the last hours of being 7

when I asked her if she was ready to turn 8 she frowned and with a few tears said, "I don't want to get older"...

{This is Our Life} 16.52 {Relax}

This is one of our favorite places to relax in Indianapolis.  The peaceful and ever changing gardens, the amazing array of plants and trees, the absolute beauty of the landscape and sculptures and the fact that we are usually relaxing and spending time together as a family while we are there.  

Watch out...

You've got about 10 years to safely get out of their way.

Celebrating Isabelle's 8th birthday at Creative Escapes

Isabelle invited a few of her friends to a party Saturday at a Pottery place.  They were able to pick out a pottery piece, pick what colors they wanted and then when they were done painting it was placed by the kiln room to be finished.  They had cupcakes and then Isabelle got to open some very nice gifts from her friends.  It was a really nice time!

 Isabelle picked out a cat to paint...of course!  :)

Allie painting her unicorn while friend Emma Claire is concentrating on her toucan.

Juliette painting her monkey purple.

All smiles to celebrate number 8!!!

{This is Our Life} 15.52 {Firsts)

On April 26th, 2005 my world changed forever when I became a mom for the first time and then came a flurry of "firsts".  I didn't know my heart could feel so amazingly full until it made room for 2 more daughters 2 and 5 years later.  I started this blog when Isabelle was 2 and so she hasn't had cyber space as a baby but has actual PRINTED photos in albums!  She was in so many ways my first everything as a mother...first laughter, first tears, first chubby dimpled hands clutching my fingers, my first worries, my first tears, my first iloveyous, first dreams, wet kisses and endless hugs, my first wobbly walk and timeouts and she will continue to blaze the path for her Dad and I and also her 2 younger sisters who love and admire her so so much.

One of the happiest moments in my life.  So beautiful and so perfect and we waited so long for her.

 Just hours after birth she opened her big eyes and just stared so contently at me and all around her.  She was such a calm, happy and good natured baby.  I on the other hand was a neurotic crazy first time mom who knew everything there was to know about raising a child until I had one of my own and then I realized I knew nothing.  Yep, I was one of those.  I seriously love this picture and so vividly remember those peachy soft cheeks so warm from a late night nursing marathon.

Just 10 weeks old

 4 months

 Just learning how to sit at 6 months.

 Happy Halloween at 6 months

10 months...whenever she sucked her thumb, her "pink kitty" wasn't far away

{This is Our Life} 14.52 {What home means to me}

Home is wherever these 3 little munchkins run and play.  Our house is filled with laughter, screams and so much pink.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  

circumzenithal arc

On Sunday evening we witnessed a very unusual upside down rainbow pointed out at dinner by Juliette.  We googled this and found it to be a circumzenithal arc which is a very unusual phenomenon. We had no rain, just cirrus clouds and a blue sky around 6 pm and watched the arc come and go and then the arc flipped but continued with the colors inverted (red on bottom) in the western sky as the sun was setting for about 30 minutes.  It was pretty amazing and wonder if we will see anything like it again in our lifetime.