saying goodbye to summer...and hello to babies!

i cannot think of a better way to end our summer vacation than with sweet, cuddly babies.
last week, my sister-in-law and her family went on a mini vacation.
guess who got their younger kids for the day?
you could say we swapped kids.
they took our two boys{rowdy, rambunctious, healthy, active, etc...}
and we{elly, maddie and i} were fortunate to get my newborn niece and her brother{sweet, cuddly, smiley. adorable}.
there is no better way to relax on a friday afternoon than with two adorable, sweet, cuddly kiddos.
meet some of my extended family...

this sweet guy was digging the above knitted hat that elly made.

it didn't fit, but he didn't care.

note: this is how he felt about me for the first few hours.

i.e. don't look at me.

he is definitely a momma's boy, but i can understand that.

she is an amazing person.

sweet baby.

this girl wasn't fussy.

she was a dream and of course, she never left our arms.
{except the photo shoot}. ;) 

those eyes!

i fed him and then he warmed up to me.  

that whole, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' starts early.

;) 

elly in her glory.

she hearts babies{and is really good with them, too.}

smiley newborn?

oh, yes.

big yawns!

no, she isn't crying, she's just sleepy.

a knitted diaper cover that elly made for the babe.

duck gazing.

or mom wishing.

not sure which one here.

eeek!  cuddles.

unbelievably adorable.

again, the eyes.

swoon.

they pretty much stayed in this position all day.

at some point, you just have to strip them down.

it's a rule, you know?

yes, she has 10 toes.

i checked.

she looks so much like her older sister here.

*note: this little blessing was born in the midst of some serious trials for their{our} family.

her older sister{4} was undergoing chemotherapy treatments during the time she was born.*

God is so good.

the many faces of a newborn.

love.

do you like the hat that elly made?
i thought it was really cute!

can you think of anything better than this to 'end' the summer?

{home}school has now started and the dynamic around here is pretty intense these days.
lots of projects, studying, coloring, flash carding, crying, and general chaos at any given moment.
tune in for many upcoming episodes from our home schooling adventures!
much love.




xo,