June and July in Pictures

So we were recently on Vacation at a Beach on the East Coast. We went with extended family and it was extremely fun. We had so much fun we did not want to leave, I have already been asked by Grace when can we go again? I was thinking oh my goodness child we just got back.

I am like her though, I love the beach too. :)
The beach was great, we got to play in the sand and water, go to an aquarium and see mermaids, ride on a farris wheel, go to some shops, and just hang out on the beach again. Except for this mommy getting sunburned on her shoulders only (go figure) we had a great trip.

Some pictures from our trip.

July has been full of fun. We had a great 4th of July celebration and Clifton and I got to explain to Grace about what the 4th of July (Independence Day) is all about, and why it is important. We explained it the best we could for a 5 year old. We have had a fun filled summer, and I hate to see it starting to come to an end with Grace heading to K5 in a month....where Has the time Gone. Hartley is already 3 months old and this summer has just flown by. We have been so busy Its just gotten away from us. We celebrated Grace's birthday in July even though her birthday is actually in June. Well I have been learning a lot myself this summer, as a person, mommy and wife. God has been doing a lot in my life. We have started doing devotions in the evening with both girls, and praying for them, for specific things not just generic prayers of "God Bless my friends and family" Actually specific things. It has helped a lot.

Well I must go now. That was just a quick update.

Love and Peace,
Samantha

Birthday in pictures

So we had our wonderful Birthday Dinner last night with family. It was great we were at Chuck E. Cheese for 2 hours. It didn't feel that long. I got whooped up on in both basketball and ski-ball, but not by my 5 year old. She had a blast going around with family members and playing games, and all the other fun stuff there is to do there. Here are some pictures from her family birthday dinner.

So Grace enjoyed our wonderful dinner and said it was her best birthday ever. Lets wait until we have her party and then see what she says about it.

I bet that will be the best birthday ever then.


Smiles.


Cake


Kisses from an uncle


Chuck E. Cheese


thanks for stopping by.

I have a 5 year old?

So this week my sweet little angel Grace turned 5 years old.

I remember her birth like it was yesterday, what I wore to the hospital, what I watched on TV as we waited for her to be born, the frantic doctors and nurses as we prepared for a scary and rewarding birth.


This was Grace 5 years ago.

Man how time has flown, 5 years already. It seems like yesterday she came into this world in an exciting way, and it has been exciting ever since then. She is a big girl. So today one of the things we did to celebrate her birthday was Build-A-Bear, but instead of building a bear, we built a pink Octopus, which we dressed in a perfectly wonderful Mermaid Outfit! Only my daughter. So now she has a pink dinosaur (we got last year on vacation) named Daisy and she has a pink octopus named Xenia, apparently there is something about pink, and flowers that my daughter must like :D.




Dinner tonight with the whole family will be at Chuck E. Cheese. I will be sure to add some pictures from there. It is one of her favorite places to eat....who knew a kid liking Chuck E. Cheese.

So Grace, Hartley, and I have been doing something new at bedtime. The 3 of us lay in Grace's awesome Big Girl bed. I read both of them a book or two sometimes three depending on time, then we read out of the daily devotional book we have, then a bible story, or verse, then onto prayers. I am learning to pray for them not just "God bless Grace and Hartley" but to really pray for them, for thier future, their faith, their future spouses(That God prepares the heart of the men they will one day marry), their careers, just for their future. One thing I have been praying over Grace lately is for when she starts school in August, for the children she will meet, the experiences she will have, and for her teacher. Just that it is a wonderful experience for her.

Picture of the girls during our new Bedtime Routine.


Something Else Grace and I love to do and take pictures of is make Funny Faces.




So now onto Baby updates.
Hartley who is 9 weeks old can now roll from her back to her left side or right side. Wow how amazing she has been. She is always smiling at me when I talk with her. She is changing and growing so much it is crazy. She is getting so big and I cannot wait to take her to the Doctor on Friday and see how much my little chunker has grown. She was a dainty baby, and now you would never know she was dainty at a whooping 6lbs 14 ounces at birth. I am thinking this little bunny is close to 12 lbs now but we will see.


This was our family night from last Friday we went on a picnic at the Park and while Daddy and Grace flew the kite Hartley and I just hung out.

Here is one I got of her smiling at me though.


God has shown me a lot about life, patience, andlove through my girls, my marriage, and my everyday happenings. Keep reading for more updates on the girls, myself and my marriage.

Love, Peace, & Happiness always.

~Samantha.

The Joys of June

So far June has been a crazy, fun and busy month for this family. We have had graduation parties, friends coming over, family gatherings, and I even talked the Husband into doing Family pictures. :)





We have had so much going on, we don't get to celebrate G's 5th Birthday until July. :(
Well she doesn't care as long as her 5th birthday gets her tea party birthday party like she wants. I am still gathering decorations and ideas for her party.

Today Hartley turns 2 months. It is crazy. I've been trying to spend time with my girls separate and together. This summer is about making memories as a family, since Grace will no longer be with mommy all day once Fall comes and Kindergarten comes.

One thing I make sure to do with Grace and tonight I did it with both girls, is to read a story, read a bible verse or devotional, and say our prayers before we go to sleep for the night.


So because they were just so cute in Bed I had to snap a picture.

Grace recieved this book from the called Born Yesterday: The Diary of a Young Journalist(She received it before Hartley was born) it is the perfect book. Its about a baby who is born and has a sister who is about to start kindergarten. It makes me think so much of my girls. One of the last pages in the book, the baby decides it wants to run away and be part of another family because it is embarrassed that her older sister found her diary. So the older sister comes home from school one day crying and crawls into the crib with the baby sister, and says "You are my best friend, you don't laugh at me." Makes me have that same hope for my girls, that they will be best friends. I hope that's how my girls will end up.

Trying to figure out what to do for Father's Day for the awesome Father of my girls. He is amazing and wonderful with them.



Well I am out for the night. I can hear Hartley on the Monitor so I need to go soon. Keep checking back for fun pictures of the kids, family, and our awesomely fun filled family summer.

Love, Peace, and Happiness to all,

~Samantha

Another day in May

So it has been over 2 months since my last post. Well when you are preparing for baby #2 it can take a lot out of you.

Grace is really a big help with her sister. She loves being a sister and is always asking to hold the baby. She doesn't understand why she has to be so careful with her though.

A lot has happened in the last 2 months. The pool is now open and Grace is swimming without any help....no water wings or anything. My big girl is getting to big way way way to fast for this Mommy's liking. She also lost her first tooth. This makes me sad. I cannot believe she will be 5, in less than a month, good gracious time has flown by. I remember when she was Hartley's size and she was tiny. She is not so tiny anymore.

No water wings.

Well Grace is also done with Creative Movement for the year. Next year she will be in Pre-ballet and not in the pink anymore.

That's really all thats new.

Hartley is now about 9lbs so she has gained 2 1/2 pounds since she was born.

Peace and Love,
Samantha

Just another March Day

So much has happened lately.

Grace is still working on printing her name, and we are starting to work on sight words with her, so that hopefully she is reading a bit before she starts Kindergarten. She is getting wary about Hartley coming and keeps asking us random questions and doesn't really know for sure what the big deal is. She thinks that as soon as Hartley gets here she will be able to play and run around, I have had to explain to her multiple times that is not the case.

I checked some books out today about new babies and what not from the library. I hope those help her with her uneasy feelings. She likes the baby's room but I think she is still very uneasy and unsure of what this really is. As I write about the baby she has decided it is time to shift her entire body, making it a bit uncomfortable for me, since she wants to put her bottom in my ribs and kick.

Grace has continued to be an amazing little girl, who everyday makes me wonder about her extraordinary imagination. The other day she was SUPER GRACIE and I was her TRUSTY Side kick Sam. She makes me laugh everyday and I cannot imagine not spending time with her, she makes my day and I worry that when the new one come how will I have joy, and Love for 2 amazing little girls? I know it is possibly but Grace is the center of my world right now and I don't know how I could have 2 that are.

Hartley's room is basically complete. I have yet to take decent pictures so there are none yet. I do have some more recent ultrasound pictures. She looks so much like her sister and her daddy that it isn't even funny. You can see she already has hair......thats why I have such horrible heartburn isn't it? Well I am off, making dinner for a wonderful friend.

Sunny, Cold, Windy Sunday.

I know it has been more than a month since I have posted a blog entry. Man how time flies by when your having fun. I have been tired, working, and well just plain too lazy to write a blog post. We have been cleaning out our extra room slowly making way for Hartley. Her room is coming together nicely. It is an extremely cold, windy, yet sunny Sunday.

Grace has been a wonderful blessing and patient little girl as of late. I am loving it. I am not loving that fact that in a little more than a month I will be registering her for school! I know my baby is going to be 5! I don't want her to grow up but she is blossoming into a beautiful little girl. Her curls, big bright blue eyes, and personality get her attention everywhere we go. I always have people saying "She is a beautiful little girl" I sometimes get embarrassed because I know she is beautiful, and always will be to her mommy, but when perfect strangers come up and tell me that it is sometimes just weird because I don't always know what to say. The weather here has been wonderful as of late, Grace and I have gotten to play outside so much lately. I am so concerned that once she goes to school my sweet little girl, who in my eyes is still a baby won't be that anymore I don't want her to grow up too fast. I now feel like I know how my parents must have felt, and I cannot imagine with 3 kids 2 of them 18 months apart, how fast it must have flown by for them. It is crazy. Grace has the biggest imagination ever, she is so funny and makes me laugh all the time at things she does I'll say something to my mom and she will say "She is just like you" or "That's something you and your brothers would have done" makes me laugh and smile every time.
OH BIG MILESTONE: Grace Printed her first NAME all by herself. This mommy is so proud I just don't know what to say or do. Makes me very very excited.

Grace being silly, she said "Hey mommy look" I looked at her and just laughed with her oreo eyes.

Her name written all by herself, Mommy wrote the one on top, the one on bottom my big girl did.

Preparing for Hartley has been crazy and well interesting, we have been blessed so much already from all the gifts people have already given us. They have been so wonderful. I just cannot believe how blessed we are. It is wonderful that we are having another girl and relatively the same season since we already have baby clothes this will be a piece of cake, at least for the first few months. Grace is ready to be a big sister and to help, she will talk to my belly, hug it and kiss it, she is already sweet and a good big sister I cannot wait to see how she does once Hartley gets here.

This mommy is doing great, morning sickness is gone, now just counting the weeks 31 down 9 to go. :) I am excited but I am also a little scared, I am scared because the last time I was pregnant or had a newborn was almost 5 years ago. I hope I remember everything, I hope I do a good job, I have worries that I think every mommy has. Daddy is just going on about his merry way, I am sure he is nervous he just isn't showing it as much, he has been wonderful with me and Grace during this pregnancy and he will help out in any way he can. He is being great. Well I am going to go I feel like no one probably cares, or is interested in reading this blog. But hey I thought for my family who isn't close by I might as well be able to keep you all updated somehow.

Once we get Hartley's room together I will be posting pictures. I will be writing these more I hope, for my family who lives far away. Miss you all and Love you all.