CONGRATULATIONS Brina & Karlie! 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony!
Proud of our girls!
We are so proud of our girls! They did it! Both girls successfully completed all of their elementary school classes. It is hard to believe that they are now heading into middle school. They went to Crosswell for 7 years! Thankful for all the great teachers and administration that invested all their time and energy into our girls. They have grown and learned a lot of about life, friends, and increased their knowledge.
Congratulations Brina & Karlie!
Today was a big celebration for all they have accomplished in their schooling. It came with a lot of emotions for me as their Mom. I was thrilled and happy while at the same time sad knowing that my babies are growing up very quickly. I want to hold onto and treasure these precious moments because these past few years have gone by way too fast.
Brina getting her diploma from Mr. Holliday!
We look forward to seeing them continue to grow. They are sweet girls who have grown up so much. It will be neat to see them transition into Middle School. Love our girls!
Karlie getting her diploma from Mr. Holliday!
My girls are not babies anymore!
Mother’s Day Celebration!
My familyThankful for an opportunity to be a Mom! Being a Mom is an amazing honor and privilege that quite frankly scares me some days. It’s good to know that the call of Motherhood is not a place for us to be alone, but a place where we get the opportunity to live life alongside other Mothers and sisters who can pray, encourage, and support each other throughout this incredible journey.
I am thankful for my Mother and the many Mothers and sisters in my life that continue to make an impact on my heart. We live in a broken world full of broken people therefore it is impossible to be perfect and being a Mom tends to make that oh so clear. It is essential and refreshing to have people who are willing to speak truth and love into your life on a regular basis. I am grateful for each and every one of these ladies in my life.
Breakfast in bed – fresh cherries, fresh pineapple, yogurt, and an omelet (ham, cheese, mushroom, spinach, and tomatoes)! Delicious!
Jake and the girls made my Mother’s Day extra special. I received breakfast in bed, hugs, and well wishes. After breakfast we went to church together and heard a powerful message that hit home in my heart. When we got home Jake and the girls (okay, mostly Jake) made an amazing lunch followed by a relaxing evening. The girls gave me sweet cards, beautiful flowers, a blueberry bush, a swing cushion, and other goodies.
It is not always easy being a Mom, however, there are more good days and great memories than I can count. Some days are a little tough and I get frustrated with myself for not being able to do better, but I never regret becoming a Mom. Motherhood is one of life’s greatest gifts and callings. It is an honor and a little scary at times raising kids.
Although life gets a little crazy at times I wouldn’t change it for anything. It has been a wonderful gift seeing these two little blessings grow up. They continue to amaze me and it is awesome seeing them use their talents.
One of the several beautiful and Sweet Mother’s Day signs. This one is from Karlie and I discovered it sitting on my desk! Love my girls!
What If You Woke Up Today…
Thank You God For Blessing…
A Thousand Times…
Flashback Friday: NICU Graduation Celebration
Ready for the NICU Graduation Celebration
Today’s Flashback Friday goes back to September 2005 when the girls went to their NICU Graduation Celebration. It is hard to believe they are now 7 months old. We are thankful for all the doctors and nurses that helped our family during the time when the girls were staying in the NICU. They took good care of our babies and we learned a lot from them during their stay. It was a great event to celebrate. Glad the girls were still growing and healthy.
Relaxing while we pack up the diaper bag and get everything ready to head out. The super cute dresses are from my Aunt Mary Ann, Uncle Rick, and cousins Renelle & Laurel in Colorado! Thanks guys, they are adorable!
Karlie’s 1st Face Painting experience. She was not too sure about a stranger touching and putting stuff on her face even though the rest of us were right there.
Karlie made it through the face painting, but was not happy with us at the end. She was not a big fan of it. Her legs were kicking, arms waving, and was about to burst into tears to let us know that she was not impressed with this whole face painting adventure. A little TLC and snuggle calmed her down quickly and she was fine for the rest of the event.
Brina getting her face painted for the 1st time at the NICU Graduation Celebration. She didn’t seem to mind it at all.
Brina was relaxed and just let her paint her face. She figured Daddy was there it must be okay.
Karlie is all smiles now. She doesn’t even remember that her face is painted with a smiley face.
For some reason Brina loved chewing on this dress. Must of tasted good or had an appealing texture.
Brina talking and happy even though her pink heart is completely smeared all over her face from her fun NICU celebration adventure earlier that day!
Karlie is glad to be back home again. Her smiley face stayed on for several hours after we arrived back home.
Karlie and Brina are very lucky girls. During the NICU Graduation Celebration they won a door prize for some toy blocks and shapes. They are playing with their new toys now. They have no clue they won anything, but were happy to play with the new toys. So exciting!!!
Mother’s Day Celebration
Huge Mother’s Day chalk message on the driveway from Karlie!
I am blessed. Yesterday I was reminded again of how much God has given me. A family that loves me despite all my imperfections. Jake and the girls showered me with love on Mother’s Day. Even though Jake was on call this Mother’s Day weekend and was a little busier than normal, he made time to celebrate. It was a great day with the family.
They made me breakfast in bed. We went to church. Jake and the girls made an amazing lunch. That afternoon we relaxed, read books together, opened gifts, played games, and had fun. Thankful for my family and a chance to spend the day together. Their thoughtfulness made me feel loved and appreciated.
Breakfast in bed – cheesy scrambled eggs, ham, and sauteed mushrooms! Delicious!
Fresh flowers from the girls (they got them from Children’s Church)
Putting together the pinwheel steaks!
They choose what ingredients to stuff the steak with for lunch
Pinwheel steaks ready to go into the oven!
Stuffed with tomatoes, swiss cheese, goat cheese, bacon, ham, spinach, mushrooms, sunflowers, cranberries, and more goodies!
My steak was AMAZING!
Huge stuffed portobello mushroom! Stuffed with spinach, hummus, and topped with toasted granola – so tasty!
Mother’s Day cards from Jake and the girls. Karlie’s was the kitten and Brina’s the puppy.
Brina picked out a beautiful pink rose bush for me!
Karlie picked out a gorgeous red rose bush for me!
Adorable handmade flowers from my girls! Brina made the bright yellow one and Karlie made the blue and red one!
A place to sit and talk with Jake or read with the kids. Very comfy!
Sweet note from Brina. The top says “I am thankful to have a Mom like you because you are nice to me and play with me.” The bottom has a cute little poem!
Colorful Mother’s Day Butterfly from Brina
Cute card from Brina
Mother’s Day note from Brina wanting to know if I can play or cook with her! Love my girls!
Vibrant Mother’s Day drawing from Karlie
Sweet poem and note from Karlie on the back of her drawing.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
But no one a flower,
Just like you!
Happy Mother’s Day! Hope you are having a nice and relaxing day. Do you like the card and rose? The rose is a rare blue rose that only grows on Neptune! May you please read to me on the deck?
Thankful for my family! I treasure these times we have together. I am blessed.
I Love You Too!
“I Love U” spelled out with their Magformers Set
It is always a pleasant surprise when you walk into a room and find a nice saying or artwork waiting for you. The other day I walked into the dining room and this is what was on the kitchen table. An “I Love You” message and smiley face.
Thankful for my kids. Their creativeness and their little ways of reminding us that they truly do appreciate and love us as well. They requested that I take a picture of their artwork so they could send a message to some people and let them know that they were thinking of them on this particular day.
It’s the little things like this that make me smile. Parenting can be tough some days, but it is also very rewarding too. Grateful for these special moments when they demonstrate love, happiness, and the desire to brighten the days of others.
A Magformer smile waiting to be discovered on the table!Flashback Friday: Sharing, Sleeping, & Surgery
Brina and Karlie sharing a pacifier
Today our Flashback Friday hits when the girls were only between 1 – 2 months old after coming home from NICU. They shared everything and could sleep peacefully in the most unusual positions. It was much easier to get their pictures at this stage because they were not mobile yet. Thankful for these little blessings. It doesn’t seem like these days were that long ago.
They were preemies and came home on heart / apnea monitors for the first few months. You can see the wires coming out of their clothes in many of the early pictures. We never had to worry about them stopping breathing because the monitors would always alarm if they did. It wasn’t long before we got used to it.
During this time Karlie also had to go back into the hospital to have surgery. Her stomach wasn’t getting the milk she was drinking and she was throwing up after feeding. It was pretty scary taking our little one back in for surgery. Watching her being wheeled off to the operating room in the huge crib broke my heart. Thankful for Doctors and their help during this time.
Baby sleeping pile
Somehow Karlie managed to scoop herself until her bottom was against the wall and had her feet resting up on the wall while snoozing away.
Karlie resting after surgery with her huge IV bandage
Brina hanging out in the pillow. She thought it was pretty cool standing up at first, but decided after a few minutes she would rather be free.
Beautiful Plants & Basket from My Thoughtful Husband
Love it when he surprises me with something special!
My husband brought home these plants as a surprise for me a couple weeks ago. He is sweet and I love it when he does the random thoughtful gifts. My only regret is that it was such a busy weekend I did not take a picture of the beautiful basket with both plants green and blooming.
At this time only one plant is still alive. Yes, I have already killed the miniature rose bush. I love the mini roses, but have a horrible time keeping them alive for very long. You can see pieces of my sorry looking rose plant beside the one that is pretty and still green.
I love plants and flowers, however, I am not the best person to grow them. Usually I either over or under water them. I like the ones that are easy to maintain and can handle wet or dry soil and withstand lots of sun or no sun. In other words a very strong and durable plant that handles extremes well. Grateful for a thoughtful and caring husband. Love my plants and basket!!!
I love the basket the flowers came in and have already used it a couple of times since he gave it to me!
It has been fun using this basket for surprises and goodies! Thankful for my husband and everything he does for me.
