4 Years Ago Today...

4 Years ago today we made our pledge to be husband and wife. I couldn't imagine loving you more than I did that day, but I do. Four years of journeying through life together--- living dreams, dreaming dreams, and seeing the Lord lead us day by day--- has made that wedding day love seem so miniscule compared to the love I have in my heart for you today. When God made you He certainly was thinking about me too :-)

We danced to this on our wedding day and its truth is more apparent today than it was then.

Its always been a mystery to me,

How two hearts can come together,

And love can last forever.

But now that I have found you I believe,

That a miracle has come when God sends the perfect one.

So gone are all my questions about why,

And i've never been so sure of anything in my life

Oh I wonder what God was thinking,when he created you.

I wonder if He knew everything I would need,

Because he made all my dreams come true.

When God made you, He must have been thinking about me.

I promise that wherever you may go, wherever life may lead you,

With all my heart I'll be there too.

And from this moment on I want you to know,

I'll let nothing come between us, and I will love the ones you love.

So gone are all my questions about why about why

Oh I wonder what God was thinking when he created you,

I wonder if He knew everythin I would need,

Because He made all my dreams come true.

When God made you He must've been thinking about me.

He made the sun He made the moon,

To harmonize a perfect tune,

One can't do without the other they just have to be together.

And that is how I know its true,

Your for me and i'm for you and my world

Just cant be right without you in my life

He must have heard every prayer I've been praying

I've been praying He must've knew everything I would need

When God made you, He must've been thinking about me.

I love you, Christopher Harrington! Happy 4th Anniversary!

Hilton Head

In the beginning of June we began our summer travel schedule with a trip to Hilton Head Island, SC. Thankfully we (actually, Chris) drove through the night so our sweet, little boy traveller was a champ :-) The week was packed with too many fun evens to document, but here are a few snapshots of our wonderful memories.

10 minutes before we left for our 12 1/2 hour adventure we were blessed with witnessing an entire rainbow over our street!! Wow!! Thank you, Lord, for the beauty you allow us to enjoy!!

Somebody looks like he just woke up. Here's our champ eating his McD's hotcakes after a 12 snooze (i.e. trip).

Flamingo Doughnut: It has become a favorite to visit this amazing doughnut shop when we're in Hilton head. I can honestly say they make the best doughnuts I have ever tasted (I bet they're the best in the world!). We were all smiles that morning :-)

Mark had no idea was his taste buds were about to encounter...

Can you say "Yum"??

"The best thing I ever ate..."

Family Worship: Each morning we begin with family worship. It's an amazing way to begin each day.

Who needs a Little Tikes playhouse?? -- an empty cabinet is just as fun!!

Date night: Mark's Mimi and Papa graciously watched our Mark for us while we went out for a night on the town. It's always a splendid time being with the love of my life :-)

Me with 3 of the Kirk girls

The Wreck of the Salty Dog: So we voted that this year we had to eat at Hilton Head's famous "Salty Dog" restaurant; however with 2 pregnant women and a wait of over an hour, we made the decision to visit "the Wreck of the Salty Dog" instead. Great decision!!!---We had our own balcony overlooking the harbor and the same delicious menu as the Salty Dog.

Dancing with Mimi

our view from "The Wreck of the Salty Dog"

cousin friends: Olivia and Abby

Balloon Animals

Ice Cream Trough: a fun (but unsanitary) Hilton Head tradition

Bike riding with Papa: One of my favorite family activities is bike riding. Having our little boy join us makes it extra special. Throughout the week Mark got to join his Papa on many bike riding adventures. Mark got to witness sunrises over the ocean from the back of his Papa's bike, and Mama and Daddy got to enjoy several relaxing breakfasts without a child :-)

Memorial Day Weekend

Chagrin Falls Blossom Festival

I love summers in the Cleveland area. There are hardly any weekends that go by without at least one festival. Memorial Day weekend sports the Blossom Festival in Chagrin Falls. This summer we had the added bonus of bringing my mom and sisters to it. Although it was extremely HOT, we still had a blast soaking up all the activities. We also enjoyed feasting on the yummy corn dogs, lemonade, and funnel cakes (of course!) :-)

Mark got a temporary tattoo-- I couldn't tell if he was fascinated or afraid-- either way, Chris and I thought it was cool :-)

Spending Time with the Fam

The rest of the weekend we spent gardening, playing badminton, going to see a movie, and visiting with my Poppie and Loie. My mom brought out some wonderful plants to spruce up our front flower beds. When I said "we gardened" I really should have said everyone but me gardened. I was in my first trimester of this second pregnancy and boy was I wiped!! Everyone was very understanding and super sweet to beautify my flower beds for me :-) It was a superb weekend!

Great Poppie brought Mark a very cool interactive book. It was an excellent distractor at the restaurant.

Mark was loving the idea of sharing food with Great Poppie. He especially loved his soup!

My sweet little boy is growing up too fast --

doesn't he look exceptionally dapper in this photo??

Aunt Molly's Graduation Party

In the middle of May we celebrated Molly's high school graduation with an open house. The entire family was able to share in the excitement (& the delicious food). Molly is an amazing woman of God. You know how much she loves the Lord through the way she lives her life. The weekend was filled with the testimonies of how the Lord has used her in great ways. Chris and I were especially excited about her graduation because she will be heading to Grove City in the fall!!!---only 1 1/2 hours away!!! Hooray!!