A weekend of loveliness

We headed to Tulsa this past weekend for some of our FAVORITES' wedding!  Amanda and Tyler have been planning their wedding for several months, and we were absolutely thrilled and honored to be a part of it.  They asked SE to be carry a banner that said "here comes the bride".  It was one of the most JOYOUS weddings we've ever been to.

SE took some major ownership over the banner

Rehearsed and ready to wed!

 There were lovely moments between father and son

Between sweet friends 

Mrs. Jill Pyle and me

Me and the bride (isn't she GLOWING!)

The rehearsal dinner was awesome full of sentimental and funny toasts...a special time to share one of the best love stories.  It is so evident that God wanted these two together!

The most amazing Jenny

Sarah Morgan (aunt Te-a) and Cherrie Warden (all the way from LA)

SE even shared (love you Manda, love you Tyler)

 The wedding day was perfect.

The bride and her girls

Waiting for Amanda

SE kind of walking down the aisle.  

SIDENOTE: SE didn't make it all the way down.  I had to battle some disappointment.  I wanted to be sad and upset, but had I chosen those feelings, the rest of the evening would have been rough for me.  Instead I did what we always tell SE when he's having a moment...I chose JOY!  I looked at my son and said "I'm so proud of you Sean Edward." because I was.  And I needed to remember that he's only 2.5 years old, and the last thing he needed from me was to withhold feelings of love for him because my flesh wanted something different.  He did a GREAT job and looked pretty darn cute!

And then it was time to partay!  And party we did.  SE danced and danced and danced.  And when it was time for the newly weds to leave, they exited to cheers and tears and the anticipation of how amazingly awesome their marriage is going to be!

To Mr. and Mrs. Hardage:  you are perhaps some of the loveliest people we know.  Your marriage will be blessed and anointed, marked by the love of the Father's hands.  

The Boyds love you guys!

Colorado in our hearts

When Sean and I first got married, we had three agreed on states to where we could move...Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado.  Since then, we've taken numerous trips to the other two states and obviously lived in OK.  I can honestly say some of our trips to CO have been some of our most fun memories.  The one we just got back from was no different.

Hello mountains!

Our sweet friends, Jill and Stephen, invited us to be a part of little group trip to Stephen's parents vacation house in Silverthorne, CO.  We immediately said YES!

This sweet face was ready to go

So was this one!

We packed up our kiddos, had the pleasure of a lovely riding partner, Nicole, who sacrificially sat in the backseat with two crazy, and sometimes screaming (Finley), kids.  She was awesome!  We drove through the night and arrived early Thursday morning.  And then the fun began!

There was plenty of beautiful scenery...mountains, trees, flowers.  SE loved his walks...he would try to talk anyone into going with him.  Finley stuck with Jill a lot...Fin's face would literally light up every time she locked eyes on Jill.  One time Jill was holding her and Finley started jabbering away...it was like she was telling Jill all of Fin's little secrets.

Our new friend Alison!

We celebrated...birthdays, fun friendships, sweet family time, the beauty of God's creations and life.

Not really his birthday although he did get sung to and a cake

But it was his!

Going to the mountains of Breckenridge where SE got to ride the gondola, play putt putt and climb a little snow packed mound.  These two became little buddies.  It was so fun watching their new little friendship!

We opted out of naps and bedtimes for outdoor concerts, dance parties, the "hot pool", laughter, fellowship, community.

Kind of rolling down the hill with Alison

Some new favorites, Alison and Nicole (or Miss Cole)

We got up early for sweet walks, and perhaps kind of a run, and amazing breakfasts.  We even caught a triathlon...right up our alley!

Not a bad back drop to do a triathlon

And then we had to say good-bye to CO and the mountains...but we didn't have to say good-bye to the love we got to experience, the fun memories we got to make and the high points of the trip, which for me was getting to be a part of a group who loved my family so well especially my kids.  One day Colorado we might live there, but until then, you will be in our hearts and so will the sweet friends with whom we got to experience it!

To new beginnings...

We leave our house today.  It's packed up and on a moving truck.

It may look empty, but it is quite the opposite.  It is actually full...full of love, of hope, of memories.  It's full of a lot of firsts...Of Sean's and my first home, where we came after we were married and got back from our honeymoon.  Of decorating a baby's nursery and then his big boy room.

The first home both SE and Finley were brought to after being born and coming home from the hospital.

Full of first steps, first laughs, first cries, first words...full of memories of cuddling sweet babes, story times, birthday parties, Christmases, art projects.  Golf games, baseball games, basketball and football.  Of tents being made, dance parties being had, boo boos being kissed, tears being cried, laughter ringing loud, and love, lots and lots of love.  Full of sweet mornings and good nights...one last prayer, story, cuddle, nosey kiss, I love you.  Full of the last checks on the sleeping babes before Sean and I go night night ourselves.

Full of sweet friends and one sweet, sweet family for whom I'm so incredibly thankful.  The house may look empty, but it is bursting because it's so full of love. 

And ready and waiting for the next family to make as many memories and have as much love as we did.  So long first home.  May you be ever as great to the next family as you were to us!

So in love...

With this little boy.

He makes me laugh on a daily basis...he also makes me cry...with tears of immense gratitude and joy.  Our first born who we tried for almost a year to have.  God has brought me to a new level of thankfulness for my kiddos...to where I hug them a little tighter, snuggle with them a little longer, read story after story after story because he requests it. 

Last night I was at a friend's personal shower, and my phone started ringing; it was Sean.  I let it go to voicemail, but he subsequently called back so I knew I should answer.  He had to call me because as he was getting SE ready for bed, SE started crying for "his mommy"...me...my little boy was crying for me.  Sean put SE on the phone, and we had a simple conversation of "I'll be home soon and will come say night-night".  A simple conversation that meant the world to me.

Clearly not a recent picture

The conversation ended with me telling SE I love him...his response "I love you too".  As he grows, so does my place in his life.  How he recognizes me, responds to me, which means how I recognize him and respond to him have to be done in a place of complete and utter love.  The love that I can't humanly give, but I know One greater than I can.  And does, every day, over and over again.  And because of that, I hug my little man any time he asks, read to him at his request, pause whenever I find myself impatient with his whining or behavior, encourage when he is facing something challenging, and tell him how much I love him and how proud of him I am over and over and over because even though it may seem like he's not listening, I know somewhere in his heart is.  I am so in love with him! 

Side story:  we found PUPPY!  We kind of lost him for a few weeks, but as Sean was cleaning up the backyard this morning, he found puppy under the turtle sand box lid.  SE was soooo happy to have puppy back!

Finley Cohrs

See the little sweetie...

 She's going to give me a run for my money.  It's crazy that at only 6 months, her personality is already forming, already evident.  I can tell you she's going to be a mover and a shaker...a definite Kingdom changer. 

She has a love for people.  Regardless of how tired, hungry, hot, cranky she is, the minute she sees people, she lights up in a big smile and starts looking at anyone around.  I have a feeling she's going to have the gift of prophecy...she studies people.  It makes me want to know what she's thinking.

 She is one determined little girl.  If you don't believe me, ask our friend, Jill.  At the pool the other day, Finley and Jill had a repeated "discussion" of whether Finley was going to wear the sun hat that I insisted on her wearing.  When on Finley's head, Finley was fussing; when off of Finley's head, Finley was a happy camper.  We compromised by moving to a more shaded area. 

We also compromised with a popsicle.

 She's absolutely in love with her big brother.  He makes her laugh like no other...and teaches her about climbing, throwing, getting hit in the head with golf balls, and much more.

 She does not tolerate being rocked, bounced, swayed, cuddled or held while going to sleep.  She wants to be in her bed, with her hippo and blanket.  I decided to challenge her the other day and rocked her at nap time because I wanted to hold her.  Happy to say that is one battle I won.

 She is a delight...a lovely little creature that the Lord has blessed our family with.  We are all in love with her.  And will continue to fall even more in love with her as she continues to grow.  She's a pretty cool little girl.

Finley Cohrs, we love, love, love you!