I Love February Beach Days

I was invited by some friends (ok, I invited myself) to celebrate April having another baby! She's like me and all she wanted was a "mom's day" at the beach. No husbands and no kids. Just chicks and chocolate and all things girl talk! When it came down to it, Tanner was a little miffed I was going. It did NOT help me relax and enjoy the time with my friends. Courtney faced the same dilemma but we held strong and drove down to Huntington together. We met Jill and Haley and April for lunch and then sat on the sand for a while and talked and laughed. That was the end of my "gal pal" time because Tanner followed close behind me and picked me up so we could head down to 3 Arch and see Carole and Sari. It's ok because it was fun while it lasted and just makes us all want to do it again soon!

Rayleigh caught a bad cold and had to miss a day of school. But her teacher sent me this and said she was doing great!

The ever constant battle to stay present with my kids- here we are making bracelets with the beads she got for Christmas. Not soon after, Parker took over this project....

These incredible women are truly extraordinary and inspire me! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such strong, powerful mothers who help shoulder the responsibility of raising children in today's world. They are brilliant and bright, strong in the faith and beautiful. I am lucky.

3 Arch NEVER disappoints. Carole came down on Valentine's Day to spend a week with my mom...and Sari, with her husband and twins, stayed with my mom too! It was a busy week for my mom and she is a good lady to be such a gracious hostess. Saturday was the day planned for a reunion at 3 Arch. Jon brought hot dogs and a little camping grill, my mom brought grapes and a veggie tray, and we had chips and Girl Scout cookies. We enjoyed a legit sunset beach feast!

Rolling down the sand hill

Parker does not feel the sting of cold water. Here he is in the middle of February body boarding in the ocean! Such a stud... And that Kim is such a cutie!

Jack and Ella caught Rayleigh's cold and the chilly beach was probably not the best choice.... but hopefully the fresh air did them good.

Kim found a star fish!

Jon snapped some impromptu family pictures and I love them! He was making funny animal sounds and totally cracking up Ray and Jack! Yessss!!!!

And guessssss whattt!!!!!????? By the divine hand of a loving Heavenly Father, I was able to witness my sweet Emily's engagement! Emily called me a few weeks ago to ask me advice about this critical time of her life. It touched me greatly to know she would trust me and want to confide in me! I love her so much! I remember when she was 5 and I thought, "Wow! 5 year olds are the best." We'd go to the park together and legit talk. She'd seriously give me dating tips and was the best little buddy. Now here we are 20 years later and I am blown away by the young woman she has become! I am so proud of her! 

So, we were all sitting around enjoying the start of a beautiful sunset when I see Lisa walking by. She had London with her and they were holding arm fulls of long stemmed roses and candles. Trianna and Sabrina were there with cameras and then it hit me: it's happening! I gave Lisa the biggest hug and shared in her excitement. They were there to set the scene for the romantic occasion. I had to really hide because if Emily saw me on her way to be proposed to, I would screw up the whole time table and probably really bug Colton! ha ha My family and I all hid behind towels and children and hooded sweatshirts the best we could. Then we saw her walking by in  a beautiful long flowing dress with Colton holding her hand dressed in a gorgeous suit. We watched from afar as he got down on one knee and popped the question. Oh man! Such a wonderful, miraculous coincidence!

Of course I had to steal a picture with her after he put a ring on her finger. I'd never met Colton but the way he was looking at her made me cry. Like giant hearts were beating from his eyes. It was the most endearing, romantic thing! I'm so happy for Emily! And I'm so thankful for a Father in Heaven who knows me perfectly and guided me to be here and stay at the beach to be there when Emily was there. We will be friends forever and I have no doubt I was there for a reason- if not just a tender sweet reminder of the love we share.

We stayed until the stars came out which is my absolute favorite thing to do. We obviously never get a chance to do that because of our young children. But it was so worth it. 

3 Arch Bay is a magical place where magic truly does exist.