FIREWORKS!

life lately...

Gabe always comes and cuddles when I am nursing Luke. This picture was taken after I had finished feeding Luke on my bed. Gabe just loves having a baby brother. He is always the first to volunteer his help when he hears Luke fuss. I love watching them interact.

Justin planted a vegetable garden again this year. The green beans have been wonderful!!! This particular morning I headed out to the garden and Gabe ran after me. He would rather help in the garden than play in the pool! We'll see if that lasts through the teen years... An elderly man saw the boys sitting on the riding lawn mowers at Lowes one time and laughed and said "as soon as they're old enough to actually ride them, they don't want to do it anymore!" ;)

Isaiah made a very creative fort with the blocks the other day. The stairs coming out the front was a new idea! He is suh a smart little guy, I just love watching his little brain work. He blows me away daily with the questions he asks in the car. He wants to know how everything is made (we record that show ;)

All of the tantrums, sleepless nights, whining, you name it... all worth it when you get a glimpse of a moment like this...

We've really enjoyed the whole experience of having the kitties. We recently gave one of the black ones and the orange one to a friend Justin works with. Our favorite is Taz, the black and grey tabby. And we still have Boo, the sweet little one in the back. She was the runt of the litter, and a little shy.

Aunt Hairy's here!!!

(that's how gabe says hilary) :)

Awesome Aunt Hil came to visit last weekend and we had a blast! She surprised the boys with a new pirate swimming pool, complete with slide and water cannon! I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but I was enjoying myself too much to think about it. I did capture a nerf gun fight and Hil swinging with baby Luke. It was such a pleasure to have Hil around. She's a sweet, generous, fun, inspiring spirit. Born sisters, I'd choose her as my friend.

precious moments

Buzzcuts for summer!!!

What started out as Mommy just being too cheap to go to the hairdresser, turned into adorable buzzcuts for the boys!!! I love how it turned out. I just shaved away and it ended up showing off just how beautiful their faces are... not that I'm bragging or anything. Well, actually, that is the whole purpose of this blog, to brag!!! They're just adorable, aren't they?! Oh, and by the way, it looked like we killed a small animal on the bathroom floor. Seriously.

Our date-night in

Justin cooked an amazing dinner last Saturday. The big boys played at Nana's while we had some quiet time at home. We feasted on a new culinary creation of Justin's: mushroom ravioli topped with pan-seared scallops, lump crabmeat and asparagus in a creamy white wine sauce. It was TO DIE FOR!!! AND he made it without a recipe! He's an amazing cook! Nana brought the boys home around 9:00 and they were wired!!! Below you can see crazy Gabe running around with underwear on his head. Thank God it was clean!

a trip to the children's museum

my little Monet's

Isaiah and Aunt Mae Mae building something

Luke says "hi!"

Aunt Mae Mae and Luke saying "hi!" again

Isaac, Isaiah and Gabe on a train car

Gabe jammin'

as if I needed another reason to love him...

Gabe's shiner

During a very fun day playing with the cousins, Gabe managed to trip and fall into our very low windowsill. Thankfully no permanent damage done!

Gabe loves being a big brother

"hey everybody!"

"fading..."

"gone"

remebering, missing, hurting, wishing...

It's been a year, today. 365 days. Some days were numb, some were angry, some cried, some were able to find joy, but all were longing for something I couldn't have. I feel so robbed... of my Dad, my boys Grandpa, the patriarch of the family, gone, stolen so cruelly. I still feel him. It tends to happen at the most random times. But knowing that I can't hug him, talk with him, or hand into his arms my boy named after him, will grieve me until my last day. Remembering, missing, hurting, wishing... one day at a time... until I join him <3

my Mom in high school!

How cute is she?! I am so proud to be a combination of my Mom and my Dad. I'm honored to resemble them. I love you Mom. I miss you Dad.

i caught a smile!

this and that...

he's getting big! 2 months this week!

Here's Isaiah in his new dirtbike outfit. He'll start racing soon at the track. Now he's ready!

Meet Peanut. So pretty.

And this is Isaiah's favorite, Taz. She looks just like Tiger did.