"Dare To Love"

Last night Clint and I attended a marriage seminar at our church called "Dare To Love" that was given by my pastor and his wife. I almost didn't recognize the Worship Center because they had taken out all the chairs and put in round tables covered with white tablecloths and beautiful centerpieces...it was a very romantic setting perfect for the occassion! We had a WONDERFUL time and learned some valuable information that is helpful to any marriage. The pastor and his wife shared a few personal stories from their almost 36 years of marriage and there was quite a bit of laughter in the room! At the completion of the seminar, they offered for all couples interested, to take a moment to renew their vows...it was VERY laid back and we just did it at our tables where we were sitting!! I'm glad Clint and I took part in such a neat experience!!

Model for a day....

Emma is no stranger to the camera...she has had one on her since the second she was born!LOL She actually loves to show off for the camera and just does what comes natural to her whether it be a pose, silly face or just a blank stare. I have been doing a lot of "playing" with my new camera and trying to get familiar with all the different settings, so when I asked her if we could do a photo shoot the other day so mommy could get some "practice" she was all for it...thanks for being such a good model sissy!


What a face!

Silly girl...

Not sure what this was about...I think she was holding a little flower.

Dinner for four please.....

This year Valentine's Day was very low key...Clint worked all day and since the holiday fell on a weekend, we opted not to fight the crowds! Instead, Emma and I spent the afternoon preparing a very special candlelight dinner for 4! lol She enjoyed it so much and loved that it was a surprise for daddy since we didn't tell him we were doing this. We had a very nice dinner complete with heart shaped cakes for dessert...chocolate with cream cheese frosting YUMMY! I tried to make the evening special for all of us and think it was a success. Emma told me "Mom, this is fancy!"...she was so excited that she got to drink out of a "fancy cup" as she called it! My mom has offered to watch the kids another evening so Clint and I can have a date night and we will definately take her up on that soon, but this was another day of special memories to add to list!



Making my Valentine..cute!

The finished product

I helped Emma make this on the computer for her daddy. She picked out the picture and saw that there were three hearts and said "Me, Grant and Daddy", but then got upset b/c there wasn't one for me! LOL I told her that was okay b/c this was a Valentine for daddy from them and we only needed three hearts...she was okay then! LOL

Boys will be boys...

I had Bunko last night, so I cooked spaghetti and green beans for Clint and the kids for dinner before I left. It usually frustrates Grant to eat spaghetti because he can't get a good grip on the noodles, but he's done pretty good the past couple of times so I told Clint I thought he would be just fine eating that. WELL...not only did he thoroughly enjoy eating it, but apparently he likes to wear it too! LOL Clint took this picture for me and I thought it was hillarious! I remember Emma having a few messy feedings, but NEVER like this! Clint gave him a bath and he was fresh and clean when I got home, but when I got him up this morning I was looking at his face and noticed a little sauce in his nose...guess he was saving that for later! LOL

A beautiful weekend!

We enjoyed most of the weekend OUTDOORS for a change and it was so nice! I am SOO over Winter and ready for some beautiful Spring weather! Emma is a lucky little girl...our neighbors just love her and the kids (who are several years older) play so well with her! Last summer, they gave Emma the pink camo 4-wheeler that her friend Tori had outgrown and on Saturday I walked outside and saw a trampoline in my back yard!! Our neighbor told Clint to come help him move it and it was OURS! I offered to pay them something and they just refused and said they wanted Emma to have it because they knew how much she enjoyed playing on the "jumpaline" as she calls it. Now we just have to get a safety net to go around it. When Emma went to bed that night she said "Mommy, I just love my jumpaline..Mr. Tim is so nice". Tori and Cole came down Sunday afternoon and played with Emma and they had a BLAST! Grant got a little taste of the beautiful day too and loved his first time in the swing! He was a little scared at first (I remember Emma being the same way), but that was short-lived and he turned in to a giggle box! LOL I look forward to Winter being long gone so I can enjoy more beautiful days outdoors with the kids!







Emma and her sweet friend Tori

Emma enjoying her new jumpaline!

Emma after I told her it's time to come inside...i'm such a mean mommy! LOL

Our little Sweetheart!!

Emma was in the Sweetheart Pageant yesterday and had a BLAST!! This is the first one she's been in since she was 1 and had to go out on stage by herself...I wasn't sure how she would do, but we couldn't have been prouder! She walked right out there and was smiling and waving at everyone (she didn't neccessarily stand where she was supposed to..lol)and did great! She received 3 awards...Prettiest Eyes, Best Personality and First Runner-Up...of course she thinks she won b/c of all the trophies and I wasn't about to tell her any different! LOL When she was backstage, she was telling all the little girls how pretty they were and how she liked each of their dresses...all of the mom's were commenting on how sweet she was and if there was a Miss Congeniality award she would definately win! Talk about a mother's heart just BURSTING with pride...that's a winner in this momma's eyes anytime!!! Emma was so happy to look out in the crowd and see all her family and Aunt Meredith cheering her on...her face was beaming! I would say it was a good day for our family...Emma's little cousin Maeson won the Little Mister division and her older cousin Hayley won the Petite Miss division! YAY!!! Emma is already asking when she can be a "princess" again...maybe we will give the Brickfest Pageant a shot this summer since she is finally old enough...



Emma and NaNa
Emma and OOh-Wa PaPa..for those of you who didn't know, this is what Emma has been calling my dad since she could talk. It's her own special name for him and I think it's SO sweet!

Emma with Grandma (Clint's mom)

Party like a Rhinestone Cowgirl!

I've said it 100 times and I'm sure I will say it 1000 more...I can't believe Emma is FOUR!! It seems like not long ago we were bringing our precious baby girl home from the hospital and now she is a sweet, prissy, drama queen, beautiful FOUR year old!! CRAZY!! Anyway...she had a wonderful 4th birthday and still tells me everyday "I loved my party mom, it was so much fun" and that just makes all the planning and stress SOOO worth it!! With the exception of a few friends (we missed you!) all of Emma's closest friends and family were there for the "Denim & Diamonds" cowgirl celebration...this was HER choice of party! She was trying to decide between a cowgirl party and Cinderella and of course chose cowgirl! As always, Emma received so many nice gifts and it has been like Christmas all over again in our house this week! It was a great time..thank you to all our friends and family who came!!! It wouldn't have been the same without you there!

Guess Who.......

FINALLY got a new camera???? ME!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO excited and have already fallen madly in love! It's a Nikon and so far it has not dissapointed..it has great features and is very user friendly! Of course I couldn't let it sit long and did a little mini photo shoot with Emma. I think she was the perfect model...don't you? Thanks for letting me share my excitement..Here's a few of the pics I took...




By the way...the birthday girls pics are coming, it's just taking me a while to edit because there were so many!