september 11, bright eyes, birthdays & busyness

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september 11
to the families of those who lost their lives in this great country 8 years ago, and to those who fight to keep her safe today... God bless you & God bless America.

with all of the best intentions, i was thinking i'd get back to updating my blog daily. but, as it seems the case lately, i'm behind a couple of days. but here i am, a day (or so) late and a dollar (or two) short.

figured i'd start off with a quick birthday card i made for a friend of mine... hopefully she doesn't check the blog today, since we've been playing friend tag & i haven't had a chance to give it to her yet! i love the card inspiration on kristina's blog, and lifted her design for this little number. thanks kristina!

other than that, the past couple of days have been piled with the busyness of the new school year, stan's chief's initiation & general life stuff. while taking some 4th day of 4th grade pictures of torrey, she had a bit of a melt down. for anyone who has a 9 year old, this isn't surprising. since the onslaught of hormones seem to start arriving between 8 and 9 now. life is starting to feel a little more complicated. school, friends, sisters and life tossing about in her sweet little head. i'm sure the added stress of daddy having to work a lot & an upcoming deployment add into the mix somewhere, too.

but in the middle of some quick pictures, she started to cry and said, "mom, i just don't have anyone else to talk to about stuff." i got to pull her on my lap, listen to her heart and just spend a few minutes in a big mom/daughter hug. just another reminder to be open to the moments that sneak up on you unexpectedly... and to listen to what's behind what my little ones are saying.

in other random news... i've been working on planning a big congratulations party for stan for his big chief promotion. scanning my favorite party blog for inspiration on decorations, i'm going for a khaki themed party to go with the many new khaki uniforms hanging in our closet. any brilliant ideas or party planning websites are always appreciated! i've got a bunch of apothecary type jars that i'm going to fill with khaki colored foods (cookies, peanuts, cheerios), and maybe some navy blue accents for fun. now i've got to get the girls on making some signs. (good thing stan's too busy to be reading the blog these days!)

enough of my senseless rambling. i'm getting more and more distracted as i switch between photoshop, multiple firefox tabs, and lightroom... definitely time to get this post up before it gets any more absent-minded. much love and appreciation for all of the men & women who serve our great nation and the families that love them... God bless you!