"instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, i'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside of me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle." 

-erma bombeck

*picture taken at 24 weeks 4 days

schools out!

it's hard to believe school is already out for summer. i don't know whether to rejoice or cry!

it's such a funny thing. before she started school i couldn't believe she wasn't going to be spending her days with us everyday. but also the sound of 5 hours with just one kid sounded like a vacation. then i started to think about the one on one time it would allow me to have with blake. and suddenly, i found myself sad today. not that she was done with school for awhile but that my one on one time with blake was no longer a regular thing. our sweet new baby will be joining us when school starts. i know i will cherish our days together like i did with blake, but i just wasn't prepared for it to end so suddenly. my biggest fear with having 3 children is making sure they all get the quality time they deserve. avery by default probably gets the most right now because she is older. we go out for date nights and dinners together and we both love it. she's old enough to get her nails done and sit down at dinner and actually enjoy it. she knows and wants the one on one. i'm really looking forward to the summer with the two of them. if blake was given the choice of hanging out with me or avery he would definitely chose avery. avery hasn't changed much this year in her appearance but her personal, social, and academic growth is apparent! she is such a sweet girl and loved her teachers so much! i am beyond grateful for this school year and do not have one complaint.

a trip down memory lane from the first day of school.

and today.

and this one makes me laugh. when stepped outside and because it was so humid my lens fogged up immediately. she turned to the side when we started and said take a picture of the baby in my belly! it doesn't get much funnier than this!

and lastly. her wonderful teacher. i wish i got one with her other one but she was outside doing carpool!

i hope you always know how smart + beautiful you are. your teachers and your peers love you. remember to be nice to everyone and keep that sweet heart of yours pure. i am so proud of you and how much you have grown over this school year! looking forward to our summer together! i love you!

the big 30!

it was really hard to be sad about turning 30. i didn't forsee myself really panicking or doing something crazy! i turned 30 on mother's day. which sounded pretty crappy at first because i felt like i got robbed a little bit. but, turns out turning 30 on mother's day is a pretty good thing. most people are extra nice to you simply because it's mother's day! i remember when mark turned 30 a long time ago (i kid honey;) ) i thought about my own. perhaps some fun party. i pictured some drinks involved. maybe in another city or state. what i did not picture was pregnant, on mother's day, with two kids hanging out and trying to figure out when the littles would get a nap! but, at the end of the day i have to say it was way better than any vegas trip i could have imagined. the night before mark planned a little surprise dinner with some great friends! we ate dinner at 5 pm (because kids were involved), had ice cream by 7 and kids were sleeping by 9 pm and we were watching tv! for my actual birthday we went to the beach with kelly + her fam! it was so fun! lots of pictures were taken and i'm still needing to upload all of them! but, first. the last day in my 20's. we did some shopping in the morning! 

two of the best friends a girl could have! we have a small army between the 3 of us and having people to relate to your everyday crazies and frustrations is pretty key to keeping sane while raising little kids! and catherine welcomed her baby boy may 14th!

meet the newest addition to our army! can't to wait to find out if he will have a new best friend or a girlfriend in august!

my sweet, long lost college best friend even came! we may not see each other or talk all the time but it is always so awesome to see her! and avery was pretty happy as well! :)

i have more pictures from dinner, although not many because i didn't take them until the end. but, i will share more soon!

after dinner our family and grandpa johnnie went out for a dessert!

my sweet boys! blake was loving the mini m+m's

and my sweet girl!

avery picked out a lollipop

you can guess who took over and was in charge of giving blake the candy!

pretty great last day in my 20's! onto the next decade!

california vacation

on our second day the highlight was heading over to santa monica pier and then a nice dinner in malibu, followed up with some running around on the beach!

avery and aunt allison rode the merry go round!

the boys looking manly with our bags! :)

mark tested his love!

HOT STUFF!! and so thrilled to have his picture taken!

it was onto the games!

can you tell who won?

high fives all around!

and to everyones surprise she picked out hello kitty! ;)

we rode up on the big ferris wheel!

more games! notice her ball flying in the other lane!

family pic before leaving!

beach time!

just the girls!

something about father/daughter pictures on the beach i just love! i think i had as much fun getting to take pictures of them as they did running around!

our last night we had a wonderful dinner that allison made and i even was sung happy birthday! after dinner we made smores and the weather was just perfect for it! 

until next time, california! we sure do miss you aunt allison and phillip!