More from our family photo shoot!

Super Dad!

 I've been reminded lately of what an incredible man I am married to! Watching the way he loves each of us so well has made my heart swell with pride and has made me so thankful for him!

 Whether it's making projects with Hope, getting Hudson ready for bed each night, pushing the stroller, wearing the Ergo, building amazing tents, playing legos, coloring pictures, playing XBox, grilling dinner, or cleaning house...he does it gladly. He provides for our family, he protects each one of us, he assures that our home is cared for and we have what we need. I am so grateful for this amazing man that I get to spend each day with and do life with!

 I am so grateful my kids get to grow up with such an amazing Daddy who pours into them and intentionally spends quality time with each of them, doing what they love. I love that he isn't ashamed to be a Dad and proudly wears the baby or carries the diaper bag (even when it was pink with flowers)!

 What a blessing it is to sit back some days and just watch him in action with our family...playing dress up with Hope or teaching her a new skill, snuggling with Hudson or showing him around the house!

 There are so many reasons why I love this man, but right now one of my favorite ones is the fact that he is a pretty amazing & wonderful Daddy to our kids! He dreams big for them and for us and we are all so blessed to call him ours!!!

My sweet Hope!

My house is extra quiet this morning as Hope got to have a sleep-over with her Grammy, Grampy, & Great Grandma last night. I thought I was going to enjoy the quiet, enjoy only having 1 little one this morning... but something is definitely missing! I surprisingly miss the constant chatter, the "Mom, I'm hungry", the "Mom, play with  me" and even the hum of cartoons in the background. This morning it was just Hudson and I and the occasional singing of his playmat or jumperoo. As much as the noise and constant go-go-go makes me crazy some morning, this morning has reminded me that I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I love my sweet little chatterbox! I love the way she can dominate a conversation at a table full of grown-ups. I love hearing about her "obstacle course" that she's imagined/dreamed up for us to do. I love her requests of "play with me" and "help me" or "Mom, let's pretend" or "Mom, let's play a game". She is definitely never at a loss for words and sometimes the things she comes up with make me laugh. Last week at Pretend City, I was showing her the big sandbox/beach area (which I thought she's love to play in). When she looked at the sand, she looked back at me and said, "Mom, I'd rather not get my dress all dirty in the sand"...Okay, good point...but since when did we care about getting dirty?!? She's growing up so fast!

As I sat watching Hudson and encouraging him at play this morning, I couldn't help but think about how different his morning must seem without his sister around. No constant kissing, no getting right up in his face to tell him, "Brother, I love you so so so so so so so so soooooooooooooooooo much!". It was almost as if he was looking around for his best friend, his favorite person in the whole wide world, his daily source of smiles and joy!

Tomorrow she starts preschool. For the first time in 4 years my not-so-little girl will get to venture on her own for 4 hours, twice a week. I am soooo excited for her to explore, to learn, to grow, to make new friends and learn to be a good listener and follow directions. We have celebrated the best we can this past week or so as we get ready for preschool to start. She picked a new backpack & lunchbox. We took her to lunch at her favorite place and Daddy suggested we visit Build-A-Bear and dress her new bear in back-to-school clothes...all part of our "school celebration"! Daddy built her an amazingly HUGE tent to sleep in on Sunday night and we even had a dinner-picnic in it. We want our girl to know that we are so excited for her and we want her to know that this is a big deal and that she can do it!

I've been saying for weeks how excited I am for the peace and quiet those 2 mornings a week, but truth-be-told...I'm going to miss her. It's only a few hours, 2 times a week, but I know I'm going to look forward to picking her up and hearing all about her day and resuming our normal pace, filled with the constant chatter of my sweet Hope! I am so proud of the little girl that she is becoming. I love her sweet spirit, her great imagination, her creativity and ingenuity, her passion about praying at each meal! Why God chose us to be her parents is beyond me but I am so grateful for this precious gift that He has placed in our care and I am so excited to see the plans He has for her as she grows up!

So here's to preschool...to new adventures and new routines, to quieter mornings, and new things learned!

In Case of Emergency

Our little girl is getting so big! In 2 short weeks she'll be starting preschool and beginning her school career! We are so excited for her to learn and grow and have the experience of school! As I've been filling out paperwork and getting things ready, I have been working on putting together a backpack that will stay at school that will be "in case of emergency".

Today I placed in her backpack a blanket to keep her warm, a blankie to snuggle with, a little stuffed doll she loved as a baby, 2 of her favorite  books, some spare clothes, baby wipes, 2 pictures: one of Jaye, Hope and I on her birthday this past year and another picture of Hope & Hudson and then a little letter that her teachers can read to her. I pray this never ever has to be used, but it is all ready...just in case.

What do you write in a letter to your pride & joy, to the little girl who turned your world upside down and has made you a better/stronger person? How do you sum up in words how much this little person means to you and how do you offer words of comfort on a piece of paper? I think I could've written pages and pages, but tried to keep in short and sweet instead.

My Precious Hopey,

If you are reading this letter, it means that something has happened that was probably a little bit scary. I bet you were so brave! Stay close to your teachers and be a good listener-they will take great care of you until Mommy and Daddy can be with you again. Imagine Mommy laying next to you, snuggling you close and singing with you. Remember the words of our song?

"Jesus, Keeper of this life. You are our refuge, our Savior, our Guide. Watch over this little one tonight. Guard her every footstep as she travels this life. And in some quiet moment, draw her to your side. That she may come to know you Jesus, as the Keeper of this life."

Jesus is right there with you Hope and He will never leave you! If you feel sad or afraid, talk to Jesus. He loves to hear you pray to Him. 

Your Daddy and I love you so much baby girl! You are a wonderful girl with a kind heart and sweet spirit! You are the sweetest big sister I know and Hudson loves you too! Be brave and know that we love you to infinity and beyond!

Love: Mommy & Daddy

Family Pictures Sneak Peak!

My friend Cheryn was in town from CO and so graciously said "yes" when I asked her months ago about taking family pictures for us. She has a real gift/talent for photography and I love the pics she takes of others! She's not a "professional" but very well could be! Here's just a few of the pics I've seen so far...

I want to blow this one up on canvas and hang it in our playroom!

I love this one of Jaye and I!

Love this one too!

I wish Hudson was looking up in this one. It's my favorite pose and everyone has great smiles!

We took pics at 2 different locations and these are only a few of the 1st ones from the 1st spot...can't wait to see the rest! I'm so excited with what I've seen so far! Now I Just have to figure out how/where to display our pics and what else to do with them!

Stationery Card

At First Sight Boy Birth Announcement

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Blessed?

It's been almost exactly a year since I ran my 1st 1/2 marathon. I trained hard and ran my best and was hooked on the whole race experience....the crowds, the expos, the bibs, the shirts, and the MEDALS!! I've since run 2 more 1/2s, two 10ks (6 milers), and a few 5ks (3 miles). Hope and I logged a lot of miles running together as I pushed her in the stroller! We'd run short distances, longer distances to the park (one is a 4 mile round trip and the other 6), run to get donuts, and we'd run to Grandma & Grandpa's house. My last race was a 1/2 marathon (13.1) in Las Vegas with one of my dearest friends when I was 24 weeks pregnant. Running/races had become such a hobby/love of mine in just 1 short year!

I was convinced prior to having Hudson that we'd get a big-kid bike for Hope and she could ride next to me while I pushed Hudson in our Bob stroller. (That Bob stroller ended up being such a good find/deal on Craigslist and we got so much use out of it!) Well, Hope is not the proficient bike rider I had hoped she be and we didn't have an adaptor bar for Hudson's carseat to go on Bob. I had hoped to run in the evening as soon as Jaye got home, but that was working either due to dinner needing to be done or a baby needing to eat, etc. I was at a loss for how in the world I'd ever get back into running again and Jaye and I have a 10k at Disneyland on Aug. 31st. The whole having-2-kids thing was not working when it came to running.

Last weekend I got a text from a good friend of mine (one of my running buddies) saying that her sister-in-law had a double Bob stroller that she wanted to sell and asked if I was interested. The price was $150, which is an absolute steal but wasn't necessarily in our budget. As much as I really wanted it and would love to have it, it seemed so frivolous to add yet another stroller to our collection. I had kind of dismissed it but then as I talked to a few close friends they all told me to buy it and that they'd even pitch in money as an early birthday present. A double stroller just wasn't something I ever planned on having, especially not a double jogging stroller. The more I thought about it though, the more sense it made as it would lend to enhancing my sanity/health as it would allow us all to get out and MOVE! I talked it over with Jaye and we both agreed that it was a great deal and that it would be beneficial.

The night before I was supposed to pick it up, I got a text from my friend saying her SIL had dropped the price to $100. WOW! I picked up the stroller on Monday and gave my friend our check. That day alone I took the kids on 3 walks, a mile the first walk and 2 miles the second/third. The following day I took the kids out for my 1st run pushing a double stroller....it was wonderful! It felt so good to get out and run again and to enjoy some quiet and time without being shouted at or nagged, etc. Later that day I got yet another text from my friend telling me her SIL decided she wanted to GIVE the stroller to me and that she was ripping up our check. WHAT!?!?

 As I thought about how amazing it was to be given this amazing stroller, it struck me how God blesses us beyond what we even think to ask for. I didn't ask for a double Bob. I would never have thought to pray for one as it wasn't a necessity and seemed so materialistic. Shoot, I didn't even know I wanted one prior to a week ago. And yet, God delights in me and blessed us with this incredible gift. I know it seems so silly but it just really struck me how God grants us the desires of our heart before we even know we have those desires. He chooses to surprise us and knock our socks off when we least expect it!

Because we didn't have to pay for our stroller I had told Jaye I wanted to give the $100 we would have spent to someone else to bless them as we had been blessed. We were debating who to bless when a very obvious answer came to us the next day. Someone we love needed to apply for a certification that cost $70 that they didn't have to spend. As a result, we were able to help pay for that certification that will hopefully help that person towards a job in the future.

As if the double Bob wasn't enough, I also found an amazing toy storage unit for FREE this last week! Again, something so trivial and materialistic, but such a blessing as eventually we will need something for Hudson as he gets bigger and it just happens to match the one we already have! Again, never would have thought to ask God for toy storage and yet He drops it right in front of me.

How much do we miss out on because we don't dare or dream to ask it of God? Who in our lives can we bless with what we have or the resources we have been given?! I'm reminded that God knows our needs (and our wants) and loves to bless His kids (even with little things). Makes me wonder who in my life could use to be blessed/reminded of His love!