Fourth of July cuties

We had a very low-key fourth. We went to the fountains at Legends, BBQ'd some ribs and just relaxed. Unfortunately we missed the fireworks because it was too windy and we couldn't stay up until 11pm since I had to work the next day. However, all in all it was a great day. How could it be anything but great with these cute kids?

Grandpa-Great Turned 80!

In mid-June our favorite Grandpa-great turned 80 years old! We thought that 80 years definitely called for a nice celebration. In February my mom and I sent out many letters asking for everyone to send in their favorite memories of Grandpa. We compiled them all into a scrapbook for him. Needless to say, he was very surprised and it was definitely worth the work to put it together. It turned out great and so special. His one request was to have lobster for his 80th birthday. Shaawn ordered fresh lobster and cooked it for us. It was quite the sight- all these fresh lobsters cooking. They were delicious and everyone enjoyed them. Heather made Grandpa-Great his birthday cake. We made sure that he had 80 candles. It took a few people to get them all lit, but we succeeded, and grandpa had a little help blowing them out. It was a great celebration and we are so thankful for our Grandpa-Great and all he does for us. So many of the memories people had of him were of him helping people move and doing things for other people. He's very generous with his time and we love him so much. Happy Birthday, Grandpa- Great!

Relay For Life

At the end of June, we participated for the first time in Relay for Life on the St. Mary's team. My friend Stacy, from work, and I had been making tons of badge clips out of recycled medicine vial caps to raise money for our team.  The fundraiser became HUGE and we ended up selling about $1700 worth of $5 badge clips.  It was pretty amazing and awesome to see so many people sporting our clips while also giving money to the fight against cancer. We also set up a little booth at the relay and Wes made us a cute sign. Liam and Avery were our little models of the clips. Liam did AWESOME. He pretty much ran 5 miles. It was a HOT day, too, but he was very enthusiastic and had such a blast. Wes and Addy came a little later in the day and we all had fun walking together. This is definitely something we'd like to participate in every year!

Kindergarten- CHECK!

Seems like just yesterday I was writing the post about Liam's first day of school, and now, here we are already done! Liam had a fantastic kindergarten year. I am so very, very proud of him. I was able to volunteer in his classroom a few times throughout the year and I was always so proud of his manners and his diligence in his schoolwork. His teacher, Mrs. Butler, always gushed about how she was his 'go to' student for errands, substitutes to reference, etc. He made lots of friends and truly just LOVED going to school everyday. He was able to attend a first grade class for reading groups and some math. He was in Mrs. Sparks' top reading group and finished kindergarten at an end of second grade/beginning third grade reading level. He is able to read chapter books and write a summary of the story! I'm just so proud of him and how much he loves learning. He even won the title of 'top speller in kindergarten' during their school spelling bee, and that's after taking multiple tests and different grade levels and getting the best score out of 95 kindergarteners! He won a Barnes and Noble gift card. Anyway, I know this is a bit of a braggy post, but I feel like my Big Boy deserves it! He is just such a kind hearted and wonderful boy! For his last day of school, the kindergarteners put on a little music program and GG and Grandpa-Great were able to attend, which was really special to Liam. He was SO excited to show us all the songs he'd been practicing and he really knew every single word. Again, we are definitely proud parents! Liam and his teacher, Mrs. Butler. He also wanted a few photos from around his classroom.
 When we got home, he was surprised with a green plasma car(these things are 'all the rage' right now). He loved it! Definitely a successful end to a successful year! We are so proud of you, Bubba!

Fashionista

Addy is all about the accessories. Even as I write this she is walking around with three headbands, Liam's shoes, and two necklaces on. She would wear shoes from sun up until sun down every day if we let her, even if they aren't hers. She's become quite the girly girl.

Twin Visit Part II

First, here are a few random photos from the trip of the girls playing in their jammies, taking baths, getting wheat thin comas, etc. :) Cute kids, aren't they?














The next set of photos are from the afternoon we went up to Lake Tahoe. It was a little breezy, but we still had a lovely time and most importantly, Jana found a NV license plate for Aaron's collection and a spoon for her collection. :)  Really though, the kids had a blast and it was just a fun, low-key afternoon.



















20 week bump. I can't even express how grateful I am to have had Jana and Ellie come visit. We had the BEST time and we always just have so much fun together. It's such a blessing to have such amazing friends in our life.  And I love how we have maintained our friendship even though we've never lived within 800 miles of eachother. :)  That's a special friendship right there.

Twin Visit Part I

My dear friend from Germany, Jana, (She and I always referred to eachother as 'twins' because we have so much in common) and her daughter Ellie came to visit at the end of May for 5 days. This was the longest visit we've been able to have since I lived in Germany. It was such a treat to have her and Ellie here visiting. We did a nice combination of fun things and relaxing. The days were filled with activities with the kiddos and the evenings were filled with us doing crafts and watching Disney movies. We had such a great time. I have so many photos that I'll probably do this post in two parts. The day she came was a Saturday and it was also the day before the full solar eclipse. We stopped at the planetarium on the way from picking them up from the airport just to see if they had some glasses. We'd been hearing on the news that lines were like 2 hours long, but Wes walked in and got our glasses and walked out! It was awesome. We picked up GG and Grandpa-Great to watch the eclipse up on the hill with us. There were also some other people with other eclipse viewers and it was so cool looking through the different viewers. We had a great time (with the exception of poor Liam who had a 6 hour stomach bug or something and was throwing up before we left. He was such a trooper though). It was really, really amazing to see the eclipse. Right after the total eclipse, some clouds moved in front of it and you could actually view it with a naked eye through the clouds. It really was quite the experience! The kiddos also had a blast playing in the pool and in the backyard. Addy was obsessed with the slide on the pool! Liam just adored Ellie. It was so cute. He wanted to help her with everything! Addy loves her little non-spillable bubbles To be continued...