My Love

Love is different for everyone. There is no universal definition, in my opinion.

Love also changes... even drastically. Not for worse or for better, but it just changes. It has too, as we do.

Love comes in many forms and feels unique in different environments and situations... even for the same individual.

I am blessed to have experienced so much love in my life. I look forward to the new forms it will take and ways it will present itself to me.

My love for my husband is immeasurable and has certainly grown and changed in the years since we were little lovebirds on the college campus. Together we have experienced the greatest love, in our children, and a new found love for each other in our parenting.

My love for my children is infinite and unconditional. They are the most perfect and precious gifts. In them, I see who we should all strive to be. Love in it's purest form.

All this mush came pouring from my mommy heart as I edited these photos of my baby... just love...

a preview

Here are my little lovies! We were about to hop in the van and head to the airport! They were so excited!

Some fun in the sun and my boys looked more like this...

and this...

and of course, this...

and this...

disney, an earthquake, and a hurricane

Well friends, we had a fabulous time in Disney World and I absolutely cannot wait to share some photos of all the fun! The boys all had a blast and are tired enough to prove it!

While we were in Florida, Maryland experienced a rare earthquake and we can't believe we missed it! Mason is such a little weather-man... so interested in all things natural disaster-ish... so he is totally bummed to have missed out on the opportunity to experience an earthquake.

No worries though, we haven't totally missed the weather insanity! We are prepping for another rare occurrence in Maryland... Hurricane Irene! The four of us, the boys and I of course, ventured out today for hurricane essentials... not that we even know what we should get! The stores were ridiculous and people were just crazy. The lines were outrageous and "D" batteries were missing from every shelf. I managed to find enough water at the grocery store and tried to stock up on non-perishable foods just in case we lose power for a few days. I picked up candles, batteries, and flashlights... maybe I'm overdoing it, but with three little boys in the house, well, I just want to be prepared.

I'll post Disney pics asap, hopefully before the storm hits! Wish us luck, as the east coast is not used to such a big storm heading our way! Pray that the response is quick and efficient!

Woohoo Irene! Bring it!

My little Lulu

I recently received the fabulous news that Lulu has been moved into foster care, which means she is one step closer to joining her forever family! I am just so happy for her! I'll continue praying that she finds the love of her forever family very, very soon!

Since my little Lulu has been moved out of the House of Love, our sponsorship has been transferred to another precious child named, Emmie! Emmie recently came into HoL and is most certainly being loved on by the carers. I'll be praying for peace and comfort for sweet Emmie as she takes in all the excitement that is HoL. You can find a picture of her on my new sponsorship button on the right side of the blog!

I love sponsoring through An Orphan's Wish and I know you will too! As always, take a look at www.anorphanswish.org and consider being the difference in a child's life through sponsorship!

8 months

It's been about 8 months since I've used this stuff... 8 months since I've needed it.


8 months since my piece of crap beloved sewing machine broke and 8 months since I received my very first brand new machine for Christmas.

It's been about 8 months since I pulled out my little sketch pad and jotted down ideas and inspiration. 8 months since I had that fire in my eyes and pin holes in my fingers... ouch.

8 months ago I had a dream that I would create beautiful, practical treasures for little girls and boys...

And that my ideas could be made into reality with hard work and dedication.

I still have a long way to go and my design clearly needs a lot of tweaking, but each trial brings me one step closer to a finished product that I will be proud to give and/or sell.

My little China doll needs lots of hair and proportionate features, but I'm happy that my Friday afternoon was spent with this pretty lady :)

Brothers *Sunday Snapshot*

An underwater superhero...
...rivals an enemy yielding a cup of cool water.

Around here, imagination flows freely...

which means, sometimes a garden hose is really a fire hose...
and your brother is a raging inferno!
In the end, it's all in good fun...

after all, that's what brothers are for... right?

Breakfast banter

Peeling oranges this morning...

Mike: "You would pick oranges from South Africa".

Me: "I would". Smile.

What sweltering heat?

Even the burning hot sun couldn't spoil our fun today! We had such a great time at the farm fair! We were even able to convince Mom-Mom to join us! The boys were almost as excited to ride the school bus, which shuttled us to and from the parking areas, as they were to attend the actual fair. They played games, watched pig races, jumped around in moon bounces, saw lots of animals, enjoyed hot dogs and snowballs, got face/arm paint, and stopped at every vendor offering a trinket along the way.

This is your warning. The following pictures are the type resulting from a mama braving the 100 degree heat with three small children, often with an arm full of stuff and/or pushing a stroller. Enjoy!

Mason with his dragon arm paint!

Perfect form from Mason at the pizza toss.


Rows of animals.


Austin adored these ducklings!


Here he is checking them out for the 2nd time :)


Firemen with sand art and skittles.


Travis concentrating on the perfect combination of colored sand.


Right turn only maze!


Hello there!


Mason was a good sport for the camera :)

Fun for all ages

We are so very lucky to live on the east coast. Sometimes as I'm standing in the Atlantic ocean, watching dolphins pass, and admiring the astounding beauty created by Our Father, I feel sympathy for those who never get to see the ocean meet the sky on the horizon. I wish everyone could stand on that sandy beach at least once in their life.

I feel closest to God when I'm looking out into the ocean. His presence is so apparent in the miles of soft sand, absolutely enormous ocean, cool sea breeze, and interesting beach critters. I love swimming just past where the waves are crashing, knowing God's creatures are all around, and being part of the vast ocean... a lovely reminder that I am just a teeny, tiny part of this enormous world. Humbling.

So, each summer our little family makes the short three hour trip to enjoy the beauty of "the beach". Somehow we find a way to cram a months worth of fun into a few sporadic weekends. We kayak, crab, bike, swim, and relax. We never skip the boardwalk where we ride all the rides and waste a ludicrous amount of money on claw machines (my personal fave)! Ice cream is a must-have treat, as well as seafood, pizza, and lots of other goodies.

My happy boys on a "boat" ride.


Biggest caring for the littlest.

Pop with Mason and his biggest catch! ps. we threw them all back :)

Zia Ronnie's first time on a kayak!

Daddy letting Austin row!

Travis being swallowed up by his life vest.

Mason looks a lot more excited than Daddy :)

Sisters=bff

Austin with Pop and a baby crabby.

Mr. Crabber.

An American Pasttime

Mustard on your face is essential to truly enjoying yourself at the game.



Discussing the innermost workings of baseball... management, money... or something like that.


A kid and his hot dog.

The one who is clearly unfazed by heights. Yikes!

Another apology

I am one of those people that needs to stay busy... constantly. Not only that, but I like to been in the midst of a big project. I like to have an almost unattainable goal, you know, just barely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel... it makes me feel alive to struggle through uncharted waters. I like research. I love having to navigate the internet and/or library to find information on my newest endeavor. That said, please forgive my blog absence. I know I've been MIA. I just get caught up in my "stuff".

The big boys with their awesome VBS teachers (aka. my mom and her assistant, Trevor)

All my boys on their final day of VBS (please ignore the horrible lighting)