Dancing, Laughing, Celebrating...

We celebrated our sweet Emma Grace's 7th birthday Friday and Saturday. She had been planning and looking forward to her first girls' sleepover for weeks. The day arrived and my house was filled with 10 giggly girls ready to party the night away. I didn't need much to entertain them. As soon as the music played, dancing took over the night. They had dance offs, played freeze dance, made a hip hop circle, and even had the energy to play Just Dance on the Wii. The smiles and laughs heard over the night were worth every moment of planning. One little one said, "This is the best night ever!" That made my night. I don't think Emma will ever forget this birthday. To everyone who came and helped celebrate, I can't thank you enough. She had an absolutely wonderful time! Here are a few glimpses of the night...

And...poor big brother...!

TV Free Summer Days

Hi Friends.

I shamefully admit, since Emma Grace was born, we have NOT had professional family pictures taken. I am such a slacker mom...ugh! Hopefully when she's old enough, she will forgive me. People warned me about this...the "second child" missing pictures. I have tons of unprofessional snapshots of her childhood, but the pretty, polished ones aren't there. That is, until now! Oh my goodness....what a fun and rewarding experience. We owe so much to the fabulous Jenna Allen. She did an amazing job capturing candid moments on a sunny afternoon for us. I cannot even describe how happy this makes me. Just seeing those adorable images of my kiddos has made my summer. Here are a couple of them with credits due to Jenna...please check out her website! www.jkaphotography.com

I have proclaimed to my kids that TV is off limits during the day for the summer. Some of you might think I am crazy...I think so too! The Disney Channel is great. Who doesn't love a good episode of Good Luck, Charlie? You know you watch too. We are even looking forward to the newest "Name the Baby" upcoming episode...but really, how many times do they need to watch a repeat? When they are reciting the lines along with commercials, I think that's enough. So, I am trying really hard to keep them engaged in summer fun without TV. So far, we've enjoyed VBS, cooking, making bird feeders, bathing the dogs, and outdoor adventures. Tomorrow brings Father's Day crafts, and next week, who knows? No life threatening fights yet...just a few "you are REALLY getting on my NERVES!" moments between the kids (& maybe mommy). Ha ha!

I do know nature hikes and library trips are in our near future. If you see me out and about around town and I am kid-less...please worry... because it means I have lost them! LOL...

I have been working on my blog layout for a while. Though it is not exactly how I want it, it will do for now. I've also been wondering what to write about. My first post should be something awesome, right? So of course, I could think of nothing. No wonderful creative words came to mind. So, off I went to take my "homework assignment" pictures for my photography class. Thankfully I am a part of this club called motherhood, which gives me ample access to little creatures that have to do what I say. After taking some pictures of my beautiful baby girl and uploading them to the computer, I had one of those moments...that all moms experience every now and then. I am in my 30's, I have been married for 13 years, and my babies are growing up waaaaayyyyy to fast. I want time to slow to a crawl so I can take in every precious memory. When we moms start thinking of life as related to the span of time, it goes a little something like this...

• Cole is almost 11, approaching the dreaded middle school void, & 5 years away from driving ____...Insert tears here
• Emma Grace is 6 years old, 4 years away from 10, that's practically catching up with Cole ____ ...Insert more tears here
• Gosh, I can remember bringing Cole home from the hospital, his sweet baby smile, and loving to dive into the leaves in the yard of our first house, the one with the stunning Japanese Magnolia... ____ Yep, more tears here
• And Emma Grace was just born, she's not supposed to be this tall, beautiful dancer learning to read and write...not yet..._____Again, yet crying like a baby now.

A few weeks ago, our pastor's wife spoke about seeking God's face and appreciating the time we are given to spend with Him. By doing this, we are surely allowing Him to bring joy, wisdom, and grace into our lives. This is my goal from now going forward. I am going to make time to read His word and write in my journal like I did years ago. Maybe it will help me not turn in to "crazy emotional mom" when I think about the time I have left with my children before they grow up.

I hope some of you moms out there feel the same way I do sometimes. Certainly I am not alone. Off to tuck the kiddos into bed.

~Mandy