These Little Moments...

This past Saturday, we celebrated our boy. Family and friends gathered at our home to wish Ethan a Happy Birthday, and as usual, I felt immensely blessed knowing how many people love our children (and like us, too!). I've been planning this celebration for months, wanting to bring the theme, based on the classic Eric Carle children's book, to life. Thanks to many helping hands, we pulled it off and I couldn't have been happier on party day. And while my obsessive-compulsive tendancies show themselves most during the days prior to a big party, and I morph from a rather laid back mom to a stressed out lunatic, it is always worth it! I love doing this for my children, and I love having the people I care about and cherish in one place! Good Morning, Birthday Boy! Here are a few pictures of the decorations: I clipped pictures, from newborn to 12 months, on ribbon so we could see how much Ethan has grown during his first year. I marked newborn, 3, 6, 9, and ...

Thursday evening, we attended Awards Night at Gracie's dance studio. They literally laid out the red carpet, inviting each little girl to take a short walk and accept their award in front of a small group of parents, relatives, fellow dancers, and instructors. Gracie's was the first name called. I loved seeing her shy smile as she made her way back to us with her trophy. I think she's proud of herself, as she should be, and that makes me happy. We are, of course, very proud of her and have had so much fun watching her during this exciting time. Gracie with her trophy and her dance teacher, Miss Chelsea. Ryan and Bekah got to watch her accept her award, too.  (Ryan looks ridiculously grown up in this picture. I guess at some point I have to accept that that's because he is...)

This past weekend was filled to the brim with reasons to smile and celebrate! Friday afternoon, our niece, Braelynn Raye, was born! She is beautiful and I am so very anxious to meet her! For now, I'm enjoying Instagram and Facebook pictures of my brand new niece and her very proud big sister, Taylor. It brings back so many memories of what I was doing exactly a year ago with Gracie and our brand new Ethan! Friday evening, Ryan graduated from high school. We are obviously very proud of him and excited to see what the future holds for him. We weren't able to be there for his graduation ceremony, but he's with us now! Ryan and Bekah will be spending the week with us. :) We weren't able to attend Ryan's graduation because we were at Gracie's dance recital! This was her very first recital and it was such a fun, precious experience. When she walked out on that stage for her first dance (ballet), I had to concentrate on not bursting into proud mommy tears. She d...

My Ethan, my baby. I have been living in quiet denial for the past few weeks, convinced that avoiding eye contact with reality would be helpful somehow. Instead, I look up today to find you've turned a year old anyway, and while I am always saddened by how quickly time moves forward, I am so happy. What a blessing it has been, my sweet baby, to watch you grow over these past 365 days. I'm so thankful I held you every chance I got, neglecting each meaningless chore in the process. I'm so thankful I knew your first year would fly by, so that I was able to soak in all your sweetness as I watched the months come and go... This journey, your first year, has been such an amazing one for our family. We've evolved and grown in the very best ways. Seeing your first smile, watching you learn to roll over and crawl, and now cheering you on as you consider taking those first steps; all have brought great joy to each of us. Your sister is undoubtedly one of your biggest fans and ...

May 27, 2012 One of the neat parts of our beach trip was that Gracie turned 4 years old on our first real day there. We started our morning with hugs, kisses, and a few gifts for our birthday girl, then headed out to enjoy the pool. Gracie loves to swim, especially with her daddy, so no problem there. Ethan, on the other hand, was not thrilled with the cold water, so it took him some time to adjust. He liked being in his float best and enjoyed splashing the water. Still, he was less enthusiastic than we predicted! Ethan ended up being my poolside buddy during most of our morning, but I'm not complaining about that. Truth be told, I didn't really care for the cold water either. ;) This was the view from my lounge chair. Perfection.  More beach pictures to come...

Hilton Head Island. Over the years, this vacation spot has become a favorite for me. I have a great appreciation for the Island's uncrowded beaches and easy going atmosphere. We usually join Sean's dad and step-mom each January, but have also had the opportunity to enjoy my grandmother's timeshare at the Grande Ocean Marriott, which has been a nice treat for my family over the past few years. This year, our week began the last weekend in May, so we went and are now home. I've been looking through pictures and hope to add those soon. In the mean time, I thought I would go ahead and add a few taken with my phone. It was a really wonderful week. We were so lucky to avoid the tropical storm that was threatening to take away our sunshine!