I need to start this blog post by saying that the day after I took these pictures, Brent and Rachael painted themselves green (BODY PAINT) and rode their bikes around Athens for St Patrick's Day. Needless to say this is an awesome couple. I loved getting to hang out with them and hear their story. They met on a ranch out west and started long distance dating months later, so being married will be the first time they will be together in one place! I can only imagine how ready they are for that. Brent lives in Charlotte, NC and works with youth at a church. Rachael also works for a church (Christ Community Church in Athens) and is part of their killer band that is just about to come out with their album (check out more about it here ). She is pretty amazing on the piano! Brent and Rachael were up for anything and their love for each other was really sweet. We took some pictures where Rachael lives (in a full of cuteness house near downtown), which is where Brent proposed. We walked around downtown looking for some good spots, and I was excited to find a stop sign that said, "never STOP lovin" So good:) We had some high school girls cheering us on when they kissed, and Brent and Rachael were really good sports about it. The best part was going over to our friend's farm for the last set of pictures. It was crazy that on March 16 it was 75 degrees and green as Ireland. We played around in the grass field and wanted to venture over to a cute red swing, but saw a wire fence between us and the swing. Rachael touched the fence and found that it was an electric fence (ouch.)... way to sacrifice the hand, Rachael, for the sake of cute pictures. I also got some pictures of Brent reading to Rachael a book they got and read to each other for Valentine's Day. Brent often reads to Rachael so they wanted to include that part of their relationship, too. I think that is super precious. Jared and I used to read Lord of the Rings together back before children (BC). We only made it to the second book because some chapters were painfully long (especially the one where they are in the forest forrrrrrrevvvvvverrrr). Anyways, life BC had some fun reading to each other times. But I guess we still do read to each other in a way, except now the books are Where the Wild Things Are and Curious George. Oh, and there is a little person sitting in between us, too. It's fun to see how love changes and grows over the years. I hope Brent and Rachael can still read books together under trees in green fields 30 years from now and find the same if not deeper joy than they have in this stage of the journey. You guys are awesome, so much fun. I am really looking forward to the wedding and am so encouraged by your love for each other!
Front porch where Brent proposed... and where he tickled Rachael to get her to laugh:)
leave it to Athens to have crazy stop signs. Never stop loving, guys.
this picture makes me think they are famous (and I'm the creepy paparazzi!) or maybe I think that because JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and CLINT EASTWOOD were in downtown Athens shooting a film! So we were just pretending that Rachael and Brent were famous and I was stalking them:) Can you believe JT was here? I'm going to ride the streets playing my N'SYNC and rocking out with my two children. He could autograph my stroller.
this is a super random picture, but I had some fun HUGE balloons that I've been playing with in photographs and so Rachael and Brent did a "I'm about to fly away with this thing" jump. Brent looks like a balloon ninja.
Rachael will be moving to Charlotte once they are married, so this picture is in honor of their new home together... Ironic that we took these pictures in Athens (home of UGA) but Rachael wore a UNC Chapel Hill hat- that's love! You guys are the cutest. 
this was the lovely couple and me, the third wheel, spinning around. I wish I had a picture of what it looked like from the outside looking in (me with my camera around the other person's neck and running in circles). Mostly just for fun but I do love Rachael's expression in some of these shots. It's all part of trying to really capture people's personality and have fun.
you guys are the cutest- thanks for asking me to be a part of everything!!!
March 11, 2008 was the day I first met Ethan and Ethan first met the world. He was born at Athens Regional Hospital 3 weeks before my due date and weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. I never knew how much love I would have for this kid or the intensity of emotions that he would bring into my life. And this past weekend we celebrated his 4th birthday by having a little bug party at Memorial Park. He had told me months ago that he would like a bug party, and that he wanted to dress up as a spider. This is how I know he is my child... he loves to dress up! So Ethan had in his mind that he would be a spider and other kids could come dressed up like bugs, too. The bug party included spider oreos and a spider cake (that my mom made- she wondered whether it looked more like a crab and her thoughts were confirmed when Ethan said, "hey! that's not a spider but a crab!"). He did tell her that it smelled really good, though. Each kid got a magnifying glass and got little bugs to mush around in a bag of bug juice (a project idea I got from pinterest). The bug juice was just hair gel mixed with food coloring in a plastic bag. We had a spider web the kids had to crawl through and some other little bug capsules that were supposed to grow when you put them in water but didn't actually work because I didn't realize the water needed to be hot. One of my favorite parts of the party was when the kids all went exploring in the green field next to the pavilion. They took their magnifying glass and went bug hunting, and then just ran around like wild animals. It was so precious to see and such a beautiful picture of childhood. Ethan had so much fun and wanted to know if we could have another party the next day. When we got home that evening he took out all his presents and looked at them, and then walked over to me and hugged me. He said quietly, "I love you, mommy." I could have melted. I laid in my bed that night with a really peaceful feeling. I've had this specific feeling at least 2 other times I can remember: after a wedding shower and a baby shower. I remember feeling really loved and a strange sense that at that moment, all was right in my little world. I've had a lot of not so great feelings as a mom, including feeling like I'm going crazy when Ethan hit me with a sword while I was peacefully eating my dinner or driving cars over my face at 7am while I'm dreaming of sleeping in. But this was one of those days I'll always remember as a time when I could tell that this little family of mine was building memories that we would all cherish. I was really tired that night (actually that day by 3pm!!!), but it was the kind of tired of a day well spent, a good tired. I have sloth tired days (you know, days where you never feel like you actually woke up even after 2-3 cups of coffee...) but this was a 'use your energy for the joy of others' tired kind of day. I am so thankful that Ethan came into our world 4 years ago and am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate his life with costumes, sugar, and magnifying glasses. I'm learning more and more how true it is that children are a blessing from the Lord.
Ethan's newest cousin baby Charlie came to celebrate, too... we love this little guy!
These next 2 pictures CRACK ME UP. We were crossing the street and I pulled out my camera to get Lauren in action (and Lindsey in the corner of the shot). Lauren did some funny faces as we were running across the street and they are priceless! I am a huge fan of fun faces.
