A Closer Look

More Birthday Partyin'

I had a birthday last week . . .
{I'm old, and I didn't wanna talk about it}

So the girlies were in charge of the cake making.

They made it all by themselves.
I mean, completely.
The only thing I did was put it in the oven, and take it out.

 Sierra and Kenners were responsible for the frosting . . .

and Kam . . .

Well, Kam was responsible for the sprinkles.

And I don't know who was responsible for making sure every stinkin' one of the 32 candles was on the cake.  Thanks a heap.

I had a wonderful birthday.

Things may be a little up and down right now, but ultimately I have everything I could ever want and need.  My God, my husband, my four beautiful girls.

I am truly blessed.

Sometimes I Need A Little Reminder

Okay.  I'm going to go ahead and repeat this to myself about 132 million more times ;)

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

One evening last week, Jeremy and I got out of the house by ourselves. I'm just going to give you a second to let that sink in.

..................................

♥ ♥ ♥

.........................................

♥ ♥ ♥

.....................................


Ahem.

I was just excited that we got to take a drive to Fred Meyer by ourselves, but then . . . he surprised me with this:

A trip to a beautiful Rose Garden in Portland.

It was a gorgeous, warm evening.  And it was such fun to be out of the house just the two of us . . .

That doesn't happen all that often, ya know . . .

What touched me the most was the fact that he knows how much I love roses . . .

. . . And he knows how much I love photography
{before we left he suggested I bring my camera}.

And he drove all the way in to Portland . . .

just for me.

I love that guy.

Little Baby Bee

We had a Bumble Bee Party for Little Miss' 1st Birthday.

I tried to make these little bees out of cake pops, but apparently I made their bodies too big because they were pretty wobbly.  Back to the drawing board ~ a friend suggested I try marshmallows.  Worked like a charm!

My dear friend came over to help assemble.  We made up 24 of these cupcakes in a jar two days ahead of time.  They froze and thawed beautifully, were so moist and delicious, and the best part ~ no prep work the day of the party.  Just took them out of the freezer in the morning to serve that afternoon.  LOVED it!



And, of course, lemonade in Mason jars.  Next time I will use smaller jars ;)  These quart ones are great for very thirsty people ;)

It was such fun.

Taylor had a wonderful first birthday.

 She was really getting the hang of opening gifts toward the end.

And if she hadn't been . . .well, big Sissy Kam was right there to help.

Happy First Birthday, Taylor Grace

Miss Taylor, you are one year old today. At this moment, one year ago, we met the sweet little baby girl who we'd been dreaming about.
And we got to bring her home . . .

And watch her grow . . .

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

  6 months

7 months 8 months 9 months 10 months

11 months

ONE YEAR!

You are the sweetest, most cuddly and lovey little girl ever.  You bring such joy to our lives.  Happy First Birthday, Sweet Baby Tay.

♥ Happy Father's Day ♥

Happy Father's Day to the Best.Daddy.Ever.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today . . .

I looked like this:
{Holy.Moly.}

One year ago today,
I had an OB appointment, and was told I was 4.5 cm dilated.

One year ago today,
hearing that I was 4.5 cm dilated made me a little nervous.

One year ago today,
I stopped at the store on the way home from my appointment to pick up last minute things for the Birthday/BBQ we had planned.  I also picked up a "coming home outfit" for baby.

One year ago today,
I thought we'd actually have that BBQ.

One year ago today,
my mother-in-law and I texted non-stop discussing which day would be best for baby girl to arrive.

One year ago today,
I called my sister on the phone, and when I told her I was 4.5 cm dilated, and not at the hospital having a baby, I believe she said something like, "WHAT?!  Get your booty to the hospital right now, young lady!"

One year ago today,
I didn't get my booty to the hospital.  I just stayed put awhile longer.

One year ago today,
I didn't even have a name picked out for my fourth baby girl.

One year ago today,
Jeremy and I were still debating names.

One year ago today,
I was soooooo anxious to meet this precious little bundle who had been kicking and punching me for months ~ and who happened to have about 42 hiccup episodes a day.

One year ago today,
my back ached, my body was exhausted, and I couldn't see my feet.  But I didn't care.

One year ago today,
I didn't know that in less than 24 hours I would hold my fourth daughter, and become a Mama all over again.

Too Spicy!

Miss Kam thinks everything is spicy.
{Or Ficy, as she calls it}

But the BBQ Potato Chips were calling her name.  So she thought she'd give them a try.

Hmmmm.

Yeaaahhh, not so much.

Time for Milk!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Busy In The Kitchen