Monday, November 02, 2009

Birthday Eve....

Sweet, Sweet Baby Sophia....it doesn't matter how many years pass us by...you will ALWAYS be our baby!! Three years ago tomorrow you came into our lives...you made our family complete and made your momma's heart explode with pride. You possess a personality that can light up a room....people are attracted to you by your sense of humor, your love of life and the pure joy that you are!! You challenge me on a daily basis to be a better mom and even though I may not always show it that's one of the things I adore about you. Your spunky, curious, smart and at times a little stubborn (which you get 100% of that from your momma) but at the end of the day no matter what has happened in the course of our day you can still melt your momma's heart with your sweetness!!
Mommy, Daddy, bubba and sissy's love you more and more each day...tomorrow we celebrate you and all that you are and will become...Happy Birthday Princess Sophia the world is yours!!


Sophia Madeline 6 days old


10 months old (I think) Still my favorite picture!!



1 years old

2 years old (picture by our friend Heather Morrow)
...and almost 3

Sunday, November 01, 2009

The Rest of Halloween...


Carving Pumpkins for the first time was a big hit....for about 5 minutes...ha















Getting ready to hit the streets to beg for candy....and beg they did...I have no idea what we are going to do with all the candy!!





Grace was sooo excited to meet another Glinda!!

video

Triplet Halloween Party...


We hosted a Triplets Plus Halloween Party...it was a blast...4 sets of triplets, a set of quints..and 4 siblings...WAHOO..it was crazy but we wouldn't have it any other way!! :)


My attempt at making Forked eyeballs...AKA donut holes dipped in White chocolate!!























Greg's Pumpkin Patch...


I think I've said before we LOVE our neighborhood...we are blessed with some of the BEST neighbors and friends that you could ask for!! Right next door are Greg, Patricia & Beth. Well Greg decided to grow a pumpkin patch in his backyard this year for all the neighborhood kiddos. The kids have adored watching the pumpkins grow and take over Greg's backyard over the last several months Last Sunday they had us all over for a little BBQ/ Pumpkin Pickin' Party Let me tell you this was the best patch I've ever been to...Big beautiful pumpkins...surrounded by lots of laughter...and above all LOTS of love...our children love Greg, Pat and Beth so much. Greg is by far one of Sophia's favorite people in the world!! ...and I think the feelings mutual!! Thank you Russell family for ALL you do for us...and thank you for the wonderful memories that I know our children will cherish forever!! We LOVE you!!








Grace goes no where without her purse...ha



















Dillon joined in the fun too!! (FYI...tomorrow is BABY day at the Stanley house..so look for a post soon about my new niece or nephew!!:)

The kids showing Greg how much they appreciate him!!







The Russell's and the gang of kiddos!!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween...

Happy Halloween from our little trick or treater's to yours!! :)
Glinda ~ The Good Witch....




Dorthy and Toto



The Wicked witch...she has it down what to say..."I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too" I'm going to try to get in on video..hilarious!!

...and who needs the scarecrow, lion or tin man...when you've got Buzz lightyear!! :)




Saturday, October 24, 2009

Our little Soccer Stars...

A VERY long over due post....I feel horrible to be neglecting this blog...but life is crazy, work is crazy...and something has to give. I promise to get better when my life gets less hectic!! ha
Grace, Isabelle and Samuel played soccer for the first time this year...they have been talking about it for awhile...so we thought we'd give it a whirl. We found a great little league that was a little more low key and we loved the experience. The kids loved going to soccer...at times you can't say that they played soccer because as they ran up and down the field they had little interest in the ball!! hee hee. But we definitely saw improvement in their game. And the very last game Isabelle even scored a goal!!

Practicing before the game


Our three little team captains



Sam got his turn at goalie


Isabelle's ready...
Getting a little pep talk from Coach Michael



Go Isabelle....








Good Game!!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Gap Casting call..

If you think we are cute and Gap worthy....Please go vote for us!!! :)

Grace

Isabelle

Samuel

Sophia

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Our Mini Small Children


While I was *working* in Texas...I couldn't miss the chance to have a session with our kiddos....and oh how good they were to me. :) Our life is crazy...and hard and there is never a moment of rest around our house. But I look at these four little faces and I know all the blood, sweat and tears are worth it!! I've felt no greater love than I have as their mommy!!


















Apple Picking...


Thanks to my friend Laney...I finally found an Apple Orchard that lets you pick your own apples. On a spur of the moment we decided to take the kiddos on Sunday...it was sooo much fun. Besides apple picking they have a pumpkin patch and lots of other activities for the kiddos...a yummy bakery where we enjoyed apple cake, a Carmel apple and apple cider!! We came home with lots of apples...for applesauce and some pecans. It was a great adventure...one we can't wait to do again....this orchard also has peach trees so you bet we will be back during peach season next year!! :)











Notice the butterfly :)



We were so glad to have dad with us to help get the really good apples up high!!









...and of course we had to have a sample..YUM!!











Thursday, October 01, 2009

Plano Balloon Fest...

On our last day in Texas we headed to the Balloon Fest...I've always wanted to see Hot air balloon's up close...but this was a first..and it was sooo cool. I would have LOVED to have gone up in one..maybe next time!! ha

Grace and her God father






































Sam's favorite part...the roasted corn on the cob!! :)

Monday, September 28, 2009

Grape-fest...Grapevine, Texas...


We were lucky enough to go visit our cousins in Texas for a little mini vacation. Aunt Erynn had lots of fun stuff planned for us...the first being this cool Grape-fest...we had a blast. And next year I can't wait to go back to Grapevine for some photo sessions..the area is perfect for pictures!! :) We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and that our kiddos are growing together....now if we could only get them to move in KC....so we could see them all of the time!! :) Sam especially missed his buddy, Sean!!



Isabelle's favorite thing of the day...she is still talking about this bunny!!


Follow the leader..

The always sassy little bit!!

Could sweet Hadley be any more beautiful?!?! :)



6 kiddos 4 and under made for a always crazy weekend!!










Sean opted to ride with the girls for this ride!! :)



choo choo....



....lots more to come!!

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Smith Fest 2009

Our best friends Shawn and Amy host a awesome weekend party each year...that we always look forward to. A kid free weekend full of non stop laughter, great food...lots of drinks...I could go on and on. This year was no different....we had soo much fun it was hard to leave and get back to reality...but once we did I was so thankful to see my babies again!! Thank you Shawn and Amy for a perfect weekend and thank you to mom and dad for watching the kiddos!! Until next year my friends!!

Friday night Shawn and Amy flew in Portillo's hot dogs straight from Chicago...they were WONDERFUL!!!








The two momma's to be!! :)

My love and I :)

Is there really a better way to eat watermelon...I think not!!

Chef Shawn cutting up some of the best pork loin (as well as pulled pork) I've ever had...hats off to the chef!!

Some of the men of the weekend....(I wish I would have gotten a pic from Friday night...there were lots more Lambda Chi's)

The ladies!!



dessert...Cherries...soaked in Vanilla Vodka...YUM!!

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Let the fun begin...Soccer!!


Grace, Isabelle and Samuel had their first soccer practice yesterday and I am thrilled with how well they each did!! So the let the fun of sports begin...ha I'm pretty sure there is no looking back....from now until they are in college you will find us at the ball field..or somewhere in between...I'm so excited!! :)






















Friday, August 28, 2009

Taking one for the team...

Taking one for the team...that's how I initially felt about going camping. I am not an outdoors girl...I have horrible allergies and the thought of sleeping in the outdoors...showering in public showers, the bugs, the spiders make me cringe. Sure I camped alot as a kid but as a adult...no thanks!! ...but my kids have asked to go camping several times...and Jared's parents love to camp...and have a camper....exit fear of public showers...I decided we would try it just this once. Well I am pleased yet a little surprised to say that I LOVED IT...we had a blast...I can't wait to go again...we are already planning our next trip. The pure simplicity of being in the great outdoors was exactly what the doctor ordered...and the delight on our children's faces (as well and Grandma and Papa's) made it all worth it!! It helped that we had an absolutely perfect weekend...cool temperatures at night...mild during the day...but still warm enough for the kids to swim!! We spent two nights...the first we stayed in the camper...but on Saturday night at the kids request...all 6 of us slept in a tent...what a hoot!!

The kiddos were so well behaved all weekend...just enjoying every minute of our adventure...it made a momma proud. So look out in the future you may see lots more camping posts from me!! :)
Blessings, Jen

Grandma Donna's Birthday

We helped Grandma 'Donna celebrate her birthday last weekend with a little camping adventure. There was cake...there were homemade birthday gifts and there was a ton of fun...we hope Grandma enjoyed the weekend just as much as we did!! :)
The kiddos made this vase...using a glass bottle and some embroidery string..far from perfect...but we had a blast making it and think Grandma loved it!!




The kids also made her a *beautiful* necklace of thread and beads!! :)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

School Days!!!



awww..the summer completely flew by and here we are back at school!! The kids couldn't be more thrilled they adore going to school and I welcome a couple quiet hours a week!! We started at a new school this year that is much closer to our house. They have a Pre-K program for the big kids and a preschool class for Sophia. Sophia is such a little sponge this has been perfect for her. This year we had the option of splitting the triplets up as there are two classes...after much thought and consideration we decided to put Sam in his own class. Samuel doesn't always talk for himself because his sisters talk for him. He has also become very shy...so our hope is that having him in his own class without the comfort of his sisters will help him mature socially...so far it seems to be working great!! :) I can't believe it just a year the tribe will be in Kindergarten...they have grown up waaaay to fast....so I'm going to do my best to enjoy this last year of having 4 preschoolers !! :)
Blessings,
Jen
























Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The rest of the trip....


Aunt Diane our wonderful host!! :)


Great, Great Aunt Bernice (I was so disappointed that I missed her...I was at my session when she came by...I promise to see you next Time Aunt Ber)

Great Uncle Bob...one of the many reasons we love to travel to Iowa...to see this guy...I have always adored him...and it just thrills me that the kids feel the same about him!! :)


We enjoyed a nice lunch downtown before we headed back to KC.....so of course I had to take advantage of the beautiful light I found!! :) ha ..I even got Jared to pose for me!! :)










IOWA State fair....


First I want to start off and say I know I've been a horrible blogger lately...it's been crazy around here.....but school has now started so I'm going to *try* to take this chance to catch up before dance and soccer starts in a few weeks...and then all bets are off!! ha

Two weekends ago we took the kids on a road trip to Des Moines to go to the Iowa State fair...I'll be honest with you I though we were CRAZY and that the kids were to young to really enjoy it. But we were headed to Iowa anyway (I had a session) so why not try it out...I predicted that we last 4 hours...well boy was I wrong...almost 10 hours later we left...our belly's full of yummy fair treats, our feet tired but our hearts full of fun memories!! :) We had a blast...we can't wait to go again next year!!

Among our favorite things was....
*The yummy Pineapple whip ice cream that can only be found at the Iowa State Fair
*Riding on the Skyline all the way across the fair
*The Little Hands on Farm~ At this the kiddos were able to plant *seeds* harvest their veggies...collect corn and soybeans, pick apples, fetch eggs, milk a *cow* sell their goods at a farmers market...earn money and buy a treat at the country store...it was so cute!!
*all the baby animals...we got to see a calf and baby pigs that had just been born earlier in the day
*Some of largest animals in the world..including a Bull that was 3,400lbs and a boar that was 1,117 lbs
*The Butter Cow (I didn't get any pics but it was very cool)
*more tattoos then we needed
*Fried Oreos (glad we tried them....probably won't ever again)
*The midway...were able to avoid the rides until the very end..and we let the kids choose tow rides...Isabelle, Sam and Sophia picked the motorcycle ride...but Gracie had her eye on riding in an Ellie...and then we all rode the Ferris wheel together

It's always so much fun to go on a new family adventure....and this is one I hope to do again year after year!!




Sunday, August 16, 2009

Savanahland...

With the end of summer coming oh so quickly...we have been on a dash to get all the things I wanted to do with the kids done in the last week. (Our monkey's start school tomorrow...the trio in Pre-k and Sophia in preschool) One of the places I just heard about this summer and knew I had to take the kids was Savanahland. The rumor that they let you hold a baby chimp was enough to hook me. So last Wednesday I packed up 7 kids and myself and we headed out. (Our summer sister, Piper was with us plus my friend Tara's girl's) When we pulled up and I got my first glimpse of the *babies* they had there I knew this was going to be an amazing adventure. We did in fact get to hold 6 month old Aiden the chimp and 8 month old Wesley the Kangaroo!!! AMAZING....doesn't even really sum it up...seriously one of the coolest things I've ever taken the kids to!! The facility is nice, the people wonderful and the amount and variety of animals they have is great!! But on top of the cool animals they are a educational facility so I learned a ton about all the cool animals we saw...the kids could have cared less about all the details...but for us momma's it made the tour more fun!! :)
Some of the animals we saw:
Armadillo
porcupine
fox, mom, dad and baby
deer (they roam free around the grounds...coming right up to you and eating out of your hands. (they also had babies)
wallabies
goats
giant turtles
more kinds of monkeys then I can even remember
warthogs
miniature pony
zebras
a baby camel
birds
buffalo
and several more things that I can't remember or that I didn't see because I was chasing Sophia (I know your all shocked that I was chasing her! ha)

The tours are my appointment only and you must have 25 people in your group...so if anyone ever wants to check it out and you need more people...call us...the Mullinax's add 6..and we would go make a hundred times!! :) Also they have an *open house* the 3rd Saturday's of each month...where you can come without a group. I highly recommend Savanahland...we had a blast..and here are the pics to prove it!! :)

Meet Aiden






Our littlest monkey holding a monkey!! :)

...see don't you just want to take him home he's so cute!!

Meet Wesley

Sam really wanted to hold Wesley but was a little scared so mom got to hold him!! :)

Our fearless girl!!

My friend Kim's girls....





The baby camel....we was a hoot...did a little dance for us!!

Samuel feeding the deer

Can't remember what this was maybe a hyena??



Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Our Little Man..Samuel


Samuel George~ Our sometimes ornery, always sweet handsome little man. Samuel has so much magic inside...we sees the world in an entirely different way than the girls...he looks at somethings and he needs to know how and why it works....always so inquisitive!! He often prefers to sit back and take in his environment so he understands exactly how he would like to proceed. He comes across as very shy at first but once you've broken past that..he is very much a clown...doing anything to make you laugh!! He is a builder at heart and loves to build things...mostly to house his wide array of cars!! :) He takes his time learning new tasks...always moving at Sam time. He is very much in need of structure...and doesn't like to deviate from the normal. I've often worried about Samuel growing up in a house full of girls...but he has proven he can hold his own...and that being the only brother is nurturing a very gentle soul...that makes this momma so proud each and every day!!

















Saturday, August 01, 2009

The Artistic...the Sassy..the Gorgeous Isabelle


Isabelle Mae ~ Our middle daughter...our little artist, our outgoing spitfire. She is a friend to everyone...not a fear within her. She's brilliant...sweet, sassy and dramatic. She is the first in line to try new things. She is determined and doesn't easy change her opinion or her desire of what she wants. (I have no idea who she got that from hee hee) She challenges me daily to teach her new and exciting things..her future is bright and I cannot wait to see what she will become. The list of what she wants to be when she grows up is added upon daily...last time I checked it included a artist, a doctor, a dancer and a soccer player!! :) Whatever she ends up choosing one thing is for sure she will be the best of the best because her personality will allow for nothing but!!














Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Sweet..The Amazing..The Beautiful Grace


Grace Cathryn~ Our oldest daughter...our little mother...she's spunky...sweet beyond words....she has the most amazing spirit that takes my breath away. She is cautious and sometimes timid but once she is comfortable she lights up a room. Her personality has become even more distinct over the last months....she is definitely her own person. She is often content just watching rather then joining in activities. She is a momma's girl sometimes to a fault. She reminds me of myself more than any of our other children. From her sleeping habits, to her need to take in her surroundings before making a decisions on how to proceed, to her sometimes moodiness...to her lack of desire to be a swimmer. She is my girl ALL the way!! :) She has starting telling us that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up and I have no doubts that she would make a great doctor...her love and compassion for other is one of her best attributes!!













Sunday, July 26, 2009

Friday Fun...


We were suppose to be in sunny Texas this weekend...enjoying our cousins...lots of swimming...and even a little work for mom...but the kids had other plans for us....Sam and Isabelle took turns getting sick Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday causing us to cancel our trip....we were so sad but are looking forward to a rescheduled vacation in September!!!

On Friday morning everyone seemed better so we packed a lunch and headed downtown. (Jared had already taken the day off) Our first stop was Liberty Memorial for lunch...the kids thought the giant tower was sooo cool. After lunch we headed to Kaleidoscope. I can remember this place as a kid...so it was so neat to be able to take my kids there. They all enjoyed themselves...but no surprise that Isabelle loved it the most!!

After Kaleidoscope it was off to the Crown Center fountains for a little water fun. It was such a fun family day...we LOVED having daddy home for 4 straight days...but tomorrow it's back to reality for us all!! :)











They all especially liked making these puzzles...





Making cool glasses with melted crayons

Princess Isabelle

King Samuel




A pack of Mullinaxen

Sophia wasn't quite sure in the beginning...but she quickly joined in the fun!!









Jump, Jump for JOY!!




Friday, July 24, 2009

....and the rest of the weekend....



I can't tell you enough what an incredible weekend we had. It's been a long time since I laughed that much!! The kids are already counting down the days until we can go again...they've asked atleast once a day since we left!! Having a weekend away with our little family reminded me of how blessed I truly am to have each of these people in my life!!
Blessings, Jen



Ellie even got to come on a boat ride..she had her very own life jacket!! Grace was thrilled!! :)

Gracie and her Nana...










The jet ski was a big hit with ALL 4 kids!!





Sophia's throne

Look at us...we're all in the water..thanks for capturing this mom!!



More fishing!! The kids have been practicing fishing in our driveway for weeks..they were so excited to try out their skills for real!! :)


Inspecting our catch...

...wahoo they caught one...

This picture is so blurry...but I adore it..our littlest fisher-girl

Sam was sooo proud of his catch....(and as a side note have you noticed all the sweatshirts being worn in these pictures...it NEVER got above 80 the entire time we were at the lake...it was the most perfect weather!! Hard to believe it was the middle of July)





Captain Ron's...

Saturday afternoon we took a nice boat ride over to Captian Ron's...they have a nice little sand beach for the kids to play at and a nice tiki bar for the adults...it was a win win!! lol The kids had a blast and were absolutely fearless in the water!! Sam especially thought the BIG pirate was so cool!! :)







I loved how well the kiddos played together in the water...making a cute little train!!







Lots and Lots of Tubing!!

Isabelle always our fearless child was the first to go tubing. Without hesitation she jumped out there with daddy!! She had a great ride until the last few bumps...she decided she was done. But promptly asked is she could go again the next day!! :)


That smile never left her face!!




Samuel decided he would ride on Sunday but only with mommy...so of course I agreed...he didn't stop laughing the entire ride....we had to stop because mommy's arm's were tired!! :)

Fearless child #2....Sophia had a great ride!!




We couldn't convince Grace to give tubing a try maybe next year!! :)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Our first Lake Vacation...day 1


I grew up going to the Lake of the Ozark's each summer...it was our one definite vacation of the summer and it was always sooo much fun. Boating, tubing and floating away in the lake...oh what a life!! We have some dear family friends that have a lake house and I've been anxious to get down there with the kids and thought that FINALLY our kids were old enough to truly enjoy the experience. And boy were they...we had an awesome little vacation....the kids did wonderfully around the water...and three of the four even went tubing. (those pictures will be in a later post) We got to the lake late Friday afternoon and first things first enjoyed a little fishing followed by a boat ride...in which all four our our monkey's got to drive the boat!! :) A HUGE thank you to Tom and Karen for inviting us down and showing us such a wonderful time...great memories!! We LOVE you!! LOTS more pictures coming soon...these are only from day 1...:)










All ready for our very FIRST boat ride!!

Nana and Papa came along for the weekend...it was so wonderful to have the extra hands not to mention the kids adore those two!!

Sam had been talking about going to the lake for DAYS...he was especially excited to

drive the boat!! :)

Karen and Miss Gracie

Sophie's turn to drive..

Check out that smile....pure joy!!

Hey look I was on this vacation too!! Thanks mom for snapping a pic of me!!





Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Shatto Dairy Farm....


Last week the kids and I packed up and headed North with the help of my Cousin's daughter, Carly we went and toured the Shatto Milk Company. We meet my fellow Triplet momma Shawnda there!! We had a blast feeding, milking and brushing the cows. We even sampled a little of the milk...the kids choose chocolate milk and Banana milk to try...they loved both!! :) What a fun day!!





Our little fearless girl got right in there to milk the cow!!


Isabelle took her turn...

Lucy the cow was a good sport!!

The kids thought this was the chocolate milk cow!! lol






Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Swaddling...Come to a FREE Swaddling Open House!!

Forgotten how to? Want to learn?
KOALA KUDDLES_ the Australian Swaddle

**There's a FREE box of (3) swaddles for the first 100 parents!!

Date: Friday, July 17, 2009
Where: Blue Valley Recreation Center
6545 W 151st Overland Park
Time: 9:30-11:30


www.koalakuddles.com

I'll be there...hope to see you there!!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Win a FREE Tamron Lens...

WAHOO...a random drawing to win a 18-270 or a 28-300mm. If you own a SLR camera go here to check it out!!

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Big Papa Charlie...

After the zoo but before Fireworks...the kids got a little lovin' from Big Papa and GG. Oh how the kids love their Big Papa and GG!!














How we spent our 4th of July.....

at the ZOO...we have been trying to go for weeks..but it seems like each time we plan a trip it rains..finally a dry day and we were off.

(this 1st pictures wasn't taken at the zoo...but on our way home as we drove around while the kids slept!!:)



*Gus* the Gorilla always a crowd favorite...he was a crack up he looked like he was doing yoga!! :)




Loved these *Quads*

My favorite...the Giraffe's




Miss Grace's favorite animal...she informed me after we saw the *Ellie's* that we could go home that was all she wanted to see!! hee hee





My two favorite men....



...aww the baby Chimp....we could have watched him all day!!



...out of focus and all I adore this pic of my daddy and I

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

1st haircuts...

The time had come to cut Little Miss Sophia's hair..it was looking a little raged...I was worried that we might cut her curls all off...but it did just the opposite...I LOVE her new do!! :) While we were at the salon Miss Grace decided she was ready for a trim...she had never had her hair cut either...again because of the curls...but she needed a trim so badly. They were both such big girls!! :)

Before









After



The crew waiting while Sophia got her trim!! :)


Gracie..






The after...she didn't get a before....but really you can hardly tell she got a trim!! :)

Dillon's 4.....

Our nephew Dillon joined the 4 and over group last Saturday. We had a blast celebrating with him at his Birthday party!!:)
















The Stanley men..Jake, Dillon and Brian


Sophia loves her some GG!! :)



an attempt at a group picture....











Jaxson Diego....


Our newest and most short lived family member!! :) Papa Jim surprised the kids with a box turtle last Friday...they were ecstatic!! They named him Jaxson Diego....so funny the names they come up with!! :) He was fun while he lasted but on Sunday we let him down in the yard to look for food and he ran away (AKA..mom distracted the kids long enough for Jaxson to escape!! :)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Berry Patch...


The kids and I went to pick Blueberry's on Tuesday...we got up early...to beat the heat...which was impossible as it was 89 degrees at 8:30am....but we went anyway. It was fun....the kids loved picking the blueberry's...but they've all refused to even try them(except a little lick that Sophia gave them in a picture below) !! haha...figures!! :) So I guess we will chuck it up to a fun time...cool scrapbook page...and some yummy blueberry's for mommy!! :)












Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day...



Happy Father's Day to the most amazing father I know...I couldn't have chosen a better daddy for my kids....I love you so much baby...each time I see you with our sweet kids...my heart swells just a little more!! :)
Happy Father's day to all the other daddy's out there...I hope you each did exactly what you wanted today!! :) Happy Father's day to my daddy and papa too...I love you both!!
Blessings, Jen











Once Upon a Time and Ahoy Matey's....

It's a Princess and Pirate Party to celebrate Princess Grace, Pirate Sea-legs Sam, Princess Isabelle's 4th Birthday!! Their party was a hit...we all had a blast....so much fun they are already planning next years...Lord help me!! :)

We had lots of fun games including...walking the plank, a treasure hunt and Pirate and Princess versions of pin the tail on the donkey...so cute!! :)


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

FOUR...

We enjoyed a wonderful day together for Grace, Isabelle and Samuel's birthday. Grace our late sleeper (she usually sleeps until 9 or 10) was up first...she was beaming with excitment about her birthday and she thought it was pretty cool that the Birthday Fairy had left balloon's in her room!!:) As soon as everyone was up daddy made the kids their traditional birthday pancakes. We were lucky enough to have Nana and Papa off work to help us celebrate as well as get ready for party number 1. We celebrated their birthday with a family celebration Friday night...this was the first year that we had two parties one for family and one for friends (on Saturday) and that was the way to go...way less chaotic and we were really able to really enjoy everyone that attended!! :)
The kids were showered with more hugs, kisses and gifts to last them a life time. We appreciate each one of you that made our children's day special!!

We have 3 four year olds...I keep saying that and I can hardly believe it's true...I still remember the day they were born...the sounds of their first cries...holding them in my arms...it makes me sad as well as beam with pride all at the same time. Sad that the days and years have flown by so fast...but pride that our children have grown up to be such fine little souls. They amaze me daily and make me thankful to God that I have been entrusted to be their mom...what an honor. I was sitting enjoying a rare quiet second to myself on Friday when one of the girls yelled "Mommy" it brought tears to my eyes...for four years I've been a mommy...a dream come true...the days are rarely easy...but just with one simple word everything I do and everything that I am is worth every struggle!! I fall head over heals in love with each of them day after day!!

Blessings to all,
Jen
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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Birthday Weekend....

So much to tell you so little time!! :) We had a blast celebrating FOUR with our little princess's and pirate this weekend....two parties..oodles of friends, family and gifts. I promise to share more later...but this momma is TIRED!! :) Much love to all, J

...aww now a look back...our sweet babies at 1 month old

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

9 Amazing Wonderful Years....

9 years ago today I married my best friend, my soul mate...It's hard to believe it's been that long...it really has flown by. I would marry Jared all over again if given the chance. With each passing day and year I love him just a little bit more!! :) Cheers to us and many more years of happiness!! :)

"Today, let your heart dance. You will find no shortage of dance partners, as your feet join in. And your eyes. And your smile. And every part of your body and your feelings. Let your heart dance all day long."


Then

Now