Dressed Alike-for a few minutes

Perpy gave the boys these cute outfits. We dressed them in the outfits on Sunday morning to wear to church, but we didn't make it to church in them. Wesley got his wet. Hmmm...maybe next Sunday. At least we got some cute pictures.

Brothers

Graham loves his baby brother. If anyone tries to hold him other than his parents, he gets a little protective and says, "My baby!" He continues to show Wesley lots of love and affection. We are thankful they can grow up together and pray they will be good friends.


Wesley has started enjoying a few minutes of tummy time each day. Graham thinks it's great and always lays down with him.
Graham seems so big now that Wesly is here.

Happy Birthday, Perpy!

Perpy celebrated her birthday with us this weekend. She stayed for a few days and spent time

with the boys. She babysat so Tim and I could get out a little, and she did some cleaning. Thanks for your help, Perpy! We enjoyed our time with you.

Thank You, Mom!

My mom left today after being here for two weeks. I cannot describe how much I appreciate all she did for me. Here are just a few of the wonderful things she did for us: praying with me over the phone while I was in labor, dropping everything to get in the car and drive over 10 hours to come help, cleaning up poop off of the carpet-my son's and my dog's, cooking, cleaning, sleeping on the couch so she could help with the baby in the middle of the night, taking care of Graham in the morning so I could sleep in, doing lots of laundry, loving Graham even when he was clingy to me, helping me to laugh when I felt like crying, going shopping with me and telling me I looked beautiful even though I didn't feel so beautiful, fixing lunches for Tim to take to work, and rejoicing with us in the birth of our second son.

Thanks, Mom, for all that you did for my family over that past few weeks, and thank you for loving me so well over the past 31 years. I love you and will miss you!





Here's a journal entry written by Angela Thomas Guffey in Prayers for New Mothers. I love what she writes about her mother, and it greatly reflects my own feelings.

My Mother

Oh, God,
Thank You. Thank You for my mother. I never fully understood how incredible she really is until the birth of my first child. With this birth, my esteem for her is renewed. My respect for her grows daily. She truly emobdies the truth of Proverbs 31-a woman of great character, noble and praiseworthy and good.

My mother is a source of great strength. Her presence always brings calm and assurance. With each new baby, she quietly comes and takes her place in our home. She cooks and cleans and irons. She holds everything together while I fall apart. She has given each of our children his first bath. Even now, I hear her humming a lullaby, and I smell the beginnings of supper on the stove. It is so peaceful to rest in the love of my mother.

Lord, her legacy is one which I long to pass on as well. Although I am at the start of motherhood, I desire more than anything to give my children the same motherly love that I have known. I feel completely inadequate, yet wholly committed. Continue to teach me through Mama how to love my babies well.

Please bless her. Give her happiness beyond measure. Reward her many times over for each sacrifice she has made. Let her know that she is loved and adored by her children. Thank You, God, for giving me a mother to love. Give us many more years to walk together. From the tender heart of Your daughter and hers, I gratefully pray in Your name. Amen.

Wesley's First Trip to the Zoo

Sunday was Nissan Family Day at the zoo, so we made a special trip to the zoo.
We only saw three animals on this trip to the zoo because we got there 15 minutes before it closed. We saw the meerkats, elephants, and of course, the monkeys.
Wesley slept through the visit to the zoo, but Graham had a great time.

Another Day at the Pool

Drew and Will came over today to go swimming. Well, Drew slept in his stroller next to Wesley the whole time while Will and Graham had lots of fun in the pool.
Graham and Will were taking a break to eat some lunch. We are so thankful to have cousins close by.

Our First Week with Wesley

Graham is a very proud brother! He continues to be very excited and very affectionate with his little brother, "Baby Wesley Mark"!
Wesley got a lot of pricks the first week of his life due to his jaundice. Last Friday, he finally turned the corner and his bilirubin count started going down. We were very thankful for that because we did not want to have to go back to the hospital.
precious toes!

Life has been a little crazy around our house but we are loving having Wesley home. He's a sweet baby, and we treasure each moment with him.

Wesley's Story

Well, Wesley surprised us all when he decided to come almost two weeks early. Tim and Graham had gone camping Friday night to give me some girl time with my friends from out of town. Natalie, Christine, and Anne, dear friends from high school, came to visit for the weekend. We went out to dinner Friday night and had a great time. We all went to bed kind of early but none of us slept well. I woke up the next morning at 7 and realized my water had broken. I told my friends and they excitedly got me to the hospital. I was able to reach Tim quickly and he met us at the hospital shortly after. Everything moved very quickly, and Wesley was born less than three hours later. It was quite an exciting time!

Graham meets his little brother for the first time.

Perpy and Wesley
Natalie, Christine, Anne and I enjoying dinner the night before Wesley was born.

Nana and Wesley


Wesley is doing well, and we feel so blessed to have him in our lives. Graham is extremely excited to have baby Wesley around. He's a little emotional and challenging at times as he adjusts to all the changes in his world. I'm recovering quickly and trying to learn how to take care of two little ones. Thankfully, my mom is here for a few weeks to help.



Thanks for all of your prayers! God has been so good to us, and we are so thankful!

Introducing my little brother!

Introducing my little brother...


Wesley Mark Franklin

Wesley was born Saturday, July 7 at 9:50 am. He weighed 7 pounds and 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. He and Mommy are both doing well and came home from the hospital on Monday. I am so excited to have a baby brother. I love to hold him, give him kisses, and bring him toys. Mommy will fill you in on how he came into the world. Notice our new blog name-it's not just my blog anymore, but I'm happy to share it with Wesley. I think life will be more fun with a little brother around.

A Morning at the Park with Hiroto

Last Friday, I got to visit a new park with my good buddy, Hiroto. We played on the playground...saw a very large train,
fed some ducks, ate a picnic lunch, sang the ABC's together in the car, and sweated a lot. It was a great morning! By the way, ducks don't like left-over waffles-even if your Mommy makes them from scratch.