Happy Veterans Day 2015!

We had a great time at the Parade!

Veteran's Day was a lot of fun, but very exhausting. I was already tired from working the day before and both kids have been giving me trouble at night, making it impossible to sleep. In fact, I almost cancelled our plans so I could stay home and take a nap because I had to work the day after but I'm glad I bucked up, grabbed a Starbucks latte, and made some really fun memories with  my kids :).

My cup of sanity right here!

Austin wanted to go home with Grandma the night before (she was babysitting while we were working) which was just fine with us! So that morning I only had one child to get ready so we could head out the door. I don't know why but it STILL took 2 hours! I think that's just how tired I was....

Baby girl and I made the drive to Logandale, and once we met up with my Mom, Nate, and Austin, we headed over to the parade! We got there fifteen minutes early so we could find a good spot and set up our chairs, which was just enough time for Austin to get bored and throw a temper tantrum in front of everyone.... it was pretty embarrassing :(.

Who knows what started it.

As you can see by my face, I was not amused, and was quite honestly wondering why I didn't just stay home and take a nap!

But soon a helicopter did a fly by with the pilot waving out the window, and like all two year olds, Austin suddenly perked up and found joy in his life again! The police cars were the first to come by with their sirens going, throwing candy out the windows. Now Austin was really loving it and I was again happy with my decision to not stay home.

"Look Gama! Fire Truck!" He doesn't know the difference between the police and the firemen yet ;).

Running out with Grandma to grab some candy!

Once he got the hang of it, he no longer needed someone to go with him. He was ready!!

We had a great time watching the marching band, the cheerleaders, and teaching Austin to put his hand over his heart when the flags went by with the Boy Scouts. It was at this moment that I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I felt so grateful for the Veterans who put their lives on the line to keep our country safe. I felt grateful for my little family and for the opportunity to take them to this small town celebration so we could salute the old Vets as they passed us by. They especially loved Austin by the way as he ran out into the road and waved to them ;). I don't think we take the time to stop and realize how blessed we really are. Life gets rough, but we still have more than most and we want for nothing. Who could ask for more than that?

I am thankful for my sweet Mom, and how much love she has for us and our babies. She saves me by being our babysitter so I could go back to work. I don't know what I would do without her!

I'm grateful for Nate and the great support system he has been to me and my sisters when our Dad decided to not stick around anymore.

I am beyond grateful for my sweet babies. They mean the world to me and I would die for either of them without hesitation.

I am grateful for family and how much mine loves to be involved in our lives. I truly believe it takes a village to raise children. Everyone has a different personality and different traits that will help my kids learn and grow in countless ways.

I am grateful for the pure love of Christ and how often I see it shining through the eyes of my children and their sweet spirits. All we can do is hope we are doing it right and life doesn't take away their inner beauty.

After the parade we went to Sugar's for breakfast as is our long standing tradition since I was a little girl actually being a participant in the parade! Both kids did great which was a happy surprise and Momma got to eat her breakfast! SCORE!!

We went back to my parent's house after that and sat on the front porch for a while, enjoying the weather and looking at my old baby pictures. I wanted to see if our kids look anything like I did as a baby and it was shocking. Eve has my chubby cheeks, and every once in a while you could see it in the eyes. But Austin, that boy is my twin! Even HE thought the pictures were of him and he kept pointing to the 2 year old me in the pictures and saying, "It's Aus'in!!" We tried correcting him but he didn't understand. Seriously though... the resemblance is remarkable!

Around nap time we headed back home to see Daddy who only had to work half the day. The kids slept in the car and then we spent the rest of the day watching movies and spending quality time as a family. It was the perfect day!