that's my family.

as this week began,we said goodbye to j, he had a short business trip to make.

it never ceases to amaze me that whether he's gone a year or a week, the girls miss him so much.

saying goodbye (she asked him if he was going to afghanistan with this look on her face...it broke my heart):

and it never ceases to amaze me how much j loves his girls. here's a text he sent for bedtime:

 

and most of all, it never ceases to amaze me how EXCITED the girls get to welcome him home. they had MAJOR ants in their pants at the airport:

we haven't gotten to spend much time together lately at all...and we are starting to feel the effects. so friday afternoon we met up at forsyth park for some quality time.

and if you've ever wondered how to spot us as a family, just look for this (note the humor and slight?? panic on my face):

or this:

or look for sadie, who is just a little bit crazy:

and look for jimmy rolling his eyes as harper,sadie, and i do things like this:

can you tell we are all REALLY good at amusing ourselves???

all lucy wanted to do was swing...

you know what i love about my family? how much we laugh and how much fun we have together. we aren't perfect, but we laugh a LOT and really HARD. it's the best.

and one more shot i caught...if you ever happen to see this parade of girls with a handsome man caught in the middle(and loving every moment of it)? yep.

that's my family.

happy, happy monday.

hope it's beautiful and blessed.

xxo

s

 

Comments

[Kelli]

You really do have the most precious little family. :)

[gabby]

sweetness. so much sweetness.
xoxo.

[steph h]

I am fairly certain you are going to have Michelle Obama arms from carting those twinkies around everywhere! what a workout!

[Jenny A]

Love this post! And I especially LOVE that last picture - so cute!

[tara pollard pakosta]

the photo of her saying goodbye, the first one, caught a lump in my throat. the text from daddy put me over the edge....love it! what that man must do to your heart! those girls are going to have a hard time some day finding someone as good as their daddy! that's what I worry about for my girls too, start praying now right?~!
love,
tara

[Shannon Shurtleff]

My heart aches when I see her hugging daddy! I have countless photos like this. Loving the parade shot... everyone needs a parade!

[Jenny J]

Love this and all the pictures!

[jackie]

love all the photos! have a happy monday!

[laurie lariviere]

one word...AWWW!:) is that even a word?

[Julianne]

LOVE the pictures, and the sweet, sweet text :).

[Linda]

Stephanie, you might be interested in taking an online class taught by Molly Newman at renee pearson site, she is teaching you how to take great photos with an iphone. I know personally lugging around an DSLR with babies isn't a fun task and thought you might enjoy some hints and tips. (I am not in NO WAY saying your photos stink, because any photo of a memory is good).

[Natalie]

And such a cute family!

[Stephanie Howell]

ha! thanks (i guess????) :).
i can't fit in or pay for a class right now...and i'm actually more than happy with these, but thanks so much for the thought!

[Tracy]

Your family simply makes my heart happy. ♥

[Stephanie Howell]

And you make MY heart happy, friend. Xxo

Sent from my iPhone

[Sonya R]

I loved Forsythe Park! I have some great pictures of Joey at about 17months old during our Battalion Easter Egg Hunt there, and all he wanted to do was run, run, run away from me and climb on the tallest slide available! Good times!!!

[Lindsey]

That picture of Lucy in the swing is PRICELESS. Adorable. I can't wait to see how you scrap that. :)

[momtoprincesses]

I know that look (the first photo of you with the little ones) I wear it often myself LOL! Especially in the middle of the grocery store with all 3 in tow.....;)

[Kathy Martin]

Lovely family and a whole lot of silliness going on!

[Jennifer Moore]

OMG, that pic of Lucy is FABULOUS! Can't wait to see it scrapped! ;)

[berta]

Love a girl who loves the swing!! Adorable, perfect photos! They capture the joy of the day and the love that shines from your family.

[Bernice]

Such a sweet post! And I especially live that last picture. That one deserves to be framed. It's absolutely precious.

[Erin R]

Love these pics. Love your adorable family and I love your and H's outfits. I hope that my little girl is somewhat girly and into cute outfits (at least a little). But, if she isn't at all, that will be okay too (I'll just have to start borrowing all of her fun hair bows and flowers that we're started to accumulate). :o)

[Sue]

You truly have a lovely family and so lucky with the weather that you're wearing shorts in January/February!! (We're still in Parkas up here in cool Canada) :) :)

[Brianna Byman]

Seriously cute!

[Sierra]

I just have to say, that text made me cry. As a girl who grew up without a dad, I love to see when daddies have such great bonds with their girls. And if I ever get married, I hope that he is a super great daddy like your J. :)

[Jill Norwood]

What a sweet and beautiful post....family is truly a blessing and yours is so lovely and funny and happy and kind! Thanks for sharing! :) Jill / Seattle, Wa.