whistler:: day one & two

if you have never been up to whistler i highly recommend it.
most people think of it as a winter destination (which i hear is incredible), but it has so much to offer during the summer months.
our trips up to the mountain began way back when i was a little girl. we kept that tradition going nearly every summer with a few misses here and there.
as our family grew it was a little harder to coordinate schedules but we still found time to make it at least every couple years. ella has already been three times, chloe twice and this was riley's first time.

we stayed very active our entire stay.
most of our mornings started with an early jog or walk to the lake followed by a trip to starbucks.
the weather was absolutely perfect with temperatures in the 80's most of the time.

this morning the boys were out for an early morning round of golf. 

us girls made a quick stop for some coffee and walked to the course in hopes of finding the boys. 

 hanging out at hole 18...a treat to watch daddy play golf. 

during the summer all the ski lifts are open. the views are spectacular and the hiking trails are endless. we even found some snow. this year we made two trips up the mountain. the girls would have gone every day if they could have. 

this rock formation was the logo for the 2010 winter olympics..

the peak 2 peak lift was built right before the 2010 olympics. 

it is a chair that carries you from whistler to blackcomb mountain. 

barth who has a small fear of heights was not too sure about taking this ride across. he of course did. 

at it's highest point you are 1,427 feet above the ground while hanging from a cable that is held up by only two towers. there is a span of 1.88 miles that is completely unsupported by any towers. it was crazy! 

 wade was a little nervous too...

whistler bound

for all of you waiting...get ready for some pictures from our canadian adventure.

believe me, i have narrowed it down quite a bit, but will share my favorites with you. 

i snapped these next ones during our trip up to whistler. 

the day began at 4:00am. surprisingly it went quite smoothly. 

we were blessed to have a set of grandparents (not ours mind you) sitting by us on the plane. 

they made it their job to keep riley quite entertained the entire flight and held her on their lap for the few seconds she sat still. it was great. 

they made it. 4am start. 3 hour flight. 5 hours of driving. still smiling. 

little lady

we are back from an amazing trip to whistler.
today was spent unpacking and organizing. i of course have a ton of pictures from our vacation that will have to wait until tomorrow...hopefully.
i wanted to post of picture of this little girl, who i should mention became so attached to me this trip, even more so than before if that's possible. i love it.
today was our first night of no nursing. she beat chloe's record of 17 months. she did great...no tears no nothing. guess she was ready.

here is another that makes my heart smile. the picture quality is not that great but i just love it.

last but not least...
we were so incredibly blessed to share the evening with this amazing guy...

happy birthday to my awba (daddy). you are so loved. thank you for being such an incredible blessing to us all. you are everything that i strive and pray to be. thank you for praying for me daily, for always wanting the best for me and for teaching me never to settle. my life is so full of joy and blessings from above and much of that is because of you. i hope that you know just how much you are loved. i love you.

family reunion 2012

we are back from an incredible weekend in san diego.
we had a gathering of 32 adults and 12 kiddos all from my mom's side of the family.
the weekend was made complete with an international themed menu, backyard olympics, endless pool time, fellowship and more food.
i have been so blessed with an amazing extended family. we may go a year or more {which is typically the case} without seeing each other and we always seem to pick up right where we left off.

we hosted the first family reunion in san diego two years ago and before it ended everyone was buzzing with excitement for the next one.
it was a much anticipated event this year and it seems like our family keeps growing. the more the merrier definitely holds true in this group.

i took just a few photos, okay seriously way too many photos. here is just a sampling of my favorites....

the food was a definite highlight. each family was assigned a brunch or dinner with a designated theme. everyone went above and beyond with decorations, music, costumes...it was amazing really.

{the infamous gorp jar}

barth and i were part of "good morning america" an american themed brunch. 

this chalkboard menu was used for each meal. oh yeah, we are pretty official in this fam. 

backyard olympics is a huge part of our gathering. i may just be a part of the championship team...two years running. not to brag or anything. it's pretty competitive. 

{the waves...reigning champs}

a few more of my favs...

thank you to all of my family for the memories. too many to list. i love you all♥

time to go finish packing for our family vacation to whistler, canada. a 6:30am flight departure awaits. 

first day

happy first day of pre k to my sweet chloe!!

i feel like we just got summer started. 

to be honest i would have appreciated a few more more weeks. 

we got the morning off to a great start, no signs of anxiety, just a happy chloe. 

as soon as we pulled into the parking lot the tears began. 

i prayed with her and continued to pray as i walked her into school. 

she reminds me so much of myself. i knew exactly what she was feeling. 

drop off was a little rough, but she did it.

would love all your prayers as we dive into this school year...

my sweet girl has been dealing with anxiety issues for sometime and i am praying and believing for complete peace and healing. 

i took a few pictures this morning before we headed out the door. i love her so much♥

birthday boy

we are celebrating this amazing guy this week....

his birthday isn't until this weekend, but we decided to get this party started a bit early.
we tried to incorporate a few of his favorites...sushi, dj lance (okay, so that was inspired by this past halloween), cupcakes and time with his girls.

...in case you were wondering that's bacon on top of the cupcake, cause who doesn't love a bacon topped cupcake? ummm me.