Bee's Birthday Bash!

We celebrated Evie Frances's first trip around the sun with a wonderful Birthday Party last weekend.  We had such a fun time and I was so blessed with how many people came over to celebrate the little Bee.

Evie had slept on her hair funny so I thought it the perfect time to attempt some pony tails.  She looked like a little bug and fit in precisely with the bee theme of the party.  I cannot get enough of this little girl these days.  She is just so stinking cute!

We were hoping to have her party at the local park, but got rained into our home.  It really worked out wonderfully well and our small house fit everyone snuggly.  Memaw outdid herself with the Bee's cupcakes.  What a special blessing complete with little fondant ladybugs and bumblebees.  Thanks Memaw!

It was so special to see all of the people that came out to celebrate her.  Traci, Tyler and Audrey happened to come for a visit over the weekend and were able to be at the party, but more on their visit some other time.  We had our neighbors come over and several church friends, and longtime friends.  It is so much fun to see all of the kiddos together.  There were a few moments where the house was filled with kid noises and everyone was wild in the living room.  Evie is the life of the party and held her own with the big kids.  She wanted to be on and over everything and everyone.

Evie with her favorite church volunteer, Tami!

Cake time was a hit and Evie was thrilled to dig into that perfectly decorated cupcake.  At first she wasn't completely sure what she was supposed to do with it, but managed to figure it out right quick.  MMMMM, Chocolate!  By the time she was finished she had become a two fisted eater and was covered in cupcake goodness.

All of the kiddos had a blast playing with each other and devouring the cupcakes.

Allison

Jack

Owen and his family

Caleb

Elijah

When cupcakes were finished Evie was thrilled with this new activity called open presents.  Oh the paper, oh the colors, oh the bags and bows!  She could not get to everything fast enough. She was in every bag and over every person throughout the entire experience.

She was just showered with toys and clothes, diapers and books.  I am just so blessed with how much people love my little Bee.  Evie's favorite present was the shovel packet.  She LOVED the different shovels and focused nearly all of her attention on those.  

The party was a HUGE success and such a wonderful time. Evie is 1 and has officially moved up to toddler status. What a cutie!

Our Love Story Part 7

We were engaged!  In short order we chose June 19th, 2004 as the date and I began the countdown to the day.  Who knew that 6 months could be so long!  Although committed to each other, I was still determined to keep that first kiss on the lips for our wedding day.  Bob was so gracious.  He kissed my cheek, my nose, my forehead, my hand.  It was hard, but he chivalrously did it.

I have to honestly say that our engagement months were not entirely blissful.  Planning a wedding is just plain difficult and frustrating.  I cried a lot during our relationship, but I could have filled an ocean with the tears spilled during our engagement.  It wasn't necessarily a direct result of something or someone, it was a mix of things.  Wishing the purity battle was easier, wishing weddings were easier, wondering what it will be like to leave all I knew and move in with this man I loved.  Some of it was fear of the unknown, most of it was anxiety, but none of it was uncertainty.  I was certain, Bob was my ONE.

June arrived, even though I was sure it would never get here, and before I knew it, it was our wedding day.  All of my hoping and dreaming was about to become a reality.  It was time.

I have to say, I was nervous about that first kiss.  What if I looked silly?  Is there a way to do it right? Its funny now.  Our ceremony was all things wonderful, Daddy gave me away, I gave my purity ring to Bob, we wrote our own vows, lit our unity candle to a duet dance by my cousins and exchanged our rings.  Finally, the moment had come.  All of my tears, letters, promises and hopes were about to be realized.

Our Pastor pronounced us and once given the okay, Bob just grabbed me and kissed me good.

It was perfect.  New and exciting and everything I had waited for.  He carried me up the aisle and into our forever.  Everything about our wedding was special and fun, new and exciting right down to the moment Bob's best buddy Mike Jenkins toasted my bridesmaids, a speech he is still well known for.  It was a fun day, a perfect celebration of all that I, that we, had waited for.  I was a married woman.

Now 10 years later, we have lived a lot of life.  Our love is now walking in the flesh of two breathtakingly beautiful little girls and our life is very full.

We have had many ups and many downs. Its truly been a wild ride so far.  Although those young days of love are over, our love story continues, and just gets deeper and richer with time.  I love him, he loves me. I would still choose him, every day, all over again.   There is no one else I would want to go through life with.  He is God's best, given to me, and I am eternally grateful.

Bob and I are living proof that if you let Him, God can write a truly beautiful love story.