You Only Turn Six Once

Irene's sixth birthday was just what she wanted - a Japanese tea party. I'm pretty sure we accurately recreated the ancient custom.


Holt's coming to her birthday is now, after two years, officially a tradition.

In Texas, this is how we bob for apples.

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Irene finally got that sucker by going for the stem.

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It was so nice to get to see Sierra and Will one last time before they moved to Portland.

Sweet Megan and Mandy. They get invited to Irene's birthday party as guests and end up serving us instead. We are truly blessed to have such Godly girls as examples in our daughters' lives. Their gentle and servant hearts must be the work of the Holy Spirit.

Summer Moments

After the Fourth of July bash, our summer was pretty mellow. Here are a few moments I thought were worth capturing at the time:




Irene and Uncle Robert practice baseball with the bat and ball Gumma gave Irene for her birthday.
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That dog hand puppet in the background has quite a ferocious face, but his posturing can't fool Mary. She knows a "sweet baby dog" when she sees one.


Uncle Robert thought it would be cute to get a picture of Irene sitting on our old commode. It's the first time I saw Irene balk at doing something from a sense of dignity.


Isn't he cute? I love the lone curl. Getting to (finally!) meet my nephew Collin was a real treat.
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Poor Irene gets so tired of watching the little ones having so much fun on the ground. If you can't beat 'em...

The best of friends

Houston summers means finding some indoor activities.

The girls and I spent a day with our friends. Here are Mandy and Natalie under their fig tree. Figs, or "big acorns" as they are known in the Bishop home, are one of Mary's new favorite foods.

Being Texan is a way of life.