Forever Friends

We are so blessed to have so many people in our lives that have had a substantial impact on us, on the way we love and live and dream about life...on the way we see God and ourselves and eachother. We happen to think community is pretty special.

Some of our best friends, the Archers, travelled with us to the beach this summer. We met Jamie and Jewel when we (and they!) were still dating. We dreamed of our futures and our weddings together and stood with one another as we said our vows. We found out we were having our first babies just 6 weeks apart, halfway through the first year of our marriages and now we have eight children between us! We have loved being together whenever we have had the chance. We live about 300 miles from the Archers now, but when our families are together there is a bit of a spark...I think its like time just stops and even if its been a year since we've been together, its just like it always was.

Our kids love each other and I can't get enough of their gigges when they are with their friends that they have just "always had." Its a special anchor in their lives. I appreciate that they feel a sense of belonging when our families connect and I see how strings like this, and those we forge in our extended family are so vital to the richness of our family and to their identity. Looking at the pictures from our time together is a reminder of this for me and a wonderfully shameless way for me to post vacation pictures! Love you Archers!

P.S. Sorry there are no pictures of baby Lael or baby Paisley...they sleep lots :)

Halle and Kade Enjoy the Shore
Beach Picnic
Trying to Wrangle the Older Six for a Picture with the Mamas...Kristen and the Kill Kids, Jewel and Kade, Gracie and Jaida
Halle, Maia and Jones Await the Arrival of Their Friends
Kade and Halle
Jones thinks Kade is prety funny...
Grace Bjorn
Jamie and Jewel Spotted at Captain Coffee...Yes, she is holding a pop gun...