it was a barnyard bash.

an indoor barnyard bash.
who knew it would be so cold in jacksonville. in december.
we're used to a comfy 70ish degrees.
today, party day, it was 30 degrees.

the cupcakes.



the centerpieces.



the smash cakes.



the birthday kiddos.
my super cute nephew, noah.


my mckinley.




a couple of notes.
*the birthday boy, we found out today, had pnemonia during his birthday bash. {no worries, he's on antibiotics now.}
*chickens, pigs, burlap, yellow flowers, old mason jars, and red & white gingham make for cute, cute barnyard birthday decor.
*jett insists that no party is complete without party hats. walmart doesn't have barnyard party hats. transformers made due. {perfect, right?}
*there was a hay ride. we went to see the cows. they may or may not have thought about charging our wagon for the hay we sat upon. i may or may not have been a bit fearful. {there were huge horns upon their heads!}

Summer Vacation, part six.

sand dunes.
great big sand dunes.
make-your-body-ache-the-next-day sand dunes.
babies.
cute boys.
aunt kris and unlce adam.
silly bandz.
one Hubs missin' momma.
and...the desert.









jake climbed to the very top of this dune!
it doesn't look like much...
i'll vouch for him...
it was huge.
i made it to the top of the small (still huge) one.
i only made it halfway up this gigantic one.




see that thing in jonah's hand???
yep, my boys turned them into whips!
oh, BOY!














i'm thinking about putting these next two photos in my etsy shop.
what'd you think?


for Hubs.
i like it so much that i think others might too.


jake austin came over and plucked my beautiful desert flowers just after my photo and added them to the rock message.


despite the bunches of kids and rowdiness all arouund, i could still hear the sounds of nature.
i would never want to live in or near the desert but, the few minutes that i had alone while my boys played was so serene.
i could hear this little guy from quite a distance.

Summer Vacation, part five.

sweet baby noah.
sweet candy shoppe.
sweet ice cream sundae's.

Summer Vacation, part four.

if washington isn't enough...
we decided to take a mini road trip to idaho to see ant kris, uncle adam, and baby noah.
on the way we stopped to see mount rainier, alder dam, and a few other things.









(judging by the crossed arms, i'm thinking jake is too cool (at eight) to get his picture taken)



this is for you jett-jett!
big brother jonah found a roly poly for you!!
we miss you, bubba!!!


and for my next trick...
i'll attempt to capture a shot of two of my children together.

successful?
they are, indeed, together.
even if it was a bit forced.


it is crazy beautiful in washington.
i would totally urge you to visit!

i sure wish there was more of this...


after a really long drive through washington, oregon, and finally into idaho we finally got to this little guy.

Wordless Wednesday

My new nephew...love.