recital time

It was recital time for Amelia - I was lucky enough to get a vacation day and I'm not sure we could have survived if I hadn't!! We had a dress rehearsal at the studio, full dress rehearsal at the gymnasium and then recital night! it was a busy week! I am not the best at fixing Amelia's hair so I had to practice, practice, practice! I think I have the ballerina bun perfected - i did it about 6 times that week. here are the pictures I took - I get so weepy when I see my little girl up on stage dancing in the recital even though I have seen her dance the same dance so many times before. There is something special about seeing the whole performance come together and seeing your baby be a part of it!! Now, to get her to smile more when she is doing it!

bikes and scooters for everyone!

Another fun day at the Graff Ranch enjoying the great weather! 

Art on the square

for the first year, we were able to go to Art on the Square! I have heard a ton about it, but it always falls on my weekend. Since my weekends are rotating, I was off! I took the neublits and we spent the afternoon there! They really enjoyed looking at all the art work and playing in the kids area. 

Saying goodbye to mr. turtle

Every summer the kids find a turtle at the Graff Ranch and hold him hostage keep him as a pet for a bit. Amelia really looks forward to it - they paint their initials on the shell in case they see him or her again. This year was a little rough on Amelia - she was attached to Toby the turtle! There were a few tears shed over setting Toby free, and everyone took a moment to say what a great turtle Toby was. Hope Toby comes around again soon to see Amelia, but I can't say I would blame him if he didn't!!

father daughter dance

I love these pictures of Amelia! but it makes me realize how fast she is growing up! 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Fifth birthday Louis Miguel!!!

Five. Such a big birthday!!! You are a whole hand now! No manually moving your fingers about - no,  just one hand! I wonder what five will bring you? We made the decision to wait a year on school, so I will have you with me for one more year - me & you, hanging out, reading, running errands, and my favorite - snuggling at nap time!! I'm not sure who lulls who to sleep first - me, you - or Ferdinand!! That cat is loyal to you beyond measure. He choose you and that's that. I'm sure it will bring you lots of fun and new friends too!

For your birthday you asked for a bonfire party. Yes, my August baby born in the middle of a heat wave, wants a bonfire! Ok - a bonfire it is!! We asked nana & pawpaw if we could borrow their house for this party and they obliged!! We had hotdogs, smores, cookies and cake pops! Such a great time!

An early celebration

Since Lucas' birthday is so close to when school starts, it's hard to have a day of fun with him. So I took a day and let him pick what we did. His first request is always the same. Sushi.Yes, my boy LOVES sushi!! His favorite is spicy shrimp roll. Once he picked sushi, I decided we should go to Wasabi. After enjoying our lunch on the patio, we went to Lucas' second favorite place - The Chef Shoppe, or as Lucas likes to call it, the Red Velvet Store! He loves their red velvet cake pops. He also got to sample their popcorn, fudge and some dips too. After that we went to target and did a little shopping in the dollar section. It was a a great day celebrating my wonderful boy!!

Happy seventh birthday Amelia Rose!

Seven. I can remember being 7! I was 7 when I changed schools, met my best friend Lori, and we had central air installed. And now, my sweet Amelia Rose is turning seven. Soon, very soon - like 4 days soon! Yikes! I loved six, it was a great year. First grade, first sleepovers, budding mathematician, social butterfly, yes six was good to us. Be gentle 7, my girl is changing day to day. Bring her good luck at school in reading and math, in friendships and even at home. Some days are rough, bringing trials and tears, and others are great yielding laughter and giggles. We'll take more of those if you don't mind. We celebrated Amelia and her 7 years with a small party. Here are some pics. I love hearing her laugh and seeing her happy. I surprised Amelia by inviting two friends to go to the show. We had burgers and fries and watched the movie Monsters University! It was a cute movie and Amelia had a lot of fun with her friends Ella & Makenna!

 On Amelia's actual birthday we let her pick what we do and where we eat. It was hotter than hot this year, so we lucked out when she announced we should go bowling!! yes! for lunch Amelia picked Steak-n-Shake. We wrapped up the day with some strawberry cake and dancing!

Moving up, from daisy to brownie

It was a quick 2 years, but Amelia moved up from a daisy to a Brownie tonight. Our great park even had a bridge they could use for the ceremony! 

horseback riding!

i just loved this - it was a a lucky shot! 

Happy 4th birthday Lucas!!!

I love tradition. Love it!! And birthdays are a big tradition for me. Traditionally, we celebrate with the kids on the day of, and have their party on the weekend. Lucas birthday will always be tricky. His birthday is August 18th. In Illinois, we start school around this date. And Lucas' dad is a teacher to boot. See how it just got trickier? Yeah. Since Lucas isn't in school yet, it's not too bad, but I'm sure it will be one day soon. This year, Lucas wanted a red party. A red cake with all things red on it - Spider-Man, Otis and fire trucks! So I made it happen.  We invited friends and family over and celebrated my sweet boy turning FOUR! Happy happy birthday to my big boy! You are the light of my love and the love in my heart!!!

happy sixth birthday amelia!!!

 

we can come out and play!

 

all the great dancers get flowers.....

 

boogie shoes

 

girls just want to have fun

 

last dance class

 

Watch out Mia Hamm!!

My Mia Rose is a natural! i was really impressed with her soccer skills, especially since she was barefoot and has never played! Just wait till I get her shin gaurds and some cleats!

 

crawl, walk, ride