Relay for LIFE!

Wow! Relay has come and gone....and I'm already looking forward to next year! What a super fun time I had. This year, I even stayed ALL night. It was fun, but...I think it took me a few days to recover....1 1/2 hours of sleep isn't *quite* enough for this Mommy! I made Hal a super fun shirt this year and Kiana, along with her friend Kayla stayed up with me. Denise & Caedmon slept in the tent while Rachel and Austin walked and chatted the night away. I'm blessed...blessed to witness all the love and support everyone in our little town gives to all of us who participate each year in Relay for Life. I just love the whole atmosphere of this event....yes, it is emotional, but...in a such a good way. I relay for my Dad, who passed away in 2006 after a 4 1/2 battle with prostate cancer....why do I relay???? My answer short, yet sweet is this, it's so NOT fair that my little girl will NEVER get to meet her Grampie on this side of heaven. If the money we raised saves EVEN ONE life...I want to be a part of it! If you haven't participated in this event in your town...give it a try....make a difference!! Trust me...it's well worth it!

Daddy & Hal chillin' actually, I think she seriously wanted down!

Pretty cherries on her face...no, she's not sucking her thumb...just getting her molars!

Because I can't get this silly formatting to work....here's my description of the pictures.

• Mr. Relay....Joel VAN...he was one kick away from winning!
• My other partners in crime...ok, Team Captains...Amy VAN & Denise...did I mention it was FREEZING?? It's quite apparent in this picture!
• My Dad's Luminaria bags
• Such a Silly Girl that Kiana....rest assured she didn't eat ALL of these...
• Pretend you're asleep Austin....ah...he was not so good at that!!
• Best friends...Kiana & Kayla....thanks girls, you made my night!!

It's official....

Our house is a MESS...most of the time. Hal does such a super duper job of placing her mark on EVERYTHING in our house. I can seriously say that I never seem to have this place looking the way I would like it to. AND...I'm learning to live with that....like it or not! Dancing with my sweet girl, reading books and snuggling has taken top priority. Let's just take a look at what this place may look like on any given day......

Yes, Hal LOVES stickers...these are my garage sale stickers...they have been put to good use!! And more importantly, it keeps her busy and occupied!

We have quite the collection of books in LOTS of places....

My counter...SHEESH...this bothers me the most! Don't worry all the counter space is not taken up!! Things just seem to take up residence here.

More toys...in Hal's area...

This sweet, sleeping brown girl...seriously how does she do this?? She looks so cute and innocent...not so people, not so. She is full of life and SO much ENERGY!

Daddy's Day

On this day....we celebrate YOU Daddy!! Thank you for:

• wiping my snotty nose
• dancing with me to "Liza" and my new favorite the "Trash" song
• instilling your love of music in me
• loving Jesus with your whole heart
• taking such good care of Mommy & Me
• "Bringing Home the Bacon" everyday
• getting up with me in the middle of night
• teaching me about guitars, tractors and lots of animals
• telling me I look pretty

Most importantly...teaching me about Jesus and His love for me!!

And a note from Mommy:

Dear Aaron,

Thank you for loving our little girl....for loving me...for believing in her and all her dreams. For taking extra time to blow bubbles with her, walk with her and "Rock-A-Bye" her. A long time ago when we started this long journey I knew I had chosen the very best! You believed in adoption from the get-go and had NO problems with it....even before we were married. You are my ROCK, my sounding board...and you can make me laugh....sometimes when I'm about to cry. You are one HOT handy man and I'm so happy to call you mine! Thank you again for being the BEST Daddy you can be...I appreciate you so much!!

Hugs and lots of kisses,

Your Wife

Friday!!

Just because it's sunny and friday....I wanted to share another picture with you all.....she thinks sitting in her stuffed animal tote is pretty cool....who cares that she's smooshing them ALL!

What's Happening at our House??

Lots and lots of things.....we are VERY busy right now. Busy making messes, building towers, reading books, wiping snotty noses, snuggling a sweet little brown girl with allergies, gearing up for Relay for Life....praising Jesus for our new baby nephew who will be born in December (Hooooooraaayyyy to Auntie Leah & Uncle Eddie...we can't WAIT to see this little guy!!)....eating DELICIOUS fresh strawberries....dancing to our Sesame Street "Trash" song....learning from Elmo about the "POTTY".....wearing yellow striped Baby Legs with a so cute flower nightie to bed...using our toothbrush....stealing Mommy's iced coffee in the morning (thank goodness she didn't like it...PHEW!)...and last but, certainly not least....wearing a toy bucket on our heads!!!

Parade Time!

This is what we did today!! YEP...we're the crazy Daddy and Mommy who left early to get a "good" seat at the parade for our little brown girl!! AND...guess what? It was well worth it. We finished off our day with lunch at the "Dutch Treat"....and so, apparently did everyone else. It was quite the place to be on this sunny Saturday!