: Jacob's 6th Birthday :

Back in the first week of June we celebrated Jacob's 6th Birthday.  It was a flight party and we were ready for take off!  I am anti-character parties {at least for my kids} I don't mind if they do basic parties with themes, for example: trains {we're pro @ doing train birthdays}, teddy bears, ducks etc.  but not specific characters like Thomas etc. So this flight party was right up my alley!  

{Warning!  Photo overload!}

Here's the invite to all of his guests

The  front entrance with his current photo along with his treats for each guest

Here are all his friends from his "kids" party :: this afternoon was slightly crazy and I was zapped from all the party prep, kids, food, cakes :: But it was all worth it, JJ came home from school and wouldn't stop squealing about how great everything looked, he noticed every little detail which makes it all worth it!

 

 Random details from the parties {same set up for both the kids party and family party

 My boy got two cakes {lucky bum!} but unfortunately with all the mayhem of the kids party I neglected to get a photo with my nikon, so here is his second cake from the family party

 Here is Jacob with Grammie & GG {great grandma}

 Daddy & Uncle Jamie doing kitchen work {can't mess with the chef!}

 Grandpa & Papa chilling on the deck :: Thank the Lord for a sunny afternoon!

 Birthday boy in front of the original birthday sign, hoping it lasts through all their growing up years...this is a tradition in our home!

 Opening gifts with Daddy

We got JJ his first baseball glove and ball, he's very excited to start to use it or learn to use it ;)

 Couldn't resist posting this shot of cousin Jack, he was so excited that the sweets were out and cotton candy eating could commence!

 Our family :: Jacob wasn't too sure of the whole sparklers vs. candles on the cake...he tried to be brave but r e a l l y hates fire - ha ha!

And last but not least the thank you's to all the guests for coming to his party

Such a great time of celebration for a beautiful little being that we get to share our lives with! 

***

On the morning of his birthday I posted this on Instagram the first photo of him and the most current photo on our bed opening presents on the morning of his actual day

Happy Birthday JJ -- We love you a bushel and a peck! 

{XoXo}

: Instagram Friday :

Happy Friday Lovelies!!! I just have a few short minutes to post so this is going to be brief.  

On mother's day {which we actually celebrate on Saturday for me and Sunday for our Marm & Mum} I got a lovely surprise of a new phone.  My phone was dead, dying, almost gone and I had continually complained to the Mr. about how stupid my phone was acting.  He didn't seem to care.  

Does he not know that his families well-being was based off of me having a reliable working phone!?!?! {just kidding}

Anyway, on Friday night I was out at Walmart...Walmart has NO reception, so I told him I would text him when I was on my way home.  I tried to text; failed to go through, I tried to call; went straight to our carriers help line. What is happening here!!?!?  So frustrated I walked through the door choked that my dumb phone was again not working!  

I check my emails online, there is an email from Icloud {insert natural blond here} -- I say to him "what is Icloud" he says "I think it's a thing to do with the Iphone, what did you sign up for now!?!" I say "nothing!" then I think, think, think, oh yeah I may have signed up to win a new Ipad -- "there you go" he says, "now they think you're a customer and you're going to be on their mailing list getting junk emails all the time!" -- feeling sorry for my no phone self and dumb about falling for a "sign up and you'll win" scheme...I go to bed. 

In the morning he leaves the room to check on the boys in the play room and comes back to cuddle with me {this is typical of a Saturday morning} a few minutes later there was a quacking duck under my pillows..I look at him, he looks at me.  I'm like, "what's that" -- then I clue in...lifting the pillow to find a brand spanking new phone!  I was stunned!  I had asked for hanging baskets for mothers day...but a new phone will have to do ;)  

Here is the first photo I took with my new phone:

 

 Now comes the obsession with Instagram.  I don't really Facebook -- I'm a "liker" on Facebook, I scan it, I "like" other peoples status' and update my profile photo, that's about it!  I don't do twitter, I really only do my blog, well not anymore!!!  Instagram is the perfect outlet for me the one always capturing beauty or moments in photos.  I LOVE it! 

So here's a sampling of my Instagram this week:

* * * 

: Cole registering for Kindergarten, not so sure about this! :

  

: New necklace :

 : busy in the office :: wedding season :

 : Beckham :

 : eldest and youngest :

 : these three things I love :

 : spring beauty :

 : family en-route shot :

 : bloom :

 : rainy afternoon :

 : heading state side :

 : spring in bloom :

 : it's a love/hate thing :

 : top knot :

 : fresh free flowers :: LOVE :

 There we are, if you have an Instagram account and want to follow me I'm Shawnalad -- I'm off to get the biggest boy from school and then off for a date night tonight.  

Gonna be a great weekend filled with sunshine, gardening and hopefully some baking! 

Happy day Lovelies! 

{XoXo}

: Let us be women who love :

I had the greatest opportunity to join along with another church and attend a fabulous woman's conference.  It's an amazing conference that's committed to bringing you closer to the Father and in communion at His table.  

To be totally candid, I didn't want to go.  Multiple factors into why I didn't want to go but the main one was that I had been through the roughest blip in the radar of my life and this particular conference weekend was the 1 year anniversary of said "blip".  

But God had other plans.  Sure I could have been busy doing plenty of other things, but instead God had multiple friends contact me and say "I'm going, can't wait to see you".  These friends are the truest of sorts, they don't mince words, they know me.  The real me.  So I was candid with my feelings/emotions.  They felt my pain and all felt that it would be good for me to go. I was still undecided. 

Then Mr. L came home and I was dressed in my cake making attire {in efforts to get my work done so I could go to the conference I was rushing around like a crazy person!} which is yoga pants, a tee-shirt and covered head to toe in a mixture of white powders...he says "I thought you were going to the Life Women Conference?" -- Here's the thing, we didn't talk about it, it was on the calendar which he never looks at, so I knew that it was God and that He wanted me there.

I cleaned myself up and within 20 minutes I was running out the door,  I arrived within 5 minutes of the opening of the conference, I have fabulous friends who saved seats for me...I knew I was in for it, God had me here for a reason!  The tears came easy, which in itself is not normally me.  God had a plan all along. 

 

Pastor Helen Burns spoke on the first evening, she spoke of some amazingly deep profound places that she had been.  The Winter of her life and that there was a stirring in her and that she knew that Spring was coming -- This is exactly how I've been feeling in a winter so much so that my chalk board in my kitchen {even not realizing that I had chosen such a perfect quote until I returned and read it again after the conference} it says "No matter how long the Winter, Spring is sure to follow"

Now going back 5 months and thinking of my word of the year "Flourish" -- I honestly didn't know why God impressed that word on my heart but I went with it.  Now I know why He chose that word for me, I've been in a Winter and now it's time for my non fruit bearing limbs to produce fruit and flourish..profound, yes, shocking, yes.  Amazing, absolutely!

Anyway, every speaker I heard I felt their words deeply and like they were just for me.  The friends I sat with throughout the conference were aware of it too, I got nudges in the side saying "boy oh boy was this for you!".  I have never {in 6 years of attending the conference} purchased all the audio classes, but I did with this conference, that's how much it was for me.  

I can't say that I'm the same as I was before, I'm a work in progress -- but I like progress, I like constant, flowing waters. 

This was the song that was our song for the weekend.  It was amazing.  I can't sing this song without crying, it runs that deep. 

Here's to seeing what He has in store for the next 6 months of this year of flourish, the first 6 have been quite the ride! 

 Thank you to Relate church for giving us a place to gather for a greater cause, for His name and for weaving our hearts together...

{XoXo}

: Welcome Audrey :

In the midst of all the craziness of life, life stood still while we welcomed Audrey Grace into the world.

 

Congratulations to our dear friends Tyler and Stacie and their little addition - she's a beautiful little lady and has a few admirers over here ;) 

* * * 

I'm off to finish up a wedding cake for Friday.  Here's to keeping up on housework and little boys while I actually get some work done!  

{XoXo}

: Easter 2012 :

 *Here I am, sorry for the delay, all has been well -- Busy but well*

We had a full full Easter weekend around here..being busy is not my specialty, I hate the feeling of the house un-done and not having everything organized and so over long weekends when we're running from place to place, making dishes, hosting events & creating our own memories sometimes it takes a long while to get back into the swing of life!  That's basically been our lives for the past month & a half {hence the lack of blogging} --- don't worry though, I'll get up to date soon!

 We prepared baskets for our little guys

 Hunted for special treasures left around the house

 Went to our friends place for another special hunt & dinner

 Enjoyed our very own {I've always wanted a magnolia tree and now we own one right in our front yard} magnolia blossoms and blue sky

And lastly the best shot of my little Easter boys.  We're so blessed to be able to worship with abandon especially at these special times of the year.  He has RISEN!! 

{XoXo}

: Welcome Beckham :

My older brother and his wife Lindsey welcomed this little addition to their family last week. We are so delighted to have Beckham join the McC clan and as Cole says "sure is nice to have a new cousin" -- we're relishing in the new baby smell around here.

CONGRATULATIONS to my SIL who was a warrior during labor - Jord, CONGRATULATIONS for staying standing through the whole thing ;) -- not that we ever doubted you ;)

Love to your new little family!

{XoXo}