Happy Birthday Merica'

What a jam packed July 4th weekend! I kicked the weekend off by running a 10k, the Yankee Doodle Dash, in downtown Everett and crossed the finish line in a little over 53 minutes. In typical "I get really amped at races" mode, I sprinted the first mile and then was dying by mile 4.......still need to work on pacing myself.

My paparazzi was waiting at the finish line.......

and this guy slowed down long enough for a {very sweaty} picture

After the race, we had an early lunch and set up to watch the parade. We waited and waited and waited some more. Grace didn't seem to mind since it gave her plenty of time to work on her roaming skills.....

and running away skills. 

Harrison was happy making friends with our curb neighbors and eating his "orange chips"

I love local parades because you just never know what you're going to see....

acrobatic motorcycle riders...

a group of 44 elderly folks on their scooters....

hipster bike polo....

and lots of fun old cars. I tell ya, something for everyone!!

That evening, we had dinner with our community group and got home just in time for the real festivities {if you could hear me say those last words there would be a hint of sarcasm}. Around dusk it started to sound like a war zone!! Folks around here find great joy in buying HUGE fireworks, from the indian reservations, and having there very own home shows. It was insanity!! Thankfully it didn't bother the kids and, once I popped in my earplugs, I slept like a baby.

On Saturday our sweet friends from law school, Lauren & Andrew, drove up from Seattle to visit. I'm kicking myself for not getting a photo with them but, hopefully, we will see them again soon :) We took them over to Snohomish for dinner and then we grabbed some pie for dessert. Harrison was in such good spirits......I love a happy 2 year old!

We road tripped it to Tacoma, on Sunday, to do some 3 year old birthday celebrating. The weather was beautiful and the kids snoozed.....perfect combo!

So happy to see my sweet friend, Martha {Hey girlfriend!}, and her cute babies. It pains me that they don't live closer because we would hang on the regular.......like live next door so we can have adult beverages and chat about life regular.  Thanks for inviting us to celebrate Bud!

Jingle Bells

At this stage in our lives, there's no such thing as a quiet evening at home. Life is loud, rambunctious and best spent with those also living in the "I don't have an inside voice" zone. We're lucky that Harrison's best buddy, Will, has gracious parents that let us come over and increase the, already amped, volume in their home. 

Harrison, Sammy "the tank" and Will

We did our best to get a shot of the boys smiling, but it was like trying to tame a bunch of alley cats. Wild!! We were able to capture an attempt at singing jingle bells.....they need a little more practice with the words.  

Sister was happy just sitting and observing all the chaos. 

Those People

You know those people, the ones who go over and beyond to make you {& your new little lamb} feel loved?  The ones who make you feel like the luckiest gal in town.  You know.....the ones who do things like THIS, because they know how much you wanted to be a mama.  Those people could never be repaid for their kindness, but I hope they know how much it is appreciated.  Those people are the best ❤

Amazing gift for Harrison!
{I didn't get a picture, but the back of his "Bless this Baby" pillow says
Before you were conceived
I wanted you.
Before you were born
I loved you.
Before you were 1 hour old
I would die for you.
This is the miracle of love. }

Close up of the beautiful moses basket

****Want a pillow of your own?  Check out Pillow Talk**** 

Southern Themed Baby Shower

My sweet friend Megan & her mama {Julie} threw me the most beautiful baby shower this past Saturday.  Those 2 ladies went over and beyond to make me feel so special and very loved.  The food was AMAZING but the ladies who came to help me celebrate were the best part.  We visited while sipping on Peach Bellini's and sweet tea, ate a variety of southern specialties & finished it up with lots of pretty presents for my sweet little boy.  Thank you so much to the Budge ladies and for all my sweet lady friends.  It was truly a memorable day.......that ended with me taking a dip in the pool! HEAVEN!

The lovely table setting

Shower menu......I filled my plate.....twice





A close up of the yummy food and the adorable favors





Table Flowers

Celebratory Champagne for the day Harrison arrives

There was soooo much food

Some of the lovely ladies......Kim, Melissa & Vanessa

Miss Jenny & Shanley

Such a happy lady!

Turns out that no photos were taken of my gracious hosts.  Luckily stealing photos off Facebook is so easy......Thanks again Ladies!
{Megan, Julie and the Budge mascot......Gracie}

Ode to the Weekend....

Jody and I loved having Kerri in town for the weekend and we were sad to send her back to CO. The 3 days she was here were pretty low key, but we managed to sneak in a little shopping and lots of food. That's a good vacation in my book! Here are my top 10 highlights of the weekend...

1. This amazing 5 year memory book from Kerri. I love the vintage look of the binding and the gold writing. Thank you sweet friend!
2. Eating $1 cinnamon rolls before we conquered the "Ikea Maze". I think I found a chest of drawers that will look good in our little guys room.
3. Celebrating Suzie's 25th birthday at Cafe Soriah. The chef accidentally flung butter on Jody's jacket so they gave us a free bottle of wine.
4. Pimento Cheese Sandwiches. We combined the recipe from Paula Dean and Garden & Gun....delicious!
5. Finding some new maxi dresses at Forever 21. I'm looking forward to spending the summer months in long flowy dresses instead of restricting pants.
6. First cookout of the spring/summer at Lauren & Andrew's. It's one of my favorite parts of the longer, warmer months.
7. Making rice crispy treats. Kerri's recipe calls for exactly 37 large marshmallows and they are perfect every time.
8. Brunch at Cafe 440. They make the most delicious grits!!! (That's quite the compliment coming from a southern gal)
9. Sweet surprises in the mail for the firecracker. Thank you Camilla and Aunt Becca!
10. Burgerville.....twice! We don't have one in Eugene so we take full advantage when we're in Portland.
7 out of 10 have something to do with food......told you we ate a lot!

Hi Friend!

This pretty lady is coming to visit this weekend......waahoo.....3 day weekend!

Can you tell I'm excited?

Day #6 & A Heavy Heart

FEB 6 - WORSHIP WITH YOUR SPOUSE

There are few things that make me feel as close to my husband as going to church on Sunday morning. Knowing that we start our week worshiping together, with focus on what is truly important in our lives, has become an essential part of our marriage.

A HEAVY HEART

This is my dear friend Austin and his wife Beth. Austin and I were both in the same program in college and he was a huge encouragement when I was terrified about taking a job in Colorado after graduation. Austin was also a huge comfort when my father passed away, listening for hours as I struggled to deal with the loss.

In his early 20's, Austin was in a severe car accident that almost took his life and left him without a spleen. Yesterday I found out that he had come down with a flu-like virus, that his body couldn't fight, and he passed away.

I'm honestly in a state of shock and my heart is truly broken.........for the loss of my friend, for Austin's beautiful wife and for the pain his family is going through.

I so often don't understand why God makes the choices he does, but I just have to continue to believe in his plan.

What do you want for Christmas little girl?

This little gem showed up in my inbox this morning from one of my best friends.

I'll let the picture speak for itself......

maybe it's the man curls or the lacy top but whatever it was Miss Betts was not interested.

Best part.....had Jenny not cropped herself out of the picture you would see her standing off to the side......laughing.......I can't wait to have kids.

xoxo

Weekend Thanks

A 4 day weekend to spend with my honey

Grandparents that tell great stories

Pecan Pie

Feeling so full you think your pants may bust

Avoiding all Black Friday shopping

Boise State getting beat by Nevada

Finding out my favorite Miss. is going to become a Mrs.

Cinnamon Rolls & Cheese Toast for breakfast

Spending the day in pajamas

and last but certainly not least

My friends & family......you are my ❤

iphone Weekend Flashback

{LtoR:}Hipster bikes at the Bierstein, Millstein enjoying his brew, The selection, IPAs all around, Trying to get a picture of Jody cross-eyed, Saturday morning sweat session, Followed up with some weights, Celebrating with a Diet Coke, Took the dogs on a date to the Suds Em Yourself, Got in my vote, Carved a Jack-O-Lantern, Sweet Life treats, Our gracious host, Pecan Pie and a 70's knowledge game, the fellas, Words with Friends.

♥♥♥It was Lovely♥♥♥

The Real Deal

No grocery store pumpkins for these Duvalls!!

Sunday afternoon I put on my most respectable pumpkin picking gear, grabbed the hubs & my gal pal and headed out to the farm. I think we picked some winners.

Amy and her loot....

1 for her, 1 for her hubs and 1 for her Beta Fish, Lamichael {She's thoughtful like that}

With Love,

Should I be worried.....

about that blonde woman kissing my husband?*Mad Men Birthday Fiesta......I brought out my inner Betty Draper*

October 1st......

and still celebrating my birth!

{Sweet Cheeks Winery}

Mr. & Mrs. Mirtsching

Congrats to Matt and Kerri on their nuptials.

Your wedding was amazing!!!!

Thank you for letting the hubs and I help you celebrate

Tonight we bowled.....

then we ate cake & watched Mad Men.

It was a lovely evening