David and I hung out and read magazines.

Daddy and Matty playe d and went potty multiple times. Matty was so excited about being on a plane. He also loved the shuttle bus ride from the car to the airport.

Janine and I got to sneak away and get pedicures one evening.

Watching the cousins laugh and play and enjoy each other.

David explored the entire house, made friends at restaurants and couldn’t keep still!

Janine hosted a jewelry party and I got to meet so many of her sweet friends and neighbors (and we paid for a big chunk of our trip)!

We took the kids to a drive-thru safari in Fossil Rim. It was so fun having the animals roam free while we were caged in the car. The kids loved it!

Other highlights…Janines’s amazing cooking, Danny taking me to Sears to introduce me to some new tools that I can use for jewelry making, Wii, Steve letting me sleep in and waking up to fresh coffee, watching the new Masterpiece Persuasion on PBS, eating brownies, bars and donuts, Spring Creek, and seeing it snow!!

we flew to texas for the weekend to see my brother, sis.in.law and sweet nieces. matty was enthralled by the plane ride and talked about it for days prior and all weekend. david explored their home and had so much fun. it was wonderful to see the cousins together. more pics later!

it’s been really hard to get a picture of david lately as he never sits still! he walks from room to room, down the hall, slams a few kitchen cupboards and then heads over to knock some books off the coffee table. he’s walking. it’s.just.so.huge. we’ve waited and wondered and hoped. it’s one of the most exciting things i have every experienced.

call up an old friend.

linger over a cup of coffee.

play more.

let my kids get a way with something little.

find a treasure at the thrift store.

take a nap.

order pizza. or maybe chinese.

not wear make-up.

what else…

i’ve been having fun creating some new, different pieces in the last few weeks. here’s a few…Set on living. A sterling heart (about 1″) with adjustable small link chain (16-18″), funky letters and edge detail. I love this piece! $56

Explore. Doesn’t this make you want to go try something new?! Hammered open circle with funky letters, 18″ sterling ball chain and freshwater pearl. $48

A worthwhile ride. so whimsical. so fun. 1 1/4″ hammered rectangle with adjustable small link chain, funky letters and edge detail. $56

Which one is your favorite??

this is seriously FUNNY! I really know very little about photography, but I get a lot of emails asking about my camera and techniques, so here’s the low down…

*I have a Casio Exilim digital camera that I got as a Mother’s day gift last year. We purchased on clearance at Target for around $100.

*I take a lot of pictures and choose the best ones. Most are junk! I also prefer daylight, since I have no idea how to properly use a flash.

*We use a Mac and I use iphoto to edit my pics. Here is the pic before…

*I often shoot on an angle and then rotate the pics. I also try to crop out my pictures in fun, interesting ways. I have no problem cutting off someone’s head. LOL

* I antique my pics and lighten the color a bit. Sometimes I blur the edges. And here is the end result.

Not at all technical, but so fun!

It’s actually on Tuesday, but we celebrated today with a couple families and Nana and Papa. Matty was so excited. He helped me make the rocket ship decorations and bake the cupcakes. We set the table together. We ordered pizza and let the kids run around. It was a stress-free celebration.

We also said good-bye to his pacifer today. This is a sad time, but at some point, we have to make the break. We have explained that big boys don’t need pacifiers anymore. Instead they get to go to bed with a flashlight. We got him a really cool flashlight for his birthday. Growing up so good and so hard!!

Happy (early) birthday sweet guy!!

nana and papa are in town for matty’s birthday tomorrow. we had lunch in cayucos and it was SUCH a beautiful day. the rest of today will be spent making cupcakes, wrapping a couple small gifts and setting the table. we are having a very small gathering to celebrate 4 years. wow!

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Hannah is our love birds necklace winner! Congratulations Hannah!!

Sometimes people ask me how I can be so positive when I have a child with a disability. I’ve been thinking about this lately. I’ve seen families come together and thrive during times of struggle and I’ve seen families fall apart. Why do some seem to weather the storms easier?

There is no doubt we were devastated when David was born. I had a plan and it didn’t include a child with a disability. I was heartbroken and sure that I would never experience joy again. The baby we hoped for didn’t exist and in it’s place we had a tiny little person with so many needs and unknowns. Everything felt out of control.

I believe that God is in control and he will do as he pleases. This brought me so much comfort. I gave up trying to control my life and decided to be miserable if that is what God wanted for me. Of course, through the letting go, I have experienced so much more joy than I could have otherwise.

I also believe that although David’s body is ‘broken’ his soul is whole. He is a precious person, loved by God and therefore valuable.

This gift from God did not look like I had expected, but it continues to change me from the inside out, and I am so grateful.

I’ve been tagged so here goes…

1. I’m married to my best friend which is such a blessing, but of course, we occasionally fight. Our biggest areas of disagreement–he gets frustrated with my disorganization, I am impatient when he is late.

2. I craved quesadillas when I was pregnant with both David and Matty. Yesterday I ordered a quesadilla from Taco Bell and for a moment thought, “What if I am pregnant?!”. I’m not, though.

3. I learned to drive in a Pinto hatchback which in high school was the most humiliating thing I could imagine.

4. After I graduated from college, I was a wedding coordinator for a private facility. I loved getting to know the brides and helping them plan their day. Unfortunately sales dropped while I worked there because I was always trying to help the brides save money.

5. I love Target (that you knew!) But for some reason, I feel like I shouldn’t be held responsible for the amount of money I spend there. I mean, it’s not my fault they have such amazing stuff at such reasonable prices.

6. My favorite food right now is chocolate ice cream, with chocolate syrup and sliced bananas. I’m making you hungry, huh!

7. We live on a dirt road in a small town outside of San Luis Obispo, CA. The post office won’t deliver packages on our road, which I think is so wierd!

OK, seriously, if you read this, consider yourself tagged!!