Annual Girls Night....gone a little wild.

Kim and I recently enjoyed our annual girls night away.  We have done this for nearly 6 years now and I look forward to it every year.  It's always a good time and this year was NO exception!!  To sum it up here is a peek of what we were able to fit into just over 24 hours together....

Lots of shopping (surprise anyone?!)

Some beach time.

Amazing conversation (without interruptions)!

A dinner so good I considered licking my plate.

Ice Cream!

And we topped it off with....waaaaaay too many martini's....

 Which resulted in soooo many laughs my stomach hurt...

...and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

(It also quite possibly resulted in one of us getting cut off at the bar....but the details on that are a little fuzzy).

Love you and your friendship Kim!

"Most of us don't need a therapist as much as we need a friend to just be silly with."

--Robert Brault

Ahhhhhhhh.......

Have I mentioned how much I love summer?!

Swimming Lessons...

I think it's fair to say that this little girl looooooved swimming lessons...

And this little boy did NOT...

Matt and I are not exactly sure why except that he complained every single day that the water was just waaaay too cold!  Poor guy!



A much needed break....

This past weekend Matt and I took a little time out just for us....a weekend away without the kiddos. 

A much needed break.

I love spending time alone with my guy....just getting back to who WE are...without the hustle and bustle of every day life.

I love laughing with him....and the serious conversations....and maaaaybe having one too many drinks with him.

It's all good.

On top of that, read my post below to see how this amazing guy of mine topped the weekend off for our family.

Thanks Matt for an awesome weekend.  It was a much needed breather for this wife of yours and I'm forever grateful for you!

"Love one another and you will be happy.  It's as simple and difficult as that."

--Michael Luenig

Best. Husband. Ever.

After Matt and I got home from our amazing weekend away he had a little surprise up his sleeve for the kids and I.  He had been saying for weeks that he was planning "something" but would not clue me in on what that "something" was....just that I was suppose to keep a certain date open.  Well, we got home from our trip and he told Eva, Jaden, and I to have a seat on the couch so he could tell us what our SURPRISE was (I looooove surprises)!!

He said he had a surprise for Eva and I, and then a separate surprise for Jaden.  I was thinking to myself, "Awww...he probably got Eva and I an afternoon at the spa or something like that".....boy was I wrong!

He had us close our eyes and he handed Eva and I a large paper.  Here's a pic of us when we looked at it....



Can you see the paper we are looking at??

Yep, my little girl and I are going to see Taylor Swift in concert baby!!!! 

I'll be honest, we look fairly calm in the picture...there was definitely a bit of screaming and giggling that took place afterwards!  My little girl has got me hooked on Taylor Swift and I can't think of anyone else I'd want to experience her concert with.  The thought of singing along to all of her songs LIVE with my little girl brings tears to my eyes already....I'll be a total wreck at the concert!!  Ha!

Matt made sure Jaden got something special too.   While Eva and I are at the concert Jaden and Matt are going to go bowling, play video games, and - get this - go see the time trials of REAL race cars!!  Jaden is PUMPED!

I'm not sure Matt could have surprised any of us more than he did....and I will forever be grateful for his thoughtful nature and loving heart! 

"A laugh is a smile that bursts!"

--Mary H. Waldrip



Jaden

Just a few things I love about this little boy at this stage of life...

I love that you are thoughtful...you are truly concerned about the feelings of others.

I love the way you never eat one type of cereal in the mornings...you always mix two or three cereals together.

I love that you whisper to yourself.  Daddy and I often jokingly call you Brick (those of you that watch "In The Middle" will understand that).

I love that you recently went through a phase where you said, "I love you" to Daddy and I nearly 500 times as I tucked you in at night.

I love that you exercise with me.  Your form on your push-ups is to be envied.  :)

I love that you pronouce the word "forgot" as "wha-got"...and that you say "sha-bul" instead of shovel.

I love that you love any toy that has millions of little parts to it.  You have numerous tubs in your room full of all of your "special trinkets".

I love that you love to snuggle. 

I love that you are willing to try new foods.

Even though I tell you that it's inappropriate, I think it's adorable that you try to "help me" discipline your sister.  After I have scolded her, you have (more than once) looked at her and said, "Ya Eva!!!  That's NOT NICE!!!  Right Mommy??!"  Again...not needed....but hilarious.

I love that when we would drop Eva off at school you would cry if she didn't wave to you.  You love your sister with all your heart and soul.

I love that you pay attention to the small things in life.  You notice things I never would as I hurry about in my world.  YOU often force me to slow down and loooook. 

Although we encourage you to stay focused, Daddy and I often get a kick with how easily you get side-tracked.   You can easily jump into a world of make-believe with your toys and completely forget that you were suppose to be doing something like...er...getting dressed.

I love that one of your favorite things is wrestling with your Daddy.

I love your underbite.

I love that you call Pinocchio "A-NOPE-E-O"

I love that you love Disney World....and still believe in the magic.

I love how sometimes I can tell you are deep in thought and when I ask you what you are thinking about you willingly share.  Recently when this happened you said, "Mommy, wouldn't it be so cool if we knew how to fly?!"

I love that you use words like "beautiful" and "delicious" and "amazing".  Big words for a little guy, but hearing you make a comment like "this food is sooo delicious" makes me smile.

I love the way you pray.  You bow your head, close your eyes, and your forehead wrinkles as you begin to think about what you want to say to God.  Your prayers are straight from your heart little man.....and little do you know how much listening to you pray melts my heart.

I love YOU Jaden...and I am amazed at the awe-inspiring little man you are becoming.

Love,

Mommy

Eva

Just a few of the things I love about this little girl at this stage of life...

I love that you are missing teeth.  It makes me smile to see a toothless grin!

I love that you are scared to death of alligators...but love sharks.

I love that you laugh a lot...a deep in your belly kind of laugh...and others around you can't help but grin when they hear it.

I love that you are not easily swayed by others.  You seem to have your own view of things and stick with it. 

I love how you will look at me and say, "Mom, girls ROCK!"  ....I hope you always know you rock because you are a girl...and that you can do anything,.

I love shopping with you.  I love how you will now go into your own dressing room and model each and every piece of clothing we pick out.  I love how you twirl around and get a little smile on your face when you are modeling.  I also love how if we can't decide if we like an outfit you will say, "I think we need to stick this out fit in the "maybe" pile!" 

I love the dimple by your eye.

I love your crazy morning bedhead!

I love that even at age 6 you want your stuffed dog (Doe-Doe) when you are upset...although I had to chuckle at Daddy telling you that asking for Doe-Doe while you are playing baseball was not acceptable...even if you are upset.

I love that you occasionally sing yourself to sleep.

I love that you are a natural organizer....you put me to shame sometimes with your organization!

I love that you are not afraid to try any type of sport.  At your age I was timid with sports....you are not.

I love that you are starting to read and frequently want to read the Bible.

I love getting pedicures with you.

I love how your little mind really thinks through things now....you don't just accept answers given to you, but rather question until you understand.

I love that you call your brother, "Buddy".

I love that you enjoy watching game shows, The Three Stooges, and I Love Lucy.

I have a special voice that I use for Sophie (our dog) and I love that you will request that I talk using "Sophie's voice".

I love that you are an extremely hard worker...you always have been...and I hope you always will be.

I am amazed by your faith in God.  You are six years old and your faith inspires ME.  You are not afraid to tell the world that you love God more than anyone or anything.  Your faith is rock strong and unshakable at this stage of your life....my prayer is that you continue to love God with the same intensity you do now.



I love YOU little girl....all that you are...and all that you are growing to be.  You amaze me every. single. day.

Love, Mommy

Spring Hill Camp!

Let me tell you a little story....waaaaaay back in the Dinosaur Era early 90's when I was in high school I was in a group called "Natural Helpers".  It was a group of students selected by our guidance counselors to be "student counselors" among our peers.  During my years as a Natural Helper I attended a few retreats to help me sharpen my skills when helping other students.  These retreats were amazing...but what I loved the most was the feeling I had when I was there.  Everybody was positive...and upbeat...and encouraging...and no matter what we all had eachothers backs.

I remember thinking numerous times "THIS is how the whole world should be....always."

Well, Eva recently experienced SpringHill Daycamp and I'm pretty sure that is the feeling she felt every. single. day.  SpringHill is a camp thats mission is to impact young people in their journey with Christ and they do it with extreme sports, awesome activities, and outdoor adventures!  Eva spent the week bungee jumping, shooting paintguns, climbing a rock wall, going down a massive slip-n-slide....and soooo much more.  The cool thing about it is that every single activity she did was brought right back to God. 

Can you imagine learning about how God helps us face our fears.....by bungee jumping?

Eva did...

On top of that the "feel good vibe" at this camp is amazing!  When I dropped Eva off every morning there was loud music playing, people clapping and cheering her on as she walked in, and people literally dancing in the streets....isn't that how life should be?  Wouldn't it be awesome if you walked into work each morning with people high-fiving you and telling you how amazing you are because God created you?! 

Wouldn't it be awesome to start each and every morning jumping around and rockin' out to Christian Music playing sooo loudly you can literally feel it in your body?!

Eva did...

Can you imagine someone standing you up in front of everyone and telling you how amazing you are...telling you that God gave you a special "superhero" trait and sharing a special Bible verse that they picked out just for you?

Eva can...

Her superhero trait was "cooperation" and her Bible verse was Romans 12:4-5

Wouldn't it be awesome to go to bed each night with songs about God echoing in your little soul so loudly that you can't help but sing outloud until you finally drift off to sleep?!  Eva also did this...nearly every night the week of camp. 

The word "amazing" does not even give this camp justice....I just wish we could make every single day a SpringHill kind of day.

"Jumping for joy is good exercise"

--Unknown

Inaugural Flag Raising....

Matt and I have been discussing installing a flag pole in our backyard.  The kiddies decided that Father's Day was the perfect time to get one!  Matt installed it last weekend and when I asked him about raising it he said that he was going to ask my dad to do the inaugural raising.

Let me tell you a bit about my dad....he is a Vietnam Vet and probably the most patriotic person I know.  When I approached him about possibly doing the first raising of our flag he got quiet, looked down, and said, "I'd be really honored."

So bright and early this morning he came over to raise our flag for the first time!!

As he got it ready he talked to the kiddies about how the flag should never touch the ground.

The Inaugural raising!

My favorite part...Dad saluting the flag after raising it.

Old Glory blowing in the morning breeze!

The finished project.

Remember this as you celebrate this weekend....the American Flag does not fly because the wind moves past it.  The American Flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has died protecting it.  American soldiers don't fight because they hate what's in front of them...they fight because they love what's behind them.

Happy Fourth of July!!!