Noah.

Go ahead, you can say it like Bill Cosby on his standup.  {"Noah." "Right."} Just me? Your dad didn't listen to Bill Cosby cassettes on many a car ride in the 80s? If you don't know what I'm talking you can view it here or ignore this part and move on to the precious baby pictures.

Introducing our first nephew and the McCay clan's newest addition. Noah James.


And Allyson looked like a supermodel 3 hours post-labor.


No child was more excited than Hannah, but Eli ran a close second.

Proud Uncle and Daddy.


So blessed to add another to this amazing family. Prayers and any assistance you can offer are welcomed to the new family of 5 plus their 3 foster care darlings.  Full, busy house!

Big Sisters' Arrival.  And More.

Family Counts 2012

Once again we were treated, courtesy of Alabama Power, to all the delights a wonderful family day at the fair can be.



This is glamorous life of a entrepreneur, well the life of a good entrepreneur.  When problems arise, they have to be answered. Even if you have to set up on the bottom of the big slide.



Then there was giant inflatable slide.  Everyone loved it. And there was a really long line, because other kids loved it too.



But Colin is little and quick and he really liked the slide.



He got three rides in by cutting in line and slipping quickly up the steps before a grown-up could grab him.  It was hilarious.



And in 2011  And in 2010

Easter 2012

This is not a deep, spiritual post.  This is the post about Easter outfits and dessert. Because really, look at the cute. And chocolate? I mean that is a given.

The Easter photo shoot, also known as the boys semi-annual hair combing, not that you can tell.

We went to the Easter service on Friday night.  This confused me as to what to do with the boys Easter outfits, so they just wore them all weekend to cover the bases. Any clarity on the rules would be appreciated.

Also, it is always a great idea to try and do the family photo shoot with the sunset blinding the children. {thick sarcasm}

Then you might get some jewels like this. "Safety"


There was some mommy wrangling, but I don't believe that helped.



Hey, all smiling a looking at the camera! I'll take it, head scratch and all.

There were bubbles with cousins.




Oh, and there were Easter desserts. "Chocwhat" He approves.


So exactly how many jelly beans are we calling a "serving"?  Because I've surely eaten enough for all of us.

Rainbow Zebra

So, we made this adorable little guy today.



The task was to paint a zebra by looking at a real picture and painting the lines in the directions they actually go on a zeba.  It was a wonderful fine motor activity.  Eli was willing to really work on holding the paint brush correctly, which he always fights with a pencil. It really turned into his project.


{Please don't mock my zebra outline.  These boys got a momma with an artist's heart, not the talent.}

When we finished the black stripes, Eli look at it and declared that it needed to be a rainbow zebra.  Sounded like an inspired moment to me, so all the paint colors came out.

Everyone participated. Colin loves to paint, but today he was being particularly inspired by earth tones (read: brown, dirt, etc.), so in protecting Eli's vision Colin was given his very own paper and steered away from muddying the zebra.

Eventually, even Walker was convinced to join in.



This is one of my favorite activities we have done this year.  It wasn't elaborate or even really planned out, but I know this is one I will remember forever. It was a long-ish project, that required patience and multiple steps.  We talked about animals, Africa, painting, colors, and everyone worked as a team.  All the projects have not gone this well. {HA, extreme understatement}

So, does anyone know how to frame giant pieces of oddly shaped cheap butcher paper? Because this can't be our permanent solution.


PS - This video is long and most likely boring to those who did not birth these people, but I big-puffy-heart-love watching videos from the years gone by on the blog.

Washed White

My girls, my women, my ladies who lead me to Christ, I am so grateful for each one of them. We meet weekly (at least) and share the praise and the hardship, and are painfully honest and ridiculously silly all at the same time.

We knew we wanted to participate in a passover dinner together with our families.  Then Ann Voskamp posted the perfect tool to use. I wonder if she will ever know how greatly she is being using to minister and lead our generation?

We gathered. A week early, so everyone could attend, but really this celebration isn't about a date on the calendar it is a state of your heart.



I set the table with the finest. I cleaned the house and in the process, God prepared my heart. Rinsing plates has never been so spiritual. The entire day was a gift.



We read, we ate, we remembered.  Six small children were remarkably behaved, as only the Holy Spirit could ordain. We were reverent, and relaxed.  And we walked away encouraged and with a renewed and deeper understanding of all this Holy Week is.

Passover dinner really is for this Friday.  I cannot encourage you enough to give this a try.  We plan on celebrating and remembering each year.  Go on over and read some Ann, print out the directions and be blessed.

Also, linking up as part of Beth's, You Capture: White.  She has changed my indoor photography forever in helping me figure out the basics of white balance!  Notice the pictures above are actually white and not some strange orange, even though they were indoors on a rainy day.  So grateful for people who are willing to send a helpful email.

And just for good measure, here is my other favorite shot of white this week.

Also, these are his favorite socks.  He insist on them being pulled up.  I mean, who wouldn't?