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Friday, January 1, 2016

Victoria's Luau Birthday Party

I thought I posted this months ago….but turns out I never finished it!


Victoria chose to wait for her birthday party until we moved.
So she waited late June.
The house was under MAJOR construction.
Thank goodness we had a gorgeous day and everyone enjoyed her Luau party outside!
We have some very amazing sunrises and sunsets here.
This was the night before her party in our backyard.




The boys ran and ran and ran playing soccer and tag in the front yard.



Grace and her favorite auntie!


These two could totally pass for twins!


This has been my wall paper on my phone since that day!
Love everything about it!



Victoria with our babysitter extraordinaire and my former second grader!


Gifts under the tree






Buying her books is risky because she's a super good reader for her age…
But Amanda got this one right!
It turned out to be her favorite series of all time and there were three more waiting for her to read!



Cousin Love!


Beth, my mentor and her daughter my flower girl!
Love them both and so happy they continue to be such special parts of our lives, showing up for the kids' special days!


I love this cake!
Perfection!





I love when you find a really good family and the kids love each other.
Totally the case with these two!


LOVE that my cousin and I are family on both sides! ;-)


Mama and Papa!




Baby Sebastian!


Great Grandpa and Linda.



Great Grandma - 
My kids are very blesses to have two great grandparents!


Mama & Papa!



Victoria's first BFF Julia and her sister Samantha.
Another very good family we're blessed to call friends.



Aunt Molly and Brian.
Truly the best Godmother God ever created.
She is amazing in so many ways.


Playing in the black "Hawaiian" sand is too tempting.



My little brother.
An expert on Hawaii!
He's taking his girls there this spring!





Happy Birthday to You….






Holding her hair back after that fateful day when she was four and her hair started on fire from the candles at her Scooby Doo party.







Another one of my favorite people. 
She is a friend that would drop anything to help a friend.



We've lived here for just over seven months now.
So far, that Luau party is my very favorite memory.
It was a gorgeous day filled with people that love Victoria!
It was perfect!











New Post, New Year

It's a new year.  This year is not about finishing my classes to max. out my pay scale (ok it's a little bit about that), not about losing weight (again)….my resolution is getting back to blogging.  To remember and recalling as I type.  For putting this out there for other's to read, but more for me to reread and for my kids to read some day.

So starting today, the very first day of 2016, I vow to post at least once a week for the year.  It feels good just to login again.  Glad I could remember how to do it!

Each year since Grace, my Goddaughter/niece/second cousin, has been born I take her for a photoshoot to Hammond, WI either just before her birthday or Christmas.  I turn a year of pictures into a Birthday Book (just as I do for my own children).

Here are some highlights of the nearly 100 pics I walked away with on Dec. 22nd.


Can you even believe Grace's adorableness?!
She as sweet as she is cute too!


This is my current favorite.
It's enlarged in our living room.


Pretty sure these two are on their way to Prom…with different people of course.
They are so cute together it's ridiculous!
They look so similar they could be twins!
I LOVE sharing this experience with my cousin.
When we were little we always said we'd marry brothers and have kids at the same time.
We hit the nail on the head!


If you know Brecken at all, you also know Ning Ning his blankie.
He thanks God for Ning Ning each night.  When I tell him I love him and ask who he loves he always answers Ning Ning! with a  huge smile!


These bothers love each other so much!
And, lucky for me, they still love to match!
They were both thrilled when I came home with matching suits!!



This little girl, my only daughter, is the sweetest, smartest little angel.  She is very small for her age, however, her intelligence and her work ethic amazes me each and every single day.


This is Christian's official 8 year picture.
Today marks the beginning of Birthday Season for us.
Christian's 8th birthday party is in three weeks from tomorrow.
For the first time in his life he'll have a birthday party at home.
He's chosen to have a Football party.  He is going to have a friend party (playing football in the snow) at 2:00 with a family party at 4:00.
Having birthday parties at the old house were the memories I will hold in my heart forever.
These first few parties at the new house are the memories we've been waiting to make!
There's nothing I enjoy more than party planning!
His invites are out and adorable! 
He's old enough now to care about the details and chose two cupcake cakes for his party.


This two year old deserves his very own blog about the past year.
I notice the amazing gains he's made each and every single day….however, to hear from other people about how well and how much he's speaking, how well behaved he is…
is actually
MY DREAM COME TRUE!
I've prayed for him more than anything in my entire life.
It is truly like a miracle, how well he's doing.
Stay tuned for details….


Grace and her favorite auntie. 
:-)
I always take one of just her and me to end her book with.
Love that little girl, like she's my own.