princess hampton is 3!

on august 12th, our little girl, hampton turned 3! we celebrated among family and friends with a princess tea party at our home. the guests arrived in princess attire (thankfully, my ever-so-creative sister hooked hampton up...by making her tutu dress), had make-up applied, colored wooden princesses and sipped tea before partaking in a princess luncheon. a special appearance by a "real" princess, cinderella, was made as well. the little girls were in awe, as she read princess stories and shared tea with them. it was a magical day...one i will not forget. love you princess hampie!

the shanks' year in review part four

a photo from our trip to the lake of the ozarks with jessica simon in july...what a treat! we had an absolute blast swimming, boating, sea doo-ing, and relaxing.
coleman's first day of second grade! so excited, can't you tell!?!






austin's first day of middle school! it was too dark outside to take the typical pictures! wow...don't know where the time has gone!




hampton on her third birthday, august 12th. what a cutie!

the shanks' year in review part three

hampton and her cousin, evie enjoyed lots of pool and fun in the sun time, including a bunch of pink sand!


coleman proved to be quite the baseball star this summer...dad coached...and the andover aces enjoyed lots of wins!







our annual trip to the behlmann's in july was once again, tons of fun. the kids enjoyed pool time, vacation bible school, and just plain fun. it's hard to believe the friendship between kim and me began during grad school!

kids' names from left to right: austin (12), brett (9), hannah (5), coleman (7), abby (7), emily (11), hampton (2)

the shanks' year in review part two

my sweet aunt jani flew my sister, jen, my cousin, devon, and me to cali, los angeles, of course, for a memorial day weekend that was out of this world! we dined, wined, and shopped a lot! enjoyed cocktails at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, high tea at the Hotel Bel Air, along with lots of great girl bonding time! memories to last a lifetime!

austin spent a great majority of the winter and spring playing basketball with the wolfpack. he is truly becoming quite the athlete. i have to say i am definitely the loudest cheerleader!

i celebrated my 20 year high school reunion in june, and enjoyed the moments...following great planning adventures in the months prior! we all had a fantastic time!

the shanks' year in review part one

we began the year celebrating my niece, evie's, first birthday in january. what a celebration!

we visited disney world for a week in march for spring break...had an absolute blast as always!








we celebrated a bit o' the irish in us, on st. patrick's day, with a celebration at our home. hampton christened our home-made blarney stone with the sweetest of kisses!


hooray! hampton is a potty-trained...big girl now! april marks the month.

"nothing is worth more than this day"

today is the day...i am now convinced that documenting the happenings within our home, via computer, will prove to be much more fruitful than my scratch paper notes to self. i look forward to savoring and sharing the tiny wonders of each day in the world of the shanks family.