town.
Some animals, a ride, a gondola ride, some ice cream and a funnel cake complete our time there.
Before you look at the pics, please enjoy Piper's reaction when she found out what we were doing:

Now, isn't that just the picture of pure joy?!
She was SO scared to go on this ride (which she wouldn't do last year), but she loved it. It's funny the little things that you get to be proud of as a parent!

Too small for the rides but loved all of the lights!

I obviously made them pose for this picture by the chickens.....come on, mom.

The High Sierras. In pictures.

2010-09-17T15:29:00.009-04:00

This was already a month ago, but I wanted to post some pictures of our trip out west to the High Sierras. We flew into Vegas, through Death Valley (sea level) and drove to Lone Pine, CA where we then drove up to 10,000 ft to hit the trail. We were out for four days and loved every bit of it. We didn't see any bears, but we did deal with some nasty chipmunks.
Nice & clean still.

Chicken Springs Lake

Our hammock at Upper Soldier Lake....the hike here was awful but worth it AND we saw the Big Horn sheep that rarely come down this far south in these mountains.

Pumping water in the early a.m.
Camp.

HUGE boulders in the middle of a meadow.

Where Phil's finger is pointing is where we started hiking to get to the other lake. About a mile straight uphill.

Going over New Army.

View out of the valley. We camped at the 3rd lake down.

Funny to see in Death Valley!

Nice & dirty now!
Done!

Hiking in a slot canyon in Utah. Super cool!

And then, we were done! Don't know what's next but we are excited to dream it up.....

First signs of Fall.

2010-09-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

Longs pants and great evenings outside....

Falling leaves.....

Collecting acorns to feed the squirrels (although they need little help around our yard!)....

Wagon walks after dinner.....

1st day of school!

I love the Fall and can't wait for apple-picking, pumpkin bread, lots of baking, soups, Fall crafts galore and all of the holidays. And we get a new baby cousin in our family....hip hip hooray for Fall!

Ending summer.

2010-09-08T21:32:00.004-04:00

We can't believe it's already Fall! Here is a last look at how we ended summer: with friends, princess dresses, riding toys and bubbles, of course!

We LOVE our time with sisters or friends!

Art time!

Piper and EB LOVE each other. It is a sweet blessing to see them grow together, esp since they are only 6 weeks apart.

EB getting dirty in the water!

Lily's antics.

2010-08-12T06:08:00.002-04:00

Here are some sweet videos of our baby at a year-and-a-half....she is getting so big!

Our summer at Ridgecrest in pictures.

2010-08-10T16:11:00.005-04:00

I know these are small, but they sum up our summer at Camp.
We LOVE Camp Ridgecrest and Crestridge and the amazing staff that come to serve every summer. The Lord was so present this summer and we are so glad we were a part of it....

It's fun.....but man, do we love having Daddy at home!

NOT Ladybugs.

2010-08-03T08:43:00.004-04:00

We have been enjoying our garden so much this summer. It's sad to know that the summer vegetables are on their way out but now on to Fall! We thought we were sharing our garden with Ladybugs and then, I discovered this:

Description: The Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) is one of the most destructive insect pests of beans in the Eastern United States and portions of the Southwest. Both the adult and the larval stages feed on the undersides of the leaves, and sometimes will attack young pods and stems. As a result of feeding, only the veins are left, giving the leaves a lacy appearance. Damage is most severe in July and August and occurs on all bean varieties, including bush, pole, lima, pinto, navy, kidney, soybeans, and cowpeas. Bush varieties seem to be attacked more readily than pole varieties.

Adult beetles (1/4 inch long) are similar in appearance to large ladybugs. They are yellow to coppery-brown in color, oval in shape, and have 16 black spots on their wing covers. Larvae (1/3 inch long) are fat, hump-backed grubs with fuzz or spines, arranged in six longitudinal rows on their backs. They are orange to yellow in color and attach themselves to leaf surfaces.

Life Cycle: Adults overwinter in plant debris and other protected areas and emerge when the weather warms up in mid-to-late spring (usually when beans begin sprouting). After feeding for 1 to 2 weeks females begin to deposit yellow eggs in groups of 40 to 60 on the undersides of bean leaves. Larvae hatch in 5 to 14 days and feed for 2 to 5 weeks before pupating on the undersurfaces of leaves. Adults emerge 3 to 10 days later and live from 4 to 6 weeks. The period from egg to adult is about 30-70 days, depending on temperature. There are several generations each growing season.

Bean Beetle Control: Since damage is most severe during summer months, consider planting early maturing bean varieties to reduce pest problems. Hand pick the adults and immature stages from plants and drop them in a pail of soapy water. Also, remove the bright yellow eggs laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves. Floating row covers can be used as a physical barrier to keep beetles and grubs from damaging plants......

I did it. I picked them off by hand. Sick.

Our beans still died, but we were able to enjoy a lot of them!
Now, I'm trying to figure out what is attacking our zucchini or are they just done...this gardening stuff takes a lot of research. And did you know that winter squash are actually planted in the Spring? That makes zero sense to me. But you probably knew that.....

Our harvest.

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Our very first harvest! A little small because I got excited about picking....rookie.

So far:
7 zucchini
3 yellow squash
2 green peppers
ALOT of bush beans.....don't know the poundage.

I know that may not sound like much, but for first time gardeners and planting from seed that is a huge bounty! My friend, Natalie, and I have spent a lot of time babying this garden and it truly has been one of the most fulfilling experiences in my life so far. I also have to give props to Phil and Marty (the maintainence genius at camp)- they are the muscle behind the garden!

My oldest and I went down there today and just picked a bunch of vegetables.....and then, ate them right there! Without washing them. She is really into checking on what's growing and then sitting in the stroller while I pick everything. It has been the coolest thing to do as a family. Even if you have to start small or in pots, I encourage you to try!

The squash and very small cantaloupe and watermelon in the way back- our fingers are crossed.

Our peppers are looking great and strong! Excited to see what colors they turn.

Our bush beans' leaves are being destroyed by something- a worm maybe? We are still getting a lot but not sure what to do. Our zucchini and cucumbers are in the background here.

Coming soon to a kitchen near you.....cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, melons (maybe), jalapenos, more beans and squash galore!

Photo shoot. In camo.

2010-07-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

The great Leslie Sloan did a little impromptu photo shoot for us the other night.
The lighting was perfect and the girls were cooperative- perfect combo.
We also happen to be wearing camo to celebrate our friend, Ben Johnson, leaving Asheville.
And we kinda like it.....
Silly bands!
Cute legs.

You'll probably be seeing these pictures around Christmas time.....

Beach Time!

2010-07-21T22:02:00.003-04:00

We went to the Edisto Beach a couple of weeks ago. Phil was able to come for a couple of days- even in the middle of the summer. It was such a fun time to be with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. We ate and played and hung out and explored and biked. Here are some pics from the week!
Lily
Pi
the 4th

Our fam
Our trip to the Serpentarium! It was so fun but pretty gross.....and now, Piper likes to warn me about all of the poisonous snakes we might see in the woods. Great.

This is how our garden grows....slowly.

2010-06-25T14:40:00.007-04:00

So we decided to hop on the garden train....it was inspired by Barbara Kingsolver and family's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Since our yard is 100% shade. Really. We are doing one at camp in hopes of turning it into something the boys at camp can experience also. Our girls love it and have seen it happen from day one!

Here we are picking some wild blackberries near the garden. We would pick them and the little one would gobble them up before we could get a pile in our bucket.
The garden has been one of the most fulfilling/ hardest things we've ever done. Most good things in life are. For me, it's because I really have no idea what I'm doing and I like to do things well the first time. So we prepared the soil, but it's the first time to plant here so the conditions are rough and our veggies aren't growing that fast.

But we have put some mushroom compost, Plant Tone, hardwood mulch (which we hope will make the soil better next year once tilled in and makes our path less muddy to walk) and lots of water, and it seems to be doing better. Here's what we are growing: bell peppers, jalapenos, rosemary, tomatoes galore, bush beans, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Us working in the bush beans.
Our squashes are coming up nicely and starting to flower; our beans are about to go crazy; the bell peppers are growing and we do have some tomatoes.

Here it is! Growing slowly but steadily!

Near the green stakes are the bush beans- much bigger just a few days later!
Some of our crop:

We are trying to take picture along the way so we can learn from this experiment! Enjoy the process with us and any advice is welcome....especially if you can tell me what the yellow spots on my watermelon are.....

Don't mess with my camera....

2010-05-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

.....or you'll end up here.

I have the amazing privilege of being able to be friends with a group of college folks from Montreat College. Most of them are Young Life leaders. Some are not. But all of them are a lot of fun, love me and my family extremely well and are trying to figure out life and what it means to follow Jesus with your whole heart.

some of them at Windy Gap

They ate breakfast at my house one morning and I left them all there.
Alone.
With my camera.
Here is the result:

They are incredible. Not only are they students, but they are giving their lives away to high school kids through Young Life. They spend HOURS pursuing kids- most of whom couldn't care less about them....until they get to know them. Then, these kids can't get enough of their new friends who love them just as they are.

These college folks are the hands and feet of Christ so if you want to know how Jesus lived, then follow them around for awhile because they are trying hard to do just what He did.

Just being them.

2010-05-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

I was flipping through some pictures and just realized that our little girls are really growing up, which is awesome because that's kinda what we- their parents- are working on.

They are becoming awesome little girls and just loved being who God is creating them to be. Both of them are just content being themselves. Granted, they are only 4 and 1 1/2, but I love that already I see them happy in their own skin.

Man, I hope that lasts forever.

This pretty much sums up their uniqueness.
Piper is over it and doesn't want to perform.
And Lily is hoping to get discovered one day soon....along with her mom.

The other side of Lily.
She snuck off to have some quiet time, reading by herself.

And then, there's Piper. Who knew she liked avocados until we gave her one with a spoon?
She is such a little kid with a big, tender heart. She plays and imagines and dreams. That's her in her cowgirl vest that Rosemary sent us. I love her mind and can't wait to see what she becomes.

Sweet manna from Walmart.

2010-05-28T06:00:00.003-04:00

We've always wanted to provide our kids with fun stuff around our house so that they love being at our house. We want this to be a true refuge for them.

So....what's spells refuge to a 4-year-old: S-W-I-N-G-S-E-T
And who's gonna make that happen: D-A-D (and about 7 of our great friends)

2 trips to Walmart, 27 plastic cups of hardware and 8 hours, gave us what we'd been longing for......

Our hardware...divided up into 27 phases.

The wood in alphabetical order

The manna.

Lovin' life.

We think she likes it.

It's not tilty, but apparently I was.

Not exactly "green"

2010-05-27T14:47:00.003-04:00

These pictures really say it all.....
I was sitting at the kitchen table.

I heard some rustling around behind me to find Lily throwing all of the recycling away in the trash can.

I'm not sure where she gets that from.

And then, there's Piper (the oldest and just like her mom...poor kid) who likes to play "recycling" by finding any trash on the side of the road to put in the green bucket. It's a real crowd-pleaser. You should try it.

That's my Pie.
Lily is still young....she can be taught.

4 years ago....

2010-05-10T14:26:00.007-04:00

....Piper Anne Berry entered our lives.
And we've never been the same:

Piper to us means "strong and free" and that is what we have been praying for her life the last 4 years and 9 months we've known her. She has a dynamic personality and imagination. She can control the mood of a group....for better or worse. The thing we really love about Piper, though, is that she is so comfortable in her own skin. She knows who she is and likes who she is. She is contemplative and needs A LOT of alone time to recover from groups of people. And sometimes- if you are one of the lucky few- she'll let you into her world of pretend, where you're either dressing up for a royal ball, being taken care of as a baby, reciting the entire Bell movie or helping the Little Daddies (who live in her step) get ready for bed. Enjoy seeing Piper grow up- we know we are.

Fall, age 1
Birthday, 2
Halloween, 2
Fall, 3
Spring, 3
Happy Birthday, Pie. We love you so much.

This is only for family.....

2010-05-03T21:09:00.006-04:00

....because no one else cares THAT much if Lily uses a spoon, but it is pretty cute to watch.

Here are some for everyone else....me not working while everyone else does.

The past month....

2010-04-05T20:27:00.009-04:00

This is what we've been doing this past month.....she broke her leg going down a slide ON MY LAP!!! That made me feel awesome. I thought that this video showed her walking but apparently I erased the wrong one so this is her standing in it.....

And that is why I haven't been posting at all!

Dinner with the Berrys

2010-03-28T21:23:00.006-04:00

So here are a few short videos with our girls...

1 - Lily taking a few more steps...she's all over the house now.

2 - This one is a bit longer, but Lily makes some funny faces if you watch for about 1 minute... We call it the shake...we'll get a better one for the grandparents soon...

Enjoy....

Lily's 1st steps!

2010-03-18T19:58:00.004-04:00

Here she is folks.....on her way....and really happy about it.

A sandy mess is always worth it.

2010-03-18T13:49:00.003-04:00

We went to Hilton Head- which, as a sidenote, is one of the prettiest beaches I've ever seen. I mean, I've been there 3 or 4 times and always love it. The girls LOVED it. My parents loved it. The great-grandparents loved it. Phil and I had a blast. So worth the 1100 pounds of luggage we have to take EVERY time we leave the house. At least, it was too cold for bathing suits.

1st sight of the beach!

Lily's 1st taste (literally) of the vast ocean & beach.

This is so funny to me. She almost got him.

I think she likes it.

Buddies.

Pretty.

She was so brave until she realized they were alive....

This face.

2010-02-25T15:17:00.009-05:00

The following is our first of many documentaries- we hope- of Lily's antics. She is a ham and barley one year old.

Family, please vote....does she get it from her mom or dad?

I want to kiss that yogurt-drenched mouth. Check out that boog....

That's just a fabulous food-covered smile.

oh. my. goodness.

My favorite face of all- it's a staple around here.
Piper's face will be coming soon.....

I can finally look at these and smile.

2010-02-18T16:31:00.005-05:00

We have had A LOT of snow and cold and ice and darkness this winter. As I write this, it is bright and sunny outside- not quite warm enough to spend a ton of time out there, but at least I see the hope of spring. Piper and I had this awesome conversation about death (I know....weird) and we spent time looking at the brown trees and grass and talking about life coming from death.

And then....she stumped we with, "But those trees are green still" (in reference to the pine trees). So then, I had to teach her how to say "coniferous" and any spiritual analogy I was going to make was gone.

But now I can look at all of these pictures of snow and think how fun it was and will be when they can put their own jackets and mittens on.

This is not on Lily's Top 10 list of things to do again.

Seriously?

Sign us up for the next boxcar race.....

2010-02-08T19:28:00.003-05:00

The Best Sled Hill Around Black Mountain

2010-02-01T12:09:00.006-05:00

We were introduced to one of the best sled hill we'd ever seen this past weekend. We all had a chance to go down, but 2 "runs" were especially worth mentioning. First was Amy: on her first trip down, she managed to rotate herself backwards only to hit a snow board ramp, launching herself high into the air, backwards...still a bit sore from that one. Unfortunately, we didn't get this on camera.

Next, Chris Maslin and Phil went down together on a neighbors homemade sled. This was no ordinary sled, but one that was made of 2 old skis and some scrap lumber. It was close to twice as fast as the other sleds we had. But man it was fun! See this video to get a taste... Oh by the way, you can see Maslin bail at the last minute, thinking we might hit a stone bench at the bottom of the hill. When the video stops you can see how close we were to disaster.

Although we missed Amy's big jump, we did get her follow up run down the hill. Notice how upset Lily gets. She saw Amy bust the first time and didn't want her to go again....

For the record, Phil didn't "make Amy do this."

Happy Birthday, Grammie!

2010-01-28T18:34:00.002-05:00

This may not interest anyone else but Grammie ( and a few other grandparents I know), but we wanted to say, "Happy Birthday" to our Grammie. We love you so much and are thankful for who you are and who you are teaching our girls to be.....

However, this is one of the funniest things Piper has ever done. All on her own.....promise.

Look at her go.

2010-01-19T17:19:00.004-05:00

Here's Lily's new trick.....it's much faster and safer than walking.

Wrasslin'

2010-01-11T20:41:00.002-05:00

I was in the other room and heard what I thought was laughing (mixed in with a little crying/ whining maybe).

So I grabbed the camera and saw this:

Oh sisters wrestling.
I couldn't be happier.

One year ago today.

2009-12-27T23:13:00.004-05:00

Lily Eve means Pure Life.
There is no better way to describe her than that. You never know what you're going to get when your baby is born and every day, we feel like we are opening a new gift with Lily. She is so surprising and enchanting. We love knowing her and watching her discover life.

9 days before she arrived.

Jan 2, 2009. 18 minutes after we arrived at the hospital!
I didn't sleep well last night and it made me think of the craziness of that night one year ago when Lily entered this world quickly and hasn't slowed down since.

A few things Lily loves: crazy dancing, animals, outside, cheese, music, "PaPa" (piper), yelling, blankies, mommy, feeding Boone, smiling, boys with dark hair, electronics, life

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

Snowed in

2009-12-19T13:58:00.005-05:00

our front yard
We heard the forcast, but never thought that we would actually get 10-12 inches of snow! Well, it happened. It snowed all day pretty hard. Now we can't even get out of our driveway. This is the most snow Black Mountain has seen since the "storm of '94." It's a ton of fun!

back yard- boone doesn't know what to do....

Our porch last night

outtakes.

2009-12-16T21:37:00.002-05:00

Here is one series of our photo shoot.
This is what we were up against, people.

114 takes.

2009-12-15T22:19:00.003-05:00

I should have know this wasn't going to go well when this was the first picture we took......

Here are the "best" of 114 pictures that Phil took trying to get a picture of the girls in their coordinating Christmas dresses for our family.

Seriously. 114 pictures. Lily did not smile one time.

I would take another 114 though. I never get tired of these faces.....

Giving Thanks.

2009-11-28T22:06:00.005-05:00

I don't know what happens, but I get turned inward sometimes where all I can think about is me- what I'm feeling, what I need to be happier, how I don't have time to do this or that... yadda, yadda, yadda.....

So Thanksgiving and this whole holiday season helps me turn outward again- almost inside out- to see family and all of my blessings and the Hope that I have.

This time of year makes me want to be better for my family and friends and job. It makes me want to exercise, read and journal more. So I hope that this year the inwardness....will just stop.

Pictures are the best way for me to give thanks. I am thankful for:

that guy in the stripes & for my sis-in-law & my baby...but esp. for that guy in the stripes
people who drive in the middle of the night

family that would and does do anything for you

the memories of these great older people

people who know me (& like me) no matter what
people who give their lives away

family history and legacy & getting to know people better the older you get
sisters.

these kids. but especially the moms of these kids.
this little girl
and this little girl.
I feel very turned outward now. What a difference not thinking about me can make...... Happy Thanksgiving.

A cool giveaway.

2009-11-19T11:01:00.004-05:00

I really love this website- www.simplemom.net and she has a great giveaway that you should check out. The jewelry on this website is beautiful!

Click HERE to read about the giveaway!!!!!!!!

My little diva.

2009-11-17T17:42:00.003-05:00

This will make you laugh a lot and maybe cry a little. Our friend, Wayne, is apparently a baby whisperer b/c Piper won't perform for anyone and will do anything he says. All moms should call Wayne to babysit......enjoy.

Carlos.

2009-11-01T07:18:00.003-05:00

This happened a few weeks ago, but I had forgotten about the photos. So here they are....
The premise of these pictures is that we took care of this sweet 6 week old puppy. Some of our college friends found his litter and named him Carlos. He arrived to our house at night so Piper didn't know that he was at our house until the morning. Piper came into our room in the morning and we put the puppy up on the bed.

As serious as she could be, Piper said, "Did Lily turn into a puppy?"
It was one of the sweeter and funnier displays of innocence.
For the rest of the day, both of the girls were great with the puppy. And it was the first time that Piper really experience responsibility- like picking up something off of the ground that is alive. It was a big deal for her.

Thankfully and kind of unfortunately, a family decided to take this puppy from us- much to Piper's disappointment. At least, this family wasn't taking Lily though.

The Little Daddies.

2009-10-19T09:55:00.003-04:00

Well, here they are.....

You're thinking, "Amy, I don't see anyone...."
And really, you don't, but Piper does.
Those are the Little Daddies who live in the stool by her bed.
There are 3-5 of them, and every once in awhile, they come out and put on their pajamas.
They left the house the other day for the first time- needless to say, I was surprised.
Piper & the Little Daddies.
But it doesn't end there- there is also Potty (which is her favorite imaginary friend). Potty holds her hand across the street, is Piper's regular excuse for why she has to get out of bed at night- "Potty has to go potty" (while holding a clutched fist b/c Potty is in her hand) and is Piper's swimming companion at camp- imagine Piper holding onto a noddle and holding Potty above the water.

However, we also have Ninny, Ginny (pronounced with the g sound in "gear"), and the Rangle Tangles. It is a constant party at our house and we are honored when Piper invites us into this world of her's.

Who knew?

2009-10-11T21:23:00.006-04:00

So....I volunteered to help with flowers/ decorating for my sister's wedding not really knowing what I was doing (sorry Danielle) or what it would look like. But it was so fun and gorgeous (thanks to my aesthetic genius of my mother-in-law, Martha Jo). And through all of this, I realized something great about my sweet husband- he really believes in me and thinks I'm way better than I am. Seriously.

But we all need that- someone to push us outside of our comfort zones and push us towards excellence. In reality, I think he's pushing me to be more like Jesus- not because I think Jesus was into floral arrangements, but b/c God is proud of His work. He's proud of His Creation and He even calls us His masterpiece/ workmanship.

So I'm glad I have people around me who want to call out/ pull out greatness from deep within me. Thanks to my husband for taking these great pictures and telling me to be proud of me. Am I such a cheeseball?

A Princess Corner.

2009-10-06T09:54:00.006-04:00

It happened in the blink of an eye.
She was playing with trains and racecars and construction equipment.
Before we knew it, IT happened.
She put on a princess dress, saw Cinderella (thanks, dad) and was on her way to fairyland.....

It is a really fun thing to watch her get caught up in the imagination and romance of fairytales and palaces and princes and unicorns. As I type this, Piper just brought ALL of her dress up clothes and dumped them at my feet. She LOVES it.

I think it echoes a longing o f all of our hearts to get caught up in a love story- a bigger story. A story that is adventurous and gentle. A story of pursuit and rescue. The bigger story of all of our lives. And it's so innocent and pure.

To organize all of our gear, I was inspired by my friend, Joy Thigpen. She is an amazing designer, photographer and creative engineer. Check out THIS BLOG about her and her website- www.joythigpen.com to be inspired yourself.

I can't paint like she can but I can drill holes into walls. So here's what we did to create Piper's Princess Corner.

Lily likes it, too.

Fun in Fall.

2009-10-05T16:29:00.005-04:00

Something about the Fall- especially October- means family to me.
Or maybe it's the fact that we were out of town most of September and I'm craving family time.
So we have been going crazy doing family things.

The fair really kicked off this season of family for us. Here are some photos of that. Lily was there but wasn't old enough for all of the rides, but she loved the animals. I can hardly believe she is 9 months old already and that she is ONLY 9 months!

Then, we went apple picking! It is always a highlight of our Fall here in Black Mtn. We went with our friends, Sarah and Ryon, who we love deeply and laugh a lot with. Piper is such a cool little girl now and has a great zest for life so every event with her is so fun. We made applesauce when we got home and an apple pie is on the menu for tonight- man, the house smells good right now! More fun in fall to come soon. What has gotten into me.......

Oh. Weddings.

2009-09-29T15:56:00.004-04:00

Aug. 22- Sarah Van (my bestie- are you allowed to say that when you're 30?) in Nashville- Piper & I participate
Sept. 12- Anna in ATL
Sept. 19- Ashley in Knoxville- Piper is flower girl
Sept. 26- my sis, Danielle, in Nashville- Piper, Phil and I are in it.

for real. i'm broke. not really- it was a month of fun with friends, family, celebration and blessings from the Lord. Even though we are tired and appreciating slower life in the mountains, you can't replace these moments of celebrations and togetherness. I love the covenant of marriage and pray blessings over these dear friends.
I mean...seriously....are we related? She may as well be a supermodel.
Thanks to the Goforth's for the CUTE monogrammed britches.
1st attempt at flower girl; this is staged b/c she actually did not make it the 1st time (sorry, Sarah), but my heal did get stuck in a grate walking down the aisle. awesome. Attempts 2 and 3 went much better.
Sarah Van Suiter

Our gals in action.

2009-09-18T23:38:00.004-04:00

I'll write more soon but these videos say it all.....

Free and fun.

2009-08-31T14:17:00.009-04:00

Whoops! i had the wrong website down. hopefully this one works now!

i LOVE this blog- www.simplemom.net. CLICK HERE to check it out.....and enter their really cool giveaway for free awesomeness.

And while you're clicking away....we got a Flip camera and LOVE videos of our girls. Enjoy!

Dad time.

2009-08-27T13:24:00.004-04:00

Piper and Phil did yard work together. In the rain. We love that Piper is now at the age where she can "do" stuff- and when I say "stuff, " I mean chores. She helps unload the dishwasher, sort laundry, put laundry away, clean up her dishes and sometimes her toys, throw Lily's diapers away and most recently, plant hostas in the rain. Excellent. Here are some pictures of that very fun and very dirty time with Dad.

her new trick.

2009-08-22T22:28:00.002-04:00

Lily has discovered a lot lately- one of her new tricks is playing with her feet. She also loves snorting through her nose, bouncing on her bottom as she's sitting and making as much noise as possible. It is so fun to have her in this stage. We are so thankful for both of our girls.

One of the greats.

2009-08-09T15:44:00.004-04:00

Grandpa with Lily.

There's a reason that our grandparents were referred to as "The Greatest Generation." Although, I like to add that when they came up with that, they hadn't yet met me....However, a few weeks ago, I was privileged (as I always am after my visits) to spend time with my Grandpa Cushing, my dad's dad, in New Hampshire. He is part of that generation of people who really understands what it means to give selflessly, save well, the art of telling a story, the art of being quiet and how love in different ways. Just like my dad, my grandpa possesses the gifts of giving and hospitality. He gives generously and seems like a tough New-Englander, but he also loves life, learning, his great-granddaughters, fresh air and people. I am so thankful that Piper and Lily have the opportunity to sit face-to-face with one of the greats of my lifetime. Grandpa is 91 this November and has lived a full and remarkable life. He decided a few months ago to buy a Mac so he could learn how to use a computer. He has never stopped learning or teaching or giving and I'm so glad to be a part of that.

Here are some more photos of our trip:

A Summer Update

2009-07-28T07:26:00.006-04:00

I'll be posting more pics of our different trips soon. We obviously have had a busy summer since I haven't been posting much lately- we've been doing a lot with friends around town, playing at camp, going to New Hampshire and Atlanta! This begins a crazy (but fun) season of travel for our family.

Two more weeks of summer camp for Phil; I have mixed emotions- so excited to have Phil back again but sad that camp won't be used for what it's made for. Camp without campers and counselors is kinda like a glove laying on the floor alone. It's just not being used for it's intended purpose. you know?

Here is just one picture to get you excited about what's to come.....

"Lily is my best friend," says Piper.

2009-06-19T11:18:00.001-04:00

I am loving how our girls really love each other. Piper already wants to share a room with Lily and Lily lights up when she sees Piper (and our dog, Boone). It is a special connection that sisters have. I have it with mine and am so thankful for them. They really are my best friends and I pray the same for my girls.
that's really Lily and not a doll.

at 5 1/2 months

Oh, camp is the place to be.

2009-06-18T23:13:00.004-04:00

Here are a few of the many wonderful moments of being a camp family. The one of her falling in the mud is my very favorite! She didn't cry- she was just concerned.
Piper's 1st ride on Possum

Piper & Lila

Scott and Lily

just after her fall in the mud

just after she rode "Possum"

My Arch Nemesis.

2009-06-13T20:34:00.006-04:00

So it's an inanimate object- can it still be my arch nemesis? I'm at a loss for what to do. We let go of the pacie, but the potty is not an object of my 3-year-old's affection. Seriously, the other day I cleaned up "messes" ELEVEN times. It was a horrible day which led to lots of "family discussions." So that's where we are right now. Any encouragement/ advice would be helpful or just something to make me laugh. And I know people say she won't go to school in diapers or walk down the aisle in diapers, but there's always the potential for that special story on Oprah about the kid that is still diapers. yikes.

Letting go. Literally.

2009-05-24T15:04:00.007-04:00

So about 2 weeks before Piper turned 3, we finally did "it." We told Piper that it was time to say "bye-bye" to pacie. Now, we actually were really, really, REALLY sad about this (my husband- not mentioning any names- was the saddest). It was as if we were saying, "Piper, we are sending your very best friend in the world on a trip and she'll never come back."

But instead, we bought some helium balloons, tied the pacie to them, let her pick out ANY treat from the store she wanted and stood in the middle of our street with balloons and a 3 pack of cupcakes in hand. This was Piper's pre-send-off statement, "So we tie pacie to the balloons, let go and then, i get the cupcakes?" Mommy (through tears) says, "yes." Piper says, "okay" and away we go. She will sell out ANYONE for a cupcake. We gave her the balloons and told her, "okay. one. two. three. let go...." Nothing. She looks up and says, "I can't." I started crying and Phil mustered up the courage for the 4 of us (Lily, too) to let go together. We watched the fly up into oblivion to go to some other baby who needs a pacie. Thank you, Jackson Norton, for giving us that idea!

I realized the saddest part for me was that she was no longer a baby anymore. I wanted her to still have to have a pacie, but it started to look really silly. That's why it was so hard because she is growing up and it is our job to help her. In the near and distant future, we are going to have to help her grow up and I imagine this is going to be one of the easy challenges. The Lord really did teach me a lot about the way He molds us and helps us grow up. He is creative in it and gentle and will help us let go when we can't do it on our own.

Piper has been a champ with it. She doesn't ask for it anymore. Although the smart little thing does ask for the "white one" because the "green one" was the one tied to the balloon. And I have caught her hiding in the corner "holding" Lily's pacie in her mouth. She is so sweet and is replacing cuddles and lots of reading time in bed for her pacie.

Now, it's time to say "bye-bye" to diapers. Yikes.

Grandma and Grandpa visit.

2009-04-15T09:22:00.001-04:00

Okay. This is just a side note but I'm listening to Piper pray with Phil and she just asked to pray for Barack Obama- that's funny but glad she's doing it.

Anyways- my parents visited a couple of weekends ago (before Easter). We love having them here at the house and so do the girls! It was so fun to hang out with them. We always get so spoiled by their generosity and miss them as soon as they walk out the door. That's a good way to feel about family though! So here are some great pictures of our time with them.

Wow! This is sweet!

Piper chasing bubbles.

Tea Time.

2009-04-14T09:12:00.002-04:00

My grandma gave me a tea set when I was a little girl- probably around Piper's age. I just got it out of my grandpa's basement. Piper and I had our first tea party which I think will become a special treat for me and the girls as they grow up. Here is our first try- which went really well although Piper drank her body weight in sugar. She loved "fixing" her "tea" (hot chocolate) with milk and sugar.

The hope of Easter

2009-04-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

Sweet Piper before church.

I love Easter. More than Christmas in some ways. I love the feel of Christmas and the practice of family gatherings and giving gifts because of how it represents the gift of Christ from His Father. But I love so much the excitement of Easter. How I wake up on Easter morning so grateful and humbled by the grace that was poured out for me and now for my girls. I wake up knowing that today is a joyful day because of what Jesus did for me before He even knew me.

More family photos to come soon....so you can see Lily in her outfit that she wore for about 30 minutes before she exploded her diaper. Yay.

Some winter pics....

2009-04-12T20:35:00.004-04:00

Here are...hopefully....the last pictures of winter for this year! We have LOVED it but are ready for warm weather and time outside- which we need desperately.....Today was BEAUTIFUL and reminded us of the great promise that Easter brings- bringing us from death to life. We'll post some pictures of the girls and us doing Easter things. (: We also celebrated Phil's 29th birthday this week at Pisgah with about 40 of our friends and kids! It was a fun night of celebrating Phil and life and picnics and the coming of spring. We felt really blessed going home that night knowing that we have a great community about here in Black Mountain!

Below are some pictures of the latest of Lily. The first one is of Lily "playing" patient for Piper. The next is Lily showing of her tummy time skills. And the last is smily Lily. I love that picture and outfit- thanks Aunt Sandee!

Some friends....

2009-03-29T19:32:00.003-04:00

The Berry's and Krawczyk's

with Chloe and Aunt Lesa

Ella Brooks and Lily- suprisingly only 6 weeks apart!

Here are some pictures of our girls with their friends! It's been a fun season of getting to be with friends lately- here in BM, in Nashville and at camps!

First Smiles with Grammie!

2009-02-23T15:13:00.003-05:00

Phil's mom, Grammie, came to stay with us for a week! It was so much fun. Here are some pictures of her painting Piper's toes pink (which Piper LOVES) and sweet Lily. Grammie made her so happy that she started smiling this week. It is such a joy to have her smiling and cooing now.

Their 1st playdate....

2009-02-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some great pictures of Piper and Lily "playing." Piper is feeding Lily- which is funny, but Lily loved it! So enjoy the first of many play sessions.

Some favorite friends visit!

2009-02-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

Erin and Sarah visited us last week and it was so fun to see these great friends! They had fun playing with Piper (who called them "her friends") and loved meeting sweet Lily. Then, we got to hang out with Ryon and my bff, Sarah- that's Lily they are holding....not their child. We are SO excited that they are getting married soon! yay!!!!

Our 2 little valentines.

2009-02-17T20:13:00.003-05:00

Some pictures from our week of celebrating Valentine's Day! Phil, Lily and I got to go out to dinner with our friends Sarah and Ryon (who just got engaged!). It was a GREAT time together. Also, pictured is Piper ready for her Valentine's party at school and the girls getting their presents.

Favorite pics.

2009-02-04T15:03:00.004-05:00

okay. so i know you're not supposed to do like 4 blogs in one day, but this is how i operate. i consider this our on-line scrapbook and not really my journal so here is yet another page into our lives.

"Snow is falling!," says Piper.

2009-02-04T14:38:00.004-05:00

Piper is in heaven because we have 3 inches of snow on the ground and so what if it's 18 degrees outside...we WILL play and we WILL play hard. Here are some pictures from this morning. We cannot wait until both our girls can romp in the snow. Although, changing two may take even longer than the 45 minutes it took for us to get ready and to camp (which is 2 1/2 miles away from our house and we travelled by car- not foot).

The engaged...

2009-02-04T14:14:00.003-05:00

We are so excited to welcome Chris Barton into our family! He is about to have the experience of a lifetime! Chris propsed to my middle sister, Danielle, on Decebmer 22nd in New York in front of that big Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. We are SO happy that it is him that the Lord had in mind for Danielle. Here are some photos from their recent visit to meet Lily. Anne came down for the day too!

Sisters.

2009-02-04T14:01:00.003-05:00

Sisterhood is the best thing. I know it firsthand and now get to see it in my girls. Here are a few pictures of our sisterhood. Pictured here are 5 of the 11 (!) GIRLS born in a row from my mom's side of the family. My Grandma would be proud of her legacy...especially, the first picture. :)

Lily in action....

2009-01-27T21:48:00.003-05:00

So we've almost made it to 4 weeks! It is a blur...but we have survived and have enjoyed it! The other night we realized, "We really love having 2 kids!" Our live feels so much more full and complete with Lily in it. And for the past 2 nights, Piper has asked to have Lily sleep in the bed with her...so sweet and I hope one day that really happens. So- enjoy these pics...

My new fav pic.....

2009-01-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Me and my girls....i love it!

Big sister stuff...

2009-01-12T12:24:00.003-05:00

I promise Piper likes her....she just takes this big sister role very seruiously and no, that's not Piper giving Lily a bath. We'll wait until next week to let her do that (I hope you know we are kidding). That is Piper's baby that she loves and takes care of- that baby does everything Lily does. And the picture below I just love. That's our Piper...so free and full of life!

Week 2...

2009-01-12T11:54:00.004-05:00

Well, somehow, we are managing. I think it's because we have such great families and so many people who want to help us and take care of us. We have not had to cook any meals because people have been so generous! We appreciate it so much because going from 1 to 2 kids has been challenging....Piper is doing GREAT; however, it is a huge change for us. Phil and I didn't realize how much our time together would decrease since one of us is always with a kid. But we love it and love our girls.

welcome to the world, lily eve!

2009-01-06T12:01:00.003-05:00

Here she is and we couldn't be happier that our family has grown! We are terribly tired but excited about the life ahead and enjoying these sweet moments of learning. We will post her birth story soon because it is a CRAZY one. We were at the hospital for 18 minutes before she was born! Enjoy Lily's picture debut....

Some great pregnant pics...

2008-12-06T22:29:00.004-05:00

With 5 1/2 weeks to go, here's Amy showing off her stuff.... this 1st one is particularly wonderful....

Giving thanks...

2008-12-06T22:14:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures of us over Thanksgiving. We celebrated with the Berry's in Black Mountain and then with the Cushings in Nashville. So thankful to be with the family in this time of thanksgiving and celebration. Now, we're in Black Mountain until baby Lily gets here- only 6 weeks to go!

We might have to get this for Christmas...

2008-11-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

Whenever we think we've figured Piper out, she surprises us....She has never been interested in playing dress up until we spent a few days with the influential and dress-up fanatic, Eden Krawczyk. Eden LOVES to dress up and so Piper tried it out and played in this dress for hours. We are thankful for Eden's positive influence in introducing Piper to something as girly as princess dresses. This will complement her love for construction equipment well. Also pictured is Jolie- our other beloved Krawczyk girl!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-02T10:57:00.004-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Piper and David Thomas! They really are such good friends to each other...

Our tired girl digging into her candy bucket....

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T08:13:00.004-04:00

We'll have more pictures to post soon, but here is a little taste of Piper in her costume- she was a cheerleader and LOVED Halloween. She actually said, "This is fun" when we got back in the car to drive home! The bucket of candy and living room "picmic" (ad Piper calls it) of Wendy's helped out a bit. Hope you all had fun too! Phil took about 20 pictures in a row of her "dancing" so some of these are evidence of that...we'll try to post more soon!

Circus Day....

2008-10-25T16:11:00.004-04:00

I don't know what has gotten into me.....maybe it's the Fall or that really, at heart, I am a "themey" person or the fact that I am pregnant, nesting and have cleaned everything in my house so now, I've turned to cooking and being "creative." And when I say "creative", I don't mean creating anything of value that I'll keep or could ever sell. But this October I have done the following projects....carve pumpkins, decorated pumpkins, made pumpkin face luminaries (complete with glitter), made and hung kleenex ghosts on our porch, collected pinecones for a Fall arrangment (to be honest, I made Piper collect them b/c I hate bending over right now), made pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bars, cut-out cookies with orange icing, made a homemade apple pie, learned how to cook a whole chicken (cleaned out the guts and all- hillarious to watch), boiled the chicken leftovers and made a stock and then a soup, and FINALLY....drum roll, please....I sewed Piper's first, of many I hope, costumes....She was a clown for Circus Day at school. She got to march in a parade and everything. Here are the cutest pictures ever of her!

SharpTop Cove '08

2008-10-18T22:51:00.007-04:00

As you know, one of the greatest places on earth is owned by Young Life. This is a place created with high school students in mind. Excellent food, beautiful accomidations/cabins, 2 zip lines, a blob, a gym, game room, frisbee golf, state of the art Club Room, hot tub, pool, and a lot more....these are the things that our God uses to change lives. Some of our high school friends joined us about a week ago, and it was awesome! We took a small crew this year, and it was perfect. We heard the greatest love story ever told and had the chance to talk about what it has to do with our lives today. All in all, I'm still convinced, there is still nothing quite like the time spent at a Young Life camp.