A Sad Goodbye

Emmies has come and gone ( sniff sniff). It was a sad ride home from the airport. Reese was crying, I was crying and intermittently we sang Pop Goes the Weasel then cry some more. Reese has never cried like that saying goodbye to anyone before so it was really sad. It was a great week. We had so much fun! Probably what made for the sad goodbye. Reese hadn't had this much fun and attention since Henry was born. We (and by we I mean Reese and Emily) went to the pool or splash pad almost everyday. She got fun new toys and she finally got her face painted! It was especially nice for me because it was like I had one kid again and not just any aged kid but a super easy infant kid. Reese basically clung to Emily all week and I was absolutely fine with that. Reese loves her Aunties but I think because Emily has been able to come and see us so often she is especially comfortable with her. Here is a week in Pictures with our Emmies! Thanks for coming. We will sure miss being such a cheap plane ride away from you when we move. 

 Reese had snack time . . . 

 nap time . . . 

 Exercise time . . . 

 pool time . . . 

and face painting time with Emmies everyday!

Reese has been wanting to get her face painted forever. She asks me almost everyday! I have taken her every week on tuesdays for the past month to get her face painted by this chic at a free event here in Atlanta and every time she gets too scared to do it. She watches face painting videos on youtube all of the time. So when Emily bought her face paints, you can imagine, the girl went crazy. For the past 3 days we all have gotten our face painted by Reese. Even just now as I laid her down for a nap she asked me if she could face paint after sleepy time. It is always on her mind. She is a pretty good little artist don't you think?

Oh yeah this guy was here too this week!

Fathers Day

Fathers Day June 17, 2012

 What woud I do without this guy? He is such a good Dad to these littles. So proud of how hard he works for us so that we can have everything we need. Then after working so hard comes home and changes dirty diapers and consoles crying babies. Sometimes makes dinner even folds loads of laundry.  He'll clean a sink full of dishes and all the while he'll listen to me complain or cry or yell about whatever I need to unload that day. He is my best friend and the best Dad these kids could ever get. We are feeling pretty lucky over here.

I feel very blessed to be able to call these two men below Dad. What great examples they are to us! Not to mention the babes are crazy about them! So glad we have a day to celebrate the Dads in our life.

This picture reminds me of my Grandpa Jones. I don't know why but Henry's profile always makes me think of him. I am so proud of him. When I think of all that he does for my Grandma who is struggling with Dementia/Alzheimer's (I'm actually not sure which one) it makes me smile. I know that he loves her very much. To take on the role as caregiver after being taken care of by her all those years must be so difficult. He does it everyday. I love him very much for that. I am glad my little boy reminds me of him.

This summer is Beachin

 Tybee Island, GA

 This is the beach at Tybee Island in Georgia. I don't know what it is but I love the Atlantic Coast (AC). I have been to a lot of beaches in my day, and yes the burning sand on the AC is a slight downfall, but it always makes me feel so happy. Its probably because I have such fond memories of going to the beach when we would go to New Jersey. I remember boogie boarding and running in and out of the ocean all day as the waves would chase us out and draw us back in. I remember building sand castles and collecting shells. Haha, don't be mad Em, but I remember you sunbathing a lot. I remember the HOT HOT sand as we would run back to the car at the end of the day. The boardwalk always seemed so much further when we were leaving then when we got there in the morning. I remember always always Grandma with her jugs of water. Then when I think of those jugs of water, I think of Grandmas house and I can still remember the way it smelled. I loved that smell. I loved playing in the basement. There was one dress in particular that I would put on every time and imagine I was a character in the movie Oaklahoma.  It was a green and white checkered dress. The horse in the basement played a key role in all my Oklahoma charades. I had a crazy imagination though, still do. I remember Grandpa and his big chair in the front room. As I type this I can see myself walking through the whole house. I loved that house. Oh how I wish I could go there one more time. I miss Grandma and Grandpa Jones so much! For some reason when I hold Henry and talk to him I think of Gramps a lot! I wish I got to see them more. I love thinking about those memories. One more memory from me, Zipper! I loved that dog probably the only dog I've ever really liked.

 Basically Reese did not leave the water. Christopher and I had to take shifts in the water but mostly he stayed with her all day, and I was with this chunky pig.

 She sat in that same position for so long until the water slowly cleared her big pile of sand away. When we got there and set up our chairs in the morning our seats were pretty much right at the water line. Look how far back the chairs were at the end of the day.

 We had a really great time. I know Reese won't remmeber this trip but I hope to create memories for her just like mom and dad did for us. Its not easy packing kids up with all of the stuff they need and driving hours to our destination. When we got there in the morning and drove around for an hour trying to find a place to park, I tried to stay positive. Then getting to the beach and setting everything up kind of took the sails out of me and I was thinking we would only stay a little while. But the day got better and I chilled out and it turned into a vacation I will never forget taking with this little family of mine.  

Destin, FL

Basically Uncle Ben can be likened to a Mother Hen. His nieces and nephews are his chicks. He has a certain something that the kids just can't resist. If he is doing something they all jump at the chance to be with him. It is pretty great to watch. He has most recently won the heart of my little Annabelle. She has been a long time coming to warm up to Uncle Ben despite the fact that when he is not around she talks about him NON-STOP. This trip made up for all the times she couldn't even bring herself to look at him. She would not leave his side. I think these two girls below mauled Uncle Ben day and night. Thank you for being so sweet to her always! These kids are so lucky to have such great Aunts and Uncles on both sides of their family.

We had such a good weekend in Florida. Reese loved being with her cousins and Henry loved all the extra kisses. We were so lucky to be able to stay in a condo right on the Beach. Ben and Ursula were so great to share their vacation spot with us. All 18 of us in a two bedroom condo. Now that is love!

Love these cousin shots!

We played volleyball, girls vs. guys. It was so much fun. Dennis and Kae kept their eye on Henry for me and it was so nice to get some serious exercise in. I couldn't move for a good 3 days after we played. I can't wait for a rematch next time. Hopefully we will have the rest of the wives of these Dougherty boys. Then we will have some real height! Anne, Ade and Angela. I'm calling you out we need you next year!

This baby girl loves the Beach but had a little bit of a hard time. The Ocean was a little rough while we were there and it was hard for her to play in the water. Good thing Landon is always good for a hug! He is such a sweet boy.
 
I hope to get to the beach one more time this summer before we head to the Midwest and the Ocean is out of the question for a short weekend get away.

2 Months

Super Henry

2 Months 

Weight: 14.9 lbs
Height: 24.2"
Head: 16"

Henry is looking much better in the yellow department. Pretty much all signs of Jaundice are gone. He looks like a serious pig in the 2 month picture taken at the doctors office with Reese. I laugh everytime I look at it. He has been smiling and almost laughing for a few weeks now. Reese and I try so hard to get him to really laugh everyday but no luck yet. He is sleeping pretty good, not through the night yet but almost. He is still grunting like a mad man. He is a pretty nice baby. We are liking him a lot over here.

On sunday I was feeding him a bottle at church and someone came up to me and said 

"Wait, is that your baby? Your new baby?"

I said "Yes, he is 2 months old"

and she said " That is no new baby. That baby looks at least 6 months old"

It kind of made me sad. My babies get big so fast, and i do love a chunky baby, don't get me wrong. Just when they only look like a newborn for a day its kind of sad. Apparently my babies have their tiny newborn stage inside of me. Not fair!

Henry Mark Dougherty

Henry was given a name and blessed on May 6th 2012. 40 years to the day earlier his Papa (pictured above), was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a lucky boy that he could share this special day and anniversary with his Papa. My heart was so full of gratitude for my Father -in-Law as I contemplated the decision he made that day and the impact it has had on so many peoples lives. He met Kae, married and went on to raise 7 amazing children. Six out of the Seven have married and a total of 22 grandchildren have been brought down from Heaven. Its overwhelming to think of the lives that have been touched and changed because of your faithful decision to be baptized 40 years ago. I know that my life was absolutely saved and changed by your son. He is the best man I know and I know I have you and Kae to thank for that Den. I remember the first time Christopher shared your conversion story with me and as I looked at the paper it was printed on, it looked like it had been opened and reread a thousand times (it was still in the envelope a lady bug had landed on for luck!).  I know that it was a great source of strength and light for Christopher on his mission and has strengthened his testimony ten fold. I am proud to be apart of the Dougherty family and I am grateful my children have such a strong example of Faith to look up to in their Papa. Thank you Nana and Papa for coming to Atlanta to be here for this special day. I hope you both know how much you are loved by this little family of four!

Happy little Guy!

I felt very blessed on this day. I know I have so much to be thankful for and I truly am.