Aspen's 5th Birthday!

We celebrated Aspen's 5th birthday the day after her birthday.....remember, she has a pretty cool birthday. lots of sevens...7-7-07, born on the 7th day. Nifty, eh?

Can't believe how fast she is growing up. She is a lovely little lady and I am blessed to have her in my life. Wow, I get to be her mommy! Really...this thrills me more than words can say!!

Here are some scenes from the birthday bash...Hello Kitty style, but of course! :-)

Aspen twig, we love you!!!

River turns six.

Really, he did. I am just now getting around to posting this. Better late than never, eh? (yeah, I am playing catch up...on this post, as well as his adorable soccer games, which will be coming up in a post soon. )

So...about River turning six. I keep having to remind myself that it happened. He is now six and my heart is so thrilled that he is growing up so healthfully and happily, but the other part of my heart is breaking. Weird combo, eh? I remember when the kids were much younger being told by several people to enjoy this time while it lasts because they grow up so fast. Wow! This could not be more true. You really can't blink, it's that fast.

My oldest child turned six on September 13th...oh, and so did his cousin, Kathryn. So very exciting to have a cousin with the same birthday, wouldn't you think?

River,
 I am in awe of the little man you are growing up to be. I love seeing your fascination with life whether it be birds, climbing, soccer, mountain biking, swords, knights, books, you name it...I am in awe. 
 You have grown so much (and all too quickly, mind you) in these first six years of your life. We have seen you start out on a shaky note, but bounce right back and become the awesome little (sorry...big) kid that you are today. You are our blessing. Our gift from God. And though I am not a perfect mother by any stretch of the imagination, I want you to know how much I love you. 
You probably are not aware of how often go into your room at night to check on you, kiss your nose, tuck you in, and simply sit there in amazement of just how blessed I am to be your mother. It takes all I can muster not to scoop you up into my arms and hold you like a baby. I do not, though. I, instead, listen to you breath and watch your eyelids jump around as you dream sweet dreams of all that inspires you.
You inspire me, River. I pray every night that I am and will be the mother you need. I pray for patience and for understanding. I realize that night time should be a time when I am relieved to have some kid-free time (and I do appreciate this time) but I also spend a great deal of time reflecting and in doing so...I often see my many shortcomings as a mother and my heart aches. I am learning...thank you for your patience and understanding with this mama.
I love you. Thank you for filling my life with your love, happiness, spunk, energy, and determination.


Wow! It seems like just yesterday he was in my arms as a baby, learning how to walk, etc. Now, he is six. Oh boy!

We celebrated River's and his cousin's birthday at Donna and Calvin's garden. They did an amazing job setting up a make-shift slip and slide....this one was more slide then slip (which made it even better). Now...I must post photos of Donna's garden sometime. It is so pretty. Many a'parties have been held there, as it is simply that fabulous.

So...here are some randoms of the newly six, River and then I will show you some from his birthday party...

I love River's little serious side...but he can also be super silly. In the above photos his eyes are speaking volumes. I suppose smiles were not needed because his eyes were so expressive? ;-)

Now for a few photos from the birthday bash celebrating River's and Kathryn's special day.

Oh, and just so you know...the party had a duo-theme. Half princess for Kathryn and half Knight for River. ;-)

We changed things up a bit for this year and I think it turned out great...we had a Sunday brunch party. Needless to say, lots of donuts and other delicious break-fasty foods were consumed.

Ashley drew a picture (of guitars) for Rocky. (He is going to give her guitar lessons...watch out Taylor Swift)

And lastly...a photo of my Love. Whoa, this man is some kind of handsome!! This was taken at the party, so it's still so relevant. ;-) Plus, how can showing a photograph of the father of the birthday boy not be relevant, right? I mean...without him, would River have been possible? I think not! 

There were lots more photos, but I believe these give a good glimpse of the fun that was had. 

I love you, River! (and you, too Ms. Kathryn!) 

Thank you, Donna and Calvin, for allowing us (once again) to use your home and garden for such a beautiful, fun occasion. ;-) 

-kelly

8th Wedding Anniversary, Lily turns 4, & More

Wow! These past two weeks have been so busy!! That's pretty much all I can say write to describe them. I am trying to catch my breath really...

Speaking of having to catch my breath...have I told you how much I love this man??

I do...and deeply. He really does take my breath away.  8 years ago on the 6th we were married. Wow, time flies when you are having fun!! Seems like just yesterday we were saying "I do" and hopping into the getaway truck to set off on our 3 week road trip to Canada. Oh what a fun time!

And just look at this cutie! I love him! Well, not only because he is adorable but, because he really is an incredible person, father, husband, friend, nerve-calmer (more on that awesome trait in a bit), forgiver of my faults, and encourages me to no end. I am blessed by God to have him in my life.

Curious about when/how we started dating? See this post here.

Thank you, Rocky for your love. Happy Anniversary!

So...about him being an incredible nerve-calmer...well, like I said things have really been crazy but in a good way. He really does help me calm my nerves...

Lots going on, but more on that when I have time for another post and more explanation.

I wanted to share with you some photos from a recent shoot Rocky and I did of a mother and daughter duo we just met through my friend, Amy...

Meet Blakely and Brynley:

This was such a fun shoot! Just thought I would share some of the cute shots we got. ;-) If you are interested you can see more photos from the shoot HERE.


In other news...
Miss Lily just celebrated her 4th birthday on the 7th! Yes, she almost did not have her own special day...but, she does. Our wedding anniversary is on the 6th. So, just barely. ;-)

I still can't get over the fact that our baby is four. She is growing up so fast. She will always be our baby girl, though. Happy birthday, Lily! Your mommy, daddy, and brother love you beyond words...

Here is a shot of Lily helping make her birthday cupcakes for the pool party...she loves to bake!! I think she inherited that from me...i am much more of a baker than a cook. Hopefully (for her future husband's sake) she turns out to be both cook and baker. ;-)



And here is our newly 4 year old in action "picking & collecting" blueberries at grandma and grandpa's house...

Blueberries do not stand a chance with Lily and River around...

Here's proof.

Oh, and here is another shot from the grandparent's house (the massive veggie garden)...

collecting some garden goodies...

So...i skipped a portion of time when the family came to see us in Gulf Shores to celebrate Lily's birthday..that will come in a post soon. The blueberry and garden picking photos came from when we took a lightning fast trip back to TN 4th of July day... a business trip for Rocky. Everyone else went to work on the garden and sauerkraut making...we then headed back to Gulf Shores the following day.

More to come (especially from Lily's birthday get together at Fort Morgan)...but, for now I must go clean.

Have a blessed weekend, Lovelies!!

-kelly