"Who's busy like a bee?"

Me, me, me!

We've been pretty busy recently! There are lots and lots of fun and exciting things happening.

Jacob started 5th grade this year. I know, I can't believe it either! He's growing up so fast. We pray that as he goes through this school year, that he not only excels in his academics, but that he is also taking Jesus with him into the public school setting and being His light in the darkness! I know that even the smallest things--being polite and courteous, demonstrating respect in all things, being obedient--make a difference! Jacob is such a joy and I feel truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to share in his life.

This fall, Jacob has decided to play Upward flag football instead of baseball. Practices have started and he is so excited to try something new. He loves football and joins his daddy as a die-hard Steelers fan. Of course, I join my daddy and say, "GO EAGLES!!!!!!!!"

Eli has reached the 18-month milestone. He, too, is growing up quickly. We've weaned from the bottle, enrolled in gymnastics, and are attempting to move to one nap instead of two. He's into and on top of everything! I'm in awe of his vocabulary--I've lost count of the number of words he now has. It blows my mind how quickly he picks up on things. Fortunately, he seems to have inherited my sense of direction. Just yesterday, we were leaving church. Just a little background info: Eli hasn't been to church in about 3 months. He was having some severe separation anxiety and we were being called out of service every weekend. So, we decided to attend separate services while one of us stayed home with Eli to give him a little break. This weekend was his first weekend back and he made it through the entire service and had a GREAT time! Yeah!!! Okay, so remember that he hasn't gone this particular route in at least 3 months. As we made the turn to head toward the restaurants, Eli begins screaming (his favorite new volume for speaking) "ice, ice, ice, ice" Wouldn't you know it, about a half mile ahead is out favorite Dairy Queen. He's his Mema's boy!!

Just a thought:
"When I approach a child He inspires in me two sentiments: Tenderness for what he is, And respect for what he may become." ~Louis Pasteur

Hope your day is blessed!

Dougherty Family Vacation

We had a blast at Emerald Isle with my family recently. There were 15 of us in all; 7children ages 13 and under and 8 adults. The house was beautiful and so was the weather. We had so much fun playing games, splashing in the waves, digging in the sand, hitting the water park, eating yummy food, playing some competitive board games, and just relaxing together!

It was so much fun to see the wonder in Eli's eyes as he discovered the beach and the ocean for the first time. We went last summer, but he was only 6 months and really wasn't able to get around. He got around this time, for sure! He truly has no fear and we spent lots of time running after him as he was running straight out into the ocean! He took a couple spills face-first, but got up and went right back in.

The older kids had a blast in the waves and Jacob even got a really cool battle wound from wiping out on a rogue wave. Please note the the really cool battle wound wasn't really cool at first!! They also had loads of fun in the pool and hot tub.

It was a great vacation. Here are a few pictures of the fun!






P.S. My SIL, Amanda, put up a great post about our trip. You can check it out to see more pictures and read her favorite memories (many of them are my favorites, too)!