Happy Birthday La La!

Dear Lillianna,

I truly cannot believe it's your sixth birthday.  What a joy, what a privilege to have shared each and every day with you as you grew from a tiny baby to my beautiful little girl.  You are such a joy!

You are happy, content, and full of love.  You love your family so much and always make sure we know it with your hugs and very puckered kisses. 

I love this about you.

 You love God and love to pray to Him.  Your prayers are full of thanks, full of concern for others, and full of love.  They amaze me and break my heart at the same time.

I love this about you.

You love to stay busy and make the most of each day.  You love crafts, books, and all sorts of games.

I love this about you.

At six, you still love everything, I mean, everything that is outside.  Bugs, leaves, worms, flowers - you pay attention to the tiniest creatures and observe everything in fine detail.  I love this about you.

You also still love stuffed animals and can be found whispering to them, loving on them, or making them a perfect bed (on top of yours) through-out any day.  I love this about you.

You love to be organized and have often spent over an hour on summer days making up your bed!

You love for everything to have a place and you take extra time to make sure it looks pretty in its place.

(I just wish this would translate to your hair.)

And even though it drives me crazy sometimes, I love this about you too.

You are the BEST big sister any Ellenie could ask for.

You are patient and generous.

  You take time to answer her questions, help her do things, and teach her all your valuable wisdom. 

So many times, you care more about what she wants than what you want.

I really love this about you.

You are still also so sweet and sensitive.

You love your friends and love to make new ones but often are too shy to make the first move.

Moving two times as impacted this a bit as you still feel like "the new girl" but I know this next year is going to a big blossoming year for you.

You are sensitive to others feelings and compassionate to others needs. 

I love this about you.

You are more than I could have ever asked for.

Healthy, smart, kind, funny, beautiful, and sweet.

I love everything about you.

Happy Birthday!

love,

Mama

Catching up on all the rest

Summer is slipping through my fingers faster than I want.

It was a full, full summer and I want to remember each moment.

Our first VBS was great.  Girls sang, danced, learned a lot and I taught crafts - we loved it!

We celebrated little Vivienne's FIRST birthday!  It was so sweet and fun...just like her!

We've enjoyed some beautiful summer sunsets on many lingering, fun summer nights.

Fourth of July was spent in Murray with family and friends.

Love a small town parade with one band, church floats, politicians, and lots of tractors.

The girls loved the candy.

They loved spending time with cousin Connor who loves that his girl cousins love bugs too.

And who doesn't love a cupcake in an ice cream cone?!

Well, the next day and for the next week, my girls didn't want one thing to eat

as they had a terrible, terrible, much too memorable stomach bug.  One week we'd like to do over.

Summer randomness...

One of my favorite things we did each Summer growing up was to dye Queen Anne's Lace.

We would pick a bunch from the side of the road and then we would each get to pick a color.

We'd add food coloring to water and set them on the counter and wait.

A couple of days later, the lovely lace had turned a new, lovely shade.

Late in the afternoon, nothing is better than a little shade.

Maybe a snack... in the shade of a home made tent.  Yep, that's better.

Hey day dreamer, can i join you?



My two favorite sets of piggy toes on the bank of my favorite lake...Kentucky Lake!

Savoring every moment of this sweet, savory summer.

Boys will be boys...

Oh I mean, girls will be girls.

I don't have boys...but boy, do I think having girls is THE BEST!

Girls who love to dance, make up songs, and giggle at themselves.

(And the next minute... be sassy, call names, or stop their foot.)

Sweet little girls.

Not perfect...just almost.

These boots were made for jumpin'

This week it is hard to imagine the last time it rained so hard it poured.

But one day back in June it did.

  

It rained for 3 hours straight and Ellenie said,

"This would be a great day to jump in puddles."

 

So we did!

We did some slippin' and slidin' too!

It's always fun until somebody gets hurt.

So we called it a day.

Summer Daze

Summer afternoon...summer afternoon...

the two most beautiful words in the English language. -Henry James

Beachin' it 2011. Part Cinco

Oh those eyes!  Oh the excitement!

Oh these two lovies!  Oh the love!

When was the last time I was this excited!?!

All for a ferris wheel

I want to eat her with a spoon.

(When she's not whining.)

Our final family sand castle.  We each had a tower to decorate.

I need another spoon... this one is so sweet.

My tropical sweethearts!

E: Best Vacation yet, eh?