Lily turns Two!!

   I can't believe my baby is two!  She is still my baby and such a sweet little girl.  We celebrated her birthday the Saturday after Thanksgiving so Aunt Melissa, Aunt Samantha, Uncle Barry, Warren and Ezra could all be there. 

 Princess book...

 Princess play-doh...

 Princess legos...

 You would think I should have made princess cupcakes, but no way.  I was planning these for months.  Plus, she really has loved Sesame Street all year long. It's just too bad she is looking like the Grouch in the picture above.

 It was so fun to have cousin Warren here.  He was a big helper and helped Lily blow out her candle.  She really needed the help too. 

 I also love this picture of the kids eating their cupcakes.  I promise everyone else kept their shirts on.:)   

 I'm sorry Samantha this is the only picture of you that I got, but I like it. 

 This was on Thanksgiving day.  We enjoyed a very nice and relaxing day with Aunt Melissa.  I still can't believe we both got a nap in before we ate!  That was awesome.      

I had to post this picture of Lily in her new outfit from Aunt Samantha!  She had so much fun getting ready for church on Sunday.  Thank you again! 

Happy Halloween!!!

Did you notice our old house in the background?  That's right! We are back in Idaho as of last Monday.  We just took an extra long vacation to Tulsa. :) It was wonderful and now we are in our home and glad to be back. 

A Pony Party!

Maggie had her first friend party last week for her 5th birthday.  It was a great success mostly because Grandpa got the pony and it didn't rain until after everyone got a ride! 

Since it was about to rain, we decided to do the pinata first.  Then they decorated their bags for the treats.  No biggie, it worked out just fine.

Here is Maggie getting caught peeking on her turn to pin the "cutie mark" on Rainbow Dash.  Cheaters never prosper...

I was so excited to make these rainbow fruit kabobs I saw on pinterest.   Also the dumb dumb topiary was also really fun to make too!

 Maggie really wanted to bob for apples so some girls and a big brother bobbed for apples. 

We moved the party inside when it really started to rain.  I love this picture of the group because I have a picture just like it of one of my friend parties around the same table in the same room probably about twenty years ago.

Thank you Grandma for making these adorable ice cream cone cupcakes.  I could not have done it without you!

 The last two girls standing in a game of "Pass the Pony" (aka Hot Potato)

 Present time!  Maggie was SPOILED with so many wonderful gifts from all her friends.

The party came to an end with a bracelet craft.  I think Maggie was a happy girl that day.  She is a special girl and is greatly loved.  

Best First Day EVER!!!

 For the first time in seven years I get to be a stay-at-home mom all year long!!! Which means I get to see these two cuties go to school and come home each day!  Thank you Seth for working so hard for our family to make this happen.  You are the best husband and father EVER!!!

And... I get to spend everyday with this little munchkin.  Can my life be any better? 

Summer Fun Overload

 We kicked off our Summer with a beautiful day at the Tulsa Zoo.  We saw the new Sea Lion exhibit and an awesome show put on by these two elephants.  

 Grandma hosted a super fun Luau for our church play group friends.

 Darin and her adorable kids came.  Just about seventeen years ago she was playing in that back yard with me!  So crazy how time flies.  

 Enjoying some super cute cupcakes that Grandma made.

 Then in June we took a girls road trip to Dallas to visit our great friend Kasia and her cute family.  It was so wonderful to catch up after so many years.

 Ben worked really hard during the month of June at Summer School so when the movie "Brave" came out we went on a "Mommy and Ben" date  to see it and eat out at Braum's.  He was full of conversation until the movie started.  Then it was business... no talking.  I'm grateful his father taught him so well. 

 The very best part of our Summer has been spending so much time at our apartment pool.  I can't believe I spent the last ten years in Idaho where swimming outside almost everyday is absolutely unheard of.  Don't get me wrong, Idaho summers are the best, but I am sure loving my summer long tan. :) 

 And since this is the first Summer my kids have actually spent swimming, we thought they needed some lessons.   One day towards the end they were all put in this canoe and the teachers rocked it and filled it with water to sink it.  The kids didn't have to swim for their lives since they were all wearing jackets, but at least they had fun. 

 Lucky girl Maggie just started her very first dance class the other day.  It's a two week camp with a little performance at the end.  I'm sure there will be more pictures to come. 

Birthday Boy!

The face says it all, the boy loves legos.
Lego cakes from bettycrocker.com. Pretty simple, don't look too close at the frosting job.
A scooter and more legos!
Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for hosting the party.
20 Questions for Ben at age 7 (new family tradition, from pinterest(trying not to let pinterest rule my life, but it does have some great ideas))

1. What is your favorite color? red and black
2. What is your favorite toy? legos
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas
4. What is your favorite t.v. show? Star Wars:Clone Wars cartoon and Samari Jack
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Lunchable pizza box
6. What is your favorite outfit? light blue Star Wars lego t-shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Nintendo 64 Mario
8. What is your favorite snack? banana
9. What is your favorite animal? elephant, you know that!
10. What is your favorite song? movie songs
11. What is your favorite book? comic books
12. Who is your best friend? Payson
13. What is your favorite cereal? cereal crunch crunch (cinnamon toast crunch)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play pretend stuff like Star Wars, zombies, pirates, and Mario
15. What is your favorite drink? root beer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you? Ben (koala beanie baby)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? same as #13
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? hot dogs and a jar of pickles
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a zoo vet and teacher and animal researcher