Douglas family update

In no particular order, here is our latest.

We dropped this one, our big girl, off at camp on Sunday.  Oh my.  Camp!  Like, see ya next week, camp.  She's there with her first little friend, Reese.  They only knew each other from birth to 15 months, but still, we consider them buds. Mainly because we spent way too much time together at McCalisters and TCBY together while we were pregnant with them. But hey, mamas can bond over such things!
The thought of these two reuniting through an experience like this brings me great joy!  My hope and prayer is that every girl there grows closer to the Creator of the Universe, who knows their name, knows everything about them and who made them just the way He intended.  I pray too that they will learn so early to seek HIS will rather than the ways of this world.  Wouldn't that be INCREDIBLE!!!  To say so young, "Lord, not my will be done, but yours."  So that's kind of a big expectation for camp I guess, but you get the idea! Its not just ANY place, its a special place where these girls HEARTS will grow more and more in love with Jesus.

Then, there's this guy.
He is 15 months.
Maybe thats all I should say about that.

We ventured to the zoo the other day . On a perfectly overcast Atlanta day. So many animals were out, it was amazing!  And now I am officially an old person because I remember seeing this gorilla, Willy B alive and well when I was a kiddo. He was THE icon of the zoo as far as I can remember.  And I was trying to tell the girls about him but they were looking at me like, "Um, mom, this is not a REAL gorilla, duh!"

So whatever, we got a cute picture.

Harper is holding a roly poly. That I am sure she later dropped and then shed a tear.

Oh my. So Emma Kate, my nearly 7 year old, can ski. What!?!   These are trainer skis that Arts parents gave them for Christmas.  She was so nervous yet so determined.  As she grows up I can see little pieces of her personality that I envy and adore.  She is AWESOME.  And honestly, it has been so hard for me to see some of that as we have dealt so long with screaming, yelling, tantrums, defiance and such.  But as that slows down I am able to see, sometimes for the first time, what a wonderful girl she has become in so many areas and ways.  This was one.  She was so frustrated when she didnt get it.  She would cry, but only a little.  Then she would quit.  And then turn around ready to get those skis back on.  It was such a neat process to watch her go through because in the end, she did it.  And she was thrilled.   And she knew it was a big deal.  I love watching her learn to do things.  I hope some things come easily.  I hope some things are natural.  And I hope some things she really has to WANT to go and keep trying before she succeeds.  What a ride!   I am so proud to know this little one.

So, Auntie Em and Uncle Bubba are livin in the ATL these days!!!
WooHoo!!!  And we could not love that any more!
All three of these small people love them so much!
So thankful.
(And its not so bad having 4 more eyes to watch these people at the pool)

Mud bath anyone?  Our family is in heaven at the beach.  Thankful we get to venture down there from time to time.  These two had a blast with each other.  Hooray for summertime!  And sisters!  And grandparents!  And beaches!  And lakes!  And camp!  And boxes! (for william!)