Happy 30th, Tiffany!

I love surprises, but I don't love keeping them.
These past few days (weeks...) have been kind of difficult because I've had to keep a surprise from one of my sisters, Tiffany.Yesterday was her 30th birthday, and her husband, Mark, threw her one heck of a surprise birthday party! Now, Tiffany and I talk several times every single day, and it was so hard for me to not let it slip, or to say something that would give it away that she was going to have a party. I couldn't pretend that we weren't doing anything for her birthday because we always do something. I would suggest things that we could do, but was then wondering what I would say if she thought it sounded like a good idea. I couldn't help but laugh when I asked her if maybe she would be interested in going to the Dierks Bentley concert in Boone. Her response, "Well, Mark has invited Emily and Justin over for a cookout (which was going to be located at their mountain house... the location of the party) so I guess we'll be there. I told Mark that if it is a cookout then who would be doing all the cooking? Me. He told me he would take care of it, but we'll see how that goes. Not my idea of how I want to spend my birthday. So, all of you just come over there and I guess we'll be having a cookout." This was a couple of days before the party she told me this and she had no idea what all her husband had planned for her! I know she never imagined that he had rented out a bounce house and obstacle course (which were enjoyed not only by the many kids there, but also the adults!)

Some delicious food catered by Woodlands Barbecue,

an AMAZING band from Atlanta, Georgia, called Drivetrain that adults and kids both enjoyed singing and dancing along with,

Tiffany & Mark

and some yummy & beautiful cake (made by Emily Cunningham) and amazing cookies (made by Lorrel).

Beautiful cake, Emily!

The birthday girl with her sweet family while being sung to for her birthday! 

Mark had not only invited her family and friends from the Boone, Trade, and Zionville area to come, but there were friends there from Greensboro, Charlotte, Asheville, and Elisabeth won the award for traveling the farthest, coming all the way from Texas! What a fun and memorable birthday party for everyone... great job, Mark! Happy 30th birthday, Tiffany! We love you so much! xoxo

Tiffany, Dad, Amelia & Mom

 

My best friends & wonderful sisters.

Singing to the birthday girl!

A little something extra for you.... Daddy & Jackson had some nice air guitar playing going on! :)

Happy Anniversary!

Our Wedding- 7/10/04

Yesterday, on July 10th,  eric and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. It doesn't seem real that it could possibly be seven years already since I walked down the aisle (or down the backyard....) and we said our vows.

What an amazing and crazy seven years it has been. We have definitely had our up and down moments, but have learned from each and every one of those moments we have shared together. We've had a few hard times during our short seven years, such as suffering a job loss, financial hardships, and the most difficult- a miscarriage. But... one thing is for certain and that is we held each others hand during those times, said a LOT of prayers & continuously asked God to show us His path, and worked together to make things better.   When we think about all the blessings He has poured out to us though, those few hard times are nothing in comparison to how blessed we are. Three beautiful and happy children, a cozy home, and family and friends that are there for us no matter what, and of course- each other.
So how exactly do you spend your 7th anniversary when you have a 4 year old son, an almost 3 year old daughter, and another daughter that turned one the day before? You go to church, grab a quick sandwich, and then spend the rest of the beautiful Sunday afternoon tubing down the New River!

Dad, Elsie & Jackson

Ansley Kate loved tubing and did great in the float all by herself for the full 3 hours!

 

Even though she doesn't look thrilled here, Elsie loved her first trip down the river and just wanted us to hold her in the water the whole time.

Jackson's ready to go!

Okay, so maybe that's not everyone's ideal anniversary, but for us, it's exactly what we wanted to do. :) We did get my parents and sister to watch the kids though while we went out to dinner- just the two of us!

Do you know how much faster you can get in and out of the car without having to put 3 kids in carseats!
Happy 7th Anniversary, emc! I'm so glad you chose me to grow old with you. Love you!!!

One

1 year.
Remember when you were a kid and one year seemed like such a long time? I can remember laying in bed on Christmas night being so sad that I had to wait an entire year before the excitement of Christmas Day again. How is it that with each passing year they seem to go by quicker and quicker?
One year ago today, on July 9, 2010, our precious little (well, not too little weighing in at 8 lbs.6 oz.) Elsie Miles joined our family to make it a family of 5. From the moment she decided to finally kick things up and enter this wonderful world (only seven days late... our poor children inherited my wait to the last minute to do things before they were even born!) she has been easy. She only put me through a couple of hours of labor, five minutes or less of pushing, nursed like a champ from the moment she arrived, and when she slept through the night at less than a week old, I woke up in a panic that something was wrong with our newborn girl.

I think of how fast this past year has gone by and how much she has grown and learned in a year, and it is definitely a bittersweet moment. A child's first year is a year filled with "firsts". First cry. First hug. First bath. First smile. First laugh. First time rolling over. First foods. First time sitting up. First words. First crawl, and for some, their first steps. Every accomplishment is a moment to celebrate and cherish. It has been so fun watching how excited not only Elsie gets when she accomplishes a difficult new tasks, but in this house with Jackson and Ansley cheering her on, it is usually an all out celebration which involves lots of clapping and usually some dancing. Today, there was lots of celebrating. Celebrating our youngest blessing that God has given us, and for the one year that she has brought so much joy in our lives! When eric and I were trying to decide what to do to help Elsie have a wonderful day, we thought... what exactly should you do to help celebrate her first birthday. With Elsie, it's simple. Just let her eat because there is nothing in this world that she loves more than eating! :) (Although you would never know since she finally hit 16 pounds this week!)

Happy birthday to our beautiful, sweet, giggly, cuddly, tiny lil' blue eyed girl!  We love you to the moon and back, and then some more!