She's 5!

We celebrated a very special 5 year old's birthday on Sunday!
You can read how she was hand picked by God to be in our family here.
She is my oldest daughter, a bundle of spunk. I have no doubt in my mind that God has great plans for her life.

She picked a chocolate flavored castle cake; pink and purple of course.
Her birthday menu was taco pizza and sauteed shrimp.

When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she quickly replied, 'A pink piano!!'
Guess what, they make pink pianos!

She is a hoot to watch open gifts.
Her expressions and elation are priceless.

I am thankful the Lord has given me the honor of being her mom!

Love

this.

Jewerly & Hair Clip Organization

Ladies, do you need to organize your accessories?
I had been putting off the job for a long time. Friday I finally did it.

I know there are more creative ways to do such things, however this was easy & quick!
I started by purchasing a cork board & clear thumbtacks.
Then I mounted the cork board to the wall.
Pressed in the tacks
Hung my jewelry

And...PRESTO!
Organized :)

I organized the girls' hair clips too.
I purchased a cute, girly, plaque, flowers & 6 different ribbon rolls (3 thick & 3 thin) at Hobby Lobby.
I laid one thin ribbon on top one thick ribbon and hot glued the two together every few inches. So I could hang scrunchies as well, on one of the ribbon sets I hot glued mini clothes pins.

How do you organize accessories?

Happy Birthday

Ashlynn!
I can't believe it's been two years since you joined our family.
You were a little miracle in our eyes.

You turned our family of 5 into a family of 6.

You have added great joy to our lives.

Your blond ringlets & blue eyes add sparkle where ever you go.

Your sweet personality & 2 year old humor, melts hearts.

You:
Adore your older siblings,

Love riding the four wheeler,
Jump at the chance to chase cows with papa &
Run to greet daddy when you hear the door.

You talk a mile a minute
Devour fruit
Play dress up & dolls
Enjoy the mud

Sleep in a big girl bed with Meemee & Gwen

You Love Life

We love you sweet one.
Happy Birthday!

A little sour

is a lemon.

And sometimes a child.

Multiplying two negatives equal a positive.
So we tried it out.

Whew, it works!

Finally

this little one decided her big girl bed was cool.
She wanted NOTHING to do with it for days.
She wouldn't even sit on it without trembling and crying.
.No Clue why.

We told her the crib broke.

It worked!!!

She loves her big girl bed now.
She doesn't get out without asking.
She plays contently with her 'meemee' (aka stuffed monkey) until I tell her she may get up.
Score one for mama :)
Next step, putting both girls in the same room.
This one may be a bit more challenging...

Timeless Treasure

Receiving these

will never get old!

Caution

Brushing teeth may cause damage to your eyes.

Must.Wear.Goggles

WW

Cookie Bakin' Helpers

I love having help in the kitchen. No seriously, I do!! Baking, cooking, chopping, whatever, is always more fun with helpers :)
Tyson helped me measure and mix this batch of cookies. Then he left for a church activity so the girls willingly jumped in to help.

They love having their own pans to work on.

Waiting is the hardest part!

Yummy perfection!

Our favorite Sugar Cookie recipe.

She's not 3

She is 4!
It amazes me that my first born girl has gone from this

to this

to a big sister.

She has brought so much joy into our lives since this day.

She...
loves pink and purple
knows her alphabet
is able to sound out 3 letter words
enjoys coloring
loves sledding
would rather not eat her food mixed {casseroles}
LOVES steak, steamed broccoli, cheese & anything sweet
begs to 'do school'
is a little mommy
often wears a princess dress
keep me on my toes
is very expressive
black or white type of person

I let the birthday child pick out plates and their cake.
She picked Hello Kitty.

She was a hoot to watch open gifts.
Her expressions were priceless.

I love this little girl with all my heart.
She brings so much joy and laughter into our home.
I am incredibly thankful God choose me to be her mother.

Happy Birthday Sunshine!

2010 Recap in Pictures

January
We vacationed in warm, sunny, Florida. We visited Disney, Sea World & Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens was voted 'Family Favorite.' One child threw up twice in route. The baby had a blow out as we were parking at Disney.
Lovely.
Gabrielle turned three!

February
Braden turned 11. Ashlynn fell in love with the Jonny Jumper. The secret service {otherwise known as tiger the cat} took his new assignment very seriously and didn't allow Gabrielle out of his sight while she was outside. Snow forts and tunnels became the new neighborhood clubhouse.

March
Dixie cups became a common sight around the house. I found a precious bundle of pink on my door step. Sledding, snowboarding & tubing were our daily exercise.

April
Tyson turned 7. He received a frog habitat for a gift which included a free tadpole, {plus 9.95 shipping}. We made kolaches and gum for the first time ever!

School Fun
Intrigued by the newest game show, Minute to Win it, we set up our own games and had a blast playing them.

May
The weather slowly began to warm. We were elated!! Most of our afternoons were spent swinging, running outside and planting. Gabrielle thought Ashlynn needed a few more cheerios and ended up giving her the entire box, one scoop at at time.

June
The lloonngg awaited words 'lets go swimming!' were spoken. Many afternoons were spent swimming with friends, relaxing on the beach and eating popsicles. Gabrielle mastered jumping off the board and swam the length of the pond several times each time we went swimming {resulting in fabulous naps!!}

Summer
The lesson of 'hot air melts cold popsicle' was learned. Little critters {bugs} were captured daily. The boys played baseball and t-ball.

July
We roasted hot-dogs and toasted smores on a day that was SO hot our chocolate melted before ever being touched by a toasted marshmallow. The boys saved up to buy a new trampoline. Tyson & Gabrielle improved their swimming skills at swimming lessons.

ONE!
The Ashlynn turned one.

August
Upon arriving at a zoo, 2 hours from home, I realized I forgot Gabrielle's shoes. Due to our schedule, we couldn't run to a store and buy some. Therefore, we purchased snake socks which have since become her favorite pair of socks.Giant sweet potatoes were dug from the garden. We hosted the 9th annual company BBQ in our backyard.

September
School resumed. A little girl painted with white out all over her room. The same little girl brought me flowers. My parents & sisters' family visited the Omaha Zoo.

October
Corwin & I celebrated our 14th anniversary. He took a day off work {as he has done for the past several years} We spent the day as a family enjoying a pumpkin farm, corn maze, lunch and shopping. Ashlynn discovered the joy of sitting in things. Hikes replaced swimming. We attended family camp.

November
Much time was spent in the kitchen as we prepared for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Braden started basketball. Ashlynn experienced playing in snow for the first time.{I think this was really December :)}

December
Christmas arrived lasting 4 straight days for our family. Competitions were had, new PJ's were worn & more pink invaded our house. Braden shot his first buck.

Goodbye 2010.
Hello 2011!
I look forward to what you have in store for our family.