Thankful Thursday

Are y'all lovin' this weather as much as we are??? I am so thankful for these cooler temperatures, low humidity & the beautiful sunshine we've been enjoying the last few days. I really needed it! Things have been so hectic the last few weeks that I haven't had much time to do anything but run-in-and-out here-and-there from one air conditioned oasis to another.

But I need to be outside! And to be honest I don't want to be outside when it's crazy hot. I need to breathe fresh air, go on evening walks with the kiddos, see the mountains that surround us & sit outback to watch the boys catch fish. There is something about those moments that remind me to slow down & breathe. I need those moments to commune with God. Those moments remind me that He (not me!) is THE Creator of all the joy in my life. Sometimes I just really need that reminder!

So here's a little bit of my joy this week...

I think those smiles say it all...hope y'all are enjoying this beautiful weather, too!

{Splish Splash} Birthday Bash

It was so fun to finally get to plan a summer birthday party! We decided to go all out with a pool party dinner. Here's a little bit of the fun...

Her Cake:

Her Silly Friends (some of them anyway):
Her Cake to share with family & friends:

Her Gifts:

Her Splish Splashin':

Her Table Decorations & Treats:

Her:

At One...

She is:

14 pounds, 10 ounces (not on the perentage chart)

28 inches (31%)

She Likes: to play legos, star wars figures, baseball figure (as seen in picture above at her one year check-up), ball, splashing in the pool & being read to. Loves food...all food! We haven't found anything she won't eat, although she has no teeth & no signs of any. Her favorite is coleslaw!

She Says: mama, daddy, hi, bye, ben, ball, ball get it, what is it?, book, bird, dog, see it, night-night

She Can: crawl, take a random step here or there, touch her nose, eyes, ears, nose & mouth, pat her belly, make us all act like fools & bring us immeasurable joy each day!

One

It's official...Baby Cakes is One! Although her party wasn't until this weekend (I'll post those when I have time), we celebrated & had lots of fun on her big day. The day ended with a cupcake seen here...

The Many Faces

of our sweet little birthday girl.

M.I.B.

I know I've been Missing In Blogland. All I can say is 1st week of school +

making 120 of these for a big event at church. I'm still trying to recover!

Lots more to come this week...someone's having a birthday...it's a big ONE!

3 F's

#1 Forts: In preparation for back-to-school, the boys wanted to do something really fun for Meg. While she was taking a nap over the weekend, they constructed this fort. This is to protect her while they're at school. Notice they also armed her =)

#2 First Day: We survived the 1st day of school. All of us!

#3 Frogs: The boys are always catching frogs. In fact, for most of last week, we had 2 frogs living in our kitchen, in a plastic cage. Last night, Cole caught this huge frog. Meg was so excited. She wanted to touch it. But this was as close as we let her get.

So for those of you who thought that Meg would really enjoy her time with just me, let me say I'm not nearly as entertaining as him...

or him!