papa love.

it wasn't long ago that we moved here and settled in, wondering how often our grammy and papa visits would stretch in between each other. you see, we need these long hellos and warm hugs. they keep us going...counting down with gummy worms until the next airplane lands or in this case, motorcycles come barrelling down the road.

it's amazing what the physical presence of family can do. we are blessed beyond blessings with the amount of time they've spent with us and most importantly, with our girls. their investment into our lives has been irreplaceable. and we are thankful.

we are thankful for family all over that have invested in prayer and thoughts of our little family. we can say with confidence that we feel uplifted every day knowing that we are loved in so many ways. it really is overwhelming. overwhelming to know that God loves us so much that He has purposefully put those people into our lives for a specific reason. we'd be foolish to look past them...foolish to ignore their influence. foolish to keep walking without a glance in their direction to say thank you.

every physcial visit reminds me that there are so many more who are lifting us up in spiritual and emotional ways. and for that, i want to look up and say, thank you. i don't want to miss an opportunity.

as we've been soaking in every minute of "papa & papa" {referred to by miley girl} time, here are just a few favorites from the last 10 days. thankfully, we still have two full days left...

and a few from our christmas in july celebration on the 15th...i really don't need a reason to throw a little party, but how often do you recognize Christ as the newborn King in july?

i think she's in love.
it's a little known fact that when my dad visits, he'll be hanging something or putting something together for me. this time? he did both {you rock, dad!}.

exhibit a: love my new curtains that i ironed for six hours to earn {thankyouverymuch *wink}.
exhibit b: yup, ikea. thankfully, i only go there when {both} my parents visit. true story. haven't been there since december.