Happy Father's Day Photoshoot... No Peeking Shaun...

For father's day this year- I thought I would get some funny pictures for Shaun of the boys being... well... boys and a cute picture of Kate. We went with a Super Hero theme...

Is it summer... finally!?

We have been waiting not so patiently for summer to finally arrive. Today was one of the first really nice days (no rain clouds even) and I snapped a picture of the boys' feet as we headed inside for dinner (Mesquite Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas... Mmmmm)- I think summer is here!! Nothing says summer like filthy feet (to me anyway)- it just embodies the spirit of warm days running around on the grass and tripping over the sidewalk- Ryan stubbed his toe late in the afternoon- he told me it hurt so bad that we better just cut it off! He's so funny!

Anyway- what do you think? Can we pull out the shorts and put away the coats!?!

Birthday Girl (Again)

I had a few more pictures that I have taken of Kate recently, and I thought I better put them on the blog for all to see! This is Kate right before her 2nd birthday party. She didn't like the cupcakes any better this time than she did the first time. Though she was excited to see the candle again.

I took the boys outside today to get some pictures for a Father's Day card and snapped this super cute one of my baby girl- she just sat in the middle of the lawn watching her crazy brothers.

Love you baby girl- here's to another great year!

12 Months

Did you know that my baby turned 1 today? I don't know that I'm all that okay with it. I understand that there is nothing I can do about it- time marches forward whether we're ready for it to or not- but, I just feel like we just had her- there's no way she can be 1 already.

I think I'm having such a hard time with this because I have in my head that she is our last one- and all of a sudden- my "baby" isn't really a baby anymore. She's moving forward into toddler-hood without even a glance back over her shoulder towards her baby days. It just feels like I'm trying to hang onto something that is determined to slip through my fingers. I wish someone could figure out a way to freeze time, so that these days could last longer, stretch this part out just a little bit more.

I remember last year, we spent a lot of time on the couch (not much else for a beached whale to do) under the air conditioning vent. We watched the NCAA Women's Softball Championships- I loved looking at the rosters and the players as they came up to bat because I wanted to see their names. We were totally at a loss for a name for our baby girl- so I kept playing with the names of the softball players, trying to see if there were any that kind of fit. I remember I liked Katelyn. And Kelsey. I did NOT like the name Taylor. Funny how you remember things like that. I was probably the least uncomfortable with this pregnancy than I was with any of the others, and I was soo excited to finally meet my baby girl. I remember how sweet she was in the hospital after we finally did have her. I couldn't let her out of my sight- I was just in awe at how beautiful she was. And her pretty pink bow that the nurse glued in her hair. She was so tiny. I think you forget how little they are until you are holding a newborn in your arms.

I remember watching her sleep one night- everybody had gone home and the nurses had already done their rounds. All was quiet. And she was sleeping so peacefully- I remember thinking that there was so much ahead of her. Like any story- hers has a thousand pages that I cannot yet read. It's just amazing to me that something so small can be greater than the sum of all its parts and that with the addition of each of my children- my heart becomes more and more whole- even though I never knew anything was ever missing.

Katie fills all of our hearts each day- her brothers love her more than she will ever know. They love to make her laugh, they love to bring her toys, they want so badly to share their snacks and treats with her- thoroughly convinced that she will love Cheetos just as much as they do. They love it when I put Kate in their beds with them. She snuggles right up next to them, and their noses come together- it's almost like there is a magnet hidden in the tip of each one, and the laughs begin almost instantly.

I wish that I had the words to better explain how much she means to us. Her spirit in our home has brought so much joy, and our lives will never be the same.

Love you Baby Girl!