Pictures I Forgot I had!

I forgot about all these pictures that were taken with the little camera I carry around with me! Hope you enjoy! (and don't laugh to hard at this first one... yes, I did just turn 25 and that is ME in the crown!)

My mom so sweetly made me a crown and cupcakes and brought them to the pool on my birthday!

I tortured poor Mackenzie on July 4th and made her wear this hat for a picture... poor child!

The happy Mall girls all decked out on the 4th!

The happy Slingerland family on the 4th... everyone had on something festive, even Jenna had red socks!

Mackenzie was happy when he daddy rescued her and let her take her hat off!

Checking out the American Flag... the point was cut off, but still very scary to hand to a 10 month old! I watched her like a hawk!
Mackenzie and her Poppop on our family vacation... he swam with her for hours!
My dad got her this floaty thing since I forgot mine... she loved it cuz she could touch the bottom on the pool and she thought she was so big!
My Mommom with her three daughters! They are so kind to always include me... I had fun hanging out with them all!

The Church Camping Trip

Here are some pictures from our annual church camping trip! This first one is of Mackenzie "helping" me pack. First she just sat on the outside of the plastic bin that has all my junkie clothes in it and pulled them out, but then that wasn't enough and she crawled into it and sat there pulling everything out! She was so proud of herself! Here's a picture of Miss Britney feeding her... we had fun hanging out not only with couples in our caregroup and my family, but Catherine and Britney as well! I love those girls so much!
Here's Mackenzie under our canopy... looking like quite the princess! You can see Aunt Robin's camper in the background. The Witter's are always so generous with us and have loaned us their camper two years in a row! It was so nice with all the rain we had!
I'm not sure what she ate, but obviously, she wasn't a big fan!
Here's one hot daddy making us breakfast!

We invented the most yummy pancakes... we took the cookie part of an oreo and crumbled it up into the batter... they were SO good!

Mackenzie and I went to Boulder Field with everyone (Jake stayed back to play volley ball with the boys). She was really good, we didn't go far, just out a little for this picture!
Mercy, Jenkins, and many other kids had fun picking blueberries for their family pancakes!
Here's Kenz all stuffed into the car on the way home!

I don't have any pictures of it, but Su August was so nice to hook up our caregroup with free tickets to a waterpark. Jake was able to get an extra day off so we stayed until Wed. morning and then packed it up and headed to Camelbeach! It was a really fun park, but unfortunetly, they had to close it early because of the rain. But Jake and I both got to do some really fun rides before it closed and we had fun making one last memory with our friends!

Saying Goodbye...

On Wednesday night we had a very emotional farewell to our time of being "The Lockhart Caregroup!" God grew our caregroup from three couples to all of these people and then some in three years. Although our caregroup grew so large, there is no way to describe the depth of relationships that we've gotten to enjoy with each other. Led by the example of Jen and Bryan, we learned to come along side one another and ask "heart questions" and grow in our confession of sin. I am so grateful for each and everyone of these people who have impacted my life!

Here is the very first appearence of David Kane at our group! What a cutie!
We made a scrapbook for the Lockharts... Jen's gonna kill me for posting this picture! They loved it!
Here's a picture with Mackenzie and her intended... that's right... you saw it here first... official dibs on Ezra Lockhart as my future son-in-law!!
Although the night was so emotional with honoring and prayers, the over all tone of the evening was excitement for what God is doing in the lives of the Lockharts and the new caregroups He is starting! We are excited to build with the Slingerlands and had an excellent time of prayer for them and the Chungs. Then we had a fun time of asking Bry and Jen crazy questions like they always used to ask when new people visited our caregroup. Then John led us in a time of honoring the Lockharts and sharing memories we had... it could have gone on forever... everything everyone said triggered something else in my mind that I wanted to say! And then Matt led us in a time of prayer for them. It was a fun, emotional, God-glorifying evening. I am so grateful for this body of believers that God has used in my life and for the care of Jen and Bry for the past three years. I know God is going to use them mightly as they will now be equipped in a whole new way to care for people when they get back from the Pastor's College. I can't wait for our church to be the beneficiary of this man's kind leadership and gentle, challenging counsel. I am so grateful this isn't good-bye forever, but that we get them back! (God, please don't change those plans!!)

What a whirl!!

Well... the past week has been crazy! Jeff got MARRIED on Sunday! It was the most incredible wedding I've ever been to! The ceremony was so God-glorifying and the reception was beyond belief with lavishness! I think that everyone felt like Cinderella there! The food was scrumptious and the dancing was so much fun... although not as much fun as watching Jeff and Angie attempt their first dance! (Her dress kept getting in the way and either she was stepping on it or Jeff was... but it was fun to watch him try to spin and dip her!) They got back from their honeymoon on Monday and a thrilled to be enjoying married life together!

The day after the wedding, Mackenzie and I took off for a vacation to the Poconos with my mom's side of the family. Jake joined us from Thursday night till Saturday when we all came home. I missed him so bad... ask anyone in my family... I think all I did was whine for the first three days! But it was nice to get to spend so much time with my aunts and grandparents and little cousins. I had tons of help even though Jake wasn't there. There was always someone around to watch Mackenzie so I got to read and finish TWO books! I'll comment more on the pictures below!

Jeff and Angie were nice to each other and they didn't smash the cake. I like this picture cuz you can see the ring on Jeff's hand!!
Amy and Andrew with the thrilled Mackenzie after the wedding. John and Eileen were so nice to take her home after church, give her lunch and a nap, and get her dressed and bring her to the wedding for us! As you can see though, it was a very big day for her... she did a lot better after she got out of her foo-foo dress.
Mackenzie and Mommy after the ceremony!
Just a pretty picture of the bride before the ceremony. She looked so gorgeous in her dress! Her mom did her makeup and her flowers were so pretty! I loved her extra long veil that just added to the elegance of her dress!

Unfortunetly I don't have any good pictures on my camera of my handsome husband, but he was quite the stud in his tux! Take my word for it... he was the only one competing with the bride in looks!

Mommom was so sweet and she made a treasure hunt for the four little cousins and Mackenzie everyday. Mackenzie liked all the baby food Mommom picked out for her... but her favorite (of course!) was the paper it came in!

We had to make a makeshift baby carrier for Mackenzie for our hike... by Thursday I was feeling really couped up and wanted to hike with the family, but there was no way even the jogging stroller I brought was going to tackle those hills and rocks! So we made her a little seat out of pillows and snuggled her all in and then pulled the strap tight around her chest so she couldn't wiggle out. She was so proud of herself on her Poppop's back!

At the top of the mountain we would get Mackenzie out to stretch and I like this picture cuz she's surrounded by the "four littles" (as we call them). Everyone wanted a turn to hold her, it was so nice!

This the last hike of the trip. Mommom had made it up the day before, but she didn't want to push her luck. I'm sad she's not in this picture, but this is still a nice picture of Poppop with all his grandkids (and soon to be grandkids... Andrew and Katie!) and great-grandkid.
Ok... this isn't as astounding as it looks, she was actually leaning her butt on the wall for balance... but this is her first attempt to stand alone and Jake got it on camera!! Yea!! I'm so proud of her... although I still say this is all going way too fast!

Our Fourth Of July!!

Our 4th of July this year was really fun! We met up with some families from our caregroup to watch the parade in Marlton (which our church totally rocked it out with the ONLY float in the parade, I might add!) and then we had an inpromptu get together at our house. Everyone pitched in and the following pictures are the result! Jake came home and made a game of "washers"... Dov picked up the actual washers for us!
All the guys out grilling
Mike drinking his "rat poison" (according to him, it can't kill you on vacations and holidays!!)
Connie with her fruit salad!
"The Spread"
My Hottie, the griller!
Matt and Isabelle

The soon-to-be-married (yeah!) Eric playing a game of washers
My hunky hubby playing washers
Mike sharing his "rat poison" with Rayna
Mackenzie thinking she is a big belonger with all the kids
Eating her "big girl" rice cake!

The best part of being a kid... blue tongues!
Mackenzie loved playing with Lydia... here they are competing to see who can get through the door first!
Lydia won! She was so sweet with Mackenzie and Mackenzie was nice to her too... she liked having another person her size here!
Lydia trying to get back out and Mackenzie still trying to get through! I just thought this was so cute I had to post it!

So, all in all, it was a great day! It was so nice of everyone being willing to drive over here and bring food. The guys had a lot of fun playing washers, the moms had fun talking and cooking together, and the kids were all so well-behaved! I told Jake it was like a "dream day" to me... to have so many people over spur the moment and to have them stay for so long... we ended up having to give the kids dinner! These days are the best =)