I Do

Last Friday, Jeremy & I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.
I know it sounds cliche, but I really can't believe it's been five years.
I remember our wedding day like it was yesterday.

Everything from getting to the church,


to putting on my dress,


to taking pictures,


to walking down the aisle,


to saying our vows,

to taking some more pictures,

to signing the marriage license,

to dancing,

to going home with my husband!

As I look back at all of the pictures, I remember how happy I was - how in love I was.

But I have to laugh now because I had no idea then just how in love I would be now.

We were on our vacation at North Myrtle for our anniversary, so we went to dinner at Aspen Grille.

One word: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

If you are ever in the Myrtle Beach area, you HAVE to go eat there.

It was THE best food we've ever had!

But, back to the important stuff:)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have been wanting my second wedding band since the day we got married our first anniversary. JP decided that I would have to wait until our fifth wedding anniversary to get it, but a month or so ago we had some unexpected expenses come up - mainly Grace (our dog) needing around $4,000 worth of surgery.

I know, I know - you can pick your jaw up off the ground.

Because of this, I knew my ring would have to wait.

As much as I wanted it, it wasn't a necessity.

So the night of our anniversary, I took a shower, got ready, and put my rings on right before we walked out the door. To my surprise, there were three rings laying where there are usually only two. I was speechless.

He did it! He got me my second band.

I love this man with all of my being.

He is my everything.

On our wedding day, I walked down the aisle to a song called 'When God Made You' and those words have never been truer.

'When God made you, he must have been thinking about me.'

I love you always and forever!

~me~

beach bums

salt water


seashells

smooth sand

but someone has to do the work!

itsy bitsy

It
was
an....

itsy, bitsy

teenie, weenie

yellow polka-dot bikini

that she wore

for the first third time today!

playdates: not just for kids anymore

If I'm being totally honest, I would have to say that I used to spend my summers doing absolutely nothing. I mean, I would make the occasional trip out to run errands or lay out by the pool, but my days mostly consisted of sleeping as late as a I wanted, staying in my pajamas until late afternoon, and watching lots of Lifetime movies.
Ahhh, the good ole' days!
Now, I spend most of my days chasing a VERY active 1 year old, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Now, I knew this summer would be a lot of fun, but I also knew I had to make plans for us. I mean, sitting at home with me is no fun - especially compared to playing with your friends at Nat's house everyday. So I made the executive decision to organize play dates this summer with all of B's friends from Nat's.
Even though we are only a week and a half into summer, we have been very busy.

We started our summer break with sweet Hanna's first birthday.
She is definitely Becca's BFF:)

Becca and Hanna are definitely partners in crime.
If one does something, the other is not far behind.


I so desperately tried to get a picture of them together, but this was as good as it got.
They are too busy to sit still for a picture.

Last Tuesday we decided to go to a Music & Movement class at the library.
While it was a chance to get out of the house and interact with other Mommies & babies, it was a little too 'calm' for my active girl.
They wanted us to cuddle them and hold them above our heads! Ha!
My girl weighs 25 1/2 pounds - I didn't sign up for a Mommy workout!
Thank goodness Hanna & her Mommy met us there!


Becca mostly ran around the room, but she was very excited when they broke out the bells!She had a lot of fun with this.

I like the idea of music class, but I think next time we'll try the 18 month - 3 year class.

On Friday of last week, Hanna invited Becca over to play in her pool.
These girls had a lot fun cooling off on that hot day - and I enjoyed the adult conversation:)

This week Hanna's mommy had to be in class all week, so we made plans for Claire to come over to play.
These two had so much fun splashing in the pool!

Becca calls her 'Laire'!

This sweet angel is Caroline - Claire's baby sister.
Could you not eat this sweet face?

I got to hold on her and love her yesterday.
It definitely made me miss that tiny stage:)
Not enough to have another one right now, but I did miss it!

And Becca really loves baby Caroline.
She calls her 'Baaay' - pronounced with a really southern accent!

She loves to rock her in her carrier!
She even tried to climb in there with her.
It was so nice to have someone to entertain B - and I really enjoyed getting to talk with Jenn (the mommy of these sweet girls)

This summer has certainly been busy, but we have loved every minute of it! We are looking forward to more play dates with our friends.

They are so much fun, and it helps keep me sane!

love times infinity

Day 14: someone(s) you love

these two are the absolute reason i live and breathe.
how could you not love them?

Day 13: something that reminds you of your childhood

when i think back to my childhood, few things brought me such pleasure as a garden hose with ice cold water.

sun flare

Day 12

now i lay me down to sleep

Day 11: Silhouette

thanks to my sweet friend for helping me out with this picture.
it took quite a few shots, but we finally got it:)

open/close

Day 10: Animal(s)

my sweet dogs jack and grace.
who since becca has been born, have been seriously neglected.
well, at least neglected in their opinion:)

FRUIT-ful

Day 9 - fresh fruit

so again, i forgot until 9:00 tonight about the photo challenge.
good thing today's challenge was fresh fruit.
and good thing i was at publix at 9:00 tonight.
great produce section filled with lots of different fruits.
i chose to take pictures of persimmons, kiwi, and avocados.
dare to be different, right?

and now it's time to say - goodnight

Day 8: Sunset

Ok, so obviously I need to explain!
We had church tonight and then hung around to talk with friends, so needless to say, the sun had already set by the time we got home.
So, what does one do who needs a picture of the sun setting?
Why you take a picture of the sunset on tv of course!
And on the Sprout channel, no less:)
So I know I'm reaching, but I at least get creativity points, right?
Hey, at least I'm keeping up with the photo challenge:)

play time

Day 7: High Angle


this sweet girl was having too much fun playing with her daddy (and her dog) tonight:)

man's best friend

day 6: books

i love books.
i love all books.
i really love children's books.
my favorite book is the Bible - really.

yes, please!

day 5: breakfast

thank goodness i have a husband who gets up and cooks me breakfast. otherwise, this would have been a picture of a banana:)

they're singing a song to remember you by

day 4 of the 30 day photo challenge:

clouds

this is an illustration from my favorite book to read to becca - On the Night You Were Born

miracle

day 3: hands

Day 2: Favorite Shoes

photo challenge

i L.O.V.E. taking pictures!
in fact, that might be the understatement of the year.
a lot of people (jp and lauren) make fun of me often because i take my camera EVERYWHERE!

i came across this blog challenge on Earth Angel Portraits blog.
it's actually a challenge started by the writer of a feathered nest.
this is right up my alley - and it may even help prompt me to update my own blog more often!
here is this list of the challenge for each day.



today is day 1: self portrait
i really struggled with this one - mainly because i hate being in front of the camera.
i took like 100 pictures until i finally ended up with this one.
i like it because a person's eyes tell you so much about them.
(and it also helps that you can't see my double chin!)



check back tomorrow for day 2 - my favorite shoes:)