Side Note

So, I know you've seen me speak of Erin over at House of Turquoise a few times on this blog.

I love her blog. I love her. She's absolutely adorable.

Anyway, her blog inspires me and comforts me and just plain gets all my juices goin'!

But did you know that she has a whole line up of blogs all based around some of our most favorite colors and color combos?

Check them out here.

And be happy. I guarantee you will be :)

Grownin' Up

Yes I said Grownin'.

It's not a typo.

My brother Gabe used to say that when he was little.

It was cute.

But anywhoo...

Eva had her first day of Pre-school on Friday.

It was supposed to be Wednesday,

but a water line broke at the school and they had no running water and therefore had to cancel class.

Eva was very disappointed on Wednesday.

But super excited on Friday!

Can't you tell?

Don't let the photo fool you. She was just upset because I was making her pose for pictures.

What? I was excited for her...

and for me ;)

But a little sad at the same time.

Wasn't it just last week that I brought her home from the hospital?

And just yesterday that she started to crawl?

And now, here she is,

4 years old.

Tomorrow she'll be 16.

And she'll think I'm crazy to want to take photos of her on her first day of school.

But today, she's 4 and well...thinks I'm crazy to want to take photos of her on her first day of school.

But I did anyway!

And I'll do it anyway when she's 16 too!

A Day to Remember

Do you remember where you were?

I do.

I was standing in the middle of Momma Nell's bedroom, watching her small TV, my hair brush in my hand as I scurried to get ready for work.

I watched as they reported a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

I gasped as I saw the second one hit,

and all of the sudden,

it was clear.

It was no accident.

All day at work, we listened to the radio, kept a small TV on in the breakroom, and shook our heads in disbelief at one another.

Our hearts broke.

About a year and half later, I watched the news report the first bombs dropped over Baghdad. I was working the nightshift at a children's shelter.

I cringed with anticipation.

1 months later, I swore an oath to protect this country in front of friends and family at the Patrick AFB Air Show and 2 months after that I stepped off the bus onto Lackland AFB in Texas to begin my training in the United States Air Force.

And now, I love and support a man who made those same commitments and has quite literally put his life in harms way to continue to protect this country.

Today, on this day of horror and tragedy, I want to say

I Remember.

And I also want to say Thank you,

to my husband; To the men and women who are serving with him, to the ones who've gone before him and the ones who will go after.

You are appreciated and loved and supported.

The Return of Footie Pajamas

I woke up this morning and it was chilly outside.

Yay!

That means the brisk, cool air of Autumn is on the horizon.

And do you know what one of my most favorite things about the return of cool weather is?!?

Footie Pajamas!

I love zipping my girls up in them after a bath knowing that they will be warm all night in their beds despite the cold air.

And I love that my girls get all giddy when the footie pjs go on.

I love how they shuffle across the linoleum in the mornings.

And how cozy and soft they are to the touch.

I think I'd probably wear them if I didn't think it would encourage my husband to sleep on the couch ;)

Fall is close my friends!

And footie pjs are just the beginning...

Summer Recap

So, I didn't blog much over the summer.

I'm sorry.

But life was crazy,

and busy,

and wonderful,

and stressful,

and all of the above.

But, even though I wasn't blogging, I was taking pictures.

Lots of pictures!

You wanna see?

I thought so ;)

Well, we kicked off the summer with a visit from my parents, little sister and brother (professional photographer from Hawaii).

I have LOTS of pics of this on my computer, but they are not mine, they are my brothers and I'm afraid to touch them or edit them for fear that you may think I took them and believe me to be a much better photographer than I actually am.

But he did take a few photos that I know I have permission to share.

Such as this one, from my girls' Wizard of Oz birthday party.

It was a pool party complete with blue gingham bathing suits and ruby red flip flops!

And cupcakes, of course...

The Summer progressed from there with more visits from family...

Like the one from my beautiful sister in law, Anna and her 3 amazing kiddos.

And then there were neighborhood bbqs...

complete with cupcakes, of course.

Juice boxes,

Dogs,

Lots of dogs ;)

Soccer,

Family Movie Nights,

More birthdays,

and a big End of Summer Luau to bring it all home.

All in all, it was a very ABUNDANT summer.

And we've all made it out alive and happy and truly blessed!

Love.

Love is a funny thing.

Many people equate love with that bubbly, intoxicated feeling you get when you're starting a relationship with someone who knocks you off of your feet.

And that part is really fun, but I wouldn't call it love. It's infatuation, really.

And that doesn't make it bad. Infatuation is an important part of developing a deep love. Infatuation is that initial spark, the "chemistry" we feel and the desire to be around this person all the time. It's what initially draws us together and it's fun and exciting and most of the time, necessary.

Life Held Still Photography

But infatuation soon fades. It never completely goes away, but it does fade.

Bills happen, babies happen, arguments and disagreements happen...

Life happens.

Life Held Still Photography

And those bubbly feelings of infatuation soon get drowned out by the noise of daily life.

But I guess that what's so great about LOVE. If it's done right, Love gets bigger and bigger; Louder and more dominate. Each trial it gets put through makes it stronger and more durable.

Real love is an act of devotion and commitment. Real love requires the help of the Father's heart in us. Real love is hard but tender. Strong yet soft and compassionate.

And eventually, you come to this place, after the infatuation has faded, but the LOVE has grown so strong that you start to feel that bubbly excitement again. I guess you develop a sense of appreciation that runs so deep that you begin to feel like the "luckiest girl in the whole world" when he looks at you...just like in the beginning of the relationship.

Your heart flies out of your chest when you watch him cradle your little girl in his arms and kiss her "owie." Your gratitude permeates your every cell when he's holding you and reminding you of how much he loves you and will never leave.

Paul and I celebrate six years of marriage today. And I can HONESTLY say that I LOVE him more today than I did on the day we we got married.

You amaze me, my Love. It's an honor to be called yours.

Life Held Still Photography

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude or self seeking, it is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7