Girls and Goodbyes

This little princess melts my heart every stinkin' time she smiles but she is quite onery too. And she just happened to wear this adorable little ensemble in public one evening and melted the hearts of everyone around as well.

And she happens to have the same ability. Don't you love them? I sure love them but hate the fact that they are growing up so quickly. They change so much even from day to day.

Lately we've just been finishing up with school and enjoying every single minute of free time that we get because the chaos of summer will soon begin.

We've also been spending our days with a handsome dude that's not our daddy.

You may remember him from his baby days. He's quite a charming young man and we love having him here.

Jaelyn thinks that it's great to get to have a friend over every day.

We attended a very special ceremony of someone very near and dear to us yesterday. This pretty girl just happened to be graduating from college. Oh, Allison.

I happen to remember when we were little and graduating from college wasn't even a thought at the time.

We were too busy playing witches and "don't step off the pillows" and sliding down the stairs on huge cardboard pieces. We'd sell lemonade and bean pods and drink hot tea with Hershey's chocolate. We would eat mint leaves and paint on rocks. And we would laugh and laugh and laugh until we couldn't anymore. Those were the days, I tell you. I have more memories with this girl than I can even put in to words.

And after graduating, her life just happens to be leading her in a different direction than where I am headed and it just happens to be tearing me apart that this direction is further away than I would like her to be. I have shared more laughs with her than anyone can imagine and I was very, very sad to see her go this morning. Even though I'm smart enough to know that she will always be my bestfriend and I'll see her often, it just won't be the same, at all. And the fact that we were always together, Logan, Matt, Allison and I, doesn't help. We're all bestfriends that have truly become family.

And my girls. They have shown so much love to them and I can't thank them enough for it. Everytime Jaelyn happens to see either of them-"Lonan or All-a-son"-she runs and jumps towards them, full of excitement. She loves them. And every time I look at my Finlee-girl, I will think of Allison, because when I named her Finlee Allison-Grace, I dreamed that she would someday grow up to be just like Allison and I still have hope.

Even though it's killing me to watch them go, we all have to grow up at some point and I am unbelievably happy for them and can't wait to share the future with them. With my bestfriends.

Here's to a happy and fantastic week!

Xoxo,

Tanna