I'm It!

Yes, I have been MIA with various things to catch up on these last couple of weeks and a short get away with the kids to my in-laws' house, but I'm back and the first order of business is to tackle One Wired Woman's tag so here goes...

A. attached or single? Attached to Carroll for 9 years.

B. best friend? Dancing Queen and Rebecca--I couldn't survive without these two girls.

C. cake or pie? Cake! Sorry, pies just don't do it for me...never sweet enough or rich enough.

D. day of choice? Fridays because Carroll can come home and play with us and not have to get anything done immediately.

E. essential item? My Blackberry--I've become addicted to receiving my email anywhere.

F. favorite color? Green

G. gummy bears or worms? I don't bother with gummy candy...again, it doesn't do it for me--it HAS to be chocolate!

H. hometown? I call right here my hometown...lived in the same zip code for 28 years, although I'm 37. My dad was in the Army when I was young so we were all over in the beginning. Ended up in El Paso when I was almost six...hated that place for a number of reasons so, this is home.

I. favorite indulgence? Working out with my personal trainer.

J. january or july? July! I love the summer...give me the heat and the extra day light.

K. kids? Three--two girls and a boy, ages 5,4 and 1.

L. life isn't complete without? My Savior, my husband and our children, and ice cream.

M. marriage date? March 13th

N. number of brothers & sisters? Two brothers, ages 31 and 27. No sisters, thank goodness...I like being the only girl.

O. oranges or apples? Apples

P. phobias? Glossophobia--fear of public speaking and/or being the center of attention. I'm also a germaphobe.

Q. quotes? Philippians 4:13

R. reasons to smile? I live a blessed life...I have a wonderful husband who loves the Lord, I get to stay home with our children, we are healthy and we have everything we need.

S. season of choice? Spring, Summer, Fall in that order.

T. tag five peeps I think all my peeps have done this tag already, but it not, you can play along.

U. unknown fact about me? I got to be a stand in for Halle Berry on a movie called Father Hood BEFORE she was famous. The movie was the biggest flop, but I got to meet Patrick Swayze, Dave Justice (who turned out to be a jerk to Halle), and Brian Bonsall to name a few. Brian Bonsall was still cute, but a brat. This was long before he became a girlfriend beater.

V. vegetable? Do salads count? Corn is okay, but I eat more raw vegetables than cooked. Unfortunately, you won't find anything green and cooked on my plate.

W. worst habits? Saying "Um" and "You know" when I speak. Somebody help me!

X. x-ray or ultrasound? Had both. I guess I prefer ultrasounds because I associate them with being pregnant.

Y. your favorite food? Mexican and Chinese

Z. zodiac sign? Aries

Geocaching Anyone?

Dad and Vinette came for a visit and introduced the kids and me to geocaching. They have been geocachers for years now and we finally got to see what it's all about. The girls absolutely loved that we were hunting for hidden treasure.

One of my favorite shots was taken while geocaching. My Dad and Piper got ahead of the rest of us and seemed to be having a wonderful conversation.

There was a lot going on during the first week of July so get ready for all the pictures and the long post!

What a great shot of the girls and Grandma and Grandpa. This was the first day of their visit and it was nothing but partying after that.


One of the girls' favorite things to do is read with Grandma. Look carefully at how thick that book is...it's an anthology of Disney stories...Grandma read every single story in that book!


Next up, 4th of July! We met Lee and Morgan over at Dad and Vinette's RV for a picnic dinner and fireworks display at one of the military bases. It worked out great because we didn't have to mess with the crowds, but still had an awesome view of the fireworks from the RV park.


Thank God Dad and V brought the rain with them. We were getting desperate! Here's part of my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!


One of my favorite pictures of Carroll was taken at our picnic. I can't put my finger on why I like this so much...maybe because he had a true smile on. Oh, and he has a COLORED t-shirt on instead of white. That and his groovy glasses.


Finally Saturday arrived, the day of the birthday parties. Piper's was a backyard splash party. She had a handful of friends over and lots of family to help her celebrate.

Below are Dancing Queen's Jack and Annie with Piper.


Cannon couldn't wait to join everybody in the backyard for some splashing.



Cake time! We have the best cake shop in town. Not only do their cakes taste yummy, but they can design anything! We always have them copy the invitation.



Later that afternoon, it was time to celebrate Cannon's birthday. We bought a cookie cake for everyone to enjoy and just made his little cake. He loved when everyone sang to him and was studying the lit candle very carefully.



I don't let my children have a lot of sugar, especially this young, but Cannon knew just what to do with his cake. There came a point where I thought he'd had enough and it was time to take it away. You can see his opinion of that below.


Now, if you've hung in here this long, I have a question for you...how would you celebrate your children's birthdays if they were 4 days apart with an age span of 3 years and they were boy/girl? Would you separate parties by weeks and make family come from out of town twice? Would you attempt to celebrate together? Or like we did..same day, but separate?? This is all so new to me...help!!

Funny Things Kids Say

The other morning, Piper was a little groggy and asked..."When can we go to Bob the Builder?" It turned out she was talking about Build-A-Bear. ;)

Elle put together the house rules recently. They are listed below.

1. Do behave at your mom.
2. Don't put a lid on yourself when in a tub.
3. Babies can suck their thumb, Piper can't.
4. No jumping on the couch.
5. Don't touch fire.
6. Don't stand on beds.

(My favorites are #1 and #2.)

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Cannon!

Yet another reason to celebrate this weekend...Cannon turns one today!

We have had a very special week with Dad and Vinette in town, visiting from Mesa, Arizona. They helped kick off the week of partying by celebrating Piper's birthday on Tuesday. We then gathered at their place, the RV park at one of the air force bases, for a family picnic and fireworks show last night. And now today, we begin the morning with Piper's Backyard Splash and move on to Cannon's celebration this afternoon.

Cannon, I love that you can throw a ball like a champ. I love that you never get your fill when eating. I love how you love on us, slobber and all. I love how you get so angry when I pull you out of the bathtub. I love how you don't like your shoes. Happy birthday Cannonball!

Birthday Buddies

Happy Birthday to two very special people...

Piper and Dancing Queen!

That's right, my sweet little Piper turns 4 today and shares the same birthday as my dear friend Dancing Queen--they are Birthday Buddies! Cheers to you girls!! I celebrate you today!!

Piper, I love that you love to snuggle. I love that you are a rules challenger. I love that you love to sing. I love that you love outside. I love that you let Cannon slobber all over you. Happy birthday Piperoni!

Dancing Queen, I love that you are thoughtful, sweet, laid-back, shareful (OK, I know that's not a word, but it should be), trendy, and a true friend. Happy birthday girlie!