the acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree...

For his special day this year, I made Gabriel and the boys coordinating Father/Son shirts.

For Gabriel: the mighty oak tree. And for our two little guys: acorns.

This was so much simpler than last year's matching shirts, and this time I was sure to choose extra comfy t-shirts that, hopefully, won't end up in the thrift store pile (don't worry, I rescued last year's top and tucked it away for posterity...). Lest you think I am super woman, I finished these at the last minute this morning before church, while River napped and Gabriel took Liam to Lowe's. They were that easy.

We spent the afternoon hiking around Lake Fayetteville. It was a beautiful day for a walk, despite the heat.

Our trusty jogging stroller made the trek with a some extra help from Gabriel. Liam hiked/ran a good portion of the walk, and he has the scuffed-up knees to prove it.

 The wild flowers were in full bloom. It was lovely.

Every time we hike Lake Fayetteville, the last couple of miles seem to go on forever. But we finally finished all 5.5 miles and rewarded ourselves with dinner at Steak n' Shake.

And because Gabriel is truly awesome, he opted to help me and my mom clean at Brighthaven so we could get done sooner. The kids did great, and were remarkably cheerful at 9:30 pm.

And so that is how we spent our day, loving each other and this life. And I am so grateful for it.