Anna Kate painted this beautiful picture recently at school.  She described it as her “soft water pond.”  Sweet girl.

A few Wednesdays ago was Anna Kate’s turn to go to the zoo at school… instead we were at the ER due to her drug reaction to penicillin.  Anyway, I didn’t want her to miss out on all of the fun, so I wanted to post Paula’s pictures for that day so she could look back on them and enjoy!  Paula got some amazing pictures of this day.. I’ve never seen the bears awake, and that alligator was looking right at her… crazy cool!  I’m sure Anna Kate will get a front row seat to all of these fun creatures next time!

Anna Kate wants to be a veterinarian now, so we’re adding it to her list of occupations she wants to have when she grows up!  She’s so loving and sweet to her stuffed animals and to her favorite real live animal, Jax!

Poppa sent this picture to us of Jax on the job at a local elementary school!  He’s such a good dog and makes everyone he visits feel so special!

Our family has been plagued with one ear infection after another this month.  All three have had double ear infections!  Here’s Rose at Urgent Care last weekend.  I read this quote a friend posted on Instagram last week, and it made me think of my little girls’ ears in more ways than one.  Although their ears have been physically hurting, I pray that I am always calm when I discipline them.  It’s a hard skill, but what’s the point of correcting them anyway?  To make them kind respectful little people, that radiate beauty from the inside out.  Praying that we speak to them in constructive ways, being gentle and full of grace, so that they can be healthy whole adults.  We need more of those in the world!  God bless you this week!

Here’s a picture of Noelle and her friends with their idols at the show tonight!

Noelle’s school puts on an annual talent show for the 2nd-4th graders to participate in.  We’ve been both years Noelle’s been in elementary school, and she and her friends absolutely love to watch and cheer on the older students.  The acts were so much fun tonight!  The girls were dancing and singing and cheering right along with all the music.  It was fun to watch them getting into it!  Here’s a picture of Emily, Noelle, Georgia and Anna Kate enjoying the show. 

Now that we’ve high-jacked our girly blog to publicly express our love for each other, we’ll get back to the cute girly scrapbook posts in just a sec.  We are private about so much behind the scenes going on in our lives, it was nice today to share with you guys a little of what’s behind our relationship that makes our girls so healthy and happy.  Their parents are best friends, we like each other a lot and share utmost respect for each other! 

So, as far as the blog goes, I post everything.  When Mike wrote on the blog yesterday, I was blown away!  I didn’t even know he knew how to get into it anymore.  He’s maybe posted 5 times in 8 years.  I was so honored to hear all of his heart-felt words.  I’m really hard on myself, and he truly is my biggest fan and makes sure I know I’m loved and valued every day.  So, all the PDA is over now, but I’m just so thankful and feel so blessed to have such an amazing best friend to hold my hand through the ups and downs.  Okay, I promise we’re done… for now! 

I do the blog because it’s a fun way for me to share pics with our friends and family!  It also serves to keep me motivated to stay on top of cleaning out and editing our pictures, so we’ll always have them organized. And most importantly, I love that the girls will have an online scrapbook of their childhood memories to share at the click of a button at any time in their lives, anywhere.  “Want to know what I looked like at 2?  Bam!  Here ya go!”  What kid wouldn’t love that!  It’s part of my expression of love to them.  I want them to remember how cute they were when they were little, and where they went, what they did… I want them to remember how it feels to be a child someday, etched in their hearts, so when the hard times come, they can go to their happy place and remember when things were a little simpler.  I hope it will help them stay grounded in knowing how much they are loved, that they are our little passions and delights… down to every last picture, which are all taken with smiles, laughs, giggles, and this-is-to-good-to-be-true thoughts from behind the lens. 

Lastly, I wanted to post a picture a friend sent me of The Big White House I lived in sophomore year of college at Baylor.  Mike and I spent countless hours on the porches and rooftop balcony of this house writing songs, reading, talking, enjoying the breeze, doing homework, you name it.  We had a blast here!  They are about to tear it down to build apartments, I believe.  I’m sad but know it’s time.  A decade ago when this was my home, it’s glory days were over; a cat died under the kitchen and the house had more than enough pest control issues.  It was freezing in the winter… but it was still exciting and fun to live in… uneven creaky floors, no dishwasher, washer/dryer, water heater next to the kitchen table and all.  It did have a cool ornate fireplace in my bedroom that was so relaxing to have in my room!  Lots of memories were made here, and I’ll be sad the next time we visit Baylor and I can’t show the girls The Big White House and let them run around in the front yard like we did when Noelle was little.  It will be a figment of their imaginations in my story telling… except for one thing.  These pictures.  So thankful for pictures that enhance our beautiful memories! 

Visit to The Big White House in 2007 with baby Noelle, Toria and Bekah!  So long, Big White House! 

Hi, this is Mike here. Hope you don’t mind me taking over the blog for a minute. I have to say thank you, Melissa, for being the most loving, kind, compassionate, funny, caring, creative, and awesome friend to me!

You are beautiful, you are a fantastic mom, and you make me a better person. I love you forever!

I thought it would be so fitting for me to say, “HAPPY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!” today with a picture of a piece of toast.  It’s the little things that keep our marriage strong, and the goofy things too (like something so trivial as a picture of the toast you made me last week for such a big day)… you are the first best thing that ever happened to me!!!  I love you with all of my heart!  We are soul mates, no doubt about it.  God made you for me and me for you.  I love our super power of being so opposite; we’re both great at different things, which makes us unstoppable as a couple and as parents!  You’re the best man I know: smart, logical, happy, calm, gentle, selfless, adoring, kind, funny… you take care of our family with such dignity and grace.  My love for you overflows… in the little things!

Noelle had fun celebrating with her friend Chloe on President’s Day!

(These are phone pictures because baby Rose broke my camera lens last week.  It was my fault; I let her play with it!  I’ve slowed down on pictures but will have a new lens any day now!)

#Daddy/Daughter wagon date