It was organized chaos

What do you get when you have twelve 6 & 7 year olds, an almost 4-year-old, lots of sugar and some rock and roll? A party, that's what!
We celebrated Katie's 6th birthday, Hannah Montana style. We had hair glitter + We had H.M. temporary tattoos + We had crafts + We had games + We had pizza + We had cake + We had music = We had FUN!
Did I mention there was a lot of shrill screeching? (Good thing they're so cute!)
Our 2 games and 2 rather intense crafts (jewelry and painting,) did not take up as much time as we had planned on...
...so we turned on the music and I swear to you it was like a vision from the future, these girls LOVE to dance. No kidding, our family room resembled a mosh pit.
In the end, I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all. However, today I promptly took myself to McDonald's to pay for a deposit on Sydney's birthday party. As the last girl walked out the door yesterday, Lance said, "We won't be doing that again anytime soon."

Bon Voyage, Bek!

Bekah, one of our favorite nannies, babysitters, waterskiing friends, and just plain friend is headed to Germany for a whole year. It's bound to be a difficult period of time for all of us that love her so much! We will really miss you Bek!!!Will's just not that into hugs...

I mean, why hug a pretty girl when you could give her a big kiss?

Be our guest!

I just returned from taking our special friend, "Aunt Kate," to the airport. We had such a great time with her, we always enjoy having her and although she swears that she doesn't like kids, my kids adore her and I can't help but believe that the feeling is mutual. (She keeps coming back to visit, so that is somewhat of a confirmation!)

We love to have company. We have had a lot of company these last 4 months. Here is the run down:

June 18-23 Aunt Noni here from Baltimore,
June 28-July 5 My parents in town visiting,
July 16-August 6 Cockerhams here from NC, (they only stayed w/ us part of the time, but we had a lot of fun together every day!)
August 16-27 Co-workers here from London and KY, (they only stayed w/ us part of the time, but we did quite a bit of entertaining!)
September 12-17 Kate here from IN.

During this span of time, we also started: 1st grade, preschool, Bible Study, swimming, soccer and ballet, (all of which are still going great!). We also celebrated an important birthday, and Lance managed to travel to London 3 times and Montana twice. (I believe he went on one other trip during this time but without pulling out my calendar to check, I simply cannot remember when or where at this moment.)

So, as I type this I can hear the washer and dryer humming as I get caught up and re-ready the guest room for who? I don't have any guests scheduled at this time, but let us know if you are going to be in the area and we would be happy to have you!

Oh, Happy Day!

Opening some gifts after school...Aunt Noni sent you a precious miniature glass jewelry box with horses, complete with a teeny baby horse inside. What a treasure, you are sleeping with the baby as I type this!
Well, I said to you, "Strike and pose," and thus I captured this image. When you opened your new High School Musical "varsity" jacket you shrieked with glee and insisted on wearing it, even though it's 80 + degrees outside. (I'm sweating just thinking about it!)
After gifts, our special friends, Sam and Marcia, took us to Pasquini's for dinner!
One of the many highlights of going to Pasquini's is making your own pizza, you had double cheese and extra pepperoni since Syd kindly shared her toppings with you.
And of course, cheesecake for dessert--smothered in chocolate no less--definitely a girl after my own heart! I love you, Birthday girl!!!

After many long weeks on bedrest, you arrived a little more than 2 weeks early and you were perfect; a true miracle. Sure you were a little jaundiced (note the cruel red marks on the sides of your forehead due to your special shades;) but you were all that we had hoped and prayed for.

Fast forward 6 years to your birthday breakfast. We love your bright eyes and big smile! You are tenderhearted and a wondeful big sister. You love school, you're a good student, and a great friend to many. Your kindergarten teacher said, (and I quote,) "There is no such thing as a perfect kid, but Katie comes pretty close..." You are such a joy. You've grown up right before our very eyes and we can't imagine our lives without you.

Trip down memory lane...

1st Birthday, loving the cake! We had rented a park pavillion for a Labor Day BBQ, but got rained out. Good thing we still had the cake!

2nd Birthday, we celebrated in Indiana with lots of family & friends.
3rd Birthday, we went to a tea party with some friends, you looked adorable and were such a little lady!
4th Birthday, we had a princess party with a beautiful cake. You love dress up and dancing. Your best friend is your little sister and you are excited to have a baby brother!
5th Birthday, It was a school night, hence the cute little school uniform. We couldn't believe that you were in kindergarten already! Where does the time go? I once heard a great quote regarding parenting small children--"The days are long but the years fly by." So true.

blah blah blah

Please prepare yourself for what could truly be the most random blog of all time. (Sorry.)

Exhibit A: I made Katie a girly tooth fairy pillow. The poor child was the only kid in her kindergarten class to not lose a single tooth during the entire school year. They even gave out an award on the last day of school to one of her classmates that lost the most teeth during the year--no kidding it was like 7 teeth! Anyhoo, my poor little late bloomer (not to mention the youngest in her class who didn't even get her first tooth until she was almost 14 months old,) has yet to lose a tooth. So with joy we celebrate her first loose tooth. She will be getting this pillow for her birthday later this week.
Exhibit B: Will has a wet suit that fits him just fine. (Thanks to Uncle Ted.) We actually have quite a collection of wetsuits for our children and generally for the children of any friends that accompany us to the lake. However, last weekend when the Wagners went with us (and might I add that it was a fabulous time!), all of the smallish wetsuits were either accidentally left at home or in use by the little ones, so Kyle didn't have one that fit him well. So he wore a small adult one that he was practically swimming in. We realized that in just a few years time that we will need more larger wet suits than we currently possess for the kiddos. Therefore when Lance was at Costco yesterday they had one left so he bought it, size 12, which Will won't need for another 10 years. (But he is quite adorable, is he not?)
Exhibits C & D: After the cold front that blindsided us with which the only consolation was apple crisp and the debut of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, we have welcomed with open arms more warm weather! Yay! Therefore, it necessitated a purchase of flowers to help us celebrate a Colorado-style Fall. Lilies are my favorite, Syd picked out the orange ones and I found the burgundy dahlias were a nice Autumn compliment.
Lance just so happened to surprise us the same night with some sunflowers--Katie's favorite--I think, since he is going to be out of town for her birthday.
Exhibit E: Still loving the fresh fruit that summer brings. The kids and I just can't get enough. I guess if Colorado Falls give you this beautiful bounty and allow you to wash it down with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, one really can't complain.
There you have it.