Hope you had a GREAT weekend! Ours was so wonderful it took me an extra day to recover from all the fun. Between Sean’s college graduation & Little O’s 4th birthday, we were celebrating our hearts out!

In light of yesterday’s events in Oklahoma, I’m holding our memories from the family-filled weekend even closer. Lots of prayers & strength are heading your way Oklahoma~ we’re here for you.

Are you ready to welcome the week?! Let’s get started!

Hello…

to the graduate!!! Sean was #10 {out of 1300} to proudly walk across that stage. We were cheering SO loudly!

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to the biggest smile EVER. That is one beaming graduate & his {equally beaming} parents! 

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to three VERY proud sisters {and squinty wow-it’s-bright-out-here eyes!}! 

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to four great years behind him…and bright futures & new beginnings ahead!

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to the fam! Have I mentioned we were over-the-moon excited & proud?! 

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to brother-in-laws! Bursting with pride & ready to toast to the graduate. Multiple times, if necessary {it was}. 

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and cheers! Here’s to an awesome day of celebrating Sean!

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to the original four. Best siblings ever! 

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to a perfectly gorgeous day with perfectly wonderful people! 

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to a mini photo shoot with the graduate. So super cute. 

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to a HUGE accomplishment, an incredibly proud family & a fantastic day of celebrating! 

What are you welcoming this week? Have a great one, friends!

Counting My Kisses: Saturday was SUCH an amazing day for our family. Sean’s the youngest of the four siblings, and watching him watch across that stage was an incredible highlight. So was spending the day with the family~ the kiddos were being well taken care of by a babysitter at my parent’s house {thanks Michaela, Anne & Cheryl!}, so we were able to enjoy every single minute of this special day! Congrats again, Seanski~ we are beyond-words proud of you & this incredible accomplishment!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Little O’s birthday post coming up on Thursday! Thanks for putting up with my wacky schedule while we get back on track from the weekend & enjoy our week-long visit at my parent’s house.

Linking up with Lisa Leonard’s Hello, Monday series today!

And what a Friday it is! After a brief stop at the pediatrician’s office yesterday {diagnosis: ear infection for H-Berry}, we hopped in the car & headed allllll the way to Mimi & Papa’s house for a VERY.BIG.WEEKEND.

It was a pretty easy drive, highlighted by the girls taking stellar car naps {check out their new bunny neck wraps~ maybe we should start calling H-Berry Fifi?!}…

AND a dinnertime visit with our very good friends, Baby K & her sweet brand-new baby brother, Baby D! So fun!

When we finally rolled into Mimi & Papa’s, it was after 11 p.m. & everyone was still wide awake. Needless to say, this happened shortly after:

I melt. Is there anything cuter than sleeping sweeties?!

But enough about my snoozing children. This weekend is SUCH an exciting one!!! A HUGE congrats to my brother Sean on graduating from college~ we can’t wait to celebrate tomorrow! WOOO!!

And Sunday marks Miss O’s 4th birthday! How is our baby 4 already?! Seriously, there might be some tears shed about this milestone. We can’t wait to celebrate both our sweet girl & Seanski’s graduation at the big family party on Sunday!

Lots of wonderful milestones happening here this weekend~ and I’m super excited to share tons of fun pictures next week!

Have a GREAT weekend, friends!

Counting My Kisses: Happy graduation to Sean AND happy birthday to our sweet girl, Little O! What a weekend full of happy celebrations! I can’t wait for the whole family to be together, we’re going to have a blast! {and sweet children, please keep sleeping well!}.

Have a great one!

As I promised in Monday’s post, today I’m going to share all of the little details from Baby Nug’s gender reveal party that made it absolutely perfect. Our amazing friends Kristin & Kate thought of EVERYTHING {and should seriously consider going into the party planning business, it was so fab!}!! 

1. Adorable invitations

First things first~ our friends picked out super cute invites to let everyone know about Baby Nug’s big bash. Little O & H-Berry’s names are included in the first line~ and the girls thought that was the coolest.thing.ever. I read the invite to them at least five times a day! 

2. Pick a theme & roll with it.

The Golden Nugget theme was SO cute! The entire room was done in golds & whites~ perfect for our yet-to-have-his/her-gender-revealed little Nug. Gold & white tablecloths, jars & vases of gold candy {more pics of that below} and an elegantly decorated mantel added to the theme perfectly. 

3. A kickin’ dessert table

This was one of my {many} favorite touches of the party. The dessert table was AMAZING! I love the white & gold balloons framing the table, and the white & gold streamers on the bottom were gorgeous. And the actual desserts?! Read on, friends. Read on. 

4. The best desserts ever. The end.

To-die-for chocolate cake? Insanely tasty cupcakes? And my favorite decorated cookies ever {really, they are impossible to stay away from!}? Yes, yes YES!

5. Gorgeous decorating + fabulous desserts = heaven.

The dessert table was SO awesome that it deserves one more shot. I adore how Kate & Kristin tied all of the whites & golds together~ the table looked so elegant! And oh yes~ insanely TASTY!

6. Candy as table decor~ love!

As a huge candy lover myself, I’m totally inspired by Kristin & Kate’s use of candy to decorate the room. Tall vases, smaller round bowls and antique-looking candy dishes covered each of the tables & added a fantastic pop of gold & white color. A bonus? Candy that is at-the-ready if you need a little snack! 

7. A fab mantel!

I adore this Welcome Baby Nugget sign {ordered from N. Hayes Designs}. Positive adore it. Plus, as an incredibly thoughtful gesture, it’s now a keepsake for our family~ and will be proudly hung in Baby Nug’s nursery!

More awesomely displayed candy, a few gold & white decorative pieces {like a bar of gold that Little O was in love with} and an elegantly framed copy of the party invitation rounded out this gorgeous mantel look.

8. Team boy or team girl?

This was SUCH a fun idea! Kate & Kristin asked the Hubs & I to determine boy or girl for some of the most well-known old wives tales for this pregnancy. We sent them the results, and they made this darling board to help party guests pick their team. Add in the cutest pins ever {the girls are still obsessed with their pink bow pins!} and you have a majorly adorable way to get your guests involved in the gender reveal. 

9. The big reveal!

Kate & Kristin told us that they practiced the big reveal a few times before everyone arrived, just to make sure it went off without a hitch {it did!}. They also attached the ultrasound photo & note from the doctor’s office at the very bottom, so we could see evidence that Baby Nug is, in fact, a GIRL! 

To create the reveal, Kristin & Kate took a huge box, wrapped it in gold & white paper & filled it with balloons. It was awesome to see the white & gold balloons first~ it kept the anticipation flowing! They used sticky-backed magnets to line the lid of the box, ensuring that it wouldn’t open before they were ready, and that Little O & H-Berry would be able to easily pull it open when it was time. Perfect! {you can check out pics from the actual reveal here!}.

They kept how they were going to do the reveal a secret~ so fun! It was so sweet that the girls could be the ones to pull the box open~ amazing memories for all of us!

10. This & that for an amazing party.

Our friends went above & beyond to make sure this was an incredibly memorable day for our little family. From the drinks {non-alcoholic Nugget punch & alcoholic Nugget nectar, to name a few!} to insanely delicious food {seriously YUM} to the perfectly decorated room {all the way down to the white & gold chevron table runners}, Kristin & Kate made sure every detail was perfect.

It was a super fun, incredibly joyous day for our family! A HUGE thank you to our amazingly wonderful, thoughtful, kind friends for planning such an amazing party~ we can’t wait to welcome Baby Nug into this wonderful world! 

Counting My Kisses: Seriously, what more can I say about this amazing party for our sweet little girl?! We are feeling beyond blessed & so excited. Thanks for all of the well-wishes & good thoughts, we appreciate them so much! The countdown to Baby Nug’s arrival in September is on!

And hellooooo, Monday!!!

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend & a lovely Mother’s Day celebration! Ours was amazing. We’re still on cloud 9 from Saturday’s gender reveal party for Nug~ it was incredible! And SO much fun to find out the BIG surprise with family & friends~ and by seeing our sweet girls’ faces!

Baby Nug’s party theme was the Golden Nugget {love it!!!}, and I promise a million amazing party pictures on Wednesday. Our fabulous friends Kristin & Kate threw the big bash for us, and seriously, every detail was simply perfect. I can’t wait to share!

But first…let’s say hello to the week~ and to Baby Nug!

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sweet little one! An ultrasound shot from our doctor’s appointment on Thursday~ does Baby Nug look like a girl or boy to you?! 

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to the cutest pick-your-team pins I’ve ever seen! Pink bows for girl guesses, gold ties for boy guesses! 

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to excited family smiles & Little O holding a Golden Nugget {team count: three girl votes & one boy vote!}. 

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to the cutest welcome banner EVER. Details on Wednesday!! 

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to my lovely sisters who drove in for the big reveal! {can you tell we’re related?! Love them!!!}

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to our amazing friends for hosting such a fab Baby Nug bash. We’re SO appreciative! You two are the best! {and we’re all color coordinated, go us!}

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to the BIG surprise. The girls can’t wait to open that box! Will we see pink or blue?! 

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to gender-neutral balloons floating out first. The anticipation is SO.MUCH.FUN!!! 

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to PINK! Baby Nug is a GIRL! 

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to ecstatic faces & joyful hearts. A trio of girls!!! We’re SO blessed! 

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to celebratory kisses. A sweet girl! We’re thrilled!! 

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to the two proudest big sisters in the world. A few more months & the girls will be holding their new little SISTER in their arms~ that though brings thankful, excited tears to my eyes. What a gift!!! 

Squee!!! A baby girl!! We’re over the moon!!!

Counting My Kisses: I can’t even begin to count our blessings on this one! A healthy baby GIRL, celebrating Baby Nug with our family & friends, getting to see Little O & H-Berry’s elated faces when the pink balloons floated out, listening to Little O & H-Berry proudly tell my parents, my brother & my grandmothers {who couldn’t make the trip this weekend} that “it’s a GIRL!!” over the phone, and two amazingly thoughtful {and awesome party planner} friends who made this day incredibly, incredibly special for our little family. That’s a lot of blessings to welcome this week~ and we couldn’t be more thankful!!!

Linking up today’s post with Lisa Leonard’s fab Hello, Monday series!

The radio is on & I turn the volume up, straining to hear the now-familiar melody of The Lumineers.

“Mommy!!!!” shouts Little O from the backseat. “It’s your favorite song!!!”

On cue, she & H-Berry break into a carseat dance party.

I watch in my mirror, letting the words wash over me.

     I belong with you. 

     You belong with me. 

     You’re my sweetheart. 

10 a.m. on a Thursday.

H-Berry is playing in the family room and I’m putting away dishes in the kitchen. We’re hanging out while Little O is at preschool.

The Lumineers song comes on the iPod.

H-Berry drops her Little People & come running over.

Slap, slap, slap. 

The sound of her bare feet on our hardwood as she rushes towards me.

She excitedly says, “Mommy, song!!!” and points to the iPod.

I laugh, swoop her up into a hug, and we dance around the kitchen.

     I belong with you. 

     You belong with me. 

     You’re my sweetheart. 

Bedtime.

The Hubs is on a business trip, H-Berry is asleep in her crib & I’m snuggling with Little O in her big bed, unwinding from the day.

She traces her hand on my growing belly. Asks if she can sing to Baby Nug.

I smile & tell her of course.

She presses her face to my belly & whispers, “this is Mommy’s favorite song!”

     I belong with you. 

     You belong with me. 

     You’re my sweetheart. 

We don’t always have these Hallmark-worthy moments. There are a whole lot of temper tantrums & serious negotiations & struggles over budding independence these days~ not to mention a ton of, Oh boy, did we just make the right call on that one?! questions from the Hubs & I.

And yet.

Moments like these make me think, yes.

This is why I wanted to be a mother. 

Because I belong with them. 

I’m their person, their constant. I dole out unconditional love and laughter and raisin boxes and sippy cups. I cheer, I beg, I discipline, I hug and kiss, and I sometimes struggle with making the right decision.

But at the end of the day…

My children know I belong with them. I belong to them. And they belong in my heart, right next to the amazing man I married & started this adventure with.

My heart is so full this Mother’s Day weekend. Full of love and thanksgiving and excitement and so much more that I can’t even begin to put into words.

And so, my friends, I’ll leave it at that. A BIG, happy, wonderful Mother’s Day wish to all the mommas out there~ especially to my own amazing Mom & my fabulous Mother-in-law! Looking forward to celebrating with you both!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone! See you back here on Monday!

Counting My Kisses: What’s on tap for your weekend, friends? Yesterday’s Baby Nug ultrasound went great {healthy baby dancing around the ultrasound screen~ thank you, God!!}, and we’re ready to celebrate at Nug’s gender reveal party tomorrow night! Expect plenty of details & pictures next week. I can’t wait!!! {squee!!!}. Adding to that excitement is Mother’s Day on Sunday~ and a day to count all of our wonderful blessings. Here’s to an amazing weekend ahead!

Hi, sweet baby. It feels slightly strange to be writing this to you since you, in fact, hang out with me all day long, every day at the moment.

But on the day before your big 20-week ultrasound, there are a few things I want to get down on paper.

First things first: those little voices and pats and squeezy hugs you feel all.the.time? The sweet voices that sing to you and blow raspberries on my tummy and wonder what you’re wearing/eating/doing/looking like these days?

Those are your sisters.

They adore you already, sweet Nug, just like Daddy & I do. {As in: beg for you to come out at least once a day {don’t listen to them!}}. They have big plans to help rock you and feed you and snuggle you and take you to the waterpark when you’re older {in that order}. They are pretty special little girls, and they can’t wait to fold you into their sibling club once you arrive.

As for your Daddy & I~ we are so excited to see your sweet little baby face on the ultrasound screen tomorrow! We’re not finding out your gender at the exact earliest moment possible, which is new for us {I tend to be slightly impatient about these things}. Instead, the doctor will write it on a sheet of paper, seal it up in an envelope & we’ll pass it along to our wonderful friends who are hosting your gender reveal party this weekend. We’ll be finding out your gender at the same time as your sisters, which is incredibly special to us. Just like you.

I’m having a hard time imagining if you’re a boy or a girl, sweet one. Either option thrills us. A girl? A soft and snuggly and all-things-pink little girl? Yes, please. I can’t imagine anything sweeter than three little girls~ our little girls. And we know girls, so that of course is fantastic.

But a boy would be amazingly fun too. A different type of adventure. Sweet boy smiles and snuggles and some blue in the house? Yes, please. And let’s not forget someone for Daddy to obsess over the lawn with and play t-ball with {so far,  no interest on either of those activities with your sisters}. Sure, we know girls~ but we’d love to know a boy, too, sweet Nug.

You seem pretty laid-back so far. It has been an easy pregnancy & I’ve felt really good {knock on wood!}. Plus, you seem to be cool with the high activity level that comes with chasing after your sisters all day, every day. Such a good little baby!

I love feeling you roll around & give tiny little kicks. I know those kicks will just get stronger & stronger until I beg you to un-lodge yourself from my ribs, but right now, your sweet little taps are so precious. You’re a miracle to us, and we thank God for you every single day. 

And so, sweet baby, just one more thing for now: there’s a whole lot of love out here waiting for you~ and it will just keep growing & growing right along with you.

We love you to the moon & back & back again, Baby Nug~ always.

Counting My Kisses: Boy or girl?! I’m definitely on the fence, but can’t wait to find out this weekend! Squeeeee!!! We’re incredibly blessed to have such a strong support system of family & friends~ this is such an exciting time for us & it’s extra-special to feel so much love surrounding us.

What do you think~ is Nug a boy or girl?! {also, tips on how to make Baby Nug SUPER active during tomorrow’s ultrasound are welcome!}.

Have a great day, friends!

And helloooo, Monday!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Ours was all sorts of fab…and to show you JUST how fab, let’s welcome the week!

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to the fantastically awesome new swingset in our backyard!!! 

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to the best little surprised faces in the world. They had NO idea!! 

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to proudly checking out the new digs {is that a happy smile or what?!}. 

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to realizing that we can play on our new swingset all.summer.long. Wooooo! 

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to carefree swinging with the wind in your hair. Love! 

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to checking out the neighborhood from your tippy-toes. 

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to our adorably sweet, SUPER excited little girls. 

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to climbing and sliding and swinging and burning off lots of energy! 

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to my loves. And to the wonderful fact that Daddy’s just like a really big kid!

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to H-Berry I-love-the-slide smiles. 

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to Little O this-tire-swing-rocks grins. 

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to sweet sister snuggles on the slide. 

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to hours & days & weeks of family fun as we enjoy this swingset together! Love love love!!!

What are you saying hello to this week, friends?!

Counting My Kisses: A HUGE thank-you to Grammy & Grampy for such an awesome joint birthday gift for the girls. I mean, really. So.much.fun!!! Thus far, we must wave good morning to the swingset, blow it kisses goodnight, and talk about it pretty much 24/7. I think it’s safe to say it’s a family favorite after just a few days! Looking forward to a summer full of climbing & playing & laughing on it with our sweet girls & all of our friends!

Linking up with Lisa Leonard’s Hello Monday series! Have a GREAT day!

And…do you hear that?!

Ah yes, friends. That’s called complete quiet, and it happens once in a blue moon around here!

The girls are spending the day at Grammy & Grampy’s while their BIG surprise is being assembled. They have absolutely no idea what will be hanging out in their backyard when they return after naptime~ and we can’t WAIT to see their faces!

Here’s a hint: 

{Also, a small prayer of thanks that there are people in the world that assemble these things for a living. This would have taken the Hubs & I all weekend to put together {with questionable results!}}.

We’re hoping for a happy bear reaction along these lines:

And this too:

So.much.fun!!!

In the meantime, I’m going to bask in the quietness of our house. Possibly do a little laundry. A little cleaning. A little wardrobe-rotating for my favorite sweet girls who insist on wearing winter clothes when it’s 78 degrees out & summer clothes when it’s 23 degrees out.

And I might even get around to taking down our Easter decorations, seeing as how we’re in May & all. Fingers crossed on that one.

I’m also going to kick my feet up, take a nice nap & enjoy the silence for a little bit. Because soon those sweet littles will be back, shrieking with happiness and laughter and excitement.

And I don’t want to miss that for the world.

Counting My Kisses: Hope you are having a Friday Funday, friends! And a fab weekend ahead! In addition to the girls’ BIG surprise, we have the Derby to look forward to on Saturday~ woo hoo! The girls are already taking about which horse they are going to cheer on~ and what hat to wear. Can’t wait to share lots of pictures with you next week! Have a great one, friends!

Is it seriously May 1st?!

I realize I’ve been begging Mother Nature for this amazing spring-like weather for some time now…but I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that we have actually arrived in the month of May.

Four years ago, I remember waking up on May 1st and thinking, “We are going to have a BABY this month!!!”

And Little O promptly made her appearance a few short weeks later, sweet and snuggly and so brand-new adorable.

This year, waking up on May 1st brought out a few new thoughts:

1. Our big girl turns FOUR this month. Four. What the what?! 

Little O is looking so much older all of a sudden~ she’s losing that last bit of babyhood & moving full-steam ahead into Big Girl territory. We’re doing a LOT of talking about her big fourth birthday these days, she couldn’t be more excited! {also: she’s in love with her dance recital outfit, in case you couldn’t tell. Lol.}.

2. Also: My brother graduates from college in a few weeks!!

We’re bursting with pride! Way to go, Sean!! And yes, I can totally include your headshot on the blog buddy, because I’m your INSANELY PROUD OLDER SIS. Plus you’re so handsome!

3. And: It’s really May?! May means we get to find out if Baby Nug is a boy or girl & share that amazing experience with family & friends!!! {cue the happy dance}.

I’ll be 19 weeks on Friday & Baby Nug is growing growing growing! And he/she is very excited to make his/her gender known at his/her gender reveal party next weekend. Squee!!

I think it’s safe to say May is a BIG month for our family. And that I’m really, really excited!

What exciting things are on your calendar for May? Share in the comments section & have a VERY happy May Day!

Counting My Kisses: Wow. This post might set a record for most exclamation points ever. Thanks for loving me anyway!!! {see, there I go again! I’m.just.so.excited!!}. Hoping you are enjoying a beautiful spring day like we are here~ have a fab day, friends!

And helloooo, Monday!

Hope you all had a fab weekend. Ours was great~ a day full of warm sunshine on Saturday & a very, very happy celebration on Sunday {more on that in a minute!}.

It’s a bit overcast here today, but the forecast for this week is sunshine, sunshine & more sunshine. Woo hoo!

On that bright note…let’s welcome the week!

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to my loves walking Lilly on a gorgeous spring night. {also: hello, heart melting into a giant puddle!}. 

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to H-Berry’s sweet little twisty ponytail! She loves having a BIG girl hairstyle! 

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to Little O’s fab new haircut. 3+ inches off & some layers~ she’s looking like an almost-four-year-old all of a sudden! 

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to spring! Gorgeous flowing trees make my heart so happy. 

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to sweet little girls who insist that Mommy’s water tastes SO much better than their own.

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to Saturday night picnics in the sunny front yard. Love! 

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to coloring in a fancy dress & helmet. Because clearly those two things go hand & hand. Lol.

And hello…

to celebrating 40 wonderful years of marriage with Grammy & Grampy! A beautiful love-filled day for a beautiful love-filled couple. 

What are you welcoming this week? Here’s to a GREAT one, friends!

Counting My Kisses: It was a fun-filled weekend for our little fam, and we’re all looking forward to a bright & sunshiney week ahead~ complete with a HUGE surprise for the girls on Friday {weather permitting, fingers crossed!}. I can’t wait! Hope you have an equally sunny week on the horizon~ see you back here on Wednesday, friends!

Linking up with Lisa Leonard for her Hello, Monday series!