4th of July Festivities

I LOVE THIS DAY!!!  I love it for what it means, I love it for the memories it brings back and creates, and I love it because who doesn't look good in red, white, and blue?! :)

We had a lot of fun celebrating America's birthday this year, and will continue to celebrate with our friends in our circle this weekend.  I have always loved this holiday, and when we moved to Omaha I think Jovan started to figure out why.  People here are just as crazy as am about the day!

I love decorating for the 4th and start right about Memorial Day weekend and will leave my patriotic decor up until it's time to decorate for football season.  This is the door sign I made this year, and I love how it turned out!


Our festivities began Sunday night at our church's annual Fireworks Bonanza.  It's really cool because we have a worship service, then there are food vendors and bouncy houses and other fun activities for the kiddos to play around on.  Everyone just comes and sets out their chairs, tents, and blankets and hangs out listening to a band or other music play until it's dark.  Then, of course, the real fun begins!  God has blessed us with a church home we really enjoy, and has answered our prayers about finding a small group.  We had a great time hanging out with our small group friends followed by some amazing fireworks!

Lainey wore the outfit Lilly is wearing for her first 4th of July.  I love when I get to put Lilly in Lainey's old clothes.  Brings back such fun memories!

Lainey getting ready to jump on one of those bungee trampoline things.  She had a blast!

Lilly had made a wardrobe change into her pjs for the fireworks.

The girls minus one

Lainey and her friend Ellie

 We're already looking forward to next year's Fireworks Bonanza!

On Tuesday night we went to the small town where my dad is from where they always have a street dance and a band.  We also went to check to make sure the blankets I had put down to secure a parade spot were still there.  It's crazy!  You are officially allowed to start "reserving" spots at 6 p.m. on the 2nd.  I went down at noon on the 3rd, and there was not much "prime space" left, but I did get us some shade with some curb spots also!  It never ceases to amaze me what a big deal this small town parade is!  Love me some Independence City!

Nana and our sweet girl

Lilly is thrilled, ha!

Waiting for the parade to start

The night of the 4th, we headed to watch fireworks.  We went up to my dad's elementary school and sat on top of a massive hill (the same hill we used to sled on as kids-so fun!).  It was really neat because we were able to see fireworks all over the city as well.  The girls wore their 4th pajamas, and everyone had a great time. 

Exhausted!

We had one of the most fun Fourths I remember in a long time!  Can't wait to do it again next year!

Father's Day

We celebrated Jovan's sixth Father's Day today.  I'm one of those people who feel that you become a mom or dad as soon as you find out your preggers, so we definitely celebrated Mother's and Father's Days when I was pregnant, and have continued ever since! :)

Jovan's what we like to refer to as a "girl dad".  Not that he wouldn't be a great father to a boy, but he was meant to have girls!  He's so patient and will when Lainey want to play princesses, he's learned to be pretty decent at fixing hair, and he shows his girls how they are to be treated by men when he takes them on dates.  He spoils them silly, and to be honest, I'm kind of okay with that.  I'm a Daddy's Girl, and I want my girls to have that same relationship with their dad.  Lainey and Lilly are truly blessed to that God chose Jovan to be their dad!

Father's Day 2008

Father's Day 2009

**We must have been really busy for Father's Day 2010, because I have no pictures to document it!  Come to think of it, that was a few weeks before we moved across the country...that might explain it!

Father's Day 2011



Father's Day 2012



Father's Day 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

**I added some more at the end now that I've finally gotten a few pictures off my camera.

I've always liked Valentine's Day.  It's always been a big holiday for me, but not for the mushy lovey dovey reasons it's probably supposed to.  I've had the same Valentine for 29 years, with some others thrown in here and there, and of course a tall, Serbian Valentine for the past 10 years! :)  My Daddy has and always will be my Valentine.  He has gotten me something for every single Valentine's Day my entire life, and I don't see that changing ever!  Because he did this for me, I have encouraged Jovan to do the same for his girls.  It goes with that whole "Dad's should show their daughters what a man should treat them like" thing that I find SO important.  So, Jovan has gotten Lainey something every year, and now has another girl to add into the mix!  We tried to take some pictures of the girls in their Valentine's gear.  We are finding it near impossible at this point to get "good" pictures of them, but we're sure having fun trying!

Bless Lainey's heart.  She usually loves her baby sister, but she was NOT feeling it this day! 

This is what this girl looks like 90% of the time.  She is such a sweet, happy baby!

Lainey got this lovely dress from her Daddy to play dress up in.

Lilly's Valentine's gift from us

Each Valentine's Day Jovan is supposed to give the girls a charm.  We had planned for him to do this for Lainey, but we had never really found ones we liked or Pandora ones that cost a minimum of $60, so long story short--we found some and he had to play catch up!  Now both girls each have one for the number of Valentine's days they've had with their Daddy.  Each one has a story behind it, and it was really sweet hearing him tell Lainey about each one and why he chose it for her.  I hope both of these girls realize how special this is someday.  I pray that they will have the same relationship with Jovan that I have with my daddy, and I am thankful that Jovan has the example of my dad to learn from.  Such a blessing!