Lily is invited to her very first POOL PARTY on Saturday and she is beyond excited. Since school is now out, she has really been missing all her little friends. Her classmate, Drew, is having his birthday party at the YMCA so this will be the perfect opportunity for her to see them all again. Of course, we have to be "dressed to impress" for the occasion. Lately, all Lily talks about is being "fashionable". I just about fell over when she said that the other day. And, what is fashion for a little southern girl without attire involving either smocking or a monogram? I had a tough time deciding folks... (really tough)!

In fact, I held on to a smocked swimsuit and the Bailey Boys one I ended up with until the last possible minute. Oh yeah, I also had the most adorable Kate Mack suit that I just could not let go of. The thing is, I could only get one. Oh, by the way, I was at Stork land and "they ain't cheap"! LOL.... Luckily, I had a gift certificate and that helped out. I had gotten a flyer in the mail that had the Bailey Boys one advertised in several different colors and it was just too darn precious. I decided the blue would best match her eyes and of course had to have the matching bow :-)

I think she should be on the cover of the swimsuit edition (a little tykes version or course). How about you? HaHa

Learning can be fun!

I am learning some things that I have always wanted to learn about taking pictures. Blurring backgrounds is something I have really been dying to learn to do. Thanks to a favorite blog and my great friend Lori, I learned a little about something called aperture. I also learned that there is Oh so much I just do not know about taking the perfect picture..... But, I am having great fun learning!!!!!

Here are some practice shots:

One of my gardenias that is not quite as white anymore :-(

Sean's plant

A picture of Lily that I actually blurred (the background) myself in edit using her technique.

I like BIG bows and I cannot lie......

HA!

Really though, she sure was enjoying this ice cream cone..

It is always fun watching her eat ice cream. She loves it so much!

Our little Ballerina

Our sweet girl absolutely loves ballet.... Sadly, we had to take her out a few months ago since I was not able to drive her and Buddy was teaching evenings. Seeing all of her friends and her cousin do their recitals has been fun, but, I could not help feeling sorry for my sweet girl that she has missed out. Yesterday, Sean, Buddy & I had a great idea to let her have a recital for us. We made it very formal. We put music on and took our seats in the living room as she danced in front of us. She was so beautiful. We took pictures and gave her flowers (I happened to have some on hand) at the end. I could tell she was taking it very seriously. She had the "audience" all to herself and just captured our hearts as she usually does.

The sweetest sleep

Buddy snapped this shot of Me & Sean taking a nap yesterday. I love snuggling down with my kids for a nap. It is the most relaxing sleep!

Another milestone for our "Miracle Boy"!

Sean had his kindergarten graduation ceremony today.

As Buddy & I sat and watched him walk up to receive his diploma I could not help remembering the miracle of his being here with us to celebrate such a momentous little occasion.

Words echoed in my mind as he stood on the stage in front of me and time stood still for a brief moment. Words like: "no fetal pole", "odd gestational sac", "eight weeks and still no heartbeat" and "Mrs Murphy, with beta pregnancy numbers this high we both know the baby should have a heartbeat by now"! And the most painful words that will forever ring in my mind and remind me of the miracle of it all - "termination Heidi"! "There is just no heartbeat"!

I sat in stunned, but proud silence today as I watched my baby boy walk across the stage, remembering that I actually was on the hospital schedule to receive the ordered D & C to terminate the pregnancy of my precious child. But, how could anyone have known? Anyone but God that is. He knew the whole time.

I watched him with tears in my eyes as he shook the principals hand today and took his little diploma. Remembering all the prayers of faith, the canceled D & C and the second opinion. Remembering the Dr. telling me there was a heartbeat after all and me refusing to believe it. It was all a whirlwind of emotion today as our son achieved another milestone in his precious life. And, it always will be....

I never take for granted the miracle of my son, Sean!

My sweet Lily

I just had to post a closer look at this picture (previously included in a collage) of my baby girl...

A bundle of sweetness! And a little attitude. :-)

Busy week & Sean's birthday

Last week was a very busy week. Beginning with church choir programs for both kids, school programs & parties, and ending with Sean's birthday party. I have so many pictures to share. I don't really like sharing them in a collage, but there are just to many. If you click on the collage, you should be able to get a closer look at the pictures. I am working on some slide shows and maybe a video clip or two.

Sean's birthday party was a blast!

We had all the food catered in and hired Darth Vader to entertain the kids. I made the boys Jedi robes and the girls wore Princess Leia robes. The "Yoda Soda" that I made to drink was a big hit with the kids. We bought light sabers for each of the boys and they all "battled" it out in the back yard. After the party as the guests were leaving, I heard several boys saying "I want my party to be Star Wars too"!

I think I may be ready for another party in about 6 months. Ha! I really am glad that the Sean and Lily have birthdays so far apart. It does give me plenty of time to recuperate and plan :-)

Sean's 6th Birthday

STAR WARS PARTY

Birthday Boy

Guests

Decorations

The Girls

Fun with Darth Vader

Water Fun...

Our niece Sophie has a very special place in our hearts. She and Sean are practically inseparable and have been since they were babies. She was not going to be able to come to Sean's birthday party on Saturday because of her dance recital so we let her spend the night before the party with us and be a part of all the preparations. We took a break from all the cleaning and decorating for some fun in the water on Friday afternoon. I had the best time capturing all the fun they had.

Sean's end of year school party

Sean's kindergarten year is quickly coming to a close. Last Thursday, May 14th, we went with his class to Ace Bowling center for a party. He had such a fun time and we took plenty of pictures of it all. The kids bowled a few games and enjoyed a pizza party afterwards. It was such a joy to be able to share all the excitement with him and his freinds.

Lily's K3 Preschool program & end of year party

Lily had her end of year program and party on Friday May 15th

She was really cute performing, and at one point she even yelled out "Hi Daddy"!

It was priceless. After the program we went back to her class and she presented us with a big book of some very special "work" she had done for us.

The day was all about Lily since there was still more excitement to come. We all went to a park where the end of the year party was held. It was exciting watching her play with all of her Friends and capturing some very special moments of her. Sean was still at school so we really enjoyed getting to spend some time with just her.

After the party we headed over to Chappy's Deli where a few other parents and her friends were having lunch. It was a very special day!

Lily's program marked the end of K3 - now it's off K4 - Our baby girl is growing up!

Lily with a few of her friends and her teacher

Kid's spring program at church

Sean's choir K5 through 2nd grade

Lily's Cherub choir K3 & K4

Sean, Lily & Makenzie before the program:

Sean with some friends after the program (bottom right corner)

Cousins

I just love this shot I captured a few days ago of Sean with two of his cousins. Arianna is the little one, my brother's baby girl and the other is Sophia my sister's youngest child. Sean just adores babys and he and Sophia are inseparable. We had so much fun the other night when they all came over to visit.

Planning Sean's 6th Birthday party

We spent much of today preparing for Sean's 6th birthday party next Saturday. It was so much fun planning the details with him and deciding what to serve and what games to play. The biggest excitement of all was deciding to book Darth Vader as the surprise guest.

I am going to take it easy this year and have Chick-fil-a catered in. Icing Illusions will do the cake and I am also making cupcakes to line the middle of the table and made to look light a green light saber. I will make a "Yoda Soda" as I had originally planned and he is really excited about that. It will be a green punch of sorts....

I am planning to have little Jedi robes (capes) made for each of the boys and I will do some white ones for the girls (Princess Leia). I will ties them with some rope and silver ribbons.

One very important detail that I was a little late getting made were the invitations. I wanted them to be unique but was at a loss.

Thanks to the help of my great friend Jennifer this is what we came up with. Since these are a little late, I have already called many people and will send some e-vites out. This was an extra special touch I did not want to leave out. I think the boys will get a big kick out of these.

Thank you Jennifer!!! I love these!!!!

Newest creation by: Frogbelliesandblossoms

Take a look at this beautiful set by Julia -

And the lovely little Miss Sophia (my niece) modeling it!

A sweet moment

Although the frustration of sibling rivalry is often pretty common around here, this is how my children feel about each other much of the time.

Expressions of Spring

Learning from Mr. Bill

Our neighbor Mr. Bill knows almost everything about planting and growing things. He has the most beautiful landscaping with flowers and things around his house. The kids just adore him. Recently Sean brought a little plant home from school and wanted Mr. Bill to teach him all about how to take care of it. Here are pictures of their time together. It was so precious that I just had to capture the moment. My favorite picture is the one of their "hands"....

A day in the Park....

A few weeks ago a very dear friend of mine and her two daughters picked me and the kids up for a fun filled Saturday. We packed a picnic lunch and headed for the park. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors. After the park we headed to Marble Slab for some ice cream! YUM.....

LOOK at this cake.....

I have a friend who can do just about anything. She (I helped a little) did Sean's Toy Story cake last year. You may also know her as the lady Lily models for, "Mrs. Julia" a very multi talented and just all around sweet person.

Anyway, I think I may have finally found Julia's weekness. I am planning a Star Wars party for Sean's birthday and Sean has decided that he wants a Yoda cake. We found a picture of a cake and showed it to her.....she was not exactly sure about it. HA!

hmmmmm, I wonder about the talented Mrs Lester????

While I have some extra time on my hands here in the hospital and to get my mind off of missing my kiddos I will be working on some party details and designing his invitation. It is a little joke about the cake though. He really, really does want this cake. I think it looks creepy! Ha..

I was thinking of doing something a little easier like maybe cupcakes in a row (light saber) and making them grey and lime green. Tell me what ya'll think. Any ideas?

Smile

Cannon EOS 50D SLR -SWEET-

We decided it was time to do a little upgrade. Meanwhile, my sister got a great deal on our other camera, the cannon 20D, which is very close to this one. We will have so much fun taking pictures of our kiddos together. Now that makes me smile :-)

Mommy gets a PINK party ( well...sorta )

Buddy & I usually celebrate OUR birthdays for the kids. They insist on a party for us complete with a cake and all. So we oblige. This year we went pink for my birthday with some of the leftovers from Lily's Pinkalicious party. She was very pleased. Buddy took her & Sean to pick out a cake and they set up the table (with a tiny bit of help from mommy).

My sweet co-workers

I have been resting at home for the last few weeks after a little accident at work. Birthdays are always a big deal where I work. For the children, there is a special song we sing after the happy birthday song that says: "we're glad you were born". It is very sweet and never fails to bring tears to my eyes. In fact I still have Sean's "celebration of life" from his Montessori class on video. Anyway, we always get together for the teachers and try to do something special. A card goes around and each person signs it and we will be surprised in class with out favorite flowers and a gift card and usually a chocolate cake of some sort. AND of course the Birthday songs... I was feeling a little down that I would not be at work for my birthday so imagine my shock and surprise when several of my co-workers brightened my day by showing up on my front porch with "the works" from the school. My favorite Calla Lillies, a chocolate cake, a gift card from Kohls, the sweetest little card painted by my "kids" and one from my co-workers, personal gifts from some of them (thank you Carmen, Jen & Gert) and they stood in front of my house and very loudly sang the "happy birthday song" followed by "we're glad you were born"! How sweet is that?