“a portrait of Ezra, once a week…every week, in 2015.”
He’s in the 3 year old class at Church….and loves singing and doing crafts!
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I love having people over at our house……whether its an intimate dinner party, or just a casual hang. I prefer hanging out on the deck, closer to dusk with the string lights plugged glowing, adding to the charming ambiance. We went to one of my favorite restaurants [Tupelo] in Whitefish for my birthday dinner earlier in the week…..but a few friends joined us on the deck for a little get together over the weekend. It really wasn’t about my birthday at all….it was an excuse to gather a few people that I love for an evening of good conversations, cupcakes [thanks Ashley!] and summer cocktails. As friends of mine asked me about the “guest list” this was my answer. Invite everyone. If they know me. If they like me. If they want to get to know me. All are welcome. So, the evening was filled with a few of our dear friends, sweet employees, customers from our shop, musicians that I lead worship with and a few Fresh Life interns. This evening wasn’t about cliques or groups, but about gathering together. This year, we celebrated each of our birthdays outdoors. HELLO SUMMER BIRTHDAYS! Such fun memories we’ve had, especially on our back deck. I love it.
“a portrait of Ezra, once a week…every week, in 2015.”
I can’t believe that our baby boy is THREE! Ezra is such a little sweet heart. He is joyful. He loves people. He is compassionate. These are just a few of the qualities that I love about him….and it’s these qualities that I am intentional about encouraging and fostering, daily. This past week as we were riding bikes he shouted “I PROMISE, MOM.” I melted. Right then and there. The verse we prayed over Ezra this past year was Isaiah 55:12. As I dug deeper into the verse this year, I believe this is a life verse for him. This verse tells of the future that God has for Ezra. God is planning for Ezra to be happy forever. He is planning for him to live in peace forever. And He is planning that good and beautiful things in His creation be preserved for his exhilaration forever and ever. How beautiful is this?! Ezra’s love for the outdoors and nature will be eternal. Not just something in this life here on earth, but in Eternity. “For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break fourth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” –Isaiah 55:12 Happy Birthday, sweet Ezra. You are loved and honored, always.
We celebrated Ezra at my in-laws home with a few close family and friends. The hardest part about this years party planning was keeping it small. And sticking to it. With all that we had going on this summer- it was tempting to not do any parties at all, but my saving grace was allowing myself to not over-do-it and to keep things small. My goal this year was to keep it simple. Of course I allowed myself to dream a few detail ideas, but nothing overboard. I wanted to enjoy the process and more importantly, enjoy the day. Last years theme was Little Explorer and this year was Outdoor Adventure. He’s such a boy, wild at heart and loves to be outdoors, playing. So…thats what we did! We set up three stations: Finger Painting, Fishing & Splashing [kiddie pool and water balloons]. This kept the kids busy between dinner, cupcakes and presents. The wooden arrows were from Target and I just hand painted the words of each play station and hung to the fence. The painting station also served as a party gift for each little one to take home with them. I bought small square canvases [from Michaels] and with a black sharpie marker….I drew a teepee on the front, by hand. The kids painted the teepees……and the mommas got to take home a little piece of art for the wall! The menu was simple: Hot Dogs [Montana raised Bison & Beef], Homemade Potato Salad, BBQ Chips & Fresh Berries. Im forever thankful to my dear friend Hollie who always saves the day with the most amazing yet simple recipes. **more photos from our little mans party can also be found on 100 Layer Cake-let! Thanks for the feature!
“a portrait of Ezra, once a week…every week, in 2015.” |
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