Preschool

I took my Livi to preschool today.  These are the days you think about as a new mommy but they seem so far off.  It was bittersweet...so happy and excited for this new adventure in her life but a little sad to see her grow.  I held it together until Brian showed up and got tears in his eyes...nothin' like seeing a grown man cry!  We stayed with her until she sat on her circle spot and the "Good morning song" started, we made our exit and I choked up some more.  I watched her through the window while they did the Pledge of Allegiance and my heart melted.   My girl is growing so fast, seriously where does the time go?  The days can seem so long as a stay at home mom but the years really do seem short.  I picked her up, she had a big smile and she is excited to go back on Thursday.  I am looking forward to a fun year for her (and me...)!!

Livi Live

Kinda long but funny!  I had no idea what she was up to....

Singin' in the Rain!

Nothing like a crazy summer storm...

pure preschooler happiness!!!

Busy July!

Wow...what a whirlwind few weeks it has been! 

The week after the fourth of July my friend Andrea came to visit!  We had a great time together and even got a girls weekend away.  We headed to Friday Harbor to visit Sara and all three of us had a fun, photo filled time.  I did not take any but these two will take care of that, believe me, much better than I could!  We headed to Seattle and got to spend a day in the city with my sister in law Mollie and a good friend Katherine who met us from Portland.  I don't think I have laughed that hard in a while...it was so good to catch up, eat and shop.  These are what girls weekends are made of!

Shortly after that we had a little scare!  Olivia had a febrile seizure that in the words of my doctor "scares the crap out of you" to put it mildly!  I noticed that she seemed a little more tired than usual that day, but we had been up early in the morning so it didn't seem to abnormal.  We laid down for naps and I was so thankful that I decided to lay down with her (to nap myself) and next thing I knew she was completely unresponsive (eyes open) and her body trembled.  It was terrifying and I had to call 911!  During the call she continued to scare me because her lips turned blue and her eyes rolled back...I thought I was losing her!  I just prayed and called Brian as the ambulance took us to the ER.  You never imagine these things happening!  Praise God it was a one time thing and she is more than ok.  It's actually pretty common and if it does happen again I'll know what to do.

A few days later we had family visits!  It's been so fun to see everyone and spend time laughing and just being together.  My girls love being with all their cousins!   Here are some of the highlights:

The McCown kids!

This one cracks me up!

Me and Bri...this is a rare photo opp, thanks Jen!!

Two old friends...now sisters!!

Love this one too! 

Fun with cousins....

Lots of water balloon fights!

Liv and Carson lovin' the olives

Big girl cousins...Margo, Madisen and Halle!

Special time with some special people!!

Summertime

Summer days don't look too different than regular days as far as our routine around here goes...we still eat our meals, take naps, etc.  Toss in hot temps, friends and family visits, a few meals outside and maybe a later bedtime (it stays light so late up here!) and that's what we look forward to about this time of year!

gotta have the token messy spaghetti dinner shot!

breakfast on the patio (don't you love the bed head?)

Liv rockin' the animal print this season!

water table fun

so different from her sister who would've never set foot in grass at that age

i love the greens my camera captures :)

hooray for cherry season...another yummy summer fruit grown here!

unfortunately, winter, spring, summer or fall there is never a break from all the laundry (how it looked when we got back from Cali, just to clarify!)

California & Father's Day

I didn't bring my camera to LA...I know, my fellow photogs are shuddering (no pun intended), but when you have two kids and double everything - stroller, car seats, airplane entertainment, sippy cups, you get the idea, to carry one more thing on the plane is just too much!  So I opted to leave it behind and thankfully Brian brought it when he came down to join us.  We got some (not many) and I took some with the phone so bear with me all you editing pros!

Malibu...we didn't stay for long but we felt the sand and water in our toes!

Eating lunch outside at Gladstones like the good LA tourist I am now!  I had the Ahi cobb salad...it was delish!

Malory ready for her first dip in the pool...sorry Mal I had this milestone on video for Olivia and you just got a crummy cell phone shot!

Lots of fun swimming

and hanging out with Gammy and Papa Dean!

We got to meet this precious girl...

my gorgeous niece Soraya...aren't those blue eyes to die for??

It was so fun to spend time with family and friends.  Most of all, I was thankful that Brian could come down for a couple days of rest from work and we could spend time together as a family!

These girls (and their mom) sure love their Daddy!  I am so proud to call him the father of my daughters.  He epitomizes what a man is...hard working, strong, and stable.  I always know everything is going to be ok with him by my side.  I waited a long time for God to bring me the man I had prayed for and it was more than worth it.       I love you Brian!!

Miss Me?

I'm back!! We took a spontaneous two and a half week trip to California...more about that later!  Before we left we had an important event to celebrate...

another Andrea creation!

Some shiny pink shoes were in order!

(A sorta creepy, but fun) Elmo even made an appearance..

Wonderful friends!

Cake time!!

Family shot..before she dove in :)

ooooh yeah!!

Lovin it!

All clean with Gigi and Great Grandpa...they are so special!

3 of 4 grandparents...we missed you Dad!

The party favors!

The End!