Sweet Nana Peeps

On Christmas morning 2013 Nana Peeps earned her angel wings and celebrated her 1st Christmas in Heaven! What a glorious sight and on Christmas morning. It is so hard to lose someone close to us and someone who centers around so many incredible memories throughout our lives. But so thankful for her full full life and legacy she left. So thankful she met my husband and our three kiddos and my girls especially have so many memories of our visits with her whenever we would go back to AZ. They always knew she kept Dibs in her freezer and they would walk in her apartment and head straight for her freezer. She loved when we brought her bagels and cream cheese from Einsteins for a breakfast picnic on her floor. And she adored Tim, always couldn't wait to reach up and give him a big hug. Her smile lit up a room and I am grateful for her hugs and love. And so thankful that she gave me one of the biggest and best blessings in my life - my mom! We miss you Nana Peeps!

 ** I started this post last year Jan. 2014 after we had gotten back from AZ from Nana's memorial service. I had uploaded a couple of pics but was looking high and low for this one black and white picture of Nana and my kids on her swing outside her assisted living place. I couldn't find it and I was determined so I put this post aside and didn't finish it. I wish I would have even if I couldn't find that one picture but one of my quirks is I get stuck and focused on that one thing (and I wonder where Kennedy gets it from :)). Instead of finishing it and re-posting back last year I wanted to post it current to remember her a year later. Looking through these pictures again and remembering her has been a blessing tonight. Miss you Nana!

This is the picture I couldn't find. I cherish and love every single thing about this picture and it just makes my
heart smile!

This would be the last picture we had with her and the last time we saw her....and
in true Nana fashion we all matched!

Happy 2015!

One of my all time favorite things to do in the new year (anything other than take down my Christmas decor and say goodbye to all things Christmas, like music, lights and even THE RED cups at Starbucks) is look through all of my pictures from the past year! It starts off masked as making sure I have uploaded all pics from each camera and phone (yes I have been through three phones this year) but it quickly turns into smiles, memories and taking each and every smile, glance, moment reliving it and all it's blessing and glory all over again. I sit here misty eyed and thankful times a thousand for each milestone and memory that seems like yesterday all wrapped up into a year! How much changes and yet how family grows and through all of it how consistent and faithful God's love and blessings are. I am so grateful for this past year - ups, downs, hard times and memories and how it wraps up into shaping us to be who we are and more importantly who God wants us to be. I sit here still listening to Christmas music and sprinkling peppermint dust on my coffee clinging and praying that the memories continue to grow deep in 2015!

The blog was not a priority last year, as much as I told myself and my head to make it it just wasn't. I love this space and memories it holds especially for my kiddos to be able to see one day and family to feel closer despite being far away. Wanting to find this space and time for it again and enjoy the blessing that it is...now if I could just stop being distracted by looking at all the pictures over and over and tearing up at the smiles and memories :).

Merry & Happy 2015...

We started off this rainy and cold day doing what we do best...making memories BIG and small...

MY three favorite football fans heading out to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio!
This will make the 2nd annual daddy-daughter trip and THEY have a blast!

Trying to start the day off with something way more healthy than we have been the past couple of weeks.
This green smoothie tasted good but not nearly as good as the candied pecans and fudge that we have indulged in

He couldn't wait to dig into his dinosaur excavation kit that was in his stocking

Love love being able to communicate with KK! We joke now that when one of us can't get ahold of the other,
we call her :)

Before heading off for some fun with this guy on our mama Carter weekend we had to get a workout in first!

I asked him what he wanted for lunch on our lunch date - bagel from Starbucks.
And mama please take a picture and send it to Kennedy, she will wish she had one too :)

Lots of games with the Annie Soundtrack playing in the background.
Love this kid and the time we get to spend together. Miss the time even more now
that he is in school full time but take full advantage of times like this. He can't get enough
of the Annie Soundtrack...sings It's A Hard Knock Life" over and over and over!

No day with this guy is complete without building legos...at this rate they may run out of sets

I may have to gently beg remind them to please take and send pictures to me...

The girls had a blast - had awesome seats and ate tons of junk food with daddy!
What's not to love???

While they enjoyed their junk food and first row seats, we had our own first row seats to Planes
Fire & Rescue...and an early bedtime!

It's the small things that are special and again the ones I hope and pray my kids remember as they grow!

Our Fabulous 4th - Part 1

We love us some 4th of July! Between this holiday and Thanksgiving it's a toss up which one is Tim's favorite??? I hope our kids are still excited the night before anticipating the community 4th of July parade as they get older...one that's full of celebrating our country, those that serve our country, our community, traditions, and the kids would quickly remind me to not forget the candy! It's so fun to look back on past years here, here & here and see the kids in their red, white & blue attire (and Tim's fashion too) and the family pictures and how they have grown up with this a huge part of our memories. So thankful to live in this place and these days are an even better reminder. 

This 4th was especially special because those two sweet girls standing with mine had officially moved back from El Paso the week before!!! This was kennedy's bestie who had moved away right after 4th grade but just moved back right in time for Middle School!!! K was ecstatic...in fact I captured a picture when she read her text that they were officially moving back.
Best moment ever!

Sweetest big sister in the world...if I could capture all the ways she loves and cares for him each day it would be a full time job!

One of our favorites

Blurry but nonetheless fun picture...blurry because of our fabulous humidity! Crazy though was that the weather was in the low 80's. Love this family...our sweet friends the Justices.

Brooklyn & Avery

Love this girl and ALL of her personality

Tim's Fourth Fashion continues to get better and better each year!

Papaw driving his cars in the parade is a highlight for the kids

Brynn & KK

Favorite Things Party! WaHoo!

Cortney & Shauna putting the finishing touches on the numbers for everyone to draw - in my laundry room :)

Yes, those Anthro candles were the hot pick of the night...and I scored one!

Mascara and eyeliner was a big one this year too! They went F.A.S.T

Everyone loves this part...going around and telling what they brought and why. It's like a walking advertisement and some of these girls are GOOD...like commercial good :)...they LOVE their favorite thing(s) and want to share it with the world!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this party! It is so fun and festive at Christmas time and such a blessing to be able to share such a fun girly night filled with friends, Christmas music, yummy food and laughter! When I started it last year we all had a great time! But as the year flew by and Fall arrived I had texts and run ins at the store with friends making sure it was going to happen this year! Of course because I think I have just as much fun planning as I do being a part of it. Last year the drinking glasses were the chalkboard stemless wine glasses...so this year I decided to be "crafty" and buy stemless $1 store wine glasses and try the whole gold glitter around the bottom idea. It was tougher than I thought but it happened and who cares that there was glitter EVERY.WHERE especially in the wine. It's Christmas so what's a little more glitter and glitz!?!? I totally appreciate Tim on this night because he sees the planning and gets home a bit earlier than normal, takes the kids out to dinner and ice cream and then whisks them away upstairs for bedtime. He does re-appear to snap a big group picture and then is always right there to help with dishes and clean it all up...and does so with a big heart because he knows I love love doing this stuff.  As friends were walking out the door they were making sure there would be one next year and some even wanted to compile a list of the top favorite things from year to year. A fun and full girls night at one of my favorite times of the year!