Tara and Ryan's Wedding

This weekend we attended our cousin Tara's wedding in Sarasota, FL. Tara and Ryan had the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to. The wedding was located at a historic Mansion that is situated on the Gulf of Mexico.  Lauren and her cousin Gracie were the flower girls and they did a fantastic job and loved every minute of it. 

The girls wearing their pearls that were given to them by Tara and Ryan 

My Girl

Flowergirls at work

The beautiful Bride

Tara, beautiful from the inside out. 

The girls decide to get this party started!

Princess-style of course! 

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The cousins! 

( An added bonus to being in Tara's wedding was getting to spend some great quality times with my favorite cousins! )

Two beautiful girls

The groom dancing with cousin Gwen (who was smart and decided to just forget the dress in such hot, humid weather)  and the bride dancing with Lauren. Cherished memories that will last forever. 

This moment touched my heart. 

Lauren is sitting on my Uncle Larry's (the father of the bride) lap toward the end of the night. It doesn't seem that long ago that it was Tara who was this age and sitting on his lap. It was another reminder of  how quickly time goes. I know someday it will seem as though I blinked and my little girl will be getting married. The moment also tugged at my heart because my Uncle Larry is such a special person and I know it was doing them both good to be just sitting together on this special night. I wish we lived closer to Michigan so Lauren could soak up more time with this rare man. 

First Day of Kindergarten!

Can it be... Lauren is starting school already! Gosh, where have the days gone! Today is her first day of Kindergarten at Candeo Elementary School! We applied last year to get into this wonderful school and were told we were not picked in the random drawing. Our plan was  to try again next year. Then, just days before school was starting, we received a call that there was an opening and Lauren was next on the waiting list! We quickly bought her uniform and filled the paperwork out and she is ready to go!

Lauren on the special "kindergarten only" playground. I have a feeling those white laces won't stay white for long! 

Sitting with her classmates for the first time

Hydrating for circle time.. ;) 

Could I love this girl more!!??

Lauren and Mrs. Dusek. We are thankful God has picked someone as warm and kind as Mrs. Dusek. God's hand continues to be evident in all areas of Lauren's life. Thank you God! 

With school, comes homework! Lauren's first night doing homework. Way to go smart girl! :) 

Lauren's 5th Birthday!

We celebrated our girl's 5th birthday at her favorite Gymnastics center again this year! Even though it was hot, it was filled with lot's of fun! :)

Lauren's cowgirl outfit given to her from Grandma and Papa. The story behind this gift is that Grandma received a pair of red cowgirl boots for her 5th birthday. She wore them everywhere and it was the best 5th birthday gift she could have received. So, she passed this tradition to Lauren on her 5th birthday. By the way, Lauren wears her cowgirl boots everywhere too! :)

      Lauren and I enjoying the "parachute popcorn game"!

                                                     Lauren's Fairy Princess Cake!

Lauren showing off her rope climbing skills! Our brave girl can climb  all the way to the top!

Fun with Friends! 

What would we do without our awesome friends! Thanks for coming to our party!

 Each of you mean so much to us. 

Party with Mommy and Daddy. Mommy made this cake, lots of Pink per Birthday girls request! 

Happy Birthday Lauren! We are so incredibly proud of you. You truly shine  from your heart everyday. You are so beautiful and Mommy and Daddy cannot believe what an angel God has placed in our lives.. I pray you follow Jesus all the days of your life and that your life is filled with as much joy as you give me. You "fill my bucket". :)

San Diego Vacation

We spent last week enjoying the sights of our favorite vacation spot, San Diego! This is the view from our room! I loved waking each morning and having a cup of coffee on our balcony as I watched the Navy base activity on one side and the Marina life on the other side. It was Lauren's first time at the ocean and she had a blast. She thought the ocean was "really, really cold!" but had so much fun finding sea shells, playing with her barbies in the sand and building sand castles.

So much love and fun!!

The trip wouldn't be complete without a trip to Sea World! This was Lauren's first time on the "tea cups" in Sesame Play area at Sea World. Our fearless 4-year-old loved them of course!

As we waited for the Shamu Show, I caught this pic just as Lauren yelled out, "Shamu is coming!" I love how it caught her excitement!

It was a trip we will never forget. We have decided to make it our annual tradition of celebrating our Gotcha Day Anniversaries in San Diego!

Astronaut Camp With Cousins!

Happy Birthday To My Wonderful Husband!

For Danny's birthday we headed out of town for a camping trip! We intended to tent camp, however, when we found out there were campfire restrictions at the campgrounds as well, we decided on renting a cabin instead. We stayed at Mormon Lake Cabins up near Flagstaff and had soo much fun. We hiked everyday and Lauren rode a horse for the first time! Her horses name was "Abby". She loved it so much that a cowboy came by and gave her a certificate for a free pony ride. The next day she used her coupon, but this time, chose a mule named "Barney"! Danny, you are an incredible man. I am so fortunate to have you as my husband. I knew you would be a great daddy to our daughter, but could never have imagined the father you are today. Wow, we are so blessed to have you in our lives. Happy Birthday! We love you!! :)

Preschool Graduation

Lauren's first graduation! When she went across the stage to receive her certificate, she was asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Her answer, "a policegirl"... Love you Lauren and mommy and daddy are so proud of who you are.

Mother's Day 2012

Mother's Day...For 35 years this was a day I celebrated my mom (and still do of course), but there were years when there was a sting associated with this day. A reminder that as the years passed, I was not a mom yet. Despite prayer, God said 'no', despite painstaking paperwork and waiting, we still had an empty crib in our home, year after year of people asking "Do you have children" and I would smile and say, "no...not yet".

 Today, there is something amazing beyond words to celebrate this day for the third time. As she looks at me and smiles, as she often will just off hand say, "Momma...I love you", I am filled with a joy only a mom knows. She has changed me forever. I find myself being brave when I would have shrunk back in the past. I care less what other's think and more about doing what is best for my girl. I am so thankful for her love. I remember before she was home with us, social workers and the like would remind us that there was a chance she wouldn't "attach" to us or that she may have difficulty opening herself to love or be loved. I prayed God would allow her to love me, wow, has He blown me out of the water by her love. She is one of the most loving people I have ever known. Her love has broken the walls around my heart like noone else.

 Danny and Lauren took me to my favorite restaurant after church today. Due to the hectic schedule recently, they hadn't had a chance to get a card so they sat across from me instead and told me what they loved about me. Lauren looked up at me and said, "Momma, when I'm not with you it's boring...I love to be with you... and we laugh and have soo much fun together. You're the best mommy ever...".

 It's true...Good things come to those who wait.

 Happy Mother's Day!

Easter 2012!

When you have children, you get to re-live your childhood in many ways. Our Easter tradition is one of those times. I remember waking up to a string attached to my bed and following it to my Easter basket each year. There were 5 children in my family, so that was a lot of string! Mom, kudo's to you!! :) Danny and I had alot of fun stringing the house and Lauren absolutely loves following her string all over the house, climbing up and over doors, cupboards, etc. and finding her Easter basket at the end! :) We had a really nice weekend filled with egg hunts, visits from family and friends, and most importantly, thanking Jesus for His ultimate gift of dying on the cross and rising again so that we may be with him forever! God has blessed us beyond what we could ever have imagined. Thank you Jesus! Happy Easter