Life With Our Little Ladies

At the beginning of June, Abby graduated from Pre-K. After a great year with wonderful teachers and new friends, it was bittersweet to see it come to an end. We've loved watching Abby's love for school and learning grow with each week of the school year. We know that is largely thanks to the teachers and school community she has been a part of. It's always a good sign when you come home from school and pretend to be your teacher for hours while teaching your little sister and stuffed animals. Abby is reading entire books, but really she is reading every word in sight (especially if it is a message only intended for my eyes or a word spelled for adult ears)! A whole new world has opened up for her.

Seeing the way Abby's knowledge of God's truth and her heart for Jesus has grown this year have been especially sweet for us! She doesn't just take it all in without thinking about it. She surprises us with really thoughtful questions as she constantly seeks deeper understanding. Like "Mommy, if God doesn't have an age, why does Jesus have an age when he was alive on earth?" Really good questions!  And just like that our four year old turned five and is so so ready to head to Kindergarten in the fall.



The little graduation ceremony was sweet. It started with a video slideshow of the memories from the school year. This pregnant momma knew it was going to be an emotional day when I started tearing up during that video and while looking at the empty stage with little chairs. *deep breaths* My first baby is growing up!

Hailie and Abby

Ella and Kendall's little brother Owen became buddies this year in the Pre-K pickup line.

Abby and Riley

Abby and Kendall. Ella tried to sneak right in the middle of every picture. "Don't forget your little sister!"

One of my favorite parts was the word collage Abby's teacher, Mrs. Keparutis, put together for each kid. They were hung above the self portrait the kids created during the year. It's always fun to see that others see parts of Abby's character that we have been watching develop since she was really little. It was a special moment of celebrating how God has uniquely made our little girl. We love you Abby Em and are so proud of you just because of who you are! It's exciting to dream of all that God has planned for your life and His Kingdom.

When Joe asked me how I would like to celebrate my 30th birthday, the answer was easy: something fun and relaxed with as many of the people I love the most in one place. I ended up with two sweet birthday celebrations in one week. Joe organized a family party the weekend before my birthday. On the night of my actual birthday, we had a bunch of local friends for birthday cake and ice cream.  To say I felt loved and thankful is an understatement.

Grammy and G-Diddy came into town the night before the party and treated us to a special dinner. Then, we made our first trip of the season to the "Shake Shack", our neighborhood ice cream stand,  for the perfect summer dessert.


The morning of the party, Abby went with Daddy to the party store. She wanted to make sure they picked the perfect balloons and decorations. I wish I could have captured the look on her face when they got home from the store. She was so proud of her planning and excited to set everything up. While Joe and Abby were gone taking care of the last minute details, Ella put on her apron to bake some Cornbread Casserole for the party with Grammy. Did I mention that I wasn't allowed to do anything to help? It was a sweet birthday gesture, just a hard one for me to follow when everyone was working so hard around me in my house.

proud helpers

I love my family!

baking with Grammy

Ella's excitement hit a new level when she saw the cars start to arrive. This was her "Grandma's here" pose.


I loved being able to sit and enjoy everyone's company without having to worry about any details. The Dinosaur BBQ lunch that Joe had catered was pretty amazing too!

Jamie, Alana, Aunt Cyncy and Cory

Grandma (The Baby Whisperer) loving on Baby Hannah

Mike, Lindsay and Tommy

Rob and Kelly

Abby and Papa

Grammy and G-Diddy

My dad even brought my very favorite kind of birthday cake! It's not everyday I get to celebrate with a Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Blizzard Ice Cream Cake. Yum!

my baby brother

Wait a second! That isn't your two week old baby? :)

Where's my mom? Always with the baby!

Friends for 14 years! Wow!

The original four.

with my momma, the one who gave birth to me thirty years ago

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect birthday party. I'm so thankful for everyone who made the trip to share it with me and for all the love sent from those who were too far away to be there. Thank you to my sweet husband and precious girls who did everything they could to make this one of the most memorable and special birthdays yet.

the second celebration

It's hard to believe I'm 30, but I couldn't be more thankful for all the years and life that has filled them. What a ride! Thank you Jesus!

Abby and Ella both took dance this year. It was Ella's first year and Abby's second. They both loved every minute of it and looked forward to their classes each week. Abby took a Ballet/Tap combo class and Ella took Baby Ballet. What better way to celebrate a year of hard work, than with beautiful costumes and dances in an end of the year recital.

Waiting for recital day was like waiting for Christmas around our house.  After dinner each night, the girls would make us sit on the couch, so they could practice their routines for us. The girls kept asking to admire their pretty costumes hanging in their closets and Abby told Ella how much fun recital night is because "Mommy lets you put makeup on and does your hair really pretty". 

The girls practiced at their dance recital the week before the show.

Ella and Layla

The little sisters were waiting patiently while watching their big sisters practice!

Do you think she knows she looks lovely or what?

I can't get over how much their unique personalities come out in these pics!












Abby headed up the elevator with the big kids to go backstage before the show. Ella sat front row with me and the little ones waiting for their turn. Before the lights went down, Ella insisted we take some selfies.

almost their turn!

I think one of the most fun parts of the recital is not only seeing how the girls react to the lights and the stage, but seeing them accomplish personal goals they have for themselves. Last year, Abby did great, but she was stunned and very serious as she preformed. When we asked her why she didn't smile, she simply said "Did you see how many people there were in the audience?" She assured us that she had fun, but in her nervousness didn't smile. This year, we encouraged her to enjoy herself and have fun while she was up there. She told us in the days leading up to the show that it was her goal to smile more and enjoy herself because she knew what to expect this time. Watching her come out on stage and do that was such a special moment for me as a mom because I knew what she was personally working toward and accomplishing in that moment.

As a two year old, none of us could really predict what Ella would do when she went on stage for the first time. Knowing her, I didn't think she would cry, but wondered if she would enjoy the experience. After watching Abby in the first dance, Ella just kept asking if it was her turn. With each performance, she grew more eager for her chance on stage. When she got up there, she gave it her all. If you watch closely at the end of her "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" performance, you can see her stand up and cheer for herself! :)










After the show, the girls were showered with some flowers and then we went out for a late dinner with Grandma and Uncle Cory to celebrate!