Red, White & Blue

My birthday (aka 4th of July) was such a fun day! I have always loved having my birthday on the 4th for so many reasons. It is the middle of summer, everyone is out of school and off of work, my dad always ran the Atlanta Peachtree Roadrace, wearing red white and blue, and we always made homemade ice cream. This year we were at the beach with friends, but it was filled with many great memories!

I woke up and started my day reading this verse. What an amazing reminder of God's grace and the promise He made to us! It made the rainy day a little easier.

The girls took me out for a manicure and pedicure. I chose OPI Big Apple Red.

They also made me a cake!

We ended the celebration with a night on the town. It was such a great day, and I'm so thankful for all of the people that made the special for me.

Love this beautiful sunset from the other night. God is so good!

Also, take a look at this sweet post on my mom's blog!

Early Birthday Fun

My birthday is Thursday, but since we are at the beach with friends I won't be home with my family to celebrate. I don't think I have ever been away from my mom and dad on my birthday, but it will be fun to celebrate it at the beach.

On Friday night, we all went out to dinner for pizza, and then we hung out at a park beside the pizza place. It was the perfect party, and Josh's mom and dad even stopped by. We went to lunch with them that day to celebrate, but they brought their dogs by for all the littles to see. It was such a great night with family!

My favorite picture of the night is the one on the bottom right of the collage below. ShayleeJoy LOVES Lilo and Stitch. We even call her Lilo, and when we told her the black Boston, Dande, looked like Stitch she was loving it. Isn't that the cutest picture?

I loved being with all my people for the night!

My Birthday

My birthday was July 4th...Yes, I know all of the fireworks are for me :)

I've heard that all my life! It's people's favorite thing to say when they hear that my birthday is July 4th. 

This year was one of my favorite birthdays ever. For 28 years, my dad has run the Peachtree Road Race and this year we all decided to continue the tradition of going to cheer him on. My sister, Amelia, also decided to run with him. So, my whole family (all 7 of them) spent the night with us the night before. We made pasta so they would be fueled up for the big run, and then we went to get Yogurt. It was so much fun having everyone together in our little home. 

The next morning we woke up really early and headed to the race! We found a good spot in the shade and watched for our runners. 

Here they are with big smiles on their faces.

After the race, we headed back to our house and then headed to my parents. We enjoyed the rest of the day by the pool and grilled out for dinner. A bunch of family came over for dinner, homemade ice cream, and cookie cake. It was so much fun and exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday!

Between my parents and Josh, I got a Pandora bracelet, two charms for it, and some of my favorite perfume, Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue! I also received beautiful pink roses at work on Tuesday. I am one blessed girl!

Happy Birthday Husband!

Today is a very special day because it is my sweet husbands birthday! I am so thankful for days like today when we can celebrate his life and focus on him. He is so amazing and I couldn't have dreamed of a better husband. He is my hero and my best friend!





Happy birthday sweet Josh! Thank you for loving me more each day, and thank you for always working to make our life better. You are my inspiration and are so perfect for me! Thank you for marrying me and making me happier each day. I am the most blessed wife in the world. I love you with all my heart and I think you're just the greatest!
Love forever and always,
Your little wife :)

EllaKate's Birthday

I can't believe that our EK is 7 years old!

 It seems like yesterday we were in China bringing home our first China baby. She is now a beautiful, smart, energetic and outgoing girl. She loves playing outside, horses, playing with SJ and WP, reading, and having fun. I love her with all of my heart and can't imagine life without her! I'm thankful God moved the hearts of my parents over 7 years ago to go to China! 

My Birthday

Beware.....LONG post!
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My birthday was SO wonderful! 

My birthday is July 4th, so we always have lots to celebrate on that holiday!

The weekend celebration began with a fun day on Saturday filled with some of our

closest friends. We enjoyed hanging out by the pool all day, ate

hamburgers hotdogs and homemade ice cream (my fav!), and ended the day

with an evening out on the boat! It was so great to spend sweet time

with sweet friends!

Sunday we went to church, hung out with my family, went out on the lake again, and then my mom and I cooked spaghetti for dinner. My dad runs in the Peachtree Roadrace

every year, and we always eat pasta the night before!

Monday was my actual birthday! We woke up and waited for my dad to get

home from the big race. He did an awesome job! We grilled out for

lunch and made more homemade ice cream! 

Josh and I decided not to stay

for fireworks because it was raining and we wouldn't have gotten home

until late. So he and I headed back home to finish celebrating. I

hopped in the shower when we got home to get ready for my birthday

date! When I came out of the bathroom there were beautiful red roses

on our kitchen counter! He had gone to the store and gotten them for

me while I was getting ready! Sweetest husband ever...

We headed to Panera because that's what I wanted to eat. However, they

were already closed, so we ate at Panda Express. It was fun to just be

together, so I didn't really care where we ate. 

After dinner we headed

to the movies to see a movie I have been wanting to see, Midnight in

Paris. It has Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams in it, but it is an independent film so it is kind of strange. But....it was really good! It also made us want to travel to Paris....

My birthday weekend was wonderful! It was truly my favorite one ever because I spent it as a married women~ married to the man of my dreams!


On Tuesday, we were able to go with Josh's whole fam to Outback to celebrate! It was so much fun to all be together, and it was very delicious!


One more thing...
I love what my family gave me! I have been needing a place for all of my jewelry for a while, and they got my the perfect thing...

 A beautiful jewelry box with my initials on it! I love it so much, and it is absolutely perfect!!!
Like I said...it was the best birthday ever!