Happy 32nd Birthday Daddy!

me and my hunky hubby

the kids loved giving him his presents

my incredibly handsome hubby...I still think he could model for GQ if he wanted to

Saturday was Nick's birthday and we tried to give him a proper celebration this year. I admit, ever since Rachel was born, she's dominated May with her birthday needs/celebrations. And, it's my fault as mom and wife that I haven't done a good job of celebrating our favorite guy, my fabulous husband. So, this year Nick and I actually went out to eat on Friday night. We went to Longhorn (since that's his fave!) and the kids stayed with Gege and Papa. Then, Saturday we got up and went swimming and then enjoyed a DELICIOUS meal (that Deborah prepared) of all Nick's favorites...cubed steak with gravy, mashed potatoes, biscuits, baked beans and a homemade lemon pie. Plus, she made homemade chocolate ice cream that tastes like a Wendy's frosty (just the way Nick likes it). The kids gave him a few gifts that they picked out...a baseball hat, sunglasses and a new grilling tool. Deb and Joe also gave him some really nice presents. It was a fun celebration of such an awesome guy...a loving husband, father and son!

We love you daddy/Nick!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 32nd Birthday!!!

In Remembrance of Buck's...

Buck's Pizza- We ate a lot of good pizza and learned alot about life.

(Trent now wears the original shirt given to Rachel by Pop and Nana in 2005)

Happy Mother's Day!!

It was a wonderful Mother's Day and a sweet reminder of how incredibly blessed I am to be a mom! I have 3 precious, sweet, beautiful, healthy kids and they remind me daily of how important it is to be a mom. I am honored to be the one who knows the things they like, what makes them feel better and the one they call "mommy". The kids were so proud of the card they signed, the Lindt chocolate they bought (my FAVE!) and all the sweet crafts they made in Sunday School. It warmed my heart to see how excited they were to give me something. I am truly blessed to be a mom and to have had such an AWESOME example of being a mom by my precious mom! Happy Mother's Day to my sweet mom and friend! I love you!

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother in law and friend! I love you!

Happy Birthday Rachel Jane!!

6 years!!?? Where did the time go? We are so thankful for our sweet daughter, Rachel. She is kind, loving, caring, thoughtful, smart, creative, spunky, independent, confident and beautiful. We can't wait to see how she continues to grow into a beatiful young lady. She brings a smile to our face and puts joy in our hearts. We love our Rachel Jane and loved celebrating her special 6th birthday! Happy Birthday sweet Rachel!!!!

Rachel's 6th Birthday Party was a BLAST!!!

the birthday girl is ready for her party
Princess Trenty is ready for the party too

Rach and Juj...best friend cousins

Aunt Wendy was the nail technician

Juj is patiently waiting her turn

waiting on her nails to dry

mmm! hotdogs!

foot spa time!

all the precious girls

Callie, Hayleigh, Rach, Ella, Ellie, Kate, Juj, Hannah, Isabelle

the beautiful Barbie & the Diamond Castle cake

make a wish!

Bradley's turn for the foot spa

(post-party!)

opening presents!

Trent trying out Rachel's new headband
(he looks so pretty!)

Bradley trying out Rachel's new gardening tools

Rachel and her new American Girl doll: Rebecca- from GeGe

9 sweet little girls who played, had their nails painted (thanks Wen!), got tattoos, had a foot bath, ate hot dogs, cake and ice cream and brought fun presents. It was such a fun birthday and I enjoyed every minute...I think the girls did too! A HUGE thank you to Deb (and Joe) for wrangling Bradley and Trent and keeping them happy throughout the whole party. Another HUGE thank you to mom for taking all the great pictures...you got some awesome ones!! I couldn't have pulled off the whole party without the help of my sister, mom, mother in law, husband (of course) and all the precious girl's moms who came to help. It was just a fun time and a sweet celebration of our adorable little girl! We love our Rachel Jane! Can't believe it's been 6 years!!

Learning Grove End of Year Program

the fam
my precious little kindergartener

my baby stinker

Gege and my big boy stinker

the precious kindergarteners

January, February, March, April

(sung to the Macarena)

Last Friday night was the Learning Grove's end of year program. The kindergarten class sang about 6 songs and literally stole the show with their precious enthusiasm. Rachel was really into her part and sang like a pro. She emphatically danced, shook and moved those arms. I couldn't stop laughing at how cute she (and her classmates) were on stage. Some of the songs they sang were: 5 Little Monkeys, The ABC "punch/jab" song, The Countries song, Months of the Year and a few others I can't remember. After the kindergarteners finished, the music teacher had all the different grades (1-6) sing some songs and hymns they had practiced, which I thought were beautiful. The art teacher had an "art show" displaying 4 pieces of the older kid's work in a classroom. The science teacher had all the student's science fair projects (with ribbons and placements) lining the halls so we could see their work. I was very impressed with all the displays. The sixth graders were "graduating" out of the program, so there was a little more focus on them. There were only 4 sixth graders, and they were all girls. I had never met them before, but couldn't believe how precious, poised and bright these young ladies were. They each spoke and then read or recited a ballad about their years at Learning Grove. Then there was a slide show with pictures of them from the time they were babies till their current age. I can't tell you how emotional I was watching the pictures of these precious girls. I could just see my sweet Rachel, a kindergartener right now, and how quickly these school years are going to fly by. I'm so thankful that I've had the privilege of homeschooling my sweet little girl this year, even with the challenges we've had. Anyway, the program was so sweet and ended with cake, cookies, and the kid's yearbooks. (Yes! I am also impressed that Learning Grove compiles a yearbook for their small co-op!) Thankfully, Gege got to enjoy the program with us, so we ate yummy mexican before the program began.

Some cute little faces...

my sweet baby boy enjoying the party

uh-oh! the pins fell down!

sweet cousins who are SO happy to be together!!

my sweet big boy having a blast on the moonwalk

I'm not smiling at you, strange Aunt whom I hardly ever see...

alright, peek-a-boo is kinda funny.

might as well get comfy...

Is this really necessary?

sweet baby doing his own thing and showing off his double chin

one of Bradley's grumpy faces...love the pout!

Silly girls...I'm not sure we want them administering medical treatment on us!

We had so much fun celebrating sweet Julia's 6th birthday in B-town! From the bounce house to the awesome (and HUGE) pizza, to the awesome iCarly decorations and cake to the fun cousin time, the 2 days were a BLAST!!! These pictures were just a tidbit of the fun that the kids had being together...and their precious and silly facial expressions!! Happy Birthday sweet JuJu!!!! We cannot believe you are already 6! We love you!!