Fun Day #2

We went blueberry picking today!!! Couldn't of asked for a more perfect day...it was hot, but we had a fun time! Our friends Sheila, Abbey and Austin joined us! Here are some pictures I wanted to share:

And then the girls and I headed to CoCo's:

Ry's artwork this afternoon:

And then I was invited to dinner with one of my girlfriends, Kelly!!! It was so nice to get out and catch up with her....which sounds silly because we are neighbors too, but she just had a baby so this was the first time out with no little ones!!! It was wonderful...I even got to love on her little one, Nathan, before heading back over to my house where I expected Ry to be waiting for me!!! She was asleep and Tatey was steady going!!!

What a great day!!!

Fun Day #1

I am OFF work ALL week...I finally built up enough time where I could take some personal days...and it feels great knowing I'm not back until next Monday! :)

The girls and I (well, really Ryleigh and I) have decided to have Fun Day's every day this week!!! She has picked out some special friends that she would like to do fun things with!!!

Today was pool day at Aunt Mello's! We absolutely had a blast. Our friends Lindsay, Owen and Aubrey tagged along with us - - - Ry had a buddy and Tatey had a buddy.

Here are some pictures of our fun:

Yes, Tatum is crying...she was not happy about Pool Day!

Look at this face - pitiful...she had real tears and all!

And then there's Aubrey - chilling and relaxing!

So Sweet!

This is what I got most everytime I wanted to get a picture of Owen! :)

Ry had a blast - usually she only has Poppa as her pool buddy!

Owen being a FISH!!!

Tatey finally relaxing a bit...

Deciding to let go and just sleep!!! :)

The only picture with no pa-pa...she wouldn't stay in the pool otherwise and I wanted to her to have fun too!!!

Yay for Victoria coming down after Ry's pool buddy left...they played lifeguard for over an hour!!! :)


After swimming we headed to Poppa and Nana's to celebrate Poppa's Bday!

Tatey laughing at Aunt Mello!


So we definitely had a full day, but a fun day!

Just to show you...

When God lays something on your heart - you'll see it everywhere...

On my little calendar thingy it says for today:

No one can define LOVE without defining God.
No one can explain LOVE without explaining God.
And God can only be defined or explained in Jesus Christ.
~Anonymous

Not So Dainty...

Tatey's friend Aubrey is always styling in her little bows and bands...so we thought we'd give it a try. As you can see, she just isn't quite as dainty...

But none the less...still a cutie! :)

My friend, Mandy, has a business ...LuxBabies.com...and made this sweet one for Tatum!!! You'll have to check out her stuff! Too sweet!!!

So here's a few of Tatum "trying" really hard to keep this on!!!

Most of my time was spent saying, Tatum...No Baby, You NEED to keep it ON!!! :)


And here she is with her baby doll... she is all about her today!

At that stage...

Where I cannot take my eyes off of Tatum!!! She is everywhere and into everything!

And climbing...my goodness she is scaring me.

I thought Ry was a little Houdini, but Tatey Baby might have her beat!!!

She is just too cute though and I can't help but laugh at her...because SHE thinks she is accomplishing BIG things these days! :)

In the "Word" Wednesday...

I'm going to try something new as God has been placing a lot of scripture in my heart and mind these days. Every Wednesday I will post about what is standing out the most to me...and I would love your feedback!!!

Today is LOVE:

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through LOVE.
Galatians 5:6

This is the first scripture I kept coming to. And I kept thinking about why it really is so important...that the ONLY thing that counts is FAITH expressing itself through LOVE...and I figure the bottom line is that we can only truly love when we know what it means to be loved. And that really comes from our faith. The ultimate example of that is God sending His son to die for us; and that we are saved by our faith, not our deeds. When you know you have been saved and feel the love from a God who forgives...I would only hope that we would show that same love to others. I think it says somewhere in the bible that ...those who are forgiven much- love much...

Some other verses I kept referring to upon the many in the bible...

This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:17

Do everything in LOVE.
1 Corinthians 16:14

Serve one another in LOVE.
Galatians 5:13

LOVE your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:39

There is no fear in LOVE.
1 John 4:18

and of course...

LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind.
Love does not envy, LOVE does not boast, LOVE is not proud.
LOVE is not rude, LOVE is not self-seeking, LOVE is not easily angered, LOVE keeps no records of wrong.
LOVE does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
LOVE always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
LOVE never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

(***I changed all the "it" 's to LOVE for emphasis***)

Love takes work. And it isn't always easy; just look at the last one. If I am to do EVERYTHING in Love, am I really being patient??? not being rude??? not holding on to wrongs??? always trusting??? always hoping??? always persevering???, etc... Am I serving my neighbors with love??? Do I do everything in love?

The answer...

No.

I am not always patient. And I don't even "know" a few of my neighbors that live beside us and across from us. I could list all the things I'm not doing...

But more importantly, I am choosing to change!!! :)
I am giving myself one week to show LOVE in action! I am choosing SERVE ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE and going to tie that in with LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF! (Kelly, that means something good will be coming your way!:) )

Honestly, I am going to show LOVE to my neighbors this week. Whether it's a plate of cookies, fresh cut flowers from our garden, inviting their children over to play, praying for them, you name it...I am going make it happen.

I encourage you to do the same and tell me about it!!!

A girl I work with commented on how I always sign my emails with "Love, Jenny"...I didn't even realize I was doing it until I didn't one day and she noticed it. She said to me how it always made her day to see that's how I ended my message.

Really?!?

Another one commented on how instead of getting mad at some of our "issues" with both internal and external calls...I'll just say - "Bless their bones..." She said if she knew I wasn't already a "church go-er" she would guess I was by the way I respond to those people.

Again, Really?!?

Is that all it takes? Just being nice. My goodness, just think of how we could really change someone's day if we really went out of our way....but even better than that - if we chose to make it our way of life...

TO JUST LOVE. Simply Love!

Girls Day...

Can you tell just how much I love my family?!? Wanted to share two more pictures from today...it was just us girls and we really had a fun day! :) Ry said to me after lunch, "I am so happy you are home ALL day today!!!"

ME TOO!!!

More Pictures!!!

Phil had some quality time with the girls yesterday afternoon while I tried to catch a few hours of sleep before going in for the night shift...here are some pictures of their fun!!!

Notice Tatey's black eye?!? That happened right before church yesterday morning...gotta love this new walking experience! :)

Happy Father's Day!

We Love You, Phil!
Thank you so much for ALL you do...
you are the Bestest Husband and
such an Awesome Daddy to our girls!

We Love You too Poppa!!! (and Nana)

Thanks for Being the Bestest Daddy to your girls and
The BEST EVER Poppa to my girls!

Although we celebrate Father's Day today...
I hope that both of you feel loved and special every day of the year!

First of Many...

Today was Tatum's very first birthday party!!! :) And even though the rain decided to pour down, I think everyone still had a good time! I've been overwhelming with pictures lately, but still wanted to share...

Phil, Ry and I all contributed to Tatey's Banner - it truly was made with love!

Birthday Girl!

My attempt to doing something creative for the kids to take home...
This one - golf ball paint!!!

Sand Art - The kids seemed to like this one!

Tatey's cake!

The finished product!

We also had cupcake cones, cupcakes, brownie trifle and rice krispie treats too!

After everyone left - Tatey was so tired she went right to sleep!

But woke up Ready to GO!

And since it was her party day - I let her indulge one more time on a cupcake cone...she had her 2nd quick bath right after she got done eating! :) It's not that she is a terribly messy eater - she just CANNOT keep her hands out of her hair!!!

I think Tatum had such a fun birthday week...and although she won't remember it - she was surrounded by a lot of love, family and friends!
Thank you my wonderful family for helping with all the food and crafts AND Poppa - for doing all you do! :)

Finishing Up...

I actually got off work tonight at 8:30 pm and yet here I sit still finishing things up for Tatey's party tomorrow. Thank goodness for my family who has come to my rescue with some last minute - "I forgot this" kind of stuff! :)

Hoping it's not too terribly hot tomorrow and that the rain holds off long enough to get us through the party!

Still can't believe my baby girl is 1!!!

Another Violation...

BUT THIS TIME IT WAS RYLEIGH!!!!

I forgot to mention that Ryleigh and Phil were given a citation for going 7mph in a 5mph zone!!! And none the less, a 5 year was behind the wheel! No worries...it was just at DutchWonderland - but we have a picture to prove it! :)

A Little Getaway...

Since Phil is on vacation and it was Tatey's first birthday, we decided to get away for a few days. We decided on Dutch Wonderland and Lancaster, PA. We had such a great time, a much needed break! The only down side was that it wasn't even 70 so we were very much under dressed, but other than that - it was a wonderful day!!!

(I tell you, she has this fascination with rainbows...)

Tatey and I going down the slide...

She wasn't so sure she liked that! :)

The Dutch Wonderland Princess and her Knight came to wish Tatum a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

One tired Birthday Girl!

We truly had a wonderful day...as we were leaving, Ry said, "This was the BEST day ever...I had so much fun!" And we all did!!! I would definitely recommend it for families with young children; we all were able to ride the rides, but more importantly Ryleigh was able to ride ALL the rides, so we definitely got our $'s worth! The food is a bit pricey, but we learned that you can pack picnic lunches and there is an area where you can eat there! Tatum just soaked it all in and enjoyed herself too! :)

This morning, Ry decided she definitely wanted her hair cut. She has been mentioning A LOT lately that she wanted to...I did not want her to - I love it long...but she's been persistent and begged Aunt Lissa to cut it. So we went from this:

TO THIS:

All that hair...

It looks cute, I must admit!!! And it is just hair and will grow back. As many times as she has cut it herself and I've had to get layers taken off - I know this will grow back too...but Ry absolutely LOVES it - I keep catching her checking herself out in the mirror.

We ended our fun at the Herr's Factory:

No cameras were allowed once the "tour" started, but I got a few before! It was actually very interesting and we even got CHIPS hot off the line. Phil loves stuff like this so I think he enjoyed it the most!!!

What a wonderful time we had as a family the past couple of days!!!
And like I said, it was so very much needed!

Happy Birthday Tatum!

Sweet Little Love of Our's...today is your day!

I cannot believe that a year has passed so quickly...yet here we are at your first birthday! :) You truly are just what we needed - all wrapped up in your tiny little self.
I Love You So Much!
I sometimes think Ryleigh loves you even more.
I am still amazed that you were born perfectly healthy and although you were little - You were so BIG ...

I remember seeing you in this picture:

And knowing that your sweet smile already matched your little personality.

It really seems like we just brought you home...and everything just seemed complete.
I very often feel like I'm missing out on so much because of my work schedule, but you have saved all your special moments for me...the first time you rolled over, your first laugh, the first time you sat up all by yourself, the first time you took off crawling, your very first steps...it's like you somehow knew my heart would be crushed if I wasn't here to experience those moments with you.


I love how you are such a GREAT baby - You truly are!
I love that you still love to snuggle with me!
I love that you think a smile or clapping at me will make things ok!
I love that you blow kisses!
I love that you know how to give loves...
I love the way you laugh!

There are so many things that I could list
but the bottom line is that I love that you are my baby girl!


Happy Birthday Tatey Baby...We Love You!

Busy Bee...

My last 4 days have been absolutely crazy busy...

I am so thankful that once I get off work tomorrow - we are getting to escape for a few days and just enjoy family time away from the normal atmosphere!!!

Wanted to share that my friend Kelly had her baby this morning...and YES, I got to love on him during my break tonight!!! He is just simply perfect!!!! And they didn't know whether it was a boy or girl (she thought boy from the beginning, her husband thought girl) so they were both more than excited when it was announced BOY!!! So now she has been blessed with a sweet little 2 year old girl and a most precious baby boy! I couldn't be happier for them!!! :)

Off to bed so I can make it to work on time tomorrow!!!

WE MADE IT!!!

It seems like just a few days ago, we were taking pictures of Ryleigh's FIRST day of school and yet here we are at her LAST day!!! The time has just flown by...and what an experience it has been.

Being blessed with Tatum, Ryleigh starting a new school, me starting a new job, all the sickness we endured throughout the winter, the ups and downs of all the new adjustments...it feels good to say WE MADE IT! :)

Ryleigh looked so "Big Girl" this morning, she even helped Tatey with breakfast while I made her lunch. I cannot believe how fast she is growing and changing and just loving every minute of being her Mommy.

I have been blessed...for sure!

Different

It's definitely different and much quieter not having Ry home yet...I'm sure hoping she had fun today - she was so looking forward to lunch at school!!!

I still can't believe tomorrow is her last day of Pre-K!!!

And that Tatum will be 1 in a week.

But I'm ready for a summer routine! :)

In my head...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This verse has been in my head consistently the past two days! I have been praying for many things and God has been placing many people on my heart. I've also been trying to be joyful at all times, but it's not as easy as it should be...

I'm hoping you all have a wonderful week and are thanking God for whatever circumstances you are facing and just trusting that it's right where you need to be! :)

And She's Off...

It finally clicked for Tatey tonight...and she just took off! Laughing at herself the entire time. My baby girl isn't such a baby anymore...

Ryleigh taking pictures as she's cheering Tatum on! :)

She knew she was doing something special!!!

Sneaking her passy a few times...

Walking. My Tatey Baby is walking!!!

She sure is something sweet!!!

What a day...

So the yard sale wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I actually sold more stuff ($ wise) Thursday night to a girl I work with whose daughter is going to have a baby in the fall!

I guess one dollar is better than no dollar...but I was secretly hoping someone would come and just wipe me out of all my nicer items. But people are cheap. And nickel and dime you for everything.

Lesson learned.

I came home to my sweet family, ate lunch and then snuggled with the girls as we were all needing a nap. Sadly, that didn't happen as planned. But hopefully it'll be early to bed for us all.

The good news - - - Phil is on "vacation" so we are "skipping" out on church in the morning and just enjoying some family time and have no urgent need to get up and get moving so early like our usual Sunday mornings...YAY!!!

Rain, Rain...GO AWAY!

Really hoping it's going to be a beautiful day tomorrow...this rain is not going to help our yard sale at all!

Phil and Ry were able to "play" outside for a while yesterday...the house is completely power washed and the grass is all cut! Ry played the entire time while periodically checking in on Phil's work! They made it in just before it started down pouring!

Tatey and I finished getting everything together for the yard sale and she had her "nak" while I prepared dinner....

I think Tatey is going to be like Ry and love apples...

She was cracking me up with this...

This all started the other afternoon when Tatey grabbed on to an apple Ry was eating and started going at it...she had a fit anytime you'd try and take it away...so I decided why not just peel one and let her have her fun...

The Finished Product!
You go, Girl...with your two little teeth!!!

Completed

Ryleigh has "officially" completed Pre-K!!!

All of the students received a package of materials to help them prepare for Kindergarten over the summer!

Sadly, this is the best picture I could get of them...

A year's worth...

My mom and I are having a yard sale this weekend...and I have about 5 tubs filled with a year's worth of clothes from the girls. It's a little overwhelming...

I brought down one tub that was full of clothes that are just right for Tatey's size now - she is not going to be in need of clothes at all for the next season!!! :) And Ry is loving it that they are clothes she wore - she just thinks that is awesome!

We're hoping for a beautiful day with a lot of people looking for baby stuff!!!

Pasta Girls

There is one thing I know the girls take after me with...we LOVE us some pasta!!! Here's a few of Tatey last night devouring her tortellini!!! :) She was a mess...but loving every minute...(please don't mind the Easter bib - Ry insists that she wears it because it's pink and it's cute!!!)








And one more to show you we can get through a meal with no mess!!! :)

Almost here...

Ry is finished with Pre-K on June 10th.
Tatey turns 1 on June 16th.

Where did this year go?!?