Flip Flop Pool Party

Saturday, 5-29-10

Thankfully, I had planned for Elissa to have an indoor party this year. Her party has been outdoors for all her previous ones. The weather was horrible today, but it was nice and warm inside the YMCA!

The theme was a flip flop pool party.....love it! I just happened upon a flip flop outfit at Gymboree and then we embellished flip flops for a craft project.

She was all set and ready to go!

I let her put on colored nail polish for the occasion. Usually she can only where clear. She was VERY excited. :-)

I LOVE her outfit! :-)

The girls decorated their own flip flops.....

and the boys colored snakes, t-rex's & cars.

Then on to cake!

Mom and Dad made the cake & cupcakes for me. They followed a video and did such a GREAT job!

One of her friends asked what she wished for and she smiled and shrugged "I don't know." I think she forgot to wish. :-)

Cole, Jaice, Chase, Morgan, Helper Susan, Elissa, Olivia, Karisma and Charis

  Elissa and Hailey

Friends from Preschool

Presents!!

I'm not sure where she saw a pogo stick, but she has been saying that she has wanted one for about a month so Grandma & Papa got her one.

Cole didn't really want to sit with Elissa. :-)

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of it, but Holly got Elissa a scrapbook kit. She was very excited. When we got home she said that she could now go scrapbooking with me and my friends....um, no. LOL!

Elissa was VERY excited to get a Hannah Montana purse from Hailey. I don't let her watch or buy her any of the Hannah Montana stuff, though she wants to have all her "rockin' stuff". She wants to grow up way too fast. :-(

Our first Zhu, Zhu pet.

Don't you just love Olivia's dress?!

Elissa made Papa come up and sit in the chair by her. :-)

Then Grandma Myrna.

Thanks to Grandma Myrna, the kids had a tinsel-like decorative packing was all over the place in seconds. The kids loved it!

Now what they have all been patiently waiting for.....Swimming!!

It was a fun, fun party!

Elissa is SIX!

Saturday, 5-29-10

My baby girl is 6 years old today!

She challenges and inspires me everyday.

I'm so thankful that God chose me to be her Mother.

What a blessing her life has been and I know will be in the days and years to come.

I love you baby girl! Happy Birthday!!

Newborn - 6 weeks early - 5lbs 7oz 19.5in long - Saturday @ 12:57pm

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX YEARS OLD!

Phoenix Vacation!

Sunday - Wednesday, May 23-26, 2010

When we booked a trip to Phoenix months ago for the end of May I was thinking that I wouldn't want to be leaving Seattle then (because it would be nice and sunny) and that Phoenix would be getting too hot......boy I was wrong on BOTH counts!

Seattle is still having dreary weather (unfortunately - raining hard right now) and Phoenix is having cooler weather (80s-mid 90s) while we were there, which was PERFECT weather.

We have now decided that we need to make this an annual trip!

Here are a few highlights...

Sunday we got to the resort around 10:30am and headed right to the water park as we waited for our rooms to be ready. It was a fun first day.

Our first night enjoying ourselves by the gas fireplaces in the resort lounging area.

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The boys went golfing first thing in the morning and the girls spent the day lounging by the pool just below our room. There was a hot tub too. We had the pool to ourselves. It was so nice!

Monday night dinner at Rustler's Roost

Darin sliding down to our table

A beautiful evening at dinner overlooking our resort.

We ate rattlesnake for an appetizer (we didn't eat this, it was just a garnish)

We really appreciated the sign for the women's bathroom......

A FUN night!

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Tuesday - A hard day lounging by the pool.

Darin and Perry went golfing again. Amalea went for a massage and I got coffee and yogurt and headed straight for the pool. John & Renee took advantage of no kids and slept in. :-) We thought that we would go to the water park again after the guys got back from golfing, but we decided it was just too peaceful at the pool and too much work to move. LOL!

It was a perfect morning.......

With just the right accessories.....comfy chair, yummy coffee & a great book!

John enjoying the hot tub and Darin figured out that the TV worked, which made this area even better.

Our last dinner together.

Celebrating Renee's 40th!

Beautiful girl!!

After dinner we sat by the fire again and were having fun trying to find karaoke on Amalea's phone. It was quite a sight!

The guys were not so interested. Darin was looking for some app or something. The first night he found a star map app that was SO cool. You held up his phone and it told you what constellations you were looking at no matter where you moved the phone. Very cool!

This says it all for how we all felt......relaxed and connected. :-)

Thanks everyone for a wonderful trip!

Can't wait for next year!!

I can't stop laughing!

Sunday, 5-23-10

Darin and I went on a vacation with our friends John & Renee and Perry & Amalea. We were all on the 7:30am flight to Phoenix Sunday morning.

Our vacation started with such a funny little happening. I still crack up when I think about it!

Renee and I were sitting by each other and we were so excited that she got the Twilight book from the library to read this week. She even had it overnighted so she would get it. We got up to cruising altitude and decided to get our books out.

She pulls out her Twilight book and I'm thinking it looks a little thin.....and then I see the cover.

That's right.....she got the GRAPHIC novel!

Then we open up the book......

Yep, it looks like a comic strip!

I couldn't stop laughing. It just hit my funny bone (I'm laughing now)! I thought it was so funny, but also SO disappointing that she wasn't going to start the series.

We were on a hunt for the real book after that. Her loving husband found it at the grocery store on a snack run. So now she has read book #1 and she is hooked!!

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A few days later, another little episode tickled me. :-)

Darin went to dinner wearing this shirt to remind me that

He's a.......

Crack * Me * Up!