The day a boy stole my heart... forever.

I am thankful for him. 

Thankful for this moment.

Thankful for a year of memories.

Thankful for a growing personality.

Thankful for a boy who changed me forever and taught me more in a year that I could have dreamed.

Happy Birthday! I love you buddy.

Jess | Sophomore Pictures

While Andy was in Nicaragua, I grabbed our new camera and tried it out myself! I love being behind the lens and the North 40 was the perfect place to shoot... there are so many features to take advantage of.

It was hard to nail down my favorites, because she is stunning! Take a look.

our life as we know it.

I realized it had been awhile since I've posted and update. These past few weeks have been a bit crazy! It seems as soon as summer hits, it's non stop. Before I get too much more behind, I thought I would update you all on life as we know it.

At the end of May, Andy and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. I am more in love with him everyday and so blessed by him. Looking forward to 100 more!

Over Memorial day weekend we got brave and decided to take Levi on his first camping trip. We were planning on camping up in Deckers by the Colorado Trail, but all of the campsites were full so we had to settle on camping at my parents property. It actually went perfect and was better to do our "dry run" there... now we feel better about actually going to a real campsite!

A few weekends ago, some of Andy's family came to visit (really only to meet Levi!) We all headed up to the Georgetown Loop Railroad. I had never been, so it was fun to experience that. We also had the opportunity to tour the Lebanon Mine when we were up there as well.

Our church, Pathmakers, had our first successful VBS last week. It was so fun to be able to put one on and have kids to participate in it. I was blessed by it for sure and I know this is the first of many awesome VBS weeks to come! (Levi did awesome too. He loved watching the BIG kids run around and napped like a pro when I was leading games!)

For Fathers Day the Lautenbachs and Denlingers invaded the ColorRun! It was so fun. Andy's dad babysat Levi so we could all run. It was an experience to say the least! I am still trying to get the color out of my hair, clothes... you get the point!

Well, that pretty much sums up the last few weeks of our life.
Until next time....

The Big Reveal!

Here is the commercial as promised from a few post earlier. I think it turned out great. You can view it live, weekday mornings from 6-9am on Fox 31 and Channel 2.

The producers at the station were so impressed, they want my dad to fill in for other commercials as well!

Click HERE to take a look!

promised pictures

I can't tell you how inspiring it was to watch Andy's Dad's installation as President of World Venture. What an amazing legacy he has left and will continue to leave. It was an honor to be apart of the ceremony and I am so blessed to be able to call him Dad!

all pictures taken by World Venture

As for the commercial.. filming went great yesterday. We should get the final product back in a few weeks! I can't wait to see how it turned out. 

In love... in every way

Levi is growing like a weed and it about to hit his three month birthday. It is so fun to see his personality develop and him learn new things every day. He has started laughing and will smile on command... I guess you could say that our boy is growing up!

This past month has been a whirlwind. Levi got his first shots and took it like a man! He only had one fussy night and pulled through great. He also took his first horse ride at 11 weeks old, on one of our 60 degree days. (yes, this is why I live in Colorado. 60 degrees and 30 degrees in January all in the same week... BLISS!)

We also headed down to the National Western Stock Show this past weekend to watch Jess show in Ladies Lead (a fashion show with sheep) and take in a rodeo. Levi was in awe of the whole experience. The noise, lights and everything in-between got his attention.

My friend Sarah Weins... who also happens to be Miss Rodeo Colorado, 

stopped by for a picture with Levi. Nothing like already getting the ladies!

On another note.
Because Levi and I are having so much fun at home during the day, I have decided to stay home and be a full time mommy! I am loving every minute of this new adventure, and can not even imagine leaving him while I headed off to work! It is so fun to be able to explore and learn with him. I am also enjoying mommy time in helping with some blogging and marketing for Lautenbach Insurance. In fact, this week my dad is filming a commercial for the agency. They are filming down at the North 40! I am so excited to see how it will turn out. It will air on Channel 2 and our local Fox 31 station. Once it is put together and if I get a link to it... I will post it for sure.

Also this week... Andy's dad is getting sworn in as the next President of World Venture. We are so excited to see how God will work through him at the mission. (pictures to come on this too!)


Now, off to finish folding laundry before our boy wakes up from his nap!
Happy Monday.

mid-September Picture Update

Now that August is over, I have a minute to catch my breath... I wanted to send out an update on what we have been up to the last few weeks. Here are a few pictures to tell the story a bit better. enjoy.

At the end of August we were honored when our friends from college asked all three of us to be in their wedding. The venue was gorgeous and our trip to Grand Junction gave us one last getaway before baby comes!

Date night at the new Yardhouse in Park Meadows... it was fun to have a night out even if it meant a quick dinner at 9:30pm!

It's that time of year again for elk hunting... because baby is due only a few weeks after when he was supposed to go to the mountains to hunt, Andy willingly obliged to stay home this year and hunt on my parents property instead. What an amazing hubby I have!

Look what he came across when he was sitting... a big black BEAR!

speaking of the property... here is a picture that one of my friends took, what a great shot of God's creation. How blessed are we to live with this in our backyard?

Andy and my Dad had the opportunity to go to the Sunday night home opener to watch Peyton and the Broncos! Thought these shots were pretty cool and had to share...

Tucker loves that I am working from home full time now... although he still doesn't quite seem to understand why i can't play with him anytime he wants. He brought me this toy this morning while I was trying to make calls.

fall photography

This weekend, we headed down to the North 40 to take Jesse's 8th grade pictures. Since she won't be a school the day of the official pictures, we wanted to explore the new landscape and break out the cameras! Here are a few of our favorites... she isn't photogenic at all!

Father's Day

Father's Day weekend was a blast. We spent Sunday afternoon with our families for a picnic at the North 40 and played a game of baseball. Gotta love summer. Here are a few pictures from the day. 

On another note, I am so blessed to have such wonderful grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Rae will celebrate 65 years together this Sunday!

gotta love it! Best picture ever!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's! Hope your day was great!