Lankford Love

We recently traveled to Houston to see Meredith (Brendon's sister) get married to Danny! Here are some photos from the big event! Lilleigh was thrilled to get to go with the bridesmaids to have her nails done! Being a flower girl is a very serious job. Hubby and me at the rehearsal dinner. Getting ready on the big day!                                                 Because Lilleigh has this habit of making a terrible fake smile and clenching her teeth, we took some selfies beforehand to practice our "real smiles." Grammy with the flower girl and ring bearer. Meredith and Danny's first dance. Connor and Lilleigh dancing. These two love each other. They never cease of being together, which is amazing to me. Even when we go on week long trips together, these two are joined at the hip constantly. Glow necklaces at the reception wer...

I don't know where to begin. I've told this story two hundred times, and yet the emotions are still raw.  We found out mid-May that we were pregnant. We were thrilled! A little nervous, I admit, but thrilled. Lilleigh was over the moon excited, and Adeline just got clingier by the minute at all the baby talk going on. I had all the pregnancy symptoms - nausea, exhaustion, a growing baby bump...  At 12 weeks, the day before Brendon's and my 8 year anniversary, I confidently went in for my midwife appointment. When it came time to hear the baby's heartbeat, my midwife could not find one. When she switched to a sonogram, the baby only measured 8.5 weeks, no heartbeat. Apparently babies start to break apart after the loss of a heartbeat. Our intact baby meant that this loss has happened fairly recently. To say we were shocked is an understatement. Stunned. Spinning. Baffled. These words don't do justice to what we were feeling.  The next immediate feeling - heartbroken....

This was supposed to be published weeks ago, so I'm not sure what happened there. But alas here it is... It's been a super busy summer and last couple weeks. I have one hundred things to share, but for now here are some pics from our recent girls trip to Florida! 

We are still in June, yet it has been a busy summer! To start with, we visited family in Kansas for my cousin Michael's wedding. We just love his bride, Elizabeth! She's darling! It's always so refreshing to get out of Dallas and drive to the country to go visit this side of the family. Lil is really into playing "wedding" right now, so she sat perched up in the balcony, watching the whole thing, like a little birdie. I had to walk out with Adeline soon after the ceremony started, and Lilleigh was happy to stay there without me. Never happens. That tells you how into the wedding she was! When we got back, Ryan, Tarryn, and their boys came to visit. The cousins LOVED playing together! It was precious. (For some reason, the other photos won't upload, so just imagine lots of running, jumping, and playing in the rain!) Lilleigh also participated in Vacation Bible School at a nearby church. She was giddy to go each day! I think it was ...

About a month ago, Adeline started to stretch out her nap FINALLY (though it's still not consistent). That combined with the fact that I am currently not pregnant (and thus have energy and not worried about paint fumes), I decided I should tackle a project that has been on my "someday DIY list." And thus began the project of painting our bathroom AND kitchen cabinets!! I began in the bathroom and worked my way to the kitchen. This was definitely a learning experience. I used chalk paint (NOT chalkBOARD paint - we don't need to write on our cabinets!!), which is commonly used to paint furniture. It's a newish fad. I chose to use it for a few reasons: Chalk paint is forgiving. You don't see brush strokes in the same way you do with pure latex paint. You don't have to sand the cabinets. Chalk paint adheres to the surface it's painted to. (Supposedly - time will tell, I guess.) This was clearly a huge reason! Sanding is a beating. Now keep in mind, w...

It's been too long since I last posted! I try to post on here at least once a month to keep family and friends updated on life. I'm hoping for several posts in the next few days, but we will see if I make it that far! :) I've been serving with GriefShare this semester, which has been really good for me! God has done such a work in my heart through Austen's death, and I am glad to be able to pour out some of that to share with others in their darkest times. It hurts my heart to see the women in my group in such pain each week, but I am also so hopeful for each of them. God promises in Romans 8:28 that for those who love Him, He will work all things together for good! That's a promise I'm not willing to let go. It's a promise I've been able to see the fruit of. And I am thankful. I was able to share my testimony with grief one night in GriefShare. You can listen here . This March was 5 years since Austen passed away. We set off balloons, like we do e...

With all of the warm weather we've had this winter, I was beginning to think we wouldn't get any snow. Suddenly this week things changed. It became burrrr cold, and 4 out of 5 days have either been snowy or icy! And today it snowed ALL day! That kind of thing doesn't happen in Texas! And it was awesome!