Dear Dad!

I tried to think of something unique for Father's Day.

Something different, something meaningful.

So besides gifts, I gave you time.

I hope you liked what we came up with :)

A Father's Day Weekend!"

Here is what it consisted of....
(our letter to you):

Dear Dad and sweet hubby :)

YOU have a few dates planned!

A Father's Day Weekend..with your loved one's and peeps.

Date #1 the boys

movie night, 7:30 showing at the ORCHARD.

who: Dad, Jake and Aus

Date #2 Icecream with Mace

(after the movie. he will be waiting)

Red Mango love.

enjoy some time with your little guy and cool, cold icecream.

Date #3 Bonefish Grill 1:00

Lunch with your daughter Ashlyn

enjoy all the seafood galore!

Date #4 Date with your wifey, your gal

6:00 Saturday evening.

dinner with friends and then dessert with me :)

We want you to have a fabulous Father's Day weekend.

It begins tonight.

We love you and appreciate all the many many things you give us:

Your love, your hard work, your TIME, and most of all YOU!

we love you daddy o.

p.s go check the weeds in the garden :) thank ur boys!

Love us all,

Ashlyn, Austin, Jake, and Mace and your wifey :)

Sunday morning....breakfast in bed. and gifts:

The boys were ecstatic. Saved their allowance and begged me two weeks ahead of time to go to the sports store. purchases : Bob Griese signed Dolphin pic. Brandon Marshall signed dolphin pic. and..a signed dolphin football. Money spent: 126.06 all out of the kiddos allowance . sweet deal. glad they love their dad so much! and...he LOVED it!

it was a great day church and good dinner.

that evening: fire pit out at the lake (down by our pool area.)

with all our friends and their families.

Sweet night. happy days. love you babe.

hope you had a happy Father's Day weekend :)

12 years. Ashlyn and Austin.

12 years old. wow.

12 years have gone by.

where did the time go?

I mean really...where did it go?

I layed in bed last night and just thought and thought.

I just couldn't believe.

my two oldest, my two kiddos..my Ashlyn, my Austin...

they are 12.

I cried. a bit.

I mean, I love where my kids are in their life.

so proud of them.

they have grown to be beautiful little adults.

inside and out.

(a work in progress. always)

but seriously I remember.

I remember when they were laying in their incubators.

Ashlyn's head so soft, her smell so sweet.

A head full of chocolate brown hair, turned down blue eyes,

her middle fingers always in her mouth.

Austin, a beautiful round boy. His head, his eyes, so prominent

with his large eyes, and sweet lips.

Ry and I felt so blessed, overwhelmed, happy and scared.

what a journey.

what a path.

full of love, frustration, learning, growing,

both of us trying to figure out how to parent, to love, to raise these

beautiful babies.

but a LIFE completely full of

L O V E. sweet joy.

the love of a child undescribable. endless.

would do anything for them.

a gift for me. a gift for Ry.

I have loved these 12 years.

what will happen in the next?

I can't wait.

Love you Ashlyn and Austin.

Love, mom and dad.

May 15, 2011

xo!

(birthday post to come. what a weekend. non stop fun!)

Mace the Big 5. Monkey Bizness

Happy 5th Birthday to my Mace man. Monkey Bizness. Mace invited his 10 best friends.

Pink invites for the girls, brown for the boys

He invited his playgroup: Davis, Miley, Poppy, Halle, little Mace, Bowen, Zach, Brenny and Gabe.

Monkey Bizness did all the work. We just payed for it :)

2 hours of playtime, private party room, Marco's pizza, drinks, cake and I did party favors. It was great. Mace loves this place. so fun

Mace loved opening his gifts. Ry and I only bought him a Nintendo D.S because he was having a party. His gifts: Batman, Superman, Nerf Guns, footballs,..what else could he ask for?!

Mace loved his day. He was so excited for his Birthday Party! He just couldn't wait to be with all his buddies! He loved it. It is all worth it! :) Everytime.

Most of the mama's stuck around. JoDee, Stacie, Amy, Trisha, Ashley, Mandi, and Aileen. Good friends of mine:)

And can I believe my Mace is 5?! No way. What a journey, what a joy. I love the phase of life I am in. IT just keeps getting better as the kids get older. I definitely think I had mace the last because he is my most passionate and sooooo full of energy :)

Happy Birthday Mace

we LOVE you! and thanks Ry for all your help too..the best daddi~o!

Goodbye!

man it was hard to say goodbye to all these people!

(our last walk...saying good bye to Amber and Ty.

and wanted to see the pier one last time.)

But what a week.

goodbye Oceanside!

goodbye beautiful sunsets on the beach!

We loved it.

loved the sun, the beach, the waves

(do you see the white boat? dreamy)

and especially

family time!

miss you all!

xo!

love this pic of the pier.

We walk down (almost daily)

It is fun to fish and to get dinner at Ruby's! tradition!)

goodbye ocean!

more pics later.

we are flying out tonight

(after Laguna Beach!)

pic of Heisler park. Eating lunch before our flight...

(I ate the best guac! Las Brisas (thanks Brandy)

the boys favorite pizza..GINA's. serious..(more later on that!)

AND Laguna is so beautiful! :)

it deserves it's own post!

(camera lens was foggy. ahhh)

L O V E

~LOve the Life you LiVe,

Live the Life you LOve~

Bob MaRleY

I can't take credit for this cute pic, I saw this pic on friend of a friend of a friends blog.

and I hope she doesn't mind I posted it.

Love the quote, love the saying.

I try to live by it! Hope you do to0~

xo