Party party!

No really, we had two parties in one this weekend!

I have to say it was tons of fun! Hope you enjoy the pictures!!!

We celebrated Owen's 5th birthday and Sadie's 2nd birthday this weekend at my parents pool. We mostly had family there and a few friends.

I seriously get a kick out of watching our kids get to be kids. Sweet Owen made a ring in Sunday school and is putting on Emery's finger in this pic.

Kisses from big sister!

Mercy girl...you are beautiful!

Snuggles with Papa Max.

Sadie and her new gifts!!!

Owen had to do a hunt to find his way to his gift. My mom put clues in each gift to lead him to his new bike!

Sadie looking ever so cute to open gifts!

We did an ice cream sundae bar so that the kids could build their own sundaes! So fun!!!

Seriously...doesn't that look like fun???

A water balloon fight! So much fun to watch them!

The birthday boy wasn't in the mood for a pic! Shocker!

Sadie has turned into such the little lovebug. She hugs and kisses everyone now!

She LOVES her Lulu!

Can you see the excitement in her face?

Birthday girl doesn't actually turn two until this Friday! Oh my word!!!

Our sweet friends came by for a quick hello! I hadn't met her new babes that they just brought home, Zoya and Joseph (on the far right).

My favorite color

RED is my favorite color and when I saw this template...I had to use it.

I LOVE it...but the other pic of the family just didn't work.

I also LOVE this snippet from Max Lucado's book "God Thinks You're Wonderful". Hope it touches you too. It's a book that was given to Owen for his first Christmas. When I first read it to him, and even to this day...I can't help but think about how this book so addresses some very important things both adoptees and birth families need to hear and accept. I cry just about every time I read it just praying that our kids "get" how much God loves them.

We've had a busy weekend, well Blake and I have. He's been so good to help me with my "honey do" list to get the house ready to sell. Everyone keeps asking us when we are moving and I think it's because I keep talking about it...you'd think it was happening next week.

If there is one thing you should know about Blake and I its that we are planners. When we have a big change coming up in our lives, we plan the heck out of it. That's why we always joke that God brought us to adoption...you have no control and no ability to plan domestic adoption.

So, we have to be in Aspen on February 1st. But with the way the market is, you just don't know how long it will take to sell. So we are trying to plan and be flexible and listen to God. Yea...that's hard to do sometimes...balance all of that. We are excited to meet with our realtor this week and see what all we need to do and when we should list this baby.

I know you could really care less about all of that...so here's what you really came here for!

The girls in the stroller. I LOVE Emery's face. She looks very concerned.

It's amazing how different all of the kids are when you remove just one!

We are having so much fun here at the science museum. I surprised Sadie and Cooper with this after we dropped Owen off for school!

She was calling Noonie! I love it!

First Day of School

Owen did wonderful! He really did seem quite excited about today.

His incredibly thoughtful daddy showed up at the house @ 8:15 after going to work at 6 am! We were all so surprised and excited that he could come with us on such a big day. Thanks Blake for being such a wonderful father and husband. I would have been a mess had you not been there with me. And not only is he a wonderful daddy...he is mighty handsome too! Lucky me!

We walked Owen to his class and joined them all in a story...The Kissing Hand. This is one I shared a long time ago that is one of our favorites. So just listening to the story read by his teacher did make me tear up. Luckily I was distracted and could composed myself because Emery started squirming in my arms. The teacher gave one parent and each child a sticker. After the story she told each child to give their mommy or daddy a kiss and the sticker and say good-bye. Owen quickly got up and decided to give his brother the sticker. It was TOO sweet! Luckily I had my camera close by and got these precious pics.

Notice in these pics how Cooper is showing his "kissing hand" and his sticker. He was so touched.

We feel so blessed that today went so well. Owen said he had a blast today and couldn't wait to go back tomorrow to see his new friends again. Thank you Jesus! He did miss his brother and sisters though...

Blake and I decided we officially feel grown up with a child in school.

Good thing we have other munchkins to make us feel young! She was cooing and making smiles so I thought I would try and get it on camera. She just thinks the camera is weird because she gets all serious on me!

Little lady, you stop all that growing you're doing. Stop it right now!

Happy 5th Birthday Sweet Owen

Holy moly. Five years has somehow seemed to be so slow and at the same time fly by.

How does that happen?

It was five years ago that I was just becoming a mommy and watching my best friend become a dad.

Five years ago today I watched a woman I loved so dearly give birth to this child and ever so selflessly place him in my arms as she watched me become his mother too. I will never forget those precious days we spent with her in the hospital. Mandy, I will spend the rest of my life trying to thank you. Thank you not only for choosing life, but for choosing and trusting Blake and I, and even more...for choosing to continue to be a part of our lives. What would we do without you?

I will never forget that we both promised we'd never have to have a reunion, that we'd always know where the other was and we'd always somehow keep in touch. It's incredible to think that in the last 5 years we are right where we wanted to be...if not closer.

She was the first birthday phone call we got this morning. How cool is that?

I know that someday soon birthdays might start to sting for this little guy as he understands that this is the day he was given life and given a family, but it came at the cost of losing his first mama. Lord prepare me now to walk through that with our children, and may I always teach them through my life that you can and will carry them through anything.

Today we had an incredible 5th birthday! Sadie and Cooper went to school so that left me with Owen and Emery! It was such a blast letting Owen pick whatever he wanted to do and not having to agree with anyone about it!

Owen and I had so much fun together! I really do love getting to spend such great quality time with him...it's such a treasure to just get to talk and give him my undivided attention. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade our family dynamics for anything. WE LOVE HAVING OUR KIDS CLOSE! But I think because of that, it makes days like today all that more special.

After only 5 hours without his two buddies he told me that he did miss them and was ready to pick them up from school. How sweet is that?

We were trying to get a pic of just Owen, Blake and I but Cooper wanted in on the fun. This didn't make O too happy!

His choice for birthday breakfast is pancakes. And not the homemade kind...he likes the frozen ones peeps. That should tell you how good of a cook I am!

And his choice of what to do for the day...the library!!! I was dying! Happy birthday sweetheart. We could not be more proud of you. Not sure how in the world they expect me to drop you off for pre-K in the morning. *sniff sniff*