celebrating

this is a special week in our house! daddy turns 33 this thursday and we started off celebrating with a trip to greensboro sunday night to have dinner with mimi and B. jack got to pick the restaurant....um, OUTBACK. for real. he loves it there. OMG. anyway, lawton had a blast spending the night with his grandparents and sleeping with mommy (extra special)!

daddy has his own little fun week planned - a mini spring break for him actually! i am so excited for him ;-)

eyeing that chocolate cake
obsessed with blowing out candles now!

got it!

when we returned from greensboro monday afternoon, we had another celebration! my great friend katherine turned a solid 28 again ;) and we had a mini celebration with the kids and some cupcakes. she and i are due within a week of one another and she is having another girlfriend for my little wyatt;-) i am so thankful for her friendship, she is there at the drop of a hat and always asking what can she do to help. love you k! happy birthday!

katherine and her daughter leighton

love.

also at the end of the week i will have been to two funerals. one for a friend's husband, and one of a girl who i grew up across the street from. i haven't seen her in 20 years, but i have many memories of her. both of these individuals left us too soon.

monday's funeral spoke to me in so many ways...about when the moment you become a father, the only thing you want to do for your child is make them happy. it is your goal. you do the best you can. you want your children to walk in your journey as best as THEY can. God gives you life and 90% of that is what YOU do with it. this man seemed like a wonderful husband and father. i couldn't help but think about when my dad was diagnosed with cancer 5 weeks before i was getting married. not MY dad. this can't happen, but it did. and he, WE got through it as a family. there were times when i changed my dad's drainage pumps like it was nothing. i knew i would be a good mother at that moment. all I want to do is make my children happy. to let them know they are loved, just as i was.
sometimes it takes challenges in life to really figure out what you can do...to show you that you do have more strength than you think. i think that this week has been a blessing for me.

listening to homilies that speak to my heart.

celebrating my husband who sees the good in everyone and the positive in everything. i need to learn from him. i will learn from him.

celebrating friends who would take the shirt off their back for you.

being there for families that are hurting because of a loss of a loved one. i want to hug them. i want to be there like people have been there for me.