The BIG 3-0 !!!

So it's official, my husband is old:) Today he celebrated his 30th Birthday!!! Zack and I spent the morning making him a cake and wrapping presents for him. We went out to dinner when he got home from work then sang Happy Birthday and watched the kids devour their pieces of cake. Sadly, Rick still can not taste sweets yet post radiation....he's still got 3 more months left until he regains full taste....it sucks! I debated not making him a cake at all but Zack got so excited with the idea that it was Daddy's birthday and insisted that he needed a cake and presents, so I guess the cake was more for him than anyone else. Here are a few pics from our cake making this morning:

Zack also sang the full Happy Birthday song to Rick which was so great to watch! He also blew out the candles for Rick as soon as he was done...haha! I got a cute shot of that too....

There were three candles and the one closest to Zack is the one he blew out:)

I guess two out of three isn't too bad!

Evan actually ate his entire piece of cake too which really surprised me! He's growing up so fast!!! I'll close out with a pic of him I got yesterday that I thought was cute:) We're off tomorrow to Destin for a spa weekend so I'll post some pics of that when we get back next week!! Hooray, a no children weekend, THANKS MOM!!!!

The Sweetest Days

So Rick finally came home Saturday from a two week "work" related trip to Hawaii and we've spent the weekend adjusting to his being home. Zack and Evan just don't want to leave his side! I guess I didn't realize how much it affects them when Daddy is away. I know we all had our moments while he was gone but to see their reactions to him now is just adorable. I got up yesterday to find them all snuggled together watching cartoons. Too CUTE~










I did find some pics on my memory card that I never got around to uploading, so I'll write a brief little snippet here:) We took Zack on a special "Zack Day" a while back to see the U.S.S. Alabama Battleship in Mobile. We had a great day exploring the ship and seeing Zack's reaction to all of the stairs especially. Needless to say we wore him out and the child who NEVER sleeps in the car passed out about 5 minutes after we left. A fun day AND a quiet car ride home.....ahhhh!!!














We also went inside a submarine:) Zack LOVED getting to drive the boat with Daddy!!

Everything to Lose

Loss is something we've all probably dealt with at one time in our lives or another, but sometimes it hits so close to home you feel like you can't breath. Losing my good friend Erika has shaken me to my core. After her passing, I learned she had a blog that she kept of events in her families lives. I must have read over it at least a dozen times in the last month. I can almost hear her voice in my head reading all of the beautiful things she wrote. It got me thinking what an amazing gift this is to her family now that she is gone and it has inspired me to do the same. We're not guaranteed anything in life, that I am quite sure of, but we can guarantee that once we are gone, the memories will live on! I've been fortunate enough to have a really great group of friends here and I know we will always have a special place in our hearts for her. We will always feel her absence during play dates but I know she will be with us in spirit. So, I'm dedicating this blog to my dear friend Erika for everything she represents and all the beautiful gifts she has unknowingly given to me! Until we meet again!

This photograph I will cherish for the rest of my life! It was taken in March of 2009 just after Amy's baby shower. We all co-hosted it together! We had ourselves a bit of a baby boom this last year:) These women mean the world to me and their friendships will always have a special place in my heart!

Left to Right: Erika (pregnant with now baby James), Stacy (pregnant with now baby Brayden), Amy (pregnant with now baby Ava), Me (just after having Evan), and Laura (shortly before conceiving now baby Claire.)