my heart flies free, for You are with me

today was one of those days. ya' know, the kind where everything seems to go right! and every time you think about how good the day is going, it gives you butterflies!

the. perfect. day!



i started the morning with one sleepy-head boy prancing in my room, waking another sleepy-head boy which was cuddled against me. immediately the giggles started! oh how i love first morning giggles. and then the wrestling began. as mom tried to catch the last few seconds of sleep, she was pummeled, rolled on, knocked into, and jumped over by lil' leaping frogs!

we continued our morning routine with diaper changes, trips to the potty, a sippy full of chocolate milk, and some brown sugar oatmeal. yum! followed by dressing our best and heading out to a free morning at monkey joe's! we saw lots and lots of friends there! ri and b played the morning/early noon away as mom chatted it up with other moms that she's learning and growing with.

we went home. the boys went down for a nap without the slightest groan... and slept the afternoon away, with a wild 2.5 hour nap! and all the mamas said, "YEEHAW!"



during nap time, dad made his way home with a relaxing afternoon off (again, all the mamas say, "HOLLA'!"). and ty filled me in on some amazing news! the prospect of a financial backer has been revealed, to assist ty in future work! a blessing in disguise? an answered prayer? you have no idea... (now if we could just land a position with a local fire department, so much stress and anxiety would be removed from my poor hubby's worrying mind and wringing hands!!)

we decided in the calm of nap-time whisperings to make a trip to home depot for a craft project i am working on. b woke on his own and dad raced me to the bedroom to save little b from the lonely bed! as i watched in the mirror my little love and my baby daddy - the first glance, a shy smile, immediate wrestling, and kisses galore - i instantly knew - there is no mama more blessed than i, not in all the land.



after another 30 minutes of waiting, and still no riott, i decided to wake him. i ran to his room, turned off his fan, got down in front of his face and watched his sleeping face turn to wake. there's my boy! and in rare fashion, he woke quite content and even happy! i whispered to him, "guess who's here to see you!?" his eyebrows raised, his eyes widened, and he said in the most excited whisper possible, "DADDDDDDY!!" he got up and very casually looked to find his biggest pal, saw dad, walked up to him, and stood there not looking at his dad. ty was busy looking at an email and didn't even know riott was right beside him. finally, after about 30 seconds (and still not looking at his dad) he gently said to me, "will you get him for me!?"

HAHAHAHAH! what a trip my baby boy is!



ty quickly realized he had a friend waiting on him and scooped baby riott into his arms. followed by kissing. followed by bear-hugging. followed by wrestling.

i love my God! i love my boys! i love my life!

the weather allowed the windows to be down, the radio picked up so many of the right songs... and i got that feeling deep in my soul. one that i haven't felt in a long, long time. one that i think is finally returning to me. one that i've longed for, prayed for, dreamed about. i don't know where it went, and i don't care. i just need it back. and today, it whispered in my hear.

a couple days ago i stumbled upon these verses. they had such an impact on me, even late at night, that i wrote them on my hand. the ink remnants are barely visible, but the joy from these verses will last forever:

blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.

amen. and amen.



God's faithfulness never ceases to amaze me.

half a decade - so happy together

this year, tyler and i celebrated 5 years of wedded bliss! no, we didn't make it away for a vacation, or do something crazy unique. but we did something we don't often get to do with 2 littles at home - dinner and a movie. and just like anything we do together, we had so much fun hanging out!

it is utterly impossible for me to put into words what this man means to me. but that ain't gonna stop me from trying!


(our most recent photo together.)

from 17 to 25, he's been my very best friend. the one who always tries to meet me where i'm at and make everything better than it was before.


(our wedding day! note: do not contact or use this photographer. i would not recommend them.)

he may not completely understand this tangled mess of a female, but he loves me unconditionally.

we have the greatest time together! he makes me laugh - really hard. he takes my silliness and runs with it! he makes fun of me like no ones business, and he's pretty good at it too.


(us at the corn maze in 2006 - right before we got pregnant with little riott.)

he has the most amazing eyes, the strongest hands, the cutest bum, and THE. BIGGEST. HEART. i've ever seen.


(us hangin' with friends. after marriage, before babies.)

he's great with a crowd, and so vulnerable one-on-one.


(one of my favorite pictures of us... up in black mountain, nc. college days.)

he is daddy! hear him roar! and bounce, throw, tickle, wrestle, cuddle, dance, ride, sing, bathe, blow bubbles, listen, and play.


(daddy with baby riott.)


(daddy with baby beckham.)

my ty is strong, hard working, determined, and masculine. at the same time he's loving, tender, emotional, and the sweetest piece of man-cake.



provider is his middle name. from the moment we were married his first priority is making sure we (his family) have everything we need. he doesn't complain. he doesn't quit. no matter what it takes he's going to do it for us - me, ri, and b (and whoever else may come along).



i thought i knew what i wanted in a husband (you know, the checklist you do as a teenage girl) but i had no idea. God gave me more than i could have asked for in my amazing man. he's my perfect fit; he's my other half. he's the glove on my hand; he's the wind in my hair.



he is warm and cuddle-iscious. he is rough and persistent.



i could say that 5 years of marriage to tyler is all a girl ever needs. but i won't. i'm selfish. i want every year he's got. i want to have him by my side 'til the very end. give me 75 years, and that still won't be enough. but i'll take whatever i can get.

em's day

i have known this girl since 3rd grade... count 'em... about 17 years! to say that i'm elated she found a man as good as nino, is a massive understatement. they love each other so. the evidence follows.































just a few of my favorite shots. what a beautiful day!

it's the perfect blendship

it's been far too long since i've done a blog post. truth is, i've been really, REALLY busy. the past month has looked like this:
utah
consignment sale (working and shopping)
lakehouse
playdating - babysitting - blueberry picking
kitchen painting
wedding photographing - photograph editing
sewing class

whew. i do plan on updating on all of those things but(!) today is all about the joys of friendship.

riott has had incredible amounts of fun with his buddies and pals over the last month. and something they all tend to share is a love of their toys. they are playing make believe. they are watching buzz and woody over and over. they are swinging bats and throwing balls, swinging, and running through sprinklers! they can't stop talking about trains nor keep up with them (i find them in and under the couch every day!).

we love our friends! and riott is entering that magical moment in childhood when anything can become something else and everything/everyone is good, kind, and open for adventure.

"WOODY!"


"BUZZ!"


"WOODY!"


we love our friends!

on a similar note, mom (ahem, me) is shifting gears (excuse the lame driving term, i am married to tyler after all) into another phase of friendship in her life. i am meeting and sharing time with some glorious women. they make me smile! they open their arms to me and my family! they ask me about my thoughts, feelings, and life! what a change!

there are women out there who love you and don't want to compete with you or judge you! there are women who aren't only concerned with themselves!! it is SUCH a breath of fresh air and a true blessing in life. one most definitely worth the wait, worth the tears and insecurities wondering if i was in this alone or not (girl-wise), worth the years of seemingly unanswered prayers.

these women are becoming my soul-sisters. i'm learning them every day and falling in love with them and their families by the moment.

the LORD is so faithful. and i am so unworthy.

likewise, i am slowly but surely cutting away the loose ties - the women who sucked the life out of me for years. i've nursed parasitic relationships for so long, they've almost killed me. almost taken away all of my self-esteem and pride. almost robbed me of my boldness and humor.

i am ready for this new era.

(now i know this is most every man's story but) i'm sending up prayers for my hubby as well. i want him to have strong friendships with other men! men he can relate to, talk to about anything, and go play with. he works so hard providing for us and loving on us, he needs man-time. and as reluctant as i am to know what they do in this man-time, i am desperate for him to have it!

and ty, please, leave the blue-darts in the past! :)

sorry this post went a little far into the cold water. been on my heart and mind a good bit lately.

of math and such

i'm a hater of math. not that i hate the purposes of math in the world (of which i can't even comprehend them all), not that i hate those who are good at math (though i usually can't comprehend things on their normal day-to-day "hey! how's it goin'?" level), it's just that, well, i'm not very good at the comprehension of math. ah hem. beyond basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (plus or minus - no pun intended - a few 50% off, & 75% off)... aanndd you've already lost me.

BUT! ohhhh but but but i really do love math sometimes. (it's a conditional love-hate relationship.) like, today for instance. today i finally had the chance to go through, organize and sort my most recent booty from the treasure hunt that is the LOLLIPOP SALE! i was nervous about my winnings but my math has put that uneasiness to rest.

i shopped for:
one 2T/3T utah mig boy
one 2T/3T georgia mig boy








one 12 mo georgia mig boy


one (size 2 juniors, size 7 shoe) mig mama - hey! it was only two things!


one newborn-6mo utah mig boy (due in NOVEMBER!!)


one 3yo georgia mig boy birthday present
& one georgia mig family (games!!)


i had a total of 106 clothing items (including hats, pairs of shoes, pants, shirts, jackets, etc.)

SIX - pair of jeans
SEVEN - jackets
SIX - pair of shoes
THIRTY FOUR - 2T/3T shirts
FIVE - 2T/3T sweat pants
etc. etc. etc.

minus the $50 that was spent on FOUR family games and TWO sets of geotrax (valued at over $150)...
i spent a total of $1.89 per item (shirt, shoes, hat, jeans, etc.)!!!!

whoa mama!

and i'm so thrilled that i'm typing this up at 2:30am. I LOVE CONSIGNMENT SHOPPING!!!

gone so long

when we vacation we go all out! okay maybe not. when we vacation we do, however GO... visit friends and family. thus is our last trip to the GREAT STATE OF UTAH. we made it out for the 3rd annual bennion family reunion!! it was a ton of fun! and we love nothing more than loving on (and being so loved on back) by our migliori and bennion families!! they are the best!!

here is just a smidge of the 1,500 (yes, you read that correctly - FIFTEEN HUNDRED) photos i took. i've only made it to about 700 in the editing process so this is just the start...

cousins, that could be twins!


beckY! she's my fav! (don't hate me BECKY! i only put this in here b/c i knew you'd see it! and i LOVE it! you look like you're 25 - an everyday thang for you!!)


"brammie" and her THREE (soon to be FOUR) grandsons! woop woop!


daddy and B!


riott with his uncle zach! can you see by the tilt of his head - he is so jammin' out!! loved playing the piano with his zache'!


my boys with "brama and brampa SUE"


all the GREAT-GRANDBABIES with Grandpa Bennion and Grandma Marlene


uncle zach and auntie katie trying to control the B. dontcha know it's not possible!?!? mr. persistent, i say!


auntie angie with the "twins"


like i said, just a taste. there is so much more to come!
this week will be filled with LOLLIPOP(ING)!! holla! and a mini-vacation for mom and the little boys! holla (times two)! i can't wait!!! aaannnddd a BACHELORETTE SHOWER AT MY PLACE (and if you know me, you know what that entails!!!!) HOLLA (to the 3rd power!)!!!!

the weeks to come will be filled with lots of crafting *hopefully*! utah allllwaaaaays gives me the crafting itch! and on that note, here's a lil' craft giggle for you...