Family pictures

When Cullen was 7 days old we had family portraits made.  They are a true treasure to me.  I prayed for that with the twins, so the pictures that we have of Cullen so brand new are absolutely priceless to me. 

After we moved I was afraid we would have a hard time finding a new photographer.  I was so happy when a good friend suggested Tracy to us.  OH.MY.GOODNESS!

I am going to link to her blog so you can get a little peek at the awesomeness she captured during our 2 hour shoot.  In the blazing heat of June in Texas! 

And to top it all off…these pics were taken EXACTLY 2 years after the first ones of Cullen.  7 days after his second birthday!

 

http://www.spryartblog.com/2012/children/539/

Blogger back-up

How in the world can two months pass that quickly??  SO much has happened in our little world and I wouldn’t want to miss any of it…so, here is a blogger back-up.

My super sweet and smart girl has done AWESOME in school!  (Just keeping it real: not every day is an easy breezy day…sometimes I would rather jump out of a plane with a questionable parachute) 

However, I am so proud of what we have accomplished together and I think the most rewarding part of our homeschool is watching Ellie gain the confidence and pride in her work that she creates. 

She is growing up way too fast and actually lost two of these babies in the last two months! (she pulled the second one all by herself, b/c I was just not made to be a tooth puller)

We are preparing to take a family vacation to Vail to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.  This man was not made for shopping, so I’m praying that in the few trips we’ve made I’ve gathered enough warm clothing for him!

And look how big he is getting!  Just this morning he woke up and looked at me and said, “I love you breast friend” (my heart almost exploded…my kids are my world)

My man at neighborhood night out.  Ellie was SO mad she had ballet and had to miss out on the fun.

My two babies at gym and then a day out with mommy.

A day of fun before the sickies invaded…

I mean REALLY invaded.  Throwing up, trips to the ER, and fevers that topped out at 105.3…scary times here.

We recovered in time to host our annual costume party!

My grown up girl getting her first library card!  She is so proud and I am so proud that both of my kiddos LOVE to read!

Our bff’s!  We did a dinner date and then a sleepover and then made a trip to the spa the next day.  So much fun!

I’ll end our back-up/catch-up with Mimi’s 66th birthday.  Mimi and her babies…true love!

And here we are in NOVEMBER!!! 

A long overdue and much anticipated visit

We had such a fantastic time last weekend.  Brandon’s sis, Aunt Courtney, came all the way from Arizona for a super fun visit. 

Every year my hubby and his die hard friends and a few family members congregate to hold their annual fantasy football draft.  I believe it is safe to say that said day is hubby’s absolute favorite day of the entire year! (and it has grown on me too…I love to throw a fun party and visit with friends)

Our kiddos impatiently waited all morning for Aunt Courtney to arrive and once she did the race to capture her attention was on!  Auntie C usually reads our blog and I know she NEVER imagined the volume level was as high as it is in real life when she looks at our pictures.  (think total sensory overload!)  We filled Friday night with family fun.  A lot of yummy Texas BBQ, swimming, mermaid flipping in the pool and sweet Cullen going under”neaf”.  After an impromptu gymnastics show that the kiddos put on at 9pm the littles were tucked safely in bed and we had a little adult time.  Not much though because this momma had to retire early in anticipation of the party prep the next morning. 

The spread…and the drafting chart

My brothers Uncle Dave and Uncle Tim and Grampy are also a part of this fun family and friends day! (mimi was out of town)

I try to avoid the actual draft time because the intensity level is just a little too much for me, but I did manage to capture a few pics.  I’ll let them speak for themselves. (and the speedo is a reflection of his team name…and he is just THAT funny as a person too)

The passing of the trophy and the speech

My bestie came since our kiddos are also best buds.  I absolutely love seeing the joy on Ellie’s face when she has Emma around to play with.  And Cullen just loves Chase!!  UGH…we miss them and are praying that they end up moving this way SOON!!

 

Cullen and his buddy Chase

The crew

Our sweet Bock-e kept the kiddos out of the adult fun and entertained them all day.

 

Sunday, was the good-bye day.  The worst part about visiting is saying good-bye, but we know we will see Auntie C again in about 298 days.  Cullen was sure he saw Aunt Courtney’s “hair”plane while we swam later that afternoon. 

Dear Aunt Courtney,

B and I are so thankful that you chose to spend a few days of your visit here with us and our loud “littles”.  Your ability to make them each feel special and give them your undivided attention is a true gift that you have.  We miss you dearly and we are already eagerly anticipating your next visit.  We love you!!!!!

Nothing better than an oreo smile!

Another BIG day

Today was another milestone day in our family. 

Today our twins would have started kindergarten.

Instead, our baby girl started her second week of homeschool and our little boy watched over us as he always does.

My heart was so heavy last night.  Six years ago, I imagined sending our babies off on a school bus together with monogrammed back packs and tears in my eyes.  Today looked a lot different that I imagined it would back then.

 

Different doesn’t mean worse though.  Although I would give anything to have my sweet Bennett here, I am beyond thankful that I get to have Ellie with me and that I am the one who gets a chance to teach her daily. 

I have been filled with anxiety over the pressure of homeschooling.  Mostly because I typically place unrealistic expectations on myself in almost every area of my life.  But honestly, when you are the sole individual responsible for the success or failure of your child’s education it is a TON of pressure!  I realized today that NOT sending Ellie off on a school bus to a public school wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it would be.  I really DO love homeschooling and I really DO believe we are going to surpass even my unrealistic expectations.  Ellie is amazing.  She is patient and driven.  What she already knows at 5 amazes me.  

Today was the second best “First day of school” I could have ever dreamed of.  The only thing better would have been to have my blond hair, green eyed little boy standing next to his twin sister in our back to school pictures this morning. 

Dear Ellie and Bennett,

Today was a milestone day for you.  Ellie, I am so proud of you and what I know we are going to accomplish this year.  You work so hard in school and it is so fun to be your teacher!!  I can’t believe you are old enough to be in school and that today would’ve been your first day of kindergarten.  We both lost a lot when Bennett went to Heaven, but what we have instead is such a blessing.  Thank you for loving me as a teacher as much as you love me as a mommy. 

My little Bennett…thank you for watching over us every single day.  Thank you for all of the blessings you bring to our lives year after year.  Our lives would be so different with you in them, but you make sure they are wonderful with you watching over us.  I know you are absent in these monumental pictures of Ellie, but as your mommy I can see you so clearly standing right next to her in all of them.  You are my little hero and I miss and love you more every single day. 

Happy “first” my little miracles!

Love,

Mommy

Daddy’s little girl!

 

Little brother was so excited, too!

Roaring like a dinosaur!

Total cheese-ball!