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You know the face.
Pink cheeks. Excited, sparkly eyes. Half-smile. 
Silent reverent awe, as my AP English teacher used to say.
And the perfect way to spend the longest night of the year~ at our town’s annual parade {it’s kind of a big deal around here!}.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Miss a Wordless Wednesday? You can catch up here!
Counting My Kisses: The girls may or may not have had more sugar at the parade than they’ve consumed in an entire-two week period, but hey…that’s what parades are for, right? It was a fun & celebratory night, and we were so happy to enjoy such a lovely evening with the girls! How do you get in the mood for summer?
Have a great day!
Baby H hit a big milestone over the weekend…
her first haircut! 
Grammy came over to do the honors, just like she did with Little O’s first trim.
The only challenge? Keeping our Dozer still enough so that Grammy could get the job done.
After much brainstorming, we decided to strap Baby H into her booster seat and keep her hands busy with a box of raisins & the zoo animals.
Worked like a charm! 
A few minutes later, Baby H was sporting an adorable new baby hairdo~ a bob!
Holy cuteness. 
Ta-da!!!
{That’s actually what Baby H is saying here, it’s one of her new favorite words}. 
And just like that, our cute baby girl looks even cuter. And a tiny bit older. But mostly, just more adorable than ever. 
Love love love her!
Counting My Kisses: Lots to be thankful for with this sweet milestone~ no tears and a super cute baby hairdo as the end result. I’m so thankful Grammy has a steady hand {there is no way I could have done that!} and I’m thrilled she has been able to give both of our girls their first trims. Such a fun memory, and a great milestone for our sweet Baby H!
Hi, friends!
How was your weekend?
I have so much to fill you in on~ but in the interest of not making this the longest post ever, I’m going to keep today focused on Father’s Day.
So…stay tuned later this week for Baby H’s big milestone, a new adventure for Little O, our fabulous weekend houseguest & so much more! Exciting times around here, I tell you.
But today’s topic is all about fathers. Last year I wrote a sweet little post about Father’s Day, citing a few reasons as to why my dad, my father-in-law and my husband are all such great dads.
What makes an amazing dad in your book?
To me, an amazing dad…
lights up when he’s around his children & grandchild. 
Isn’t afraid to act like a child. 
Shows his family in so many different ways how important they are to him {fun fact: it’s actually Little O in this picture at 15 months!}. 
An amazing father…
radiates happiness & pride.
Makes an effort to be there for his children & grandchildren. 
Raises his children to have faith, work hard & value the gift of family. 
An amazing father…
makes a family complete. 
Knows the importance of tickle wars, swim sessions and being a steady, comforting hand.
And he embraces the joy of childhood and guides his children along their path of life. 
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what makes an amazing father~ share in the comments section!
Counting My Kisses: I hope all of the fathers out there had an enjoyable Father’s Day! I’m so incredibly thankful for my wonderful husband~ you are truly an incredible father and I love you so much. Watching you wear a tiara & have tea with our girls melts my heart. To my fantastic father~ you are such a source of strength & love for our entire family. We love you so much & we can’t wait to see you in a few weeks. And to my father-in-law~ thank you for all that you do for our family, we are so lucky to have you nearby!
Have a great day, everyone!
You know that feeling…
The one where you feel like you’re at just the right place in life?
That was me on Thursday. A day full of sunshine, the beach, our friends, Diet Cherry Coke and lots & lots of fun.
Yes, please!
And let’s all take a moment to marvel at the fact that we have six children holding hands & smiling.
Even better?
Six children holding hands, smiling & jumping. 
Adorable!
And so, my friends, I hope your weekend is full of jumping-in-the-sand-while-holding-hands-with-your-friends types of moments. I hope you have that fantastic feeling of complete happiness & I’m-exactly-where-I-need-to-be-right-now-ness.
And I hope that all of the dads out there have an amazing Father’s Day!
Counting My Kisses: Last summer at this time, I had a five month old, a two-year-old, and I couldn’t possibly imagine leaving the house ever, let alone a daunting beach trip. I’m super excited that the girls & I are out and about this summer, with lots of opportunities to have fun with our fantastic friends. Such a blessing! How are you jumping into summer??
Have a great weekend!
You know how sometimes, you get a super great idea and before you can really, truly think it through, you jump on it?
That would be us on Wednesday night.
The Hubs & I decided to take the girls on a “forest walk” {as Little O calls it} after an early dinner. It was a crisp night, the girls had taken awesome naps & we were ready to get in a bit of exercise & fresh air.
Little O was rocking her shades, ready to get the party started. 
As for Baby H? She was a little introspective about the whole thing. 
Once we got started, though, it didn’t take long for Baby H to get into the swing of things. 
And it didn’t take long to reach a walk highlight: Little O attempting to give Baby H a boost to see the tree sign. 
Love! {Little O’s face is a tiny bit hilarious, no?!}
Anyway, the walk was going swimmingly. The girls were having fun, the Hubs & I were loving being outside, and I was doing my best to avoid looking for any creepy-crawly-type of characters lurking in the grass.
And then…
the wheels started to fall off.
It began when Baby H wouldn’t let us pick her up to carry her. She wanted to walk like a big girl, and truth be told, she was doing an awesome job trucking down the path.
The problem? At Baby H’s pace, we’d finish our 2-mile hike around 11:30 p.m.
No dice.
Sensing that a diversion was needed, I spotted a bench ahead & suggested we stop for a quick snack break.
The happiness balance was restored. The girls were enjoying their cookies together…
when Baby H leaned forward & toppled off the bench, breaking her fall with her cute little noggin.
Both the Hubs & I were right there and it still happened too fast for us to catch her. Ugh.
Luckily, Baby H seemed no worse for the wear, especially after Little O kissed her & made it feel better. 
And Baby H’s cookie was replaced with a new, dirt-free one {her main concern}, and all was right again in the world.
Until we started walking again.
And realized that our car was so very, very far away.
And it was getting late.
And Baby H was getting tired and cranky, so her pace was slowing down even more.
And Little O wanted to stop & pick every flower in the vicinity. And got super whiney when we told her she had enough in her bouquet. 
This is the point that our terrific lets-go-spend-some-time-together-outside idea went downhill. In a hurry.
So we did what all parents of young children do when it gets close to bedtime & the wheels are falling off: we scrambled.
The Hubs swung Little O onto his shoulders and I picked up a grumpy, writhing Baby H and we hauled it down that dirt path.
Twenty endless minutes later, we finally let the girls down to cross over the bridge that marked the end of our journey.
Both girls absolutely lit up at the chance to walk again. 
And the Hubs & I absolutely melted when we watched them join hands & cross that bridge together. 
In that precious moment, our extremely long walk didn’t seem like such a bad idea, after all.
Counting My Kisses: The best-laid plans, right?! Even though it certainly wasn’t our greatest idea ever, the walk was still super fun. I’m thankful for the time we spent together, and I know I’ll always remember the girls crossing the bridge together, hand in hand. Love that!
This is summer fun at its finest:
Love!
Miss a Wordless Wednesday post? Catch up here:
Counting My Kisses: Is there anything cuter than seeing your children beam as they scoot down a slide? Little O & Baby H’s giggles were contagious~ the Hubs & I couldn’t stop laughing either. And their demands of “again! again!” were met over & over & over again…summer fun, indeed. What’s your favorite summer fun activity?
It was quiet.
The girls? Fast asleep.
The Hubs? Out like a light.
Our out-of-town family? All settled in for the night.
It was just me…me and a clock that read 11:44 p.m. on Saturday, May 19th.
Little O’s birthday was just about over. It had been an amazing day~ really, truly amazing. The kind of day that makes you feel warm & fuzzy about your family, smiley & thankful for all of your friends, and grateful that after months of thought & preparation, the day had finally arrived. Been thoroughly enjoyed. And now was just about ready to be whisked off into the night.
Sitting on the side of my bed, restless, I stared at the clock.
I rose, quietly opened my bedroom door and tiptoed the short distance to Little O’s room.
It was dark & silent, save for the floor fan providing gentle white noise for her dreams.
The birthday girl was curled up on her side, blonde hair spilling down her cheek. Her fingers clutched Lovey, resting her under her chin~ the preferred snuggle spot. Her face was smooth and calm, dreaming happy dreams, no doubt.
I bent down to kiss her head, breathing in my now-three-year-old daughter. Her lavender lotion. Her strawberry shampoo. Her quiet & steady breaths.
And then the tears came.
Stunned, I sank to the floor. And the tears soundlessly streamed down my face as I remembered.
Remembered that day, three years ago, that I became a mother.
Remembered how she felt when she was placed in my arms, a soft, warm torpedo of blankets. I was scared that I wasn’t strong enough to hold her; and yet, my arms ached for her, my lips needed to kiss her sweet face, feel her soft newborn hands, count her tiny little toes.
Remembered the relieved yes that washed over me as soon as I held her. Yes, little one, I am your momma. Yes, you are the love of our lives, and we just met you, at long last. Yes, I will dry your tears and cheer you on and encourage you to grow, fly and embrace this gift of life that you’ve been given.
Yes. You are our brand-new entire world.
And yes. I love you with every inch of my being. And I always, always will.
Staring at my sweet birthday girl, I was overwhelmed at the magnitude of it all.
The tears kept coming, fast and furious, but I didn’t fight it. I let myself marvel over the amazingness of her. Of the moment. Of the chance to really embrace what this 3-year milestone meant to me.
Happy tears over the beautiful, bubbly little girl that is making our days radiate with joy & light. Sad tears that these three years have gone by in the blink of an eye. And scared tears, over the newness & uncertainty that this 3-year-old year will bring. The independent mornings at preschool, the growing insistence to do things all by herself.
The never-ending heartache and joy of having your heart walk around outside your body.
The tears & I quietly kept Little O company on those last few minutes of her birthday. I had an inexplicable need to be with her as those moments ticked by until midnight. Together, we sent the day~ all of the happy memories, the birthday giggles, the hugs & kisses & cake & chorus of voices singing Happy Birthday~ off into the night.
Her from her sweet-dreamed slumber, me from my tearful vigil on the floor.
Then, in those first few moments of May 20th, I kissed my oldest daughter’s cheek, whispered I love you to the moon and back, and said a prayer that this year would be filled with happiness and laughter and joy for our sweet girl.
And then my tears & I made our way back to my room, my bed.
But my heart…
my heart was still beside my sleeping birthday girl.
Counting My Kisses: One of the things that I love most about this blog is that I can capture moments like this one. Capture it for myself, so I can remember exactly how I felt at this moment in time. Capture it for Little O, so when she’s older, she can enjoy these memories. And capture it for all of you, and hope that this story connects to a little piece of your heart. I’ll be linking this post up with Shell from Things I Can’t Say this week~
because sometimes, you just need to pour your heart out.
Happy Monday, friends!
How was your weekend?
Ours was lovely~ gorgeous summer weather, a dance recital, swimming & a birthday party~ what could be better?
A date night at the beach, that’s what.
As soon as the girls woke up from their Saturday afternoon naps, the Hubs & I packed up a picnic dinner, scooped them out of their beds & headed to the beach for a few hours of date night fun. 
We laughed. A lot. 
We swam and picnicked and swam some more, enjoying the gorgeous warm evening sun.
We pretty much had the place to ourselves, too, other than a few lifeguards {or “shinguards,” as our {confused} soccer girl likes to call them}. Oh and our new inflatable duck, Sam. 
It was pretty easy to look at the grinning, wet faces of the girls & think, yes. This was the right kind of date night for us tonight. 
And would you believe we were the last to leave?
We were having that much fun.
Counting My Kisses: After a busy & semi-hectic week, unwinding with the girls for a few hours at the beach was exactly what the doctor ordered. We drove home with happy & sleepy little girls, the Hubs & I smiling from ear to ear. Sometimes reconnecting as a family is the top priority~ and this weekend, we were sure glad we made it one.
Hope you had a great weekend yourself!
The other night, something amazing happened.
We had just gotten the girls to bed and the Hubs & I were doing the usual once-over of the first floor.
The Hubs just happened to glance out the window.
Gasped.
And yelled for me to come over there right now.
I did. And then I gasped.
Ran to get the camera.
And we both sprinted outside…
to witness the most unbelievably gorgeous rainbow I’ve ever seen. 
We couldn’t even get a picture of the entire thing from start to finish, it was so huge.
So bright.
So incredible. 
After we stood there & gawked for a few minutes, the Hubs ran inside to get Little O.
Now, we’ve gotten her out of bed exactly never. Bedtime is bedtime at our house.
But this rainbow? It was too amazing to miss.
And her face was pretty amazing, too. 
Little O wanted to keep the rainbow.
We told her we did, too, but it was God’s rainbow to hold onto.
As we tucked her back into bed that night, I thought about how fun it is to share new things with the girls~ both events we create, and those we have no control of but are blessed enough to experience in nature.
Like a gorgeous full rainbow on a cool summer night. 
And that is something I’ll remember for a long, long time.
Counting My Kisses: Just looking at the pictures of the rainbow and Little O’s face makes my heart happy. I’ve never seen a full rainbow like that before~ and it seemed like it was right over our house! A good sign for things to come, perhaps? We’re going to go with a blissful yes. {And Baby H~ sorry you missed it, sweetie. You were sound asleep!}.
Have a great weekend, friends!
blurbbookkisses 