Favorite Photo Friday {hugs and kisses part 2}

I let Spencer pick his favorite picture from our hugs and kisses photo shoot we did on Monday and these were some of my personal favorites.


Spencer has a great sense of humor and loves to make Lily laugh. Normally she is scared of his funny glasses but for some reason warmed up to him here :)



After we finished up with the backdrop they painted we went across the street to catch some of the beautiful sunlight. 



This makes one makes me smile.  
It may be one of my favorite pictures of both of them together.  
I can almost hear her her sweet laugh every time I look at it.



My grandmother used to say...love isn't love until you give it away.  
They both do that so well.





More hugs and kisses... 
I love how Lily is "cutting" her eyes at Spencer in the first one :)





The look on his face here says it all...



This was the last good shot of the day before they both were "over it" and ready to go play!



The weather has been BEAUTIFUL this week and we have LOVED being outside in the middle of February!  Michael has been out of town all week and "his girls" are ready to have him home:)

Happy Friday!  

Enjoy your weekend.  

Head over to my friend Lisa's blog to see more fun Favorite Photo Friday pics!  

Date night out with friends {Viking Cooking Class}

Last Friday night Michael treated us to a fun date night out with one of our favorite couples Amy and Scott. This was our second date night in a year and it was definitely one of my highlights from the week!


My parents were in town so we were able to relax and enjoy our night out together knowing Spencer and Lily were being spoiled just a touch from their Gaga and Papaw :)


We went to the Viking cooking school for a Classic Steakhouse menu...perfect for the boys who are meat and potato kinds of guys.



Mushroom Caps stuffed with Crab Imperial was our first side to prepare...yumm! The boys jumped right in and did a great job mixing and stuffing.


Next was the Bernaise Sauce which ended up being a huge fail because I forgot to read the directions and didn't separate the egg yolks. (I'm sure my sister is laughing right now because she would have known to do this without any directions!) 


It turned out to be to our advantage because the other team made extra for us so we had more time to socialize :)


Next up...Twice-Baked Tall Potatoes



As you can see, Amy and I were not working near as hard as my sweet husband.


My friend Amy has such a fun personality and always makes us laugh...




Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon...the most important part of the meal! 


Michael and Scott are both grill masters so we decided to put them in charge.


If you haven't figured it out by now...our husbands ended up doing most of the work while Amy and I had fun catching up with each other. Good thing they are both great in the kitchen.



Scott asked Amy if it was time to turn the steaks...oops...was she supposed to be in charge of timing???


After all the hard work we sat down to enjoy steaks cooked to perfection. We topped off our fabulous meal with Bananas Foster.



What a blessing it is to have friends who make your hearts full.  


It was a perfect night out...a much needed night out together.  Thank you Sunshine for treating us to something so fun! 

Hugs and Kisses {I Heart Faces}

This week's photo challenge is "hugs and kisses".  


When I mentioned it to Spencer this morning I asked him if he had any creative ideas for a picture.  


He immediately said he wanted to splatter paint.  Really...I thought...splatter paint?  


Lucky for him, I was feeling up for an adventure and it was a beautiful sunny day outside to paint :)


We took an old sheet and got busy creating our fun backdrop for the picture.  It was fun watching Spencer put his idea to work with his little sidekick following right behind.  


More to come soon with other pictures from our fun photo shoot.  


Spencer is the best big brother a little girl could ever want.   


To see more hugs and kisses photos visit I Heart Faces.  

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes

I love you with a restless kind of love.


I lead you with cords of human kindness, I tie you with knots of love.


I wait each morning to meet you right where you are.


My love is more than enough to satisfy you.


I will transform your brokenness into beauty.


I died for you.  


I love you like crazy cakes.



I am learning more each day about the power of God's love.


This book has become one of Lily's favorites. I will often find her sitting with this book in hand reading it to herself and studying each colorful picture. Even after 11 months, I can hardly read it without tearing up.



"Once upon a time in China there was a baby girl who lived in a big room with lots of other babies. The girls had nannies to take care of them, but each was missing something-a mother."

"Far away across the ocean was a woman who also had many friends, but she was missing something too, a baby. That woman was me."

"When you looked at me with those big brown eyes, I knew we belonged together."



"I held you tightly, kissed you softly, and cried. The tears were for your Chinese mother, who could not keep you. I wanted her to know that we would always remember her. And I hoped somehow she knew you were safe and happy in the world."

  
In LOVE God adopted us as HIS children and He longs to hold us tightly if we choose to let go.


He loves you like crazy cakes...there is no greater love than this.  

I Heart Faces {Heart photo challenge}

This week's photo challenge is "hearts".  


Last week I took Spencer and Lily to Sweet Cece's for an afternoon treat and caught this sweet moment of Spencer letting Lily share her yogurt with him :) 


Lily is smitten with her big brother and I know why...his genuine love for her shines through each day and our perceptive little girl "gets it".  


This picture makes me smile and reminds me of how truly blessed I am.


To see more great heart photos visit I Heart Faces.

Reflections

I took these pictures on New Year's Eve. 


It wasn't until I sorted through them on my computer that I saw the beautiful reflection that was captured.


I was so focused on the challenge of keeping up with my little moving target that I missed what was right in front of me.


At times, my life is like this.


I miss the beauty God is writing on my heart because I am focused on my circumstances and the challenges that life brings.


When I take time to reflect, my vision sharpens and I see how God is refining me to be more like Him.

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. 

Proverbs 27:19

We are walking through a season of unknowns and challenges right now.


My prayer is that my heart would reflect God's beauty, regardless of the outcome.


Next month will mark the year anniversary of the day Lily was placed in our arms...the day we became family.


As I reflect on the past 11 months, the constant thread woven throughout her story is the way we have seen God answer our specific prayers...above and beyond our expectations.



So we walk forward with hope because we have witnessed firsthand how God exchanged dirt and ashes for a little girl crowned with beauty and grace.

...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of joy instead of mourning, 

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, 

a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. 
Isaiah 61:3

Sparkle Critter Fun

Today was a rainy day...perfect for a craft day in my art room.

 


We picked up a package of sparkle critters at Target and Lily was in her element sorting through all the wiggle eyes and sparkly balls.

 

 This was her first attempt at using glue and surprisingly she did great.

 


After finishing up all of our critters, Lily decided to find another use for the glue...pretending it was lotion for her body.





















She was super proud of the finished product

By now it was time for a snack so I brought out a special treat...Valentine M&M's!




Don't tell...but she did have more than "just one" :)

 

After the sugar kicked in she played on the table while I was having 
fun behind the camera...



 


 Maybe she is dreaming up what our next craft will be...