ten smiles...

okay...so after wasting far too much trying to figure out how to create a "mr. linky"...i have to admit defeat. we have been enjoying our time at vbs...but whoa, i was absolutely wiped out this afternoon and completely zonked on the couch while the girls were napping...hence the fact that i now need to be at least a wee bit productive this evening! if, however, you are someone who has posted ten smiles...leave me a comment so i can be sure to come by and see what you are smiling about! anyway...here are a few of the things we've been smiling about!

1. dropping the invitations to kate's first birthday party in the mail. can you believe it!? i know i can't. my "baby" is turning one in just three weeks...i suppose this is a bittersweet smile. while i look forward to celebrating with family and friends...and continuing to watch kater gator grow...there is that little part of me that wants her to stay little and snuggly and sweet. and just because i'm so sure you are wondering...we are going with the alligator "theme" for the party...well, i use the term theme loosely since what that really means is that mike and i bought her alligator-ish presents, and i will be trying my hand at an alligator shaped cake.

2. a break from the normal routine for vbs. it is somewhat refreshing to be working with older kiddos this week...perhaps partly because it is a huge reminder of why these "little" years matter so much. as i look at the 40 (yes 4-0) fourth graders in our vbs class (and thats just half of the 4th graders!) it hits me that someday my girls will be fourth graders...and the time i invest and the qualities we work to build into them now will be what we reap down the road. and i am so thankful for the wonderful fun elizabeth is having in her 2 and 3 year old class...she is bringing home great crafts, sharing what she is learning, and talking non-stop about all of her friends in her class. definitely a highlight that one of her friends from our flock group is in the class...she just can't stop talking about ellie.

3. one of my dear, sweet friends got engaged sunday night...oh how excited i am for her!

4. this day--i know, i already posted about it, but it still counts as a smile since it happened this week!

5. listening to elizabeth, who at this very moment is in her room (right next to the room i'm in) singing her little heart out to her stuffed friends.

6. chicken pot pie. i hadn't made pot pie in quite some time, but sunday i was scheduled to take a meal to some friends whose baby just had surgery...and pot pie just sounded right...so, in the interest of keeping thing simple, thats what we had for dinner...and boy was it tasty! kate chowed down...and then chowed down some more.

7. my saturday out. saturday was my MOPS steering retreat...a full day of planning, brainstorming, training, and, of course, general fun and fellowship for our steering team. how nice to have a day away...to recharge, relax, and spend time with some ladies who i thoroughly enjoy.

8. smile #7 also meant that daddy had his own special day with the girls. he and another dad whose wife was at the steering retreat took the kiddos to the children's museum. bless their hearts...it was a rainy saturday, so you can just imagine how C-R-A-Z-Y the museum was!

9. a neighborhood ice cream social last night...a gorgeous summer evening...the chance to chat with some neighbors and, of course, enjoy some ice cream. elizabeth was absolutely thrilled about the sprinkles...and kate, well, she was just thrilled to enjoy some ice cream and people watching!

10. scoring a load of great new books for almost free at half price books today. they let me do 5 separate transactions with those $3 gift cards i've been racking up from the summer reading program. kate is definitely getting some books for her birthday...and we found this great dinosaur book for elizabeth...complete with puzzle-like dinosaurs that fit into the pages...