Happy Birthday!

Sometimes in life we are lucky enough (or blessed enough, if you will) to have people in our lives who love us for who we are.  Period.  They overlook our flaws, our annoying ticks, our bad attitudes, and our inner dorks that somehow seem to surface when you least expect it. Today I would like to blog about one such person.  Today is my best friend's 30th birthday.  I wanted to take the time today to blog about my best friend and wish her a very happy birthday.  She deserves all the happiness in the world and I hope that today is an awesome day for her--a day in which she is shown how much she is loved and appreciated by those around her.

Birthdays are special. The day of your birthday is your day--its a day to celebrate you.  So, today, Denisa, we celebrate YOU! You are an amazing wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter, and friend. I am so glad you were placed in my life and so glad I can call you my friend.  I hope today is filled with joy and you feel as special as you are. 

I love you, Liv--Happy Happy Birthday! (Love, Emma) ;)

ROUND

This week's challenge is to post something round.  There are so many round things out there that this challenge opens up a whole new world of possibilities, but seeing as how I feel very ROUND these days I decided to post a picture of my pregnant self. 

Here is my example of something "round."  I'm about 19 weeks along, here--the doc keeps saying I'm 19-22 weeks.  We hope to find out EXACTLY on Monday when I go back to the doctor and have another ultrasound done.

So, there is my picture of something round.  Ha. Until next time . . .

A Day For Dads!

Life can be an amazing journey.  When I was a little girl I was my daddy's girl.  He had strong hands and I always felt safe when he was around.  I had no worries--all of my needs were met and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that both of my parents loved me more than life itself (this was even more evident when the teen years hit and I not only tested them but broke their hearts at times too). Life goes on, time passes by, and we all get older.  Now, its my turn to be the parent and I  understand so much that I once didn't understand. 

While in college I met this cute guy.  What really amazed me was that this cute guy was a super nice guy, too.  Talk about butterflies!  Boy, oh boy!  We went on our first date on August 5, 2000.  My dad always said that when your little girl grows up you want her to find some one who will love her just as much as you do.  When Jacob asked my dad for permission to marry me my dad told him (and later me) that he couldn't have picked a better guy if he had picked Jacob himself.  I can honestly say that I am very spoiled.  My Grandpa Jack spoiled me, my dad spoiled me, and Jacob now spoils me. 

That old saying, "Life is what you make it," always comes to mind.  We now have two little boys and another baby on the way--the road hasn't always been smooth. There have been financial difficulties, discovering we have a child with special needs, and dealing with overwhelming job situations.  Through it all Jacob remains the strong person I met nearly 11 years ago.  He makes me feel safe, loved, and wants nothing more than for me and our children to be happy and taken care of.  He spends as much time with the boys as he can--he even cracked a couple of ribs last summer playing on the slip 'n' slide with them.  He plays with them outside, reads to them, and even helps them with their homework. He works really hard not only at home but at his job--and he does it all for us. 

I look at our two children and see that same look in their eyes that I once had growing up--feeling safe and loved.  All of their needs are met and they are happy and healthy boys.  Jacob has those same strong hands that I remember my dad having when I was a little girl.  He is my rock and he is the best father my children could ever have.

Father's Day is coming up--it is a day that serves as a reminder of all the wonder fathers I have been honored to know in my life--especially the man I am blessed to call my husband, best friend, and father of my children. 

Happy Father's Day to all the awesome dads out there!

Blue!

This week's challenge (yes, I'm doing it early so it won't be late!  Aren't you proud of me!) is blue.  Yes, blue.  It can be anything.  I could get creative with this and have a lot of fun with it, but the minute I read that the challenge was blue I immediately knew which picture I wanted to use. 

This is a picture of a blond-headed boy who ate a Smurf!!  No, really, its just Logan eating a blueberry snow cone.  We all went to the little stand last week and got snow cones.  Logan wanted me to try his.  I was surprised at how sweet it was.  He, of course, loved it!  His teeth were blue, his tongue was blue, he spilled some on his legs and they were blue.

A cold snow cone on a hot summer day--what more can you ask for??

Getting Caught Up! (Feet/Hands)

Guess what??  I'm behind again.  About two weeks behind to be exact.  So, I'm going to do the past two week's blogs to get caught up. 

The first challenge (in this line up) that I missed was "feet."  So, here is the picture I chose.

I bet you can't guess who these feet belong to!  Ha.  Two pairs of little boy feet.  This was taken last week when we let the boys stay up late--we sat outside and the boys tried to catch lightning bugs.  It was a fun evening.  These two pairs of feet are going to do great things some day!!

Last week's challenge was hands.  This was a little harder. I looked through so many pictures trying to think of one I could use when I came across this picture--one I had forgotten about. This is a picture of hands doing big things!

This is a picture of Alex buttoning up his shirt for the very first time.  I remember this day.  He still struggles with tasks like this and it takes him twice as long to do them as other kids, but he sticks with it.  These hands go to OT to help them work together better and to help them do things easier.  I am proud of these little hands AND the big boy they belong to!