Our Week In A Nutshell

This week has been so busy with fabulous things!  I can't wait to get all of it down.

Monday I was able to have lunch with some friends and roommates from my college days.  Let's just say that 1997-1998 were some pretty epic years with these awesome ladies.  We haven't seen each other in years, but we had such a great time catching up and chatting at lunch.  We've stayed in touch over the years a little bit, but it's never the same as actually seeing people with your very own eyes.  It was so fun to see everyone.  Liz, I hope we can see you next year!

Tuesday was the first day of school for everyone.  I love the first day of school because it's fun to see all the excitement in the kids.  I hate the first day of school because I'm always sad to see them getting bigger.

Jenna is a 9th grader.

 Abby is a 7th grader.

Ethan is a 4th grader.  And no, I'm not torturing him even though he looks like I am.

Sadie is a 2nd grader.

See what I mean?  They're all getting bigger and I can't do anything about it.  So sad!!!!  I did love this moment with Ethan on the playground on Tuesday morning though.  He ran ahead of us to see his friends and start playing on the playground.  When we caught up to him he was nice and smiled for this cute picture.

He made my day when he jumped down to give me a quick kiss and tell me that he loved me.  Best son ever!!! 

Thursday Jared turned in his final assignment for his Master's degree.  It has taken every night for the past two years of his life and ours.  The kids, and by kids I mean Abby, decided that since he couldn't go to Minnesota for graduation that she would have a graduation ceremony for him at home.  She rounded up an old graduation cap and gown, neither of which fit, and she found Pomp and Circumstance on You Tube and busted out a good old graduation ceremony for him.  It was very adorable and very thoughtful of her.  We are all so proud of his awesome accomplishment.  It has taken a lot of work and focus on his part.  He is an amazing man.  Congratulations, Jared, I love you everyday!

Last, but certainly not least is Sadie's adventure for the week.  Friday afternoon she decided that she was going to be a big girl and do some eyebrow plucking.   She got Jenna's tweezers out and disappeared into the bathroom where she promptly took a huge chunk out of her eyebrow.  Then she returned the tweezers where they belonged.  Ethan saw her and exclaimed, "Sadie!  What happened to your eyebrow?"  To which she said, "Shhh, Ethan!  I don't want mom to know."  Right, because even if I hadn't heard the conversation I would never notice this!

That's right folks, there's a huge bald spot front and center of her eyebrow!!!  I was able to keep a straight face while we talked about staying a little girl for a while longer.  I also suggested that next time she wanted to pretend to be a big girl to come talk to me and I would help her do it in a less painful way.  You see, she admitted that it hurt "really bad", but she thought that was just the price of tweezing.  Nonetheless, Jared and I have had a great laugh over this one. 

Happy Birthday To My Baby!

Sadie turned 7 on August 4.  Yes, I know that it is now August 15, but hey, better late than never.

Seven years ago I gave birth to this adorable little bundle.

We were totally smitten the moment we laid eyes on her.  This picture was taken when she was about 24 hours old.  And yes, she had those totally kissable cheeks from the beginning.  We knew she would be our last and I would guess that was one of the reasons we enjoyed her so much.  She was by far the most cuddly baby we had.  She would snuggle with me for hours.  Jared's job offered paid paternity leave so Jared was able to be home with us the first week of her life.  The kids were home from school so we spent the week drooling over her every little move.  She was definitely adored by one and all.

Fast forward seven years and this little munchkin now looks like this.

We're still smitten with her.  She's the sweetest and sassiest seven year old we know.  I'm convinced that Heavenly Father sent her last to keep us on our toes and to help us keep a sense of humor.  There's never a day that she doesn't make us laugh about something. 

Sadie's first word was "shoes".  That should give you huge insight to this child's personality.  She loves shoes in every shape and size.  Every single time we go to a store with shoes I will find her in the women's section sporting the highest heels she can find.  So, it should come as no surprise that she requested high heel cupcakes instead of a big birthday cake this year.

We decided a few weeks prior to her birthday to have a last summer getaway.  We spent a long weekend in Las Vegas visiting Aunt Carol.  We had a fabulous time and, as always, she was an awesome hostess.  Sadie loves Carol so Sadie was quick to inform us that going to Las Vegas on the same weekend as her birthday because, "Of course Aunt Carol would want to be with me on my birthday."  Clearly there are no self esteem issues with this kid.

Besides these cupcakes she really wanted an American Girl doll.  The bigger girls each have one so Sadie has been begging for one for about six months now.  She was thrilled to find that her amazing parents had purchased one for her.

She exclaimed that it was indeed the best birthday present ever.  It's hard to give that statement much credibility though, since she says that every year.  :)  She was so excited about eating her high heels and blowing out candles.

Seriously!  Have you ever seen so much excitement?  She exclaimed that the cupcakes were yummy and she also said that if they were "high heels for reals"  she would "totally wear them".  I'll take that as a compliment coming from If The Shoe Fits, Wear It Queen Of Everything!

All teasing aside, we do adore this little so much.  She is such a sweetheart.  She loves her family and is so kind to others.  She is so excited to be getting bigger.  Jared used to hold her when she was tiny and tell her to never grow up.  Now that she's getting bigger, when he tucks her in at night, he will often say, "You were going to stay my little Sadie, but you just keep getting bigger and bigger."  Recently she answered back, "Don't worry, Daddy.  Even if I'm bigger I'll still always love you and Mommy."  It made me tear up.  It's hard to see this little getting bigger.  She's my last one and I fear that time will continue to pass way too quickly and she'll be gone before I know it.  Thankfully, she'll always love us, though I doubt she'll ever understand how much we love her.