Happy Birthday, Emerson!

Okay...so...I'm a little bit behind with birthday celebrations, but baby (aka Emerson) turned three years old on May 7th. I still can't believe my favorite little red headed girlie is three years old. I wasn't able to attend her birthday party, but my mom was able to snap some cute pictures at it. Happy birthday, baby! I love you!

Birthday fit for a princess

This past Friday, I spent a fun few hours with my little Audrey bug to celebrate her fourth birthday. We filled our afternoon with shopping, watching "Snow White," completing Ariel's scavenger hunt, painting nails and eating snacks. Bug fell asleep on the drive home...it's a lot of work being a princess!

Pieces

I believe that people are made up of pieces. And those pieces make us into beautiful, wonderful wholes. People tell you that they love you to pieces. So how convenient that we're already made up of pieces that they can love us to.
I'm blessed to have people that love me to pieces, and blessed to have people that I can love to pieces. I don't have kids. I don't have nieces and/or nephews. But someday, God willing, I hope to have both. Until then, I have seven beautiful, wonderful little ones that I can love to pieces. And here is just a sample of the pieces I get to love.

Catherine

I love the piece that is grown up and wise beyond her years. The piece that still wants to be a little girl. The piece that isn't afraid to bear hug you and ask you not to leave. I love the piece that loves gymnastics as much as I do. The piece that has a contagious giggle. The piece that loves.

Audrey

I love the piece that loves her dress up clothes. The piece that dresses up like a princess because she is one. The piece that wants to be included in everything, but still be totally independent. I love the piece that cuddles up with you after bath time with wet hair and jammies. The piece that loves hugging you by jumping into your arms and tucking her knees into her chest, so that they're stuck between the two of you. The piece that loves to love.

Emerson

I love the piece that has red curly hair. The piece that is a straight shooter and isn't afraid to tell you exactly what she's thinking. The piece that loves giving kisses, even though sometimes you have to ask. I love the piece that asks the good questions, like where the birdie door is. The piece that says "cheese" until the camera flashes. The piece that loves unconditionally.

Beckett

I love the piece that dresses like an old man in a little boy's body. The piece that loves on and cares greatly for his panda bear. The piece that loves going to "nastics." I love the piece that loves his mama, as I love her very much as well. The piece that loves anything on wheels. The piece that shines through his incredible eyes and tells you just how much he loves you.

Caroline

I love that piece that loves and looks up to her big sisters. The piece that has the world's longest eyelashes. The piece that loves to snuggle. I love the piece that is brave and wants to explore the world. The piece that loves reaching for anything and everything within arms distance. The piece that loves you back with a sweet, sweet smile.

Elliot

I love the piece that has red hair, but isn't quite as red as his sister's. The piece that is just as content sitting in his car seat as he is in your arms. The piece that doesn't like being still while you're holding him. I love the piece that shows off his adorably sweet toothless grin. The piece that slobbers on you, but you don't mind because he's just so cute. The piece that makes your heart go a-flutter.

Tucker

I love the piece that holds that super cheesy baby grin. The piece that says "I'm a man, I don't smile." The piece that enjoys a good bottle. I love the piece that rolls over and shows a look of triumph on his face. The piece that looks just like dad. The piece that is so excited to be a little boy, but still wants to be loved on like a baby.

There are so many more pieces to each of these loves that I can't get enough of. I love watching them grow. I love being a part of their lives; a part of their pieces. But most of all, I love having the opportunity to love them to pieces.

Happy birthday, Audrey!

Soooooo...this is a few days late, but my sweet little Audrey bug turned four on the 28th of April. I wasn't able to be at her birthday celebration, but this week, bug and I will be celebrating with a princess day. But until I have pictures of that, enjoy these pictures of my little princess.

Happy birthday, Caroline!

My darling little sweets celebrated her first birthday today. She'll officially turn one on Wednesday. She wasn't really into her cake, but she figured out how to dip the sugar flowers into the frosting and enjoyed that. Enjoy the pictures of my little love below! She kicks off lots of baby birthdays over the next few months.

Whoops...

So, I've determined that I'm really bad at this whole blog thing. But I'll try to get better at it...

In the last month (plus)...

*School has picked up (as expected in week ten). Lots of papers, group meetings, papers, reading, papers...but I'm staying on top of my work pretty well. Thank goodness. Spring break is next week and I'm so thankful for the few days of rest...in between paper writing, reading, and group meetings. My family will be coming up for a few days of it, which I'm looking forward to.

*I've changed the program that I'm in at school. I began in the Masters of Arts in Counseling program and just recently switched to Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. I changed for a few reasons: 1) Marriage and Family Therapy looks at counseling from a more systemic approach, which is going to be helpful in my future practice. 2) After completing the program and graduating, I'll be able to sit for both LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) and LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) exams, which is also going to be beneficial.

*I've found a Church here that I enjoy, so I'm sticking with it. Beaverton Foursquare is my new Church "home" and I'm looking forward to getting more involved (Children's Ministry?).

*I've been able to spend more time with the three girls and I enjoy so much being closer to them.

*Lots of birthday celebrations for the little ones in my life are popping up! Caroline turns one (I can't believe it) at the end of this month. Audrey will be turning four next month (didn't she just turn one?). Emerson will be three in May and I'll be up there a few days before her birthday, so I'm excited that I'll get to be somewhat close to her near her birthday. Beckett will turn two in July and I'll get to be there a few weeks after, so lots of baby celebrations coming up!

My life has been pretty much consumed by school, but I'm enjoying every moment of it. I'm looking forward to the little "breaks" I'll get here and there (beach, Seattle, etc) and I'm looking forward to the end of my first semester (just over a month)!

Love and blessings.

February already?

Hello friends :) It's been a while, so here's a quick update...

I'm in my fifth week of graduate school and I'm loving the program. Lots of wonderful people in my classes, professors are wonderful...it's good. :) The work is starting to pick up, but that's to be expected a third of the way into the semester. One of my favorite things about going to class is picking up my "daily treat." There's a little glass jar at the information desk filled with little strips of paper. With a label that says "treats that won't go to your thighs," the jar is filled with Bible verses. I take one before each class, share it with my mom, and love starting my class with the joy of God's word.

I just came back from a wonderful weekend in Seattle. My best friend Jordan, who I've been friends with since about the age of 10, lives there now with her husband. Though it was a short weekend, it was so wonderful spending time with her. Went to Pikes and watched fish fly (and saw someone who ordered an octopus), took a ferry to Bainbridge Island for some delicious homemade ice cream, watched old dance videos, and just enjoyed the wonderful weather we had!

This weekend, I'll be taking my sweet baby Catherine to a gymnastics meet at OSU, watching Sam's Special Olympics basketball tournament, babysitting Tucker...busy busy! But I love it!