Shower Number 1

My first shower helped me get used to my new initials!  The "H" has been growing on me for the last two years, but now it's becoming a reality and I am so excited!

Lauren and Megan threw me the most wonderful shower!  Everything was themed around my new monogram initials and my favorite colors... brown/pink/black!  :-)

I got so many wonderful things!  I was blown away by all the generosity of friends and family as they truly did "shower" me with gifts with which to start my new life!

Lily was included as well!  She even got some gifts of her own!

My friend Beth brought her daughter and Bentlee came too, so the three girls had a BLAST playing and popping bubble wrap and taking care of all the ribbons, bows, and paper! 

 Bentlee and Lily showed up dressed as opposites! lol

Overall, it was an amazingly fun, girly, and delightful afternoon.  I am so thankful to Lauren and Megan for hosting my first ever shower!  It was a blast!!  :-)

Inspired...

...to spend more time being busy doing things I love.

Photography - I want to get better.  I want do do more than get better, I want to get good... really good... good enough make money at photography, because I truly love it.

Pampered Chef - I want to be a consultant.  I am going to be a consultant - already in the works!  Again, something I love and I would like to make some extra money with it, because I love it!

I am inspired to find some new sources of income.  As I look to the many changes our future brings and plan to grow a family (in the future) I would like to be able to supplement what we have now and possibly later rely on some things (i.e. Pampered Chef and Photography) to allow me to have a more flexible schedule so that I might make a wonderful home for my family and spend more time with them too!

I think it's time to pursue dreams and make it happen.

Dicovery Center Fun!

The Discovery Center is by far one of our favorite things to do!  We have a family membership and make good use of it!  So when our 2nd snow day this past week rolled around and the roads were nice a dry, we knew just what to do!

 Lily always starts in the arts and crafts area!  We pained for a while.

 The big slide from the 2nd floor down to the first is SUPER fun!  (...and makes for really funny static cling hair!)

 These two melt my heart on a daily basis!

Being silly in the old car!

(Hope this isn't what it looks like when she really learns to drive!

And playing on a unicycle!

The Discovery center is always so much fun!

A snow day project...

That's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

One box of cake mix.

One box of ice cream cones.

One BIG sweet tooth!

Mix the cake mix as directed,

fill ice cream cones 2/3 full,

place on a baking sheet,

bake as directed.

Then the fun gets even better...

THE DECORATING!

For all of you with kids, or for all you who are kids at heart, I highly recommend this fun little project!  We had a BLAST!  What a fun, affordable, and delicious time to have on a day off!

Yay!

Wednesday Folder...

Every Wednesday, Lily brings home her "Wednesday Folder."  It contains all of her work, quizzes and tests, etc. for the entire previous week!  The cover of the folder has a weekly progress report as well.  Lily, of course, gets plus signs every week in all categories!  :-)  Each Wednesday, Lily gets SO excited and won't let her Daddy or me even take a peek until we have time to all sit down together and go through it piece by piece.  I can only hope she is always so excited about sharing her school work and grades with us!

 This week's Wednesday folder contained one piece of work that made my heart pitter-patter and swell with pride!  I don't know if you can see the above worksheet that Lily filled out or not, but you can certainly see the illustration that goes with it!  That is Lily holding a camera!  The work sheet revealed the following:

When Lily grows up she wants to be a photographer.  She wants to be a photographer because she likes to take pictures and because she will be able to make her own schedule.  To do this job, she will need a phone.

So it would seem that I'm rubbing off on her!  She has already learned to use my Nikon D40 and she handles it with the utmost of care!  I'm tickled pink that she enjoys pictures as much as I do!  As for her daddy, he is doomed to a life of posing and blinking from being blinded by flash!  :-)  Yay!

Birthday Boys...

In other birthday news....

Dawson and Vance both celebrated birthdays recently!

 Vance is a February baby like me!  He had his birthday at Bounce U!  How fun!  I had never been to Bounce U and I was impressed (VERY impressed) with how organized and well timed everything was!

 Vance with his birthday crown on... turning FOUR!  After TONS of bouncing and laughing and running and playing, we had cake and sprite and opened gifts!

 I had to throw in a picture of Chris and I joining in the birthday fun!

 Check out all the wild party atendees!  What a fun group - and everyone had SO MUCH FUN!

 Even Jack had a big time with the big kids!

The other birthday boy is Dawson!

Dawson was a January Baby, but I'm just now getting around to sharing his fun birthday with you!

 Dawson's turned THREE on his birthday!  He had a Plains, Trains, and Automobile theme and his birthday was at the discovery center!

 You guys all know I have a think for little feet and little shoes!

 Zoe (Dawson's cousin), David, and Dawson!  I love this picture!

And of course a family shot...

...and lots and lots of playing

Both boys had SUPER FUN birthday and played themselves out by the end of the day!  I was blessed to be there to celebrate with them and take a few pictures to document the day!

Happy Birthday Week...

I am officially 29!

I celebrated my birthday week (and day 2/4) this past week!  Those of you who know me well, know that I celebrate all week long!  I LOVE birthdays and making them special - even for myself.  Some might think this is selfish, but I just think it's fun!  Chris honored my "birthday week" tradition by hanging up this banner to surprise me on Monday!  It came with a card and an "all inclusive" meal out to anywhere I wanted!  The banner stayed up all week, but the partying got put on hold while he struggled through (what I believe to be) the flu.

    I wanted to post something profound or wise... of maybe fun or funny... but right now the words escape me.  I am another year older, but it doesn't feel different.  I am very aware that I only have ONE year left in my 20s and I'm not sure how that happened?  I remember wanted to be in my 20s SO BAD because then people wouldn't look at me as a "kid" anymore, lol.  Anyway, words escape me right now.  I can, however, lead you to some words on me and my birthday over at my Mom's blog!  She did a birthday post on me and I am still misty eyed and smiling!  CLICK HERE to see her post and some of my baby pictures!  :-)

Daddy Daughter Daisy Scout Dance...

This was Chris and Lily's second year going to the Daddy Daughter Dance!  I think it is so precious and I love getting Lily all dressed up to go out with her Daddy!

(I have a thing for little feet and little shoes!) 

 This year's theme was royalty!  So of course Lily was prepared!

Lily calls this dance the "Daddy's watch your daughters run around and play Dance!"  She thinks that is SO funny!  They dance a little, but there is a lot of playing too!  This year, there weren't as many little girls there.  They didn't stay too long, just and hour and half or so.

I just wanted to document the sweet moment that my handsome prince took his little princess out for the night!  :-)  So sweet.