Fabulous Giveaway Alert~

Wanna chance to win this gorg~eouso dress from Shabby Apple? Go here for the juicy details, and good luck!!

Salad Season~

Nothin' beats a great summer salad. Thought I would share one of my favorites with y'all~

Balsamic Dressing

2/3 c. light olive oil

6 T. Balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. red onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix in blender until smooth, and serve.

{store leftover dressing in refrigerator}

This dressing can be used on lots of yummy combinations.

Spring Mix, spinach, strawberries, mangoes, blueberries,

pears, apples, bacon, Craisins,

Candied pecans, almonds, and walnuts,

Gorgonzola, feta, and blue cheeses.

Oh, the possibilities are endless...

So get those creative juices flowin'~

And enjoy!!

Preschool Graduation

Our Ry~bug graduated from Miss Bonnie's preschool. She was one lucky girl in having the opportunity to enjoy Miss Bonnie for two years in a row! We all adore her, and couldn't help but be a little sad to see this year end...

Rylie and Miss Bonnie~ she is taking a break from teaching while she has her new little one, and we are sooo going to miss her! She is amazing.

Gramy and Mimi came in full support~ we sure love these gals;)

They had the most darling little class this year. Here are some of Rylie's close friends~

Whitney and Kendal

Brecken~

Livy~Lou

And Easton~ these two are such cute buds:)

Me and my girl. I was so proud of her, she wasn't even nervous this year!

And the remainder of the day was spent playing with these balloons she got to bring home. What a day~ balloons make any day a good one!

It was a fabulous year, and Rylie learned and grew so much.

Next stop~ Kindergarten!

Aaahhh!!!

It better be a looooong summer so I can brace myself:)

~xo

Flashback Friday~

As I pulled my last jar of strawberry jam out of the freezer today, I thought of these pictures of the bug and I making jam together last spring. You know, when I wasn't blogging much;)

Have I ever mentioned what a huge help this girly is in the kitchen.

She loves to help a momma out~

And seeing Kaden's violin case on the counter back there gave me a little twinge of regret in pulling him out. Can't believe I never even got a picture of him with his mini~violin... it was pretty darn cute!

We've got it down to a pretty good science~

And now I know what we will be doing this weekend, because home~made strawberry jam is a major staple in this house. What in the world would we do without it?!?

Happy Friday~

And good luck kisses to all who are racing tomorrow!

Wish I was joinin' ya:)

10 years love~

I can't even believe it. Where did it go? Doesn't it seem like only yesterday that we were driving down to this here temple, to be married into the eternities??

Wasn't it such a happy day? Couldn't have been more perfect, in my book. The thoughts of being on those gorgeous temple grounds, 10 years later, with our little family, celebrating this special day made my heart so happy.

Of all the things we have experienced and accomplished in our years together,

our little family definitely tops the cake!~

I couldn't be happier...

Or love you all more than I already do...

You are the sweetest Daddy in the world...

And the best friend I could ask for... oh, and kinda fun to smooch:)

Thanks for being my baby~ I feel so blessed to have you.

That was so awesome when Parker chewed up most of my steak, and put it back on my plate. The poor couple seated with us~ ha ha! Pretty sure they'll be waiting a while to have kids:)

We sure had a blast though, didn't we? I think the kiddos thought it was about the coolest thing ever. And this was kinda fitting...

Here's to 10 more exciting years~ may they never be dull:)

Love ya with all my heart!

~x0

New York

I just love New York~ everything about it. It is such a melting pot of so many different cultures, and walks of life. Definitely some awesome people watching, and one of our favorite spots to visit...

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, that place is always hoppin'~

We woke to a beautiful spring morning, full of fresh blossoms and buzz over 'The Royal Wedding.' Nic had a meeting, and I joined the girls for a fabulous run through Central Park.

And then we spent the rest of the day exploring the city...

I could soooo live there...

We went down to ground zero, where they are fervently working on a memorial. Almost 10 years later, I still get chills when I think of that day.

The day after we returned home, they announced that Bin Laden had been killed. The news reporters were interviewing people celebrating, and I could see these huge cranes in the background. It was so weird to think we were just there.

For lunch one day I snuck into this little joint, and had me some serious good food...

We had some delicious authentic Italian food down on Mulberry Street...

Me and my baby~

I finally got to see Wicked~ and it did not disappoint. It was brilliant~ and I'm gonna say it is my favorite Broadway musical thus far.

The Bruse's were too cute~ and so much fun to hang out with!

Ha ha! Funny story (just ask me:) We were stopped at a light and I saw this Statue of Liberty standing there. Of course, me and my craziness had to jump in for a pic. Next thing I knew she was wrapping me in the American flag, adorning my noggin' with a crown, putting a torch in my one hand, placing my other hand on my hip (awesome), and telling me "That'll be 3 dollars." Man, I love NY!!

Rockefeller Center~

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this was the best chips & guac I've ever tasted~ Fish tacos, plantains, oh my...

Isn't this cathedral gorgeous? I am such a sucker for architecture and history, and it was lurking around every corner.

And then we were headed home with new memories, and sore legs! As we flew out, we could see Lady Liberty out there in the harbor. I was wishing we had had more time to get a bit closer. So much to do... so little time... one day.

Such a fun get~away, but we are definitely ready to be home with the kiddos for a while:)

Until next time New York~

~xo