six

six

yes it's time to come to the realization yet again that both of the girls turn a year older every March and April
and now my older daughter, Madison, is turning six

I love to celebrate their birthdays
but they all seem to always come too quickly year after year

each year I have moments where I just want time to stand still,
 grab their little hands
and hold onto those precious things

just exactly the way they are in that moment

so tiny

so innocent

and so sweet

but reality is...birthdays come whether we are ready for our children to grow up or not

Madison is

six

today

and just like Hayley a month ago...

Madison is beyond excited

she is usually sooo hard to get out of bed in the morning but she popped right up this morning

excited to see her balloons above her bed

and her new lion friend hanging from her chandi

she was grinning ear to ear this morning

as she woke up to her hooting owl alarm the Easter Bunny got her a few days ago

as a matter of fact the first thing she said to me yesterday after I picked her up from school was

I told Miss M--- that "I got an owl alarm and it hoots to wake me up"

I felt as though she was saying it with the Junie B attitude
{we are reading that series together}
and the Junie B attitude makes all the difference when reading that statment
trust me

it was so cute!

As we were talking about her birthday yesterday

 I said

"today is your very last day to be five...can you believe it?"

she said

"I know mom!!!"

Ummm...Hayley seemed more shocked about that statement
{when I told her about her very last day to be three}

I guess I need to get with the six-year-old times now
it's not quite as cool to keep reminding her of such things

 I don't seem to say such surprising things to Madison any longer

she is getting too old and smart like that

so I continued and said

"So what do you think six means?"

Madison said "well, I'm another year older and then comes even better things"

ooooooo...I think I need to be taking her advice when it comes to birthdays

I love this little girl so much

Over the past year I really took it to heart how hard she always was
{and still is}
on herself

it's a hard road to continue on

and I didn't want her being stuck on it
feeling like she has to be perfect

so I made it a mission to help her come out of her shell more

to relax

to enjoy

to know it is perfectly fine to not get things right all the time

and have to work at them

I seem to use myself as an example of not getting things right all the time
it definitely makes her laugh
and to me that's worth her knowing that grace is for everyone's mistakes
or other times when things have to be practiced and tried again

over the past year she has started taekwondo

which has been the best thing for her and her confidence

I'm so proud of how far she has come

from the beginning of class not wanting to get up in front of others

to now she loves to do so
{most of the time}

she still has her moments of struggle but she has come a long way

I truly think it is amazing

Madison is my mama bear

focused and on point all the time
all.the.time

I seem to joke with her a lot

I love her silly side because when she shows it...

 you can really see her unique and wonderful personality

 

 it is the most beautiful thing because her face shines and sparkles

 her confidence and belief in herself grows every.single.day

a couple of months ago her class was on Channel 5 doing 5 is #1

and when I picked her up from school I asked her because I knew it would make her laugh

"Did you get wild and crazy on camera and do your Taylor Swift dancing and singing?"

She replied "Mom!!!...now you know we weren't supposed to do that...
we talked about this...

My teacher Miss M said we were not supposed to be wild and crazy on camera"

I said "darn...now I won't get to see your Taylor dance moves"

she laughed and said "I'm silly with you guys!"
and yes she is

Kindergarten has done more than wonderful things for Madison

she has had the very best teacher

and the perfect fit to Madison's personality ~ I couldn't be more thankful 
for Miss M---

 Madison makes friends so easily 

 she is so caring and sweet

you know... a likeable girl

{that statement reminds me of Hope Floats...but it's true}
here is part of a note Madison's friend wrote her...I just love it

Madison loves reading, school work, and projects

she loves to always have a pad with her to draw and write in

she loves to joke around

except when the jokes on her...
she wasn't too fond of Hayley and I's spider in her car seat joke we played on her a couple months ago
but she loves to stand around the corner, jump out, and scare the daylights out of me

where I'm literally screaming because she did such a great job

she is the very best helper
and loves her sister more than words could ever describe

she couldn't be a better big sister or friend

Madison's special gift is the way she makes others feel

she always cares how someone is and loves to do nice things for others

she definitely is a beach and summer lover

but occasionally and randomly talks about snow
in the middle of summer

odd, perhaps
...but cute because she can be so random with thoughts

she loves Taylor Swift like her sister loves Eric Church,

 loves to dance and put on fashion shows for me in my high heels

 and loves to take pictures with her camera she got for Christmas

she loves, loves to be outside,
ride her bike,
 and run with me

I say all the time that another 5-6 years she will be kicking my hiney on runs

I can't wait for that as it will make me a proud mama

Madison is insightful at times but so very literal at other times

the other day I had to run an errand for work after the girl's class

we were driving on the back roads and came to a stop light

there were absolutely no cars around

and she asked

"Mom why is the light red when we are the only ones here?"

I said "kind of silly isn't it"

so of course I just keep talking with them about this and that
and sooner or later

both of them say at once...

"Mom...mom!!!...you can go...the light is green"

I said "oh ~ thank you!!
What would I do without you both?"

Madison said "Well...you'd still be sitting at the light Mom!!!"

oh for the love of her...I couldn't stop laughing

Today I most definitely cannot wait to celebrate her and how caring and sweet she is

she makes everyone feel special everyday

today will be wonderful to celebrate her

she is so excited about her beach cake

to have quesadillas tonight with family

and she said....."as soon as I wake up tomorrow...I am six

and cannot wait for all the fun"

she is definitely a chocolate lover over vanilla
like her daddy

loves cheese, yogurt, broccoli, strawberries, and cheeseburgers

 she loves to wear my sunglasses and come up with her own poses

as I was taking pictures the other day
"Miss Director" said
"I get to do my own poses right Mom???"

I laughed and said "why of course"

so here are her favorite poses she did

Happy sixth birthday my beautiful butterfly

I love you

I'm proud of you

and I will always, always believe in you

Happy Birthday

Madison Ella

intangibles

I probably have lost most of you by now...

Last night I actually did a quick blog visit looking for something on my blog

I wanted to find

and then I also found a post that i did 2 years ago this month of a video

when my youngest was 1 1/2

and I cried

that age is so sweet and I just miss it

even though I love the ages both of my girls are at right now too

it was just a reminder of how time just flies by

often before you want it to

I really miss posting on my blog

yes, I've said this before

but I really realized it more than ever last night

I miss reading my friend's blogs

I miss the connections I made with all of you

I miss many of things

but I just had to take a break from writing

sharing

posting

I just needed to live life for my family

some things are hard to say...

this past year has been wonderful for so many of things

but it also has been an extremely difficult year for my family too

that's hard to say

not just my immediate family

but also in my extended family

 and if I would have written

it would have been painful for me

that's why I stepped away

and of course because lack of time as well

I've really been off the wall busy with my family, kiddos, my business, etc.

I just couldn't make my blog a priority

 I chose to focus on other things

and I am happy with that decision

I wanted to look at my life and still appreciate the wonderful blessings

that I have no matter what

because I have so many blessings

that I'm just so thankful for

anyway,

I want to get back on track with sharing...

so as most of you know

Christmas is in my top 3 holidays of the year

the giving and celebrating family/friends is my favorite part of the year

and it also means that I have guaranteed time that my hubby is in town too:)

we have already had some wonderful christmas celebrations

a couple of weekends ago with my in-laws

this past weekend was Christmas with our friends

and i made pumpkin candied cranberry tarts

yes, I made tarts for the very first time
I loved it!

and I'm still pretty darn excited about it
although, it took me forever

I may just be going through a tart phase now
they are just so cute and pretty

obviously, I'm sidetracked with my tarts now

which I do plan on sharing the recipe because I loved it

both of the celebrations were wonderful

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays

it has been that way since I was a child

my sister and I always, always loved it

Miracle on 34th Street

and we would watch it almost on a daily basis

{almost}

yes, I've talked about that movie a lot on this blog in the past

my sis and i would watch it so much when we were younger

that I think my parents had to buy us 2 vhs tapes:)

we would literally wear this movie out:)

yes, "I believe"

and that only makes sense if you have watched the movie

So...

as I was going through my blog last night
I was reminded of my favorite quote in my very favorite Christmas movie

Miracle on 34th Street

I thought I would share it once again

 I took some Christmas photos of the girls yesterday afternoon

it was a blast

we had lots of fun

smiles

silly faces

dance moves to celebrate at the end of our little session

we all celebrated
the girls were great

actually fabulous

and wonderful

{that's because they were bribed with freezy ice pops}

we don't know how to get through a photo session without bribing in our family

just so you know...I am not above bribing to get photos :)

i almost put this picture on my virtual christmas card just to be reminded of all the silly things the girls and I do together

hopefully you will love this quote as much as I do

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

"Someday you are going to find that your way of facing this realistic world just doesn't work, and when you do, don't overlook those lovely intangibles. You'll discover those are the only things that are worthwhile."

and I found that quote true so much of this past year
hold on to those intangibles

Thank you everyone for your patience

and thank you to my fabulous friends that over the past couple of months kept asking me when I was coming back with my blog

it was just nice to hear your sweet words to me

it didn't go unnoticed

Happy Holidays!!!

"Whatever is good,

whatever brings you joy...

May it be yours during

this magical season and the

throughout the coming year."



a spring sparkle with *shabby apple*

we all love a little spring sparkle in our eye

I feel like I need and want that little sparkle in my eye

for spring and summer

last night as I picked my little girls up from my parent's home....

my dad told me...

well the farmer's almanac says one more snow in March

I said

"I can't take it dad"

{obviously I can...I just don't want too}

he said "me neither"

and he grew up in Wisconsin winters

so it didn't quite make me feel so bad for not liking this cold

yes...I realize many live north and have it way worse

for those that live north of me

bless you

bless you

bless you

because I honestly wouldn't survive

I do appreciate how beautiful the snow and mountains look

I really do

but I'm honestly over it in a day

one day in the snow

and I'd be saying

"where's the beach?"

the warm sun?

sand between my toes?

my family and friends in tow...

relaxing and sitting together with me on the beach?

so before I bore you away

with my thoughts of spring and summer

I've got a give-a-way for you

to add a little sparkle in your eyes

I was contacted by the *Shabby Apple website*

a website of women's & children's dresses

accessories

maternity 

 and casual wear

they are going to be offering one of you...a dress!

 after viewing some of their dresses...I agreed

what fun it has been to peruse their website

Shabby Apple gave me a pre-selected list of give-a-way dresses to choose from

so from their list I've picked three

2 women's/vintage style dresses

and one child's dress

the winner will be able to pick one out of those three

{named below}

and for those of you that need a little retail therapy and want to go ahead and start shopping 

 Shabby Apple has also offered you all a 10% discount

use the following discount code during checkout

"butterfliesdragonflies10off"

I found so many dresses that caught my eye

so I wanted to share my personal favorites

first with you all



 all are linked to the Shabby Apple website

and then at the end I'll show you the three give-a-way options

my personal favorites:

{Ingrid}

please click on sequoia to view that dress

as it wouldn't allow me to link a large enough photo for you to see it

{Sequoia}

{Aloha}

{Consultant}

{Champs Elysees}

{L'Opera}

{Black Oak}

{Bette D}

{Mauna Kea}

my absolute favorite children's dress by Shabby Apple is

{Garden Party}

a few of my other favorite girl's dresses are:

{Fields of Gold}

{Jardin}

{Ruffle my Feathers}

{Pistachio}

the three dresses you may choose from for the give-a-way are noted below

I think it is so much fun for the winner to pick one of the three

{Marseilles}
okay...so I wouldn't wear the collar up...but of course I love blue:)

{Bali H 'I'}

{45 Words Per Minute}

one winner will be selected to pick one of the three dresses
directly above...per request of Shabby Apple 

{select between Marseilles, Bali H 'I', or 45 WPM}

To enter the give-a-way for a Shabby Apple dress

{and no you don't have to do all of these...it just helps your chances the more you do}

1. please leave a comment on this post below to enter

if you don't have a blog please leave your name and way for me to contact you}

2. if you check out their website and tell me a favorite of yours

...please leave a separate comment if you are listing your favorite

3. if you like Shabby Apple on facebook...please leave me another separate comment

4. if you share this give-a-way...leave another separate comment with the shared link

or just tell me you did

if it's shared via twitter....I don't tweet so I trust you if you did :)

5. the winner must have a US shipping address

although Shabby Apple ships internationally with a purchase so

you may place an order

with the 10% discount of butterfliesdragonflies10off

winner will be picked Friday afternoon

 deadline to enter is

Friday, March 4th at noon

xo

*I was not compensated in any way for this give-a-way*

just wanted to share that

pretty little house...

when you see a pretty little house with a barn

any day immediately becomes a perfect day to take some pictures...

especially little girls in their Easter dresses

I ended up taking around 100 pictures in 30 minutes...
{right before Saturday service}

so for the fact I am only showing about 30 of them is a pretty big downsize...

I love Easter...

maybe because of the girls in their pretty dresses

because they have fun getting dressed up and then playing outside in the dirt

in their dresses

because their Mama takes them to get their pictures pretty soon after it rains

so there is mud

dirt

worms to occupy them as I snap away

they had a blast

you can't tell but their stains were all over their dresses

before church even started

but I always say "clothes are meant to be worn and have fun in"

not meant to just always look pretty

wear them and be yourself...

and for my girls...it is picking flowers and playing in the dirt

I guess they get that from me since I pick weeds in my flower beds as I'm walking in or out of the house because I can't stand to just leave them you know...
{it doesn't matter what I wear I do it anyway ~ which makes Bobby laugh}

we had so much fun and everyone was willing to take pictures

even Daddy...

and Hayley

but I love Easter for the more important reason too...what it stands for

I love that we are all His children that He chose

every single one of us

I love the celebration

I love the praise we give Him at church

and I love knowing and being thankful for His sacrifice for us

the colors of Easter

are so happy and friendly

the colors give you a peak into summer...

I love the egg hunts the kids get so excited for

and making breakfast for my family

and I love that it's a relaxing day no matter what

I love that we always have a BBQ with family

and since my parents live right here in town~ it's celebrated with them
and they get so excited to get their Easter dresses for them every year

conversation is fun and relaxing...just the way it should be

Easter is always a beautiful celebration

of the gift we all have been given

but also the gifts we can give to others

Happy Easter from this little pretty house we found

and all the love, laughs, and smiles we had taking these pictures

{the picture of Bobby and I was taken by sweet Madison ~ she was so proud of herself}