Daddy/Daughter date night!

Daddy/Daughter nights...

just one of the many

highlights of having a daughter!These two

make quite the team!

Laborbirth Day!

This year my Birthday

fell on Labor Day.

I loved everyone having the day off to play with me!

My morning started out with sleeping in until 8 a.m.!!

I awoke to sweet Birthday signs all over the house

(Thank you Mandi!)

I also awoke to busy sounds coming from the kitchen!

This is what I found!

I proceeded with a morning workout,

while my family slaved away in the kitchen

making a gourmet breakfast!

Serious good food!

serious sweet husband/dad.

Beautiful fruit and delicious veggie omelet.

My favorites.

We spent the day together-

including another picnic at the park.

This just may be a new birthday tradition!

The day ended with our "Special Cake".

Grandma Whiting created this years ago!

She really should have gone public with this

before Betty Crocker did!

"Special Cake"

includes adding pudding and chocolate chips to the mix

and topping it with cream cheese frosting.

Out of this world.

We also put applesauce instead of oil.

This not only makes it healthier,

(so we can add more chocolate chips!),

but makes it sooooo moist-
absolutely delish.

This was topped off with

homemade ice cream.

Heavenly, the best ice cream I have ever had!

A very nice Laborbirth day.

Sleeping Angels...

There is something so sweet,

so peaceful about a sleeping child.

Watching a sleeping child,

can almost make you forget the craziness of the day.

Almost
These are Gracie's bedroom walls.
These pictures were taken a few hours earlier,
while my sleeping Angels-
were still awake.
Walls covered with make-up AND fingernail polish.
LOTS of fingernail polish.
They thought this was absolutely beautiful.
Gracie couldn't wait to show me how they had decorated her room.
They begged me to at least
leave the Justin and Gracie portrait on the wall,
"it's so beautiful!"
(bottom right hand corner picture.)
Justin in trying to explain his part in all of this,
"I came in and saw Gracie doing this.
It just looked like soooo much fun.
I wanted to try. I'm sorry mom."

Gracie, through tears,
" But when do I get my make-up back?"
Hmm... how about in 15 years?

Laugh or cry?
Laugh-quietly.
These "little" angels of mine,
won't be little for long.

Tradition!

First Day of School!

My kids know by now, not to fight the traditional

"going out the door photos".

In fact, I tell them no matter how old they are,

or what grade they're in....

I will be there with my camera on that day!

They laugh at the thought of me showing up

on their College doorstep.

I get a little sentimental about the first day of School.

Maybe it's my own childhood memories and excitement

of this day or the tradition of first day cookies

I knew would be there when I came home.

Something about this day

makes me want to freeze it for a moment.

I look at my kids a little longer,

trying to feel and appreciate the moment.

Feeling a little in awe

that another school year is starting -

Knowing my kids won't ever be this age again.

Knowing my kids-

are growing up.

and Feeling grateful to be their mom.

Mac
Sophmore

Mandi
7th grade

Mitch
4rth grade

Justin
Kindergarten

Gracie
Preschool

With my little ones going to school in the afternoon,
I had a little more time for photos!
They are always willing and ready to pose.

This is a big year for these two!
Spending each afternoon apart is going to be quite the change.
As Gracie did not have preschool on Justin's first day,
she was able to send him off.
The below pictures show her-
First, driving him to the bus stop-
and then saying their good-byes.

Cooking the first day of school cookies kept Gracie busy

while waiting for the bus to bring him back!

Mandi was the first to come home to warm cookies

and an anxiously waiting Gracie!

We were all excited to meet the boys at the bus stop.

Mitch and Justin looked so cute

coming off the bus together.

I am so glad Justin has his big brother to look after him!

Mitch found Justin sitting on

the wrong bus coming home!

Worried this would happen again, I heard Mitch assure Justin

he would "never, ever go home without him."

Justin is also glad, ( and proud) to have his big brother looking out for him.

Later that night as I was tucking my Kindergartner in,

I realized he went through a "right of passage" this day.

He no longer is talking of marrying his mom or sisters.

He has a new love.

"Mom, Mrs. Pace is so,so,so,so,so,so, just so,so,so, pretty.

When I get old I want to marry her."

Apparently Mrs. Pace made a VERY good first impression!

Yes, I think Justin will adjust just fine.