Kennedy and Harper

Every year I make canvas pics for the girls birthday parties! So this year I had in my mind the pics I wanted to do for Harper's upcoming birthday party (Woodland Cottage theme), well she is not one who is super keen on sitting still for pictures so it didn't go as exactly planned.... Kennedy would run away from Waddles (the pig) and cry it was def interesting trying to get these pics done!  A HUGE thank you to my sweet friend Brenda for all her help and for letting me use her yard (which is the most amazing place ever!) for pictures.

I wasn't sure I would be able to take her pics because of rain that day. It stopped raining and had the perfect amount of overcast for her pics. I raced up to Brenda's to get everything set up before Trav brought the girls up! Picked out the most amazing places and set up 4 different spots. As Trav was on his way up the sun decided to come out full force and my "perfect locations" were no longer perfect and full of sun! So with Brenda's help we moved everything quickly to more shady areas. I couldn't have done it without her help!

I wanted to get one perfect picture of the girls together.... That didn't happen and not likely to happen anytime soon! I guess I will always be on the quest to get the perfect picture of the two of them together! Its the stuff in the middle that is the fun part! I do love the way the pictures came out. My favorite ones of each of the girls, is not of them posed perfectly or posed at all for that matter... Because while its nice to have the perfectly posed picture thats not real life (all the time).... My favorite one of Harper is with her face scrunched up and her mouth open... That is her funny face. To me that is the most precious picture, because she makes that face when she is so happy and excited! Thats the memory I want to remember. My favorite one of Kennedy is with her covering her face with her hands. She does that when she is happy or embarrassed..She covers her face and makes a little nervous laugh and says "haha I am so sorry" while laughing. Those are the memories I want to keep and treasure forever!

When I sit back and look at all the pics I often think about how much I love my family. To me nothing in this world is more important than them. I feel blessed with my life, my children, my husband, my family, and my friends. I thank God for everything/everyone daily. I am learning not to sweat the small stuff and never take life for granted (This is hard for me because I am a total Type A and OCD personality). I realize people are who they are and everyone has their own journey. You accept it or you don't. Life can be gone in a second. No sense wasting time over the things in life you can't change or that doesn't matter. I have learned a lot of this from Kennedy and Harper looking at the world through their eyes. They love with so much passion, curious about everything around them, they are thankful, full of forgiveness, they love everyone around them, and they have no judgements against anyone. This is how God designed us and has called us to be. Its amazing what I have learned and continue to learn from a 3 year old and an 11 month old. When I look at my girls my heart feels full of joy and happiness. I am so thankful for them. I cannot even describe the amount love I have for them!

I cannot wait for the weather to cool off so Brenda and I can have round 2 of trying to get the perfect picture of the girls! I am posting my 2 favorite pictures of them 1st :)

Sweet Harper

I cannot believe how fast time passes by! My little baby is going to be 1 at the end of this month! It makes me sad how fast both my girls are growing up, and I try to soak up every single second with them! We are so blessed with our two little girls! Harper is such a sweet girl, and has the most beautiful porcelain skin. She may very well be my tom boy too! She tears her bows and flowers off and if left long enough tears them to shreds and chews them up! She doesn't like wearing necklaces and she doesn't like her picture taken! I will not give up! She is stuffed into a dress everyday; and eventually will learn the concept of bribery for pictures.

She is Def my one that will be heard... I love the way she reacts when we walk in the room; her little sound she makes, shaking her arms, and moving her feet back and forth... She is a kind and sweet soul. She is into everything! Crawling at lightening pace, and now just standing up out of nowhere!  She has no teeth yet but refuses to eat baby food, and wants everything we are eating.. Even with no teeth she eats more than Kennedy! I love the way she scrunches her nose and breathes in and out hard when she is trying to be funny. She imitates everything Kennedy does. They often get into little " laughing wars" who can laugh the longest and loudest! Everything Harper does she does with such a look of curiosity. She is one of the most determined little babies I have ever met. I love that when I walk into her room to get her from her nap she will always be standing on the left side of her crib, bouncing up and down laughing. I love the way she snuggles into my chest for hugs and snuggles. My heart melts when she touches my face and calls me momma.

I decided to try and attempt some smash cake pictures. Kennedy announcing her sister asked for her help with the cake!  Harper refused to sit still for pictures, crawling off just when I was about to take a picture. I see a lot of blurry pictures in her future or a lot of candid shots! Although, when the cake was placed in front of her she new right what to do, and didn't move! The only sound coming from her was  "Mmmmm".  Daddy went and picked her "special" cake and let me tell you we had bright blue and fluorescent green icing everywhere!! At one point she picked the entire cake up and smashed it into her face!  Fun times!

Jocelyn's Journey

I had the pleasure and honor of taking photo's of Jocelyn (and a few of her sister Rylee). I have to say that the few short hours I was able to spend with this sweet little girl has literally changed my life. It was so hard to narrow down the pictures to edit (because I wanted to keep them all!), and I searched high and low for the perfect song to go with her video, and I found it! Jo is such a sweet & beautiful soul. She did so well for her photo shoot, her momma making her laugh and smile, and pretty sure her mood would brighten when Travis would walk through the room (Little crush maybe?) It is obvious the amount of love that Beth has for Jocelyn; Rylee as well, holding her sister's hands and giving her kisses. Not only is everyone who loves and cares for Jo fighting for a cure for Rett Syndrome, they are fighting for Jocelyn's life too! As I watched Jo and her momma I couldn't help but think what an extremely extraordinary person Beth is: someone who has so much strength and determination for her daughter. Jo is so blessed to have the mother (and family) that she does. I truly believe they will never stop fighting for her and for a cure for Rett Syndrome. It was an honor to be able to do these photos and spend time with Jocelyn and Rylee. Kennedy even made a new friend whom she doesn't stop talking about; I see many playdates in her future with "RyRee"! My life is forever changed. I cannot wait to come and support Jocelyn's Journey this year! I know it will be the best year ever. Exciting things are coming....

                                  

http://www.rsrt.org/support-rsrt/past-events/jocelyns-journey-2012/

Father's Day

  Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day! I thought this occasion deserved its own special post! I probably do not tell him often enough how much I truly appreciate and love him for everything he does for our family. We are two perfectly imperfect people living this life together, and who have brought 2 adorable, sweet, and perfect little girls into this world. I am so happy and blessed to be married to such a kind and great man. I couldn't possibly imagine a greater person to raise children and spend this life together with. God truly has blessed me with a wonderful, kind, honest, hard working, and caring person. Trav works hard at his job to provide a good life for us so I am able to have the option to stay home and raise our children, he makes sure he spends so much time with our girls, so they know they are truly loved, he loves to make me happy, he always makes his family and friends feel cared for and loved. I can't help but to feel so happy and content when I think about our little family. He works a job he is amazing at, he is a great & caring husband, spends time with our girls, and he undoubtedly loves his family more than anything. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for me, or anyone else who needed his help for that matter! He is my best friend hands down, I don't know what I would do without him in my life. This world and the people in it are so unpredictable, but I know I always have a "safe haven" at home with him. No matter how crazy things in life get I always know I can talk to him about anything.

   Kennedy and Harper adore and admire their daddy so much, it does my heart good to see them together. Trav works hard all day, comes home and wants to spend time with the girls. If he is home at night he wants to give the girls their baths, and read to them, pray with them, and put them to bed. He always makes the girls feel loved and shows them how important they are. It melts my heart to hear Kennedy tell Trav "You will always be my favorite boy, and I love you so much" I look at my girls and feel so blessed that God entrusted Trav and I to be their parents and protect them, guide them in the right direction in life, to show them love and how to love, show them how to work hard, and to be good role models for them. I can honestly say Trav is and shows all those things to them. 

  I have never met anyone who works as hard as Trav and who truly has a passion for what he does. He takes great pride in his work and I stand behind him 100%. He knows all of my different love languages, and does everything he can in his power to make me feel treasured and loved. He is simple, and at times I can be complicated, but he gets me. I know I can default to him on any important decisions that need to be made, and I know he will always choose the right decision for us, and knowing that I stand behind him all the way.  I know without a doubt our girls will always know how loved they are by both of us. We get one chance at this life, and one chance to raise our girls right and I know with Trav as their father and my husband we will do just fine!  We love him more than he can ever imagine and are so thankful for him.

                                            Happy Father's Day!

Friendship

    Last night as we sat down to have dinner with some friends of ours, I thought to myself how blessed and lucky I am to have the friends I have in my life. Maybe Kennedy's party has had me thinking about it, because I had so much help without even asking for it!
     I guess I am very sentimental! I have a handful of close friends that I don't know what I would do without them. I hold these people very close to my heart and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for them. Its also amazing how God knows just who to bring in your life at the times he does. God has placed different people in my life as different seasons I have gone through. I have made such good friends in the last few years, friends I talk to on a daily basis, friends who help me get through struggles that I may go through, friends who make me laugh so hard, friends I rarely get the chance to talk to, but when we do its like no time has passed in between us, friends I know would be there for me without me even having to ask,  there are also friends I have made the painful decision to distance myself from, and have even let friendships go. Each of the friendships I hold close are uniquely different. Each relationship I have with these women have taught me lessons about life and how to be a better person. There are a few friends I could absolutely not live without in my life!
    Here are a few things I have learned over the years about true friendship:
Friends are there for each other no matter what. They do not speak badly behind your back. Sometimes friends give you brutal honesty (at times each of us need it), they encourage and pray for each other, they accept you for exactly who you are, sometimes you don't even have to say a word for someone to know what you are thinking and understands you, and you can count on these people in good times and in bad times. True friends rarely come along, and when they do you hold them close to your heart, cherish and appreciate them always.
    I cannot express how blessed I am to have all these wonderful people in my life. I am so thankful for each of them!