Everyday Blessings: 2011

December 21, 2011

Memories of Christmas Past

December 2007 - Owen's First Christmas

Our first Christmas as a family

December 2008

December 2009 - Luke's First Christmas

Owen - December 2009

December 2010

November 28, 2011

Stationery card

Bright Joy Holiday Card

Create custom new year's invitations at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sitting in the pew at the church, the father-of-the-bride walking his sweet girl down the aisle, tears weren’t rolling down just her cheeks but my own. This wedding was so different in that this is the first wedding that I’ve been to since having become a mother to some amazing little creatures. My perspective changed on Saturday from focusing on the white dress, the beautiful bridesmaids, but to the families and especially the parents of the bride.

How many times did they imagine this moment for her…I bet they felt it was a world away and then all of sudden there they were walking her down the aisle, blowing bubbles as they exited the church and swaying to the music of the father/daughter dance. I could see in their eyes how quickly the time with her went by and with each tear all of the memories of her childhood and their family.

This morning as I was getting ready to the screams and giggles of the wild natives (also affectionately known as Owen and Luke) I heard an amazing song with lyrics that definitely resonated with what I’ve been feeling in my heart these last few days.

Your little hands wrapped around my finger

And it’s so quiet in the world tonight

Your little eyelids flutter cause you’re dreaming

So I tuck you in and turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything’s funny

You got nothing to regret

I’d give all I have honey

If you could stay like that

Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up

Just stay this little

Oh darling don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up

It could stay this simple

I won’t let nobody hurt you

Won’t let no one break your heart

No one will desert you

Just try to never grow up (Never Grow Up – Taylor Swift)

I will relish in each and every moment because soon these will be memories of our time with our boys. Memories of the boys getting “dressed up” for the wedding and seriously not two seconds later jumping from the car and sliding in the muddy grass getting all types of stains on their khaki pants…Owen playing I Spy with My Little Eye on the way down to the beach…Luke trying to say beach but it sounding more like B*tch J…Owen and Luke falling in love with Crank (Craig)…bribing the boys with gummy bears at the ceremony…and the boys getting to meet some pretty amazing family members.

I’ll definitely be the mama weeping at their weddings, because darn…it went too quickly!

March 27, 2011

I "HEART" Grass Stains

I love grass stains when it means that my boys have played hard with their Uncle Tony and Cousin Jack...

Can someone start playing the Chariots of Fire theme song here...so appropriate!

They were racing...but can you see the pure JOY in their faces...loved every minute of this!
And Yes, that is lemon in my little guy's hand...

Wrestle-mania! That's probably about 100 pounds of boy on top of Tony. Hope Tony stretched before:)

Beautiful boys...beautiful day!

March 14, 2011

Snow Lovers or Haters -- You Decide!

Don't confuse him with the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man

The only place he was happy was being in Daddy's arms...that way he didn't have to touch any of the cold, wet stuff

Not a happy camper but freaking adorable!

Another grumpy little man...who would've thought that a kid that does carpet angels would hate snow

The piece of snow that came out of his boot...see Mama, ice was in my shoe!

At least the drive home was gorgeous!

February 21, 2011

My Home

I admit, I was going stir-crazy one evening. It felt like I hadn't been outside for over a month...um, yeah, that's right, we had been holed up in our home trying to fight off and get rid of this nasty bug that has been knocking the you-know-what out of our family (and still is!). As I write this my eye is glazing over, on fire with yuckies - you know, the technical term for oozy goopy-ness.

February just flew by...superbowl, my 32nd birthday (or wait is it 31...), my sweet nephew's 2nd birthday...my grandma's 70th birthday...Chris' birthday...yup, this month I will have no memory of except for this...

In desperation (and in attempt to escape being tied to a chair by the locals *aka my boys*) I headed outside with my camera to catch one of the most brilliant sunsets. My camera has literally been in hibernation for the last month on account of the plague and the fact that I forgot to charge the batteries. But out of its slumber it was privy to find this most gorgeous spray of colors in the evening sky.

As I walked back up the driveway I looked at our home all lit up and was taken aback by its beauty. Not because our home is something to behold...but definitely the contents within are! From a distance I didn't hear any of the chaos ensuing within the confines of the walls or finger printed-smeared windows.