A little fedora love, smiles and a beats pill...

I am WAY behind on posting pictures to my blog and plan to catch up in the near future but for now, I wanted to share two of my favorite valentines with you.

These two certainly have enough love and joy to go around and their smiles can light up any room. A few weeks ago we got a break in the weather and headed out to have some fun with our Valentine props Lily helped me put together.

Spencer is always a good sport but I'm sure the fact that I promised to take some pics of him with his new beats pill (a portable speaker) was an added incentive :))

Spencer was playing his favorite songs (to which Lily knows most all of the words) and she had a ball dancing around to the music.

They both are looking so grown up in these pictures and it reminds me how quickly time passes.  

Spencer is counting down the days until he gets his driver's permit and Lily becomes more independent daily.   

My heart overflows with love and gratitude for these two blessings God has given us and we wait with expectation for the little one God has chosen for our family.  Wouldn't that be a great Valentine's gift to receive today?    

Earlier this week I was soaking up some quiet time studying God's word and writing in my journal.  

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."  Colossians 3:2

Easier said than done in this world where so many "things" can easily distract me and take my eyes off course.  Life has been a little crazy lately and it's been awhile since I have stopped to rest in God's word and let His truth wash over me. 

When I make time to silence the noise of life I am reminded that when I invest my heart and my time in eternal things, I experience more of the fullness of God.  

Our family verse for the month is a great reminder of this truth.  

Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."  Proverbs 4:23

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Love isn't love until you give it away...who will you show some love to today?

Make a joyful noise

Spencer recently started taking guitar lessons again and it has been fun to watch him grow.  

He has a natural talent for memorizing and learning new songs with ease.  

I love listening to him practice while I'm making dinner or playing with Lils.  

It also keeps her motivated to practice her violin so that she can get "better and better".  

Lily is also a big fan of hanging out in his room dancing around to all his music.  

We met someone recently who didn't know either of them but immediately noticed the unique bond they share.

Sometimes it is easy to take that for granted so it was a great reminder of how truly blessed we are.  

He is makes her laugh and be silly.  

And she looks up to him as if he hung the moon.  

I cannot wait to see another little one join our family and experience the love they have to share.  

Embracing the wind and cold at the beach

We woke up this morning at the beach to 40 degree temps and strong winds but some little and big person around the house were determined to put their toes in the sand.

Michael flew out yesterday for some work related business so it was just the 3 of us today. I procrastinated as long as I could before the troops began to get restless and we needed a plan. 

 So...we hopped in the golf cart to check out the beach before I committed to braving the cold temps.

As I suspected...the beach was EMPTY unlike two days prior when it was crazy busy with people everywhere.

Even though I was freezing the blue sunny skies and peaceful sound of the waves were calling my name so we headed back to the house to pack up lunches for a day of fun on the beach.

Spencer and Lily started out all bundled up but as you can see they began to shed their layers throughout the day.

Me? Well..let's just say I kept nice and warm (somewhat) with my two coats and long pants.

Spencer started building a wind barrier wall which Lily quickly named "the great wall of China"!

They worked on it all afternoon and Lily was thrilled with their accomplishment. 

 Like all little sisters will do, she messed up some of Spencer's hard work but he was patient and understanding as always. She watches his every move and loves imitating everything he does.

We enjoyed a beautiful day on the beach, almost all to ourselves. 

 Spencer helped me with a Hello Kitty photo shoot of Lils on the beach (more photos to come)

and then we headed up to the pool to finish off our day.

I think this photo says it all...even though I didn't capture Lily's expression,  I'm sure you can only imagine the big smile she had on her face.

Their love for each other is something unique and I love watching it unfold.

Looking forward to my hubby being with us the rest of the week and hoping for some warmer weather!

Love is...

Love is...

big brown eyes...smiles...and kisses for her Gaga.

Love is seeing Lily in her silk dresses and being grateful for how far she has come since her humble beginnings in China.

Love is the laughter of a child and seeing eyes full of joy!

Love is unexpected moments that take your breath away...

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things endures all things.   Love never ends."

I Corinthians 13:4-8

Happy Valentine's Day!

Birthday eve...last days before the teenage years...

Spencer kicked off his 13th birthday celebration today after school with a sweet treat from his Aunt Lizzy at one of his favorite spots ...Sweet Cece's!

He is really into wearing Nike and sports gear right now and as you can tell from his expression he was super excited with their gift!  One of the first things he did when he came home tonight was put on his new sweatpants!

After some sweet cousin love I snapped a few shots on the way back to the car.  

He informed me that he wants me to do a sports themed parkour photo shoot of him downtown so you may be seeing some more crazy stunts like the one of him jumping over the metal pole in the days ahead!

This picture really captures the way Lily loves and adores her big brother.  She really looks up to him and misses him when he isn't with us.  She has a special gift for her "Ge Ge"'s birthday that I will post more about tomorrow so stay tuned...

Michael's parents came over for dinner and we had Spencer's birthday menu of choice...grilled steaks with Mrs. Carrie's famous marinade, corn casserole, grilled veggies, rice and chocolate lava cake for dessert!  Thank you Nan and Lewis for purchasing the yummy steaks for us! My sweet hubby of course grilled them to perfection which is always an added bonus :))

Tomorrow is the big day...we welcome the teenage years and hope that I have enough grace and patience to parent a teenager and a 3 year old in the same year :))

Of course, we will start the day with his favorite breakfast...buttermilk pancakes.

Linking up with my friend Lisa's Favorite Photo Friday.  Be sure and stop by her blog...you will be glad you did!

Happy Friday!!

Pawley's Island highlights

At low tide, there is usually a wonderful tide pool that forms on the beach.

Spencer wanted to pull Lily on his boogie board but she was content with building sandcastles in the sand and didn't want any part of it.

After a little prodding she decided to give it a try and then she was hooked!

She was grinning from ear to ear, laughing and sticking out her tongue to feel the wind against her face.

She took a spill face forward off the board into the water and her big bro was right there to give her a consoling hug to make it all better. 

Even her tumble didn't stop her and today these are some of her favorite videos to watch on my phone.

My dad and Lily have a special bond. She knows how to sweet talk her way into getting him to share his phone and watch a few shows on TV that she doesn't get to watch at home :)

She also loves to snuggle up to him when she is tired or watching TV with him...I think my Dad loves it just as much as she does. 

He loves teaching her new things and helping reinforce her speech goals (he is the one who taught her how to say "I love you...aka "I wawa woo".  

One night while we were watching the Olympics he taught her how to catch a balloon.  We have had a lot of fun with this since we came home.

Lily also LOVES her Gaga! My mom gets down on her level and helps her build sandcastles until her little heart is content.

 

You can see them walking hand in hand often. Lily totally soaks up all the extra attention she receives when we go down there to visit :)

(The beautiful dress she has on is one my mom made for her and I am thankful for every stitch of love that goes into it.  )

    

Spencer prefers body surfing, skim boarding or soaking up a few rays while he is on the beach but he also got some special treatment from my parents when they took him out shopping for some clothes while Michael and I had a date night out.

We got the added treat of being able to see my sister and her husband one day while we were there. I don't get to see her very often so it was a special gift to hang out with her on the beach for a day.

Lily also loved playing with her Aunt Debbie making play dough ice cream cones :)

Our little girl has no fear when it comes to the waves.
 She loved going out with Michael into the ocean and having the waves crash against her.

   

She definitely feels safe in his arms.

   

 The boys headed back home a few days early so
Lily and enjoyed some extended time with my parents.

  

Maybe she is dreaming about the ice cream boat.
 He came by the first day we were there and she and Spencer enjoyed a tasty treat on the beach:)

 


One of the many special gifts that awaited Lily on her bed were these Tinkerbell pj's!
 They rank as one of her favorites and I wash them frequently!

I think this picture is a great reflection of our week at the beach with my parents...peaceful, quiet, refreshing and simple.

What a gift it was to be together as family and spend some quality time with my parents.

Thank you Mom and Dad for creating fun family memories we will treasure for years to come.

Sunday Snapshot {Sweet love}

This picture melts my heart.


Spencer adores his little sister and as you can see the feeling is mutual with Lily.


The love that radiates on his smile makes my heart full.


I didn't ask him to pose...this is just what happens when these two are together:)



Spencer will be in 7th grade this fall. He is growing up right before our eyes and we are so proud of him.



We love his smile, his musical talent and easy going spirit!



He makes us laugh



his eyes never cease to captivate me...(ahhh if only I could have some eyelashes like those:)



He knows what Lily loves (like finding planes in the air)



He is patient when I take pictures and he is becoming interested in learning more so he can give it a try :)


The other day he said he had a dream that we would go into business together one day and he would do video and I would be the photographer!    



He helps out when Lily is getting tired and ready to call it quits:)



and he shares his favorite things with her to make her smile...



Lily is one blessed little girl to have such a loving big brother!



We are humbled and so thankful that the Lord entrusted these two precious gifts to us.  Our prayer is that we raise them love and pursue Him more each day.  

The first picture was taken with my 

Nikon D80 50mm 1.4 lens

My settings were

aperture: f/2.8

shutter speed: 1/500

ISO: 160

I did some curves and levels and then ran Florabella's "add some drama" at lower opacity and some soft center fill light.  I also added her Vintage Page II bw texture.  



To see more Sunday Snapshots visit Stefanie at NiHao Ya'll!


Happy Sunday everyone!