3rd grade...

HMMMMM...

3rd grade...

I have a 3rd grader...

the cutest 3rd grader...

in her "skinny jeans and ballet flats..."

A 3rd grader who couldn't sleep the night before

and who couldn't eat her breakfast because she was so excited!!

I think that I was just as excited as she was!

This is an exciting new year, so many new experiences, so many new things to learn!

We went camping...

for the 1st time this summer.

Camping for the 1st time with the baby.
It was so nice to get away, so nice to sit back and relax.

But camping with a baby is hard work. Our little man was so good though!

I really think that he is an angel baby!!

My camo guys!! (adorable, aren't they)

My my mom, Chad, and the boys came up for dinner. This little guy kills me. He had watched John Wayne with Chad and insisted on bringing his cowboy get-up. He kept calling me "young lady" and shooting the "bad guys" around our camp with his pistol.

My kids love my mom...and I love that she loves them so much!!

Life....

I could go on and on about how life is just way too short.

I could tell you how sad I have been feeling these last 24 hours.

I could tell you that my heart is breaking at the thought of children growing up without a mother,

and all of this would be true.

But I am telling you to never let one minute go by without telling the people that you love just how much you love them...

You never know when you may be spending your last moments with them!

"The one thing we can never get enough of is love.

And the one thing we can never give enough of is love."
- Henry Miller

So above all else...LOVE!

Love with all your heart and soul!

8 years old...

How is it possible that I am the mother to an 8 year old little girl?

I don't think that it should be possible... The past 8 years have flown by.

Having Aniston changed our whole lives.

I wouldn't have imagined that I could love anything as much as I loved her the moment that I found out that we were having her.

She is amazing, smart, beautiful, thoughtful, sweet, caring, loving, lovable, the list could go on and on...

She really didn't want one certain thing for her birthday, so we didn't know what to get her. Ryan called me one day and said that he had the perfect gift in mind. When I stopped by the store he showed me a pink bow and arrow. He wanted to know if I thought that she would want something like that... We talked about it with her and she was so excited.

So that is what she got from us...

She loves it... Her dad loves that she loves it...

and she is a natural.

Oh, man!! I love this 8 year old little girl!!

July...

July has been a blast.

And exhausting at the same time.

Here is some of the reasons why...

The girls got to go to the mini cheerleading camp this summer. They were thrilled. Emerson walked through my house for days saying "Wolves, put your hands up, hands up."

Daddy and Easton watching the girls cheer in Aurora.

After watching the girls we had a family BBQ with a ton of yummy food and great company!

Ryan slept out with the kids (what a good sport) so that they could hear the bombs at 6 a.m. I think that Easton and I are the only ones who heard them... everyone else was zonked!

The 4th, or I should say the 3rd, was fun-filled!!

I love the 4th. It's one of my favorite holidays. The kids had a great time and Easton was such a good boy all day, despite being dragged from one hot place to another.

The only game that we like to play is the game where we get the goldfish.

Our poor fish didn't make it through the day...sad:(

The girls rode in the parade with the Cheerleaders...

They were so excited and their mommy thought that they were pretty cute up there!!

These past 2 months...

have flown by. I am still having a hard time thinking that my baby boy is 2 months old.

I could just eat him up...

SERIOUSLY!!

Last week we took him to the Dr. and he is "healthy and happy".

(those are the Dr.'s exact words).

He weighs in at a whopping 12 lbs.

(3 lbs bigger than both the girls at 2 months)

He is 24 in. long.

He sleeps the entire night.

He just found his tongue.

He smiles non-stop.

He coos at us.

(Where we all stand above him and giggle with delight when he does)

We are totally smitten with this little guy.

{this.moment}

{this.moment}

A Friday ritual.

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a lovely holiday weekend!