Aspen, CO!

Our family had a little get-away this past weekend that was much needed!  I babysat a few weeks ago and earned some "family fun" money so that we could plan a day trip to drive up to Aspen, Colorado.  It's a 3 hour drive if Shawn drives, and a 2 1/2 hour drive when I drive ;)  So even though we drove for half the day, it was well worth it!  I wanted to go and do something fun as a family before it gets too cold, my belly gets too big, and while there is still only 1 baby to take on a road trip. So off to Aspen we went!  We were quoting Dumb and Dumber lines the whole way there- such a classic movie....anyway, that was off topic...let me get back to Aspen.

It is just BREATHTAKING!  Of course the Aspen trees are famous for their colors and they are changing right now since it's Fall and they are just gorgeous.  There are millions of them everywhere- they are bright yellow and green (my Dad would like that) and a few orange and red ones in the mix as well.

Way to go Shawn! <3

We started the day off by going on a beautiful family hike.  Shawn hoisted Lucy on his back in our back pack and off we went.  There are a million hiking trails to choose from, and each of those trails has trails veering off of them as well.  But we memorized our trail, because we will need to come back and visit....this is because my sweet, thoughtful husband decided to carve our initials in a tree.  Awwww, isn't that adorable?  Yes, I thought so.  Shawn isn't always Mr. Romantic  so when he said he wanted to do that, my heart melted (I should mention that he is very sweet and thoughtful in his own way, and I love him for that, but he's just not a Nicholas Spark's kinda guy....haha!) So off we went in search of the perfect tree to carve an "S," a "B," and then an "L" and a "P" for Lucy and Piper, complete with a heart around all 4 letters.  Someday, we will have to go back and add more initials that may come our way.  But for now, I just thought that was sweetest suggestion Shawn could make.

Then we had a big, delicious salty lunch at a Mexican restaurant down town and then pretty much just walked all around the town the rest of the day.  The streets are all cobblestone and brick and they have little streams and fountains all throughout them.  The stores are all Prada and Louis Vuitton type stores, so needless to say we couldn't afford to go shopping!
There was, however, a street fair/Farmer's Market happening downtown and lo and behold, we stumbled upon a Mitt Romney booth!  It was awesome.  NO ONE in Aspen is Republican!  So they stocked us up with all sorts of free Romney and Elephant stickers.  SCORE!  At the fair, Lucy met a british clown who made her a bumblebee balloon.  The permanent marker that the lady used to draw the bee's face on was not the best idea for a toddler who likes to put things in her mouth....black permanent marker was everywhere!  Oh well.  We also went to a candy store to buy 2 teeny tiny bags of candy that rang up at $12.  I'm talking 5 sour-belts and 20 jelly bellys.  Aspen just smells of wealth. Everything cost a fortune there!!  Parking was $12 for 2 hours....I mean, just ridiculous.  Needless to say, all my babysitting money was spent on little things I didn't know would cost so much, but it was fun to have the money available to be able to have a fun day as a family without feeling guilty for breaking the bank!  The weather was absolutely perfect and we all had a blast.

And what could be more perfect for my husband than a day spent in Aspen meeting tons of LSU fans?  Apparently LSU's Rugby team was there for a match that day!  So everyone was wearing their LSU gear on the sidelines and we watched the LSU Rugby players kick Aspen's little tooshies :) Shawn was in heaven....and Lucy was passed out (see picture above).

We hope to make this an annual family trip because it's just so beautiful and clean up there- there really is nothing like breathing in that crisp, fresh mountain air...feels a little like Heaven on Earth :)

Apparently we have a future DJ on our hands! Lucy loves putting on headphones :) This was on the way home- she did really good in the car that day....thank goodness!

 Thank You, Aspen, for welcoming the Gilley's for a day...until next year!!

The Girls of Summer

This is a long post, so read if you want, otherwise, it's mostly being written for my blog book since that is also going to become a "family journal" when it gets printed... Eventually ;)

I had a great summer with lots happening that I mostly blogged about, but there is something that I'd like to reflect on that hasn't been written yet. Today I'd like to write about the last 5 months at the pool, bonding with some very important women. This, to me, was the highlight of my summer.

Sometimes in life things go unsaid that you wish you would have communicated.  I have learned that far less things are assumed by others than one realizes and that life is truly too short to not let people know when they have touched your heart and your life. So this post is for these 3 special ladies whom I'm referring to.

On the days when my heart was troubled for whatever reason, (most of which I was able to contain) I found myself going to the pool and by the time I left I had found relief by being able to laugh about someone else' crazy life, or hear their inspiring stories. On the days I needed to relax, I'd go to the pool knowing that all of the mom's there pitch in helping watch each others kids so it would give me a mini-break from being on full-time "mommy duty." On the days when Lucy was restless at home, we knew we could go swimming and meet up with our friends who would bring many smiles to both of our faces. No matter how we were feeling, we'd convene at the pool most days of the week and leave better than when we came.

I just want these dear women to know that they have helped me more than they probably realize. My heart and mind have occasionally struggled with the newness of moving away from friends and ALL family, the stresses of motherhood and pregnancy, and just some other trials that I've been faced with as well. I think that through these women, God has reminded me that many times, He uses people to help others and to give hope.

I love these "girls at the pool" who helped me get through my day-to-day struggles that I may have experienced.  I am so very grateful for them. I have thought about their importance in my life very, very often. On days that I feel low, I have told Shawn that I think Heavenly Father sent me here to Colorado so that I could meet these specific women to help with some inner healing that I wasn't even aware I had/needed. It just proves that He really does have a plan for all of us, and most times we are unaware of it.

I have felt comforted or amused (big smiles) at the others' presence when we get together. It truly is a blessing to be able to get together several times a week and smile, cry, vent and lean on each other for any issue (whether big or small) that one of us may have at any given time. Also, it's great just to visit and laugh with each other on all of the good days we've been blessed with! Not to mention the fact that all of us got pregnant within weeks of each other (NOT planned!!) has been a miracle that I am SERIOUSLY thankful for.  How awesome is it to be pregnant with 3 of your best friends at the exact same time??  Talk about an overdose of love and empathy (and maybe hormones, haha) between the 4 of us :)

Heavenly Father  has continued to overwhelm me by bringing people into my little life to shine light on me.  How encouraging and humbling that is!

I thank God for these "Mom" friends of mine that He placed in my life. I know we will always remain close. I treasure the friendship we all share. Each of them has been through a LOT and we've all had some personal struggles and heartbreak in our lives, but knowing that I may have helped them feel better on days that I didn't even know they were hurting, makes me feel happy as well. Because they have all done that for me. I am glad we have found a closeness where we feel we can open up to each other and confide in one another. And now I am crying because I'm pregnant and hormonal and so thankful for my best friends.
There is now a "Sisterhood" between us, and I will hold them near and dear to my heart forever!

Love you girls.

Love,

Britt

Amber and Christy

Amber is the "supermodel" of the bunch....Such a gorgeous girl with a beautiful heart

The "Sisters."  Lindsay and Christy

Me and Linds

 Can't forget THIS stunning baby girl! What a hottie!

Amber- due beg. of November. Me- end of December.  Lindsay and Christy- both the beg. of December

Yay for Labor Day!

So exciting to have a 3 day weekend!  We had a fun birthday party to attend (one of Lucy's little buddies named Oliver turned 3), had a delicious BBQ, and did some paddle-boating and park playing with friends.  We also set up Lucy's new "big girl bed" and she likes it :) Nothing but relaxing and fun times.  However, I could use a break from the heat.  It was too hot to play outside for too long- high 90's.  Fall, where are you?!?!

Anyway, here are pictures from our weekend.  I'm trying to blog before dinner so that the rest of the night I can sit on the couch...and there I will stay until bedtime ;) This pregnant-during-the-summer-thing sure is exhausting!

Hope everyone had fun!  We sure did!

Each baby got their own balloon to chase :)

The Kids had so much fun together

Dad, put me down- I want more cake!

What a stinker she is!

Mmmmm, CAKE!

Someone LOVED the birthday cake!

Fun day feeding the ducks and paddle boats with the Rohlings!

Shawn always catches ducks!

Ducks were literally eating out of our hands!

Lucy doesn't look happy here, but she really had a blast! We all did :)

  Playground time! Lucy is so stinkin' cute, she just kills me!  She LOVES the slides :)

 Happy Labor Day Everyone!