Suprise!

We pulled it off! Adam and I planned a surprise party for Kourtney's birthday! She had been talking about what she wanted to do, and who she wanted to invite for several weeks. I had talked it over with her and decided we would have it the first weekend in September. What she didn't know, is that invitations had already been sent out for the Saturday after her birthday!

FYI: The key to pulling off a surprise party is not telling the little sisters!

Saturday morning arrived and we told the girls if they were able to get their morning chores done quickly we would go do something fun together. They were up and at it before I knew it! It was going perfectly! Adam took Kourtney to run a few errands with him, and that is when all the friends arrived! Oh how I wished I could have captured a picture of Makell and Kaitlyn's faces when I told them about the party! Kaitlyn and Makell stated jumping up and down and laughing hysterically! You would have thought the party was for them! I hoped like crazy Kourtney would have a similar reaction!

Her friends arrived and hid in all areas of the kitchen. Kourtney opened the backdoor and everyone jumped up and yelled SURPRISE! She had this HUGE grin on her face! She stood there in shock not being able to say anything for a few minutes!

We took the kids to play laser tag, since Kourtney had really wanted to do that. I think Adam and I were looking forward to it as much as the kids were! They separated into teams and had a great time! After a few minutes of running around in the dark and shooting my teammates, I decided I would just hunt for Adam! Funny thing, he did the same thing! It was war! Ask him who was the victorious one between him and I! lol! After laser tag, the kids ate pizza and played games at the nickelcade. Kourtney had a great day hanging out with friends and totally being surprised!

Kourtney turns 11!

I can't believe eleven years have passed since this special little girl first came into our lives! We asked Kourtney if turning eleven felt any different, and her response was "no, not really." She may not feel like it, but it sure looks like it! This past year she has grown about three inches, and now wears one shoe size smaller than I do! At times, I want to take away birthdays in hope it would slow time just a little.
Adam and I took her out to lunch at one of her favorite restaurants, Bajio! I think her favorite part was being able to have a extra long lunch break! That evening, I made her favorite dinner, stuffed shells with bread sticks, and cheese cake. After dinner, we played games! Kourt was excited that Bianca was able to come and celebrate with us. Kourt is such a special part of our family! She makes me laugh, and is such a great help! You are an amazing daughter! We love you Kourtney!

Back to School Brownies!

So while Kourtney and Kaitlyn were at school, Makell and I decided to whip up a batch of "back to school brownies"! After the kids arrived home, we all sat down and had brownies and milk while they told us about their wonderful first day of school!
Kourtney absolutely loves her teacher (me too)! She set goals she wants to accomplish throughout the year. She also brought home a bag full of objects and had to relate them to her school class.

Kaitlyn learned her first cursive letter (L)! She also met a new friend and now gets to play on the "senior" playground. She and her friends discovered that three people can ride the zipper at once.

School Begins!

Ready or not... school starts today! It's definitely a bitter sweet time for me. I am totally going to miss the girls during the day, but I am looking forward to getting back on a schedule and in a routine. Usually the girls are ready for summer to end so they can hang out with friends on a daily basis, but not this year! I have to agree that the summer has quickly come and gone. I am sure after the first day is over they will be loving every minute of it!

Kourtney starts sixth grade this year! She is almost as tall as Adam! She is changing into a young woman right before our eyes!
Kaitlyn starts third grade this year. It feels like yesterday I was dropping her off for kindergarten. She is excited to learn how to write in cursive and learn multiplication!

The things you get wrapped into being the youngest!

The things you get wrapped into when you are the youngest! Kourtney found these concoctions for facials and wanted to try them out. Being the oldest she had a few different options for who would be the lucky one it was tested out on! Of course Makell was the lucky one, only because she couldn't talk her way out if it like Kaitlyn could. Kaitlyn also convinced Kourtney she would need an assistant.




Kourtney read that if you blend apples and honey together it makes a wonderful face mask that will leave the skin looking youthful and radiant! I think it is hilarious she is testing it out on a four year old! How much more youthful can you get?! lol! Kaitlyn picked fresh cucumbers and cut them up for Makell's eyes. Supposedly it prevents bags and dark circles under the eyes. Once again what four year old had bags under her eyes? lol! After looking in the mirror this morning I was the one that needed this treatment!










Makell's face cracks me up! I am sure she is wondering what she got talked into?
I had to smile as I walked in the back door and saw this! All I can say is what a good sport this girl is! Thank goodness for pictures so Makell has proof that they owe her big time in the future!

Not Again!

A little bit of this...

got me a whole lot of this! Ouch!!!

Once again, I tore all the ligaments in my ankle playing softball, which means I am laid up for several weeks with a good book and lots of ice! I have determined I am on a four year rotation. Four years ago it was my right ankle, and now it was my left. I figure if I forgo the playing every four years, I should be okay and escape without any injuries... right? I have had several people have ask me if playing is really worth all of this? I just can't get myself to retire the bat, glove, and ball! I think it runs in my blood.
When I went to the Dr. to have a x-ray, they couldn't see well enough to rule out a fracture. I had to wait for ten days for the swelling to go down for them to x-ray it again. Good news was it was not fractured...just painful!



These pictures were taken 2 and 1/2 weeks after.

Splish'n & Splash'n

After the parade Matt & Janette invited us over to their house for a BBQ and swimming. I think the kids inhaled their food so the swimming could begin. Matt filled a cooler completely full of water balloons. It took over an hour to fill them up and only minutes before it was empty! Kourtney enjoyed teasing Grammy. She held a huge water balloon over her head and told her she was going to drop it! All Grammy could do was threaten while she laughed. Kourtney was really scared! ;) Dane loved grabbing the hose and letting everyone have it! After several trips around the house, being chased with water balloons and buckets, Janette made a deal with the kids. She told them who ever could hold out the longest in the ice cold water would win two dollars. They all took their places on the slip-n-slide and set in for the long hall! As the game went on, lips started to turn purple, slurred speech, and uncontrollable shaking took over but no one wanted to quit! I have to say I was impressed. Makell finally had enough and realized that two dollars was not worth it, so she dove out and went and snuggled in a nice warn blanket. Finally after about twenty five minutes, Kourtney was the last one still sitting! She definitely earned her money! As I thought about it, it made me wonder what would my kids do if they were offered ten or twenty dollars?!
Later that night, the kids talked me into taking them to use their free ticket at the carnival. Kourtney and Kaitlyn saw a ride that spun around in circles and were determined to ride it. They waited in line and jumped into their seats and waited for it to begin. The first couple of circles I could see big smiles on their faces, but as it picked up speed they became a blur and I was lucky to spot them every now and then as they came past Makell and I. As the ride began to slow down and they came into view, I saw Kaitlyn and Kourtney's face. Huge tears were streaming down Kaitlyn's face and Kourtney was white as a sheet. They were both completely sick! Kourtney was about ready to vomit and Kaitlyn couldn't hardly stand up without me holding on to her! Makell still had her ticket and chose to ride the swings. Kourtney and Kaitlyn couldn't watch Makell as she went around in circles because it made them even more sick and dizzy. It was quite comical as I had two kids holding on to both side of me ready to loose everything as I watched Makell and waved to her every time she circled us. As we left the carnival, both girls said they never wanted to come back. Even though I felt so bad they got sick, I am holding them to what they said! We are never going back! :) We'll see...

Celebrating the 24th

We started our July 24th morning with the annual Fiesta Days parade. Adam was in Reno, NV for work, so it was just myself and the girls with a few of my family members with us. Adam said that he couldn't have planned it any better! He highly dislikes parades, but we made sure to tell him that next year he has to go to two to make up for this year! We found a shady spot and set out the chairs and blankets for the long hall. The parade was actually pretty good this year. I always have many laughs when I sit by Matt. It's so unpredictable what comes out of that mouth of his! :) Anyway, Daniel, Stefanie, & Dane sat with us as well. The girls were so excited to have cousins there as well. Kaitlyn and Kaylee are practically inseparable. Kourtney loves having the little cousins around so she can turn into the "mom" for a short period of time! :) The kids caught a pretty large quantity of candy. I love watching Makell! The wrapper is opened and candy in her mouth almost immediately after she grabs it. She always wonders why her pile is never as big as the other kids?!