karaspeak

What a fun day we had celebrating my sweet baby girl. Who knew a year could go even faster when you're doing it the second time around??? It's quite astonishing, to be honest. We planned just a small party for the family and a few friends and it was really a special time for us to celebrate her and spend some time outdoors on a beautiful weekend after too many chilly days.

I'd already ordered her "birthday tutu" outfit. See her sporting it in pride!?! She's such a precious little little. I think even though she didn't know she was wearing something so frilly, she might have just known she was wearing something special. She just strutted around like a little teeny princess that day. It was such a fun thing for me to watch.

She has such a fun and sparkling personality and it's so neat to be able to watch her slowly develop those traits that she will carry with her as she ages and grows with each passing year.
We made the cupcakes (see my handy helper) and food early in the week with Mimi's help and had fun planning all the little fun things, some of which we didn't even get to do during the short time we had that day.

The kids "painted" the fence with paper we'd set out and they had a fun time doing some damage and writing their names and drawing pictures. It was cute. There was lots of tricycle time and fun push toys, bubbles, etc.

And, of course, we had food. We always have food. We did more brunch type things this time since we had her friends over earlier in the morning and I think it was the perfect choice for a dainty little party with our favorite friends and family.

It's so hard to believe how very quickly a year can pass and how much transpires in the life of this little being that just over a year ago had to live on what food passed through me to her. She lived in a tiny bubble inside my tummy and now is a walking, talking, discovering, laughing, silly little girl that will grow up, move out, find a man, get married, and have children of her own, if, of course, that is her choice. :)



The love I feel for these to kiddos is indescribable....and is only a mere glimpse of the love bestowed on us by our gracious Daddy who loans them to us for the short time they have to spend here on earth. What a privilege for me to know Teagan Elyse, to teach her about life, love, joy, pain, sorrow, sin, eternity, Jesus, and all the fun (and awful) stuff in between. As I watched a neighbor deal with a "life lesson" this week with their teenager, it was a rude awakening that we will be there so very soon. Going through and teaching life lessons to our little McNuggets when they are not so little anymore. How very grateful I am to be able to do this with them, as hard as it will be, and how grateful I am for parents who did the same with me as I grew...it's only helped me be a better parent.

We had Teagan's One Year pictures taken and she is a beaming cutie of perfection. Some party pictures, too! :) Learning to seize every moment no matter how beautiful or painful it might be.

...and so it begins. Although in our house it's less about basketball and more about new jobs, birthdays, trips, school functions, and all around craziness. March is the month we'll celebrate Nate's birthday, my dad's birthday, Kari's birthday, Andrew's birthday, my sister-in-law's birthday, and this particular March it's month we'll celebrate my baby girl's first birthday. Whew! After that I'm tired. Add in a party to throw for her, a photo session, a race, and a quick trip and March is furiously passing by before it's even begun.

This week I'm gearing up for Nathan's birthday. We'll celebrate with our little family on Thursday (his actual birthday) and then we have a fun thing planned with some friends and some of his co-workers this weekend. All in all it should be a fun week and fun way to kick off March as we get ready to welcome SPRING and some hopefully warmer temperatures. After the winter we've had, I am more than ready for some sun!!

I did begin a new job yesterday, which is totally a God-thing and something I am beyond grateful for. In this terrible job market and this fluctuating economy, I feel ever-blessed to have found a job at the 11th hour. Yesterday was the day I was supposed to end my previous job and instead of it being the worst day ever, it ended up being the best day ever as I got to start a brand new job. Daunting, yes...as it's in a totally new industry within the Bank, but incredibly exciting as well.

Again, God proves my worry to be invalid and without necessity as He pulls through in awesome wonder and precise timing to provide a need for me and for our family. It makes me wonder why we still doubt  his greatness and goodness to us when we have all of these historical times in our lives to reflect upon and remind us of his faithfulness...and yet we do. I guess that's part of being human. And while I spent weeks sick with anxiety and nervousness about what the future would hold, I sit amazed and in wonder of the glorious provision He bestowed on us without even so much as a warning. I literally blinked...and there it was. A job. For me. Just like I asked. Grateful. Blessed. Overwhelmed. Wow.

A-mazing! Can't wait to dive into this month and have a lot of fun!