Angie's 60th Birthday!

For HER birthday this year, Angie treated all her nieces and nephews (more like grandkids) and me and her dear friend Maryanne (who is a DELIGHT and oh so fun to be around!) to a fun lunch at THE RAINFOREST CAFE! The kids LOVED it. The atmosphere was exciting, full of vibrant colors, waterfalls, jungle music and noises, "rainstorms"  and animated animals that "came to life" every so often. The food was a little slow coming out, but of course Aunt Angie is ALWAYS prepared and gave each kid a gift bag with some fun little trinkets to keep them busy! After lunch (which all the kids DEVOURED! YAY!) we got to sing to this lovely lady and celebrate with a chocolate lava cake. YUM! Brax was given an extra special treat and got his very own dirt sundae for dessert. I tell ya, that made his day! It came in a cute little pot with gummy worms hanging over the side. He was one happy camper! THEN, as if they hadn't been spoiled enough, Maryanne and Angie gave each kid $10 whole dollars all to themselves to go pick a gift out in the gift store. It was like Christmas! They all found their special toys and left with full tummies, full bags, and full hearts. It was a day they will always remember! 

Thanks Aunt Angie! 

WE LOVE YOU! 

I didn't get a chance to give you a present, and I feel so bad about that, but I hope this expresses what's in my heart and how much you mean to us! 

There is a very special woman in our lives,

 Who brings light and happiness wherever she goes. 

She is kind, understanding, loving, and selfless, 

And is always there to ease our woes. 

Her ear is always there to listen, 

Her shoulder is always there for tears,

And no matter what the future brings, 

We will always love her, for many, many years. 

The Lord says he has given us Angels,

Well I for sure know thats true,

Because when I think of the Angels in my life,

Angie, I can't help but think of you!

Life isn't always easy, 

And its not always what we hope,

But with your help we've learned to adapt,

With your help, we've learned to cope. 

You are a wonderful Aunt, "Grandma" and also a dear friend,

And I am so grateful you will be in our lives

to the very, very end. 

So on this very special occasion, we just want to say,

That you deserve the best, we love you, 

and we hope you have a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! 

Happy 60th Aunt Angie! 

Bella's FROZEN 5th Birthday Party!

My Bella is 5!!!! 

And all she wanted for her birthday, all she talked about for MONTHS, was a FROZEN birthday! So mom worked tirelessly for weeks to make this come together (as frugally as possible...themed parties are expensive!) and lo and behold...it turned out pretty great! We even had a SPECIAL GUEST...ELSA!!! The little girls were all enraptured by her and they never wanted to leave her side! It was so cute. Bella STILL hasn't stopped talking about it. :) I'm glad it was a wonderful day for her. Hopefully it will be a party she will remember for always! 

I love you my beautiful, smart, whimsical, fun-loving, girly girl princess! You are all I could ask for in a daughter! Can't wait to see what the next year brings...

Elsa did Face painting with all the kids! She was FANTASTIC! 

The Birthday Girl! 

Cousins...I love them! :) 

My little Batman! 

Everyone loves Uncle Jo Jo! 

Everyone enjoying the "Frozen" snacks

They all sang "Let it Go" together...SO CUTE! 

Then they played "Snowball, Snowball, Snowflake!" HA! 

Snowball fight!! It was so funny, as soon as I said "GO" Elsa ran behind the tree and EVERY SINGLE GIRL ran with her and tried to hide with her...cracked us all up! 

The party! 

Braxton

Braxton. My first baby. My boy. He is growing up, and won't slow down! I can't believe I was watching him graduate from kindergarten in May. Before i know it, I'm sure I will be writing the same thing, except he will be 18 and graduating High School! Slow down, my child. Don't grow up so fast. 

I love this kid. He is SO smart. His teacher, Miss Jenna, thinks he is just about the best thing since sliced bread. He is so kind and helpful to the other kids, he is already reading and writing and doing HARD math for his age (multiplication and division.) I am so proud of him and can't wait to see what next year will bring!  

This summer he started swim team...and has fallen in love with it. He LOVES going to his "swimming class," and looks forward with great anticipation to his next swim meet where he gets to compete with the stroke they are learning that week. I think he has found a new sport! Maybe he will go all the way with this one...

March March March!

March is one of my favorite months of the year. 

The weather is BEAUTIFUL here in AZ in March. The flowers and trees are blooming. Orange and grapefruit trees are ripe and ready to pick, the juice sweet and so flavorful. Fruit Blossoms fill the air with intoxicating aromas. I LOVe it. And so of course we spend a large majority of time outside around this time. The kids all "moved up" a bike this Spring...Braxton got a big boys 20" bike. Bella inherited Braxton's old one and learned how to ride it with no training wheels within a DAY (so proud of her!), which means Conrad got Bella's old bike. Thankfully, even though its pink, it was love at first ride with this kid and he hasn't wanted to get off since. Hours and hours of bike riding fun, enjoying the cool spring breeze and just being KIDS. 

Sophie had her first swing ride! Just wanna bite those chunky rolly polly legs! 

My superhero! This month Conrad decided his alter ego is a superhero...which one varies depending on the day...but most days its BATMAN! Suit, mask, cape, and most recently he has added his "power boots!" (An old pair of rain boots) He dresses up EVERY DAY still to this day, many times refusing to take it off for outings, trips to the store, or even bedtime. I don't mind one bit. After all, he saves me from bad guys like 20 times a day with his madlike superhero skills! LOVE this kid! 

Bella's preschool took a trip to the dairy farm in March. SO MANY COWS! They had a blast petting the animals, taking a hay ride, feeding the animals, and having a fresh glass of flavored milk and then ice cream. 

Got Milk???

Holding the Rooster (without freaking out!) YAY BELLA! :) 

Look at his little face....he is so proud of himself! 

Then to top it all off...we ended the month with Conrad's birthday! 

THE BIG 3!!! 

We decided just to keep it small this year and celebrate with just our little family at AMAZING JAKES! The kids were SO EXCITED to go there and had a BLAST! (THey beg us to back at least once a week...)

And whats a party without cake and presents?!? 

He carried those three dollars around for 3 full days after (and are currently no where to be found), slept with his Hulk for two nights, and made sure that bow and arrows never left his side. Ya, his hands were pretty full for a few days! Love how much he loved his presents though. It doesn't matter what they would have been, he would have loved it just the same. This kid has a heart as big as the ocean. I am so blessed to be his mother and get to see what he decides to fill it up with throughout his life. He is my special little man, full of personality and adorable quirks. He surprises me every day with his wittiness and silly jokes, and he just loves life and all it has to offer. Every day is an adventure for and with this kid. 

I LOVE YOU CONRAD! 

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY!