Andrew's Flower Headband...

Oh, the joys of having a big sister - they like to dress you up in girly stuff! Nothing like sporting a Hurley shirt AND a flower headband. I'm sure Liv will subject Andrew to many more frilly, flowery, pink accessories!

Bear Creek with Papa & Gigi

"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.
Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of children." ~Alex Haley

Congratulations, Jamie & Julia

The perfect excuse to spend a glorious Colorado day with dear friends...

celebrating Jamie & Julia's engagement! ♥

James & the Giant Peach

Olivia, Andrew and I attended the Northglenn Youth Theater's performance of James and the Giant Peach. Our dear friend, Spencer Spotts, was the centipede. As far as we are concerned, he stole the show!
Pictured here are two of his biggest fans: Colin Spotts & Olivia Stephens!

Best Friends.

Life is really all about relationships. And, even at the young age of 4, my sweet Liv is acutely aware of the important people in her life, her "best friends." Without question, her best friends are Cameron and Caroline and they are such sweet friends! (Andrew, of course, takes the prize as her best friend and brother, but he's not quite as much fun to play with... yet!)

And, I think their Mommies are pretty fabulous, too! ♥
Thank you to Cameron, Sara, Caroline and Amber for a delightful day at the pool.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

An evening with family filled with laughs and conversation and yummy food at Claim Jumper. Happy early Birthday, Josh! We loved celebrating with you!

Back to School Shopping

Big changes are in store for Olivia. On August 16th, she will start preschool! To prepare for the beginning of school, I took her shopping to purchase the items on her school supply list. We had a fun Mommy-Daughter shopping date at the new Wal-Mart for supplies like markers, glue, kleenex and, of course, a Princess backpack. Just the first of many Back to School shopping trips to come. My baby is such a big girl!

The Dentist.

A big day for Olivia. First visit to the dentist. We received differing opinions about when to schedule a first dentist appointment, but we settled on 4 years old. Olivia was a fabulous patient! She smiled and giggled and loved getting her teeth cleaned with cherry toothpaste. Amber, her hygienist, was kind and gentle and immediately put Liv at ease. Her favorite part was "Mr. Thirsty" who sucked up all the water in her mouth. She was a little afraid of the dentist, but she sat on my lap and allowed him to count and check her teeth.

In the end, great news... 20 healthy pearly whites and NO cavities!

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you, Liv!

a little bit of this. and a little bit of that.

bed head. farmer's market.splashing. wading. playing. eating. sharing.100(!) piece puzzle. goggles. miss kendra. painting. proud.

Hello August.

It's August, people!

I was inspired by Marta Writes to blog my must-dos. A list of things that I am hoping to squeeze into summer, actually into the next two weeks. August signals back to work. And, the 16th is approaching all too quickly. Before I know it, I will no longer be a summer-SAHM and I will re-enter my life as a working mama. It is bittersweet... but, that might be another post, perfect for the eve of August 15th. So, on to my must-dos...

:: complete organizing and deep cleaning my house. 1st floor almost complete.
:: bachelorette. so you think you can dance. design star. oh, my favorite summer television.
:: read to kill a mockingbird for book club. (i technically have until the 25th, but let's face it, i'm not the best reader during the school year.)
:: james and the giant peach. the kids' first play and starring our friend, spencer spotts.
:: fun in the sun at the pool with our best buddies.
:: try a decorating project, like the fun suggested by our little band of brothers.
:: girls' night out at the tavern.
:: liv's first trip to the dentist.
:: surviving daddy's trip to san diego without us. single mommy for four days - yikes!
:: picnics in the park.
:: sleeping in. napping. staying up too late.
:: soak up every smile and giggle and moment with my precious babies.

Aren't they adorable? I mean, seriously, they are so deliciously cute
that I could eat them up for dinner! ♥