One! One!

 Yesterday, I picked the big girls up from school and they ran to the car saying "The bell rang! Everly is one!" That's right--one year ago to that minute (3:30 pm) our fifth daughter, our dear Everly, was placed in our arms. Nine minutes later, our son made his appearance. Healthy, strong, feisty, wonderful--all times two. Not really expecting the combination of a girl and then a boy, we really hadn't even tried their names out loud together. (They were very close to being Easton and Faira!  Crazy, I know!). But our Everly Lou and our Grant Jonathan are exactly what God knew we needed.

The blessings continued that day. Both grandmas were there in the hospital with us so Grandma Sandy could very quickly meet her namesake. (She was originally Sandra Lou, after HER grandfathers who were both named Louis). Now Everly's sisters call her "LuLu" which is the cutest thing ever, and a nod to the family ties. Grandma Deni was first to hold our boy--her little boy's namesake, the name she chose for her boy 37 years ago. And THEN the sisters as well as Grant's godparents arrived to join the welcoming crew. So very, very precious.

And now they are one. This year has been full of learning and challenges and growing for all of us.  Lots of screaming and not quite as much sleep as we would have hoped some days.  But there has been so much joy. More than we could have imagine or even hoped for. They fill our lives with love.  Everly Lou and Grant Jonathan--we hoped and prayed for a fifth baby for our family.  God answered our prayers doubly. You are loved so very, very much and we pray God's richest blessings on your first birthday and all of the ones to follow.