January 6th

 January 6, 2012 - Adia woke up a TEENAGER!

She LOVED her siblings waking her up with a donut and a beautifuly sung Happy Birthday!

  
Then a great girlfriend showed up, dressed all cute, and told her they would be going to get some breakfast... Adia felt loved!

 On the way out the door... so fun!

The back story is that we had decided to put Adia in school over the Christmas break and found out it started January 2nd... I wasn't ready to let her go that soon and really wanted to spend her birthday with her so I told the school she would be starting a week later.  The Vice Principal asked me why and when I told him he said "what a great idea."


Adia didn't know but her dad and I had planned a special day for just the 3 of us.  While she was at breakfast I dropped all her siblings off with Grandma & Grandpa.  When she got home and I told her it would be just us for the day she sounded like a tired mom "oh, maybe we should just stay home, relax and enjoy the quiet."  Made me laugh.  She was so thankful for that gift and G'pa Paul and G'ma Jenny should know it was probably one of the biggest treats of the day!


But instead we opted to go get our nails done... she got gel nails and they looked great!  She also got her eyebrows waxed for the first time and loved it!  She wasn't thrilled that they were red for hours after and wished I would have warned her.  

Adia had been asking her dad for awhile if he would take her to Sushi on her big day but he kept acting like he would have to see how his day went.  Truth is he has been way busier at the office than we are used to so it was believable that he might not be able to.  Of course, he wouldn't miss such a big occasion though and planned on meeting us for sushi then taking the rest of the day off to hang out with us.  After our lunch we walked across the street to see the new Sherlock Holmes... I was bored to death.  The two of them loved it!

After the movie we had one more surprise up our sleeves for her... my parents were waiting at the mall to take her shopping for new school clothes and get her a nice steak/lobster dinner (she's been spoiled in the food department from Papa for way too long).   But getting her to the mall was harder than we planned.  She wanted to stop at Target to spend some money she had... she was shopping and shopping and shopping and kept talking and talking and talking.  


Finally we got her to the mall where my parents were hidden inside and when she found her Papa she was over joyed!  A few minutes later she saw Grandma and was so happy!  Here is a shot of her and the boys who can't get enough of her!  I think she felt very loved!  

The next day she had her first tournament of the season and ROCKED it!

And then, 2 days later, my baby girl went to school (a public school I might add).  I had prayed so much about the decision I knew it was what God had for her.  I had been so strong and at peace about it...

But then I saw her walk out the door and LOST it!  I couldn't believe she was doing this.  I couldn't believe how old she is, how amazing she is, what a great head she has on her shoulders, what a confident little thing she is, how beautiful she is and so much more.  


Her dad called after dropping her off and said she looked so nervous... that was the longest day of my life.  I couldn't wait to pick her up and hear how it went.  My stomach hurt all day and the tears were ever flowing.  But when I saw her walk to the car at 2:04 I could see it in her eyes - she liked it.  She got in the car and with a huge smile said "I LOVE it".  


And I LOVE her - my teenage daughter who has defied the odds and turned out AMAZING!  She is a gem of a lady and I am so proud to be her mom.  This past month of having her in school we have learned so much - we learned mom is too hard on her, she is even smarter than we thought, she has no problem standing up for her beliefs, she is well liked, she is tall for a 7th grader and more.  It's been a journey for sure and she continues to make us proud for so many reasons.  I can't wait to see what else God has in store for this crazy girl of ours who seems to think she is already all grown up.  

Happy 5th Birthday Adison 9.11.11

Last year we did a big party for Adison so she is on a break from those for a couple years. On the non party years you still get a special date with mom and dad and then a little fun with siblings at home. She even got a one on one movie date with dad before dinner. She was just as excited as the year before when we had a big princess party. Makes me wonder why I ever do those anyway?

We sure love having a 5 year old princess in our family!

She really is such a sweet little girl and adds so much to our family. I love her sensitive nature and her desire to do what is right. We love her endless cuddles and even her monsoon moments. Listening to her sing and watching her dance are daily joys. And if ever I need a glass of water or a small favor there is one kid I know will always be happy to do me the favor - my sweet Adison! Can't believe she is 5... where does the time go?

Avery's Art Party

She's ready to party!

Due to the fact that we spent a week out of town and arrived the night before the party.

This is what the house looked like before we left for Tahoe.

A close up of the favors.

When the guests starting arriving, I started painting faces.

It was actually really fun for me.

One of my models.

Then an art teacher came and did an art class with the kids.

Avery and her designed the picture ahead of time and they all turned out SO GOOD!

Danielle and Adia even got in on the action.

After that we had dinner and birthday cake!

The girls got "artsy" and decorated cupcakes

We made this fun garland for above the cupcake table.

I really liked how it turned out.

And, of course, there were presents!

Then we puff painted the shirts we wore for the art class.

And lastly we took a fun group shot, said good-bye and then I took a long, much needed nap!

But let's not forget the real birthday.... for both birthday babies!

5 days after Avery's party... We woke up to a Toy Story table full of donuts!

Kaden got most of the attention on the 21st. He thought it was his party day.

Then we had a pretty normal school day and picked up the celebrating again when dad came home from work, I mean, when dad got off the river.

Big Sister worked hard decorating a "Buzz Cake"

- I bought plain chocolate cake and had her fancy it up.

The twins had a great time opening gifts! Avery's favorite was her new Razor 360. Kaden got mostly Toy Story gifts and his favorites seem to be the 2 stuffed Buzz and Woody dolls sent from Aunt Stacey.

Avery thought it was important they sliced the cake together for a photo opp. I LOVE it!

Of course they loved having family join in on the fun. Thanks for stopping by guys and adding to the joy!

Happy 8th Birthday Avery!

and

Happy 3rd Birthday Kaden!

YOU ARE SO LOVED!!!!

Happy Birthday Kenyon & Grandpa

Yesterday, another one of my kids got older. We had a regular school day followed by a fun evening to celebrate his special day.

Here is our birthday tradition of putting our new height on the ruler.

Kenyon is as tall as Avery was the day she turned 7.

After school Kenyon and Kaden helped me make the cupcakes.

When daddy got off work we took him out for a birthday date to Chili's. He was so excited. We were going to see a movie after dinner but he decided he would rather pick a new Lego set that he and dad can build together.

Kenyon shares his special day with Grandpa. When we got home from our date the other birthday boy was at the house (with his lovely bride aka Grandma). Aunt Rochelle and her boys decided to come over too so we could have some other boys at the last minute party.

They opened gifts together...

This was so funny because we had Kenyons face covered to surprise him with his new skateboard. Listen closely in the begining.... then ignore my loud laughing.

Had cupcakes together...

And of course they took pictures together...

Here are the cupcakes I made for our co-op. I saw this when my sister-in-law made them for my niece and thought they were SO CUTE. Mine didn't turn out too bad either.

Happy Birthday Kenyon!

We love you and you truly bring SO MUCH JOY & LAUGHTER to our home - Thank You!

And Happy Birthday Grandpa Paul!

We love you too!

Birthday Girl

AYesterday something happened that seemed completely surreal. My first baby entered into her last year of pre-teen life. Although yesterday had some tough moments between the two of us (me no sleep - her hormones raging!) I have to say that I couldn’t be more proud of who she is, what she chooses to stand for and who she desires to become. She is truly amazing and Kyle and I feel so extremely grateful to God for how much he has stood in for us as we raise her. God’s word tells us that where we are weak that is where He is shown strong and oh my! That is so true in our parenting journey with this one!

Happy 12th Birthday Adia Paige!
Your dad and I love you more than you will ever know (well, at least until your first born turns 12).

and some random pictures of her...

and these are a sneak peek into the post I have been meaning to put on here for a couple weeks. This is from our Passport 2 Purity weekend. Several friends have been bugging me to put that on here but it's such a special story that it's hard to write in a rush like all my other posts. I promise I am working on it.

A Pink & Purple Princess Tea Party

I cannot believe my baby girl just turned 4! I'm a bit overwhelmed with emotion to how quickly it has gone by and how quickly I know it will continue to go. Yesterday I looked through a bunch of her baby pictures and I felt like I was so busy through her toddler years that I have almost forgotten how stinking cute she has always been. She has always had a princess personality in both the good and bad ways. I regret to have always focused a bit too much on the negatives. So today I am just so grateful to have had a real royal baby born, at home, into my family. I'm grateful for her sweetness, her attachment to me, her eyes that still catch me off guard when mine meet them and everything good she brings to our family. I am in love with her and so blessed by the privelage of being her mom!

So at her request, almost a year ago, A Pink & Purple Princess Tea Party was the decided event for her big day! (actually first it was just a tea party , then the color was added later, then the word princess and then mommy decided the name was too long and she had to stick to what it was). This was her first ever party and she has been dreaming about it since she turned 3. I have to admit I too was excited and have been grabing little items for it since all the frilly stuff went on sale after Easter. The party was perfect and I will let the pictures tell the story...

first a BIG THANK YOU to my Glorious Friend Glory for ALL her help in making Adison's first party perfect!!!! Well, maybe I helped her - either way we make a great team!

I have had this little table outside for a long time waiting to be repainted and since it was due for a painting anyway - we just painted it to match. I'm sure i will regret that soon. But Adison loves it - so maybe not.

Everything was all ready and these girls were SO EXCITED to get started!

Adia and her best friends Sydney and Danielle were all decked out and ready to host the party.

They did an AWESOME JOB. And were such good sports about it all - even when I asked them to teach the girls how to dance like a princess. Danielle was quick to tell Adia to leave that part to her... too funny!

Our first guest arrived and was quick to find the party hats

This little princess was best dressed for sure!

Once all the guests arrived and got their fingers and toes painted (by Adia and crew)

we sat down for a nice little tea party lunch. Adison was in heaven!
BEAUTIFUL Brooke (Tammy's middle child)

that was followed by a the pinata

Then we made princess wands and went outside to give them a whirl!

we sang Happy Birthday
And there were some presents... later she said that was her favorite part

(of course)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS ADISON - WE LOVE YOU!!!!!