I had an amazing birthday!  I like the birthday celebrations that last for more than one day, if you know what I mean!?  I got just that!

I had an amazing dinner celebration with my family, Matt’s family, and my bestie and her family on Saturday.  Some of my favorite people plus some of my favorite food all together!  I got to request the menu, so I went with chilli, my mom’s 7 layer dip, and buffalo chicken cheese dip.  Might be a wierd combo, but it’s seriously three of my favorite things!  My mom made my childhood caterpillar cake and we might have had a bon fire outside and smores to top it all off.  That is an ideal night!

Than Sunday I woke up with my boys bringing me flowers in bed!  How perfect is a picture of my sweet lil boys rushing to their mom’s side with a handful of gerber daisys (some of my favorites!).  Life is good.  Matt made an incredible breakfast and we enjoyed some down time as a family carving pumpkins.  It was a complete blast!  Caleb really carved his own pumpkin.  I was so impressed!  I drew the smiley face he requested, and he cut it out!  J enjoyed sawing ridges in his own pumpkin aswell.  My sweet girl crawled around us and was as perfect as she always is by just being her.

A year ago, I mentioned to Matt that I wanted a certain necklace (as pictured below on my NECK!) once we had our girl…and he remembered, found the store, and ordered it for me!  I am obsessed with it!  He also made me a video of our kids…that totally made me cry!!  It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!  I will post it as soon as I figure out a way to!  I really do have the best husband ever!  He might have also wrapped up my van keys to remind me what else I got this birthday….as if I could forget!!! 

To top off this celebration my sister, Joni, watched the kiddos for us that night, so Matt and I could go to a movie and than my free dinner at Provinos!  Love that place!  What a gift to have family love me so much to celebrate and make me feel so special.

I had so many other sweet texts, cards, gifts and wishes on facebook that contributed to making me have a wonderful weekend!  Thank you to everyone!  I am one blessed girl!!

I didn’t know in my pre-mom days that I would love superheros as much as I do. Of course, (I have five brothers) superheros are not a new thing to me, but the joy I get with them really is!  I really love watching my boys imagine they are superheros!  Watching them use their imaginations to dress up and fly around the house is one of my favorite things.

Last week, I got to go to Caleb’s class fall party.  It was one of the cutest things ever.  All the kids were wearing a costume and looked adorable!  Caleb has the two sweetest teachers, who really have been such a joy!  They allowed for siblings to come to the party.  My J was on cloud nine!  He was so happy to see Caleb’s environment and be part of the fun!  As much as it added an ‘element’ to have him there and keep reign on an almost three-year old in a new space…it was so worth it.  He was thrilled!

Caleb was so sweet and excited to have us there.  It warmed my heart that he wanted J to sit right next to him.  What sweet innocence.  I pray they always stay close friends and aren’t to cool for one another.

I dread the day when Caleb does not want us to come to his school and meet his friends.  Until than, I am enjoying this time so very much!

Tony and Christina’s wedding was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been apart of.  Christina and I have spent I think about every Tuesday since she got home from the world race dreaming, creating, and talking about her wedding decor.  We have searched on the web and pinterest and passed our phones back and forth to one another as we found things we loved.  It has been a blast!  Yesterday, would have been our planning day and I missed it…meaning I missed talking of cool creations but I also missed that time with Christina.

I don’t think I have ever been so involved in making things for a wedding…including my own.  It was such a gift to love on this sweet couple by using gifts that God has given me to be able to serve.  I loved loving them in this way!  For anyone that knows me…being crafty is my kind of style!

This wedding was definitely pulled together by lots of hands to give it this unique, rustic, fall gorgeous look!

As we made things for the wedding, I started brain storming if we could have an art show/sale this fall and try to sell some of our creations!  We are gonna do just that!  It will be a combination of Tony & Christina, me, and four of my dear friends that will pull this off!  It will be something you wont want to miss!  We are aiming to have it around Dec 3, right as people are in their Christmas shopping mindset.:)  Stay tuned for more details!

Here is a sample of some of the decor that made this such a beautiful day…

Seriously, how cute are they!?!?!  Tony and Christina and the love that they share were the most beautiful parts of the day!  God is so good!!

My brother Tony got married yesterday and it was one of the most beautiful days EVER!  Tony and his beautiful new bride, Christina, have been dating off and on for eight years!  On Friday, at the rehearsal dinner, there was a time of sharing for this sweet couple.  I (of course) could not get past the lump in my throat to share publicly.  Instead, I waited till it was over and went and told them what was on my heart privately; therefore, saving everyone else from the tears that followed. 🙂

Tony was one of the siblings I was closest to growing up.  I remember long days of playing outside riding bikes, digging in the dirt, and building forts.  We always had a special bond.  Through high school and into college Tony refers to as his “dark years”.  Through those years there were lots of tears on my behalf, as I watched my brother struggle.  I was so afraid for him.  What was so hard was not being able to”save” him.  No matter what I said or did, Tony had to find his way on his own.  God had so much more for him and I knew he would find complete freedom and joy if he only surrendered.  It was in God’s timing.

Today, I can say Tony is one of the greatest answers to prayer.  He is a testimony to prayer for me.  We serve a mighty, Mighty God and Tony and Christina’s love story is one of the most beautiful stories of grace and redemption I have ever known.

Tony and I have come full circle and its amazing to be close again, to have bonded with his wife, and share life together!

Matt and I were privileged to do their premarital counseling, and I truly believe that God will move mighty mountains with them.  They are stronger together and God will use them to impact his kingdom.  They will not just “make it” but be a love story that others look up to and are inspired/challenged by.

Their wedding day could have been on a dirt road and still been one of the most amazing moments ever because ultimately they walked away united and God was honored.

It was a beautiful day.  I loved being so closely involved and able to make this one of the most amazing days of their lives!  My sweet husband officiated the ceremony and my adorable Caleb was the cutest ring bearer you have ever seen!!  J enjoyed a sucker (or two) during the ceremony.  What you do with an almost three-year old to sit still:)  Rea was amazing and between my sister, Joni, my friend Rachel and best friend Emily helping me with the kiddos during the ceremony…we all got to witness a beautiful moment…a beautiful day!