30 days of Thankfulness. Day 9

I am very thankful for my girl's GRAND grandparents.

Sue-Sue, Dandy, Ya Ya, Jean Jean, Pops, Grandma Ann, Wil, & Marshall.

My girls are blessed with fabulous grand parents and two amazing great grandmothers who love them tremendously.  I am so thankful for the precious and priceless memories Lillianna and Ellenie will have with them.  Memories of laughter, great talks, silly games, new places, fun walks, reading books, and lots of hugs.

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 8

Today, I am thankful for all things delicious.

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 7

I am thankful for humilty.

It's painful at times but oh so valuable.

When standing at the edge of the ocean or looking up at the sky,

 I am humbled by the size and the beauty of both.

I am also humbled by the reminder that I am just one, tiny part of this enormous, precious community.

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 6

I am so very thankful for good health.

When I look a this picture my heart can hurt to know that my girls will never ever be that small again.

Those tiny fingers, that amazing baby smell, those sweet cheeks.

But that feeling lasts just a moment...

because I am so thankful that they are growing and that I have had each day with them.

 So thankful for each day I have with all those that I love.

I try desperately not to take it for granted because it could change tomorrow.

So today, I am so very grateful for good health.

Happy Halloween

Halloween 2011

 Two precious, fluttery butterflies.

One purple haired Mama Moth.

Super fun birthday costume party.

Trunk or Treat with friends.

Trick or Treating in our neighborhood.

School parties too but not pictured.

Halloween Week 2011.

I was weened out!

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 5

Today I am thankful for music.

(And the awesome dance moves it often inspires.)

Have you ever thought about life without music?  I just can not imagine it.

Music is so important in my life.

  It is, so often, the way I to praise God, travel to another place,

remember a special memory, or express, release, or even just "feel" an emotion.

And music is definitely what gets me dancing.

  What is more fun than dancing?!

We love a good dance party at our house and

 I love to see the freedom and true joy my girls feel when they dance.

While Lillianna loves to sing & dance and is really good at both....

I can just tell that music really speaks to Ellenie.

She picks up lyrics super fast, hits all the notes, and really feels the music when she dances.

I especially love when she closes her eyes while she dances.  so cute.

I am thankful for the beauty of music and all that it adds to my life.

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 4

 I am thankful for the safety of our home, our town, & our country.
  I am very thankful for the people who serve to protect us.

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 3

I am very thankful for God's amazing creation.

30 days of Thankfulness. Day 2

I am thankful for the beauty in little things like eyelashes and ladybugs.

30 days of thankfulness. Day 1

I am thankful for giggles, silliness, and funny faces.

This Magic Moment

For me and my girls, there is nothing more enjoyable than

 some paint, some music, and something to paint on.

Unless you paint yourself and then the clean-up is not that enjoyable.

Freeze Frame

Her personality is as big as these trees.

But it's sooooo cute all squished into that tiny body.

On the road again...

On the road again

Just can't wait to get on the road again

The life I love is making music with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Goin' places that I've never been

Seein' things that I may never see again

And I can't wait to get on the road again

So we have really been on the road lately.

So much so that our girls really have learned some of the lyrics to this song.

It's not that we love being on the road.

We just love "seeing things that I may never see again"...

like 7th birthdays or 1st birthdays.

Not to mention all those split second moments that will never happen the same way again...

like cousins helping to blow out birthday candles or reading books in each other's laps.

Or all those "first" moments with my girls - like going into a cave for the first time or

seeing a beautiful thoroughbred horse up close.

Priceless moments all over the map - Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky.

And for all those moments like these...

For all these priceless moments...

I just can't wait to get on the road again.

More Cousins!

A few weeks ago, we headed down south to see friends, family, and some Alabama football.

It was FUN from the very beginning.

We made a super quick pit stop and got to give hugs to friends we miss.

We got to make sweet memories with cousins we don't see enough.

Tate has gotten so big!

And so very very cute!

A few years ago, Lillianna was the only grandchild on this side of the family.

Poof!  Now there are little ones running around all over.

They had a lot of fun playing together.  If only it were more often!

Big brother Kylen hugging little brother Beckham. 

Two absolutely adorable rascals!

More beautiful memories with wonderful family.

We are so blessed.

Bugs & Slugs

She loves animals. 

But since we don't live in the rainforest, the jungle, a farm or even near a zoo, 

she settles on the bugs, frogs, and worms in our yard. 

 She loves to hold them, talk to them, make elaborate homes for them, and then let them go.

She is cautious around new ones but interested in all of them.

She can catch frogs and butterflies faster than anyone I know.

She can find roly polys under rocks wherever we go.

And she treats them all like they are a warm, fuzzy, kitten.

I have watched Lillianna pass this love along to her cousins and friends.

But her greatest impact has been on her little sister.

Just this week Ellenie sobbed and sobbed when her friend stepped on her new pet, a Daddy Long Legs spider she had been loving on for 10 minutes.

I love this about my girly girl.

My little big girl who insists on wearing a dress each day will get that dress so dirty just to find one worm.

I wonder where this love will take her.

My La La

Couldn't be more proud.