Celebration Central!

We get just a tad bit excited at the thought of celebrating anything around here. Just give us a reason to celebrate (click each word) and see what happens. Furthermore, when it comes to birthdays, there's really no reason not to make a huge deal out of it. It's not hard to put forth effort to make someone feel special on their big day! In fact, there's really nothing we like more! So when J's birthday and Father's Day fell only a few days apart, it was enough to send us over the edge! I mean, we'll put a candle in anything for no reason at all...

See exhibit A from this morning when Towns begged to make brownies:

A pan full of brownies and candles for no reason at all other than we just think it's fun!
Back to J...
I think the 3 girls in our house would all unanimously agree that their Daddy is hands down the most fun, most loving, most crazy, most unsympathetic when you're hurt (be tough...right girls?!), most wonderful man ever and they wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. Just seeing him with them and seeing how much he loves them with all of his heart is all I ever need to put a smile on my face. That's not even taking into consideration the fact that he's the best husband and best friend a girl could ever ask for!
See exhibit B, on his birthday I'm the one who got a little gift when he came home from work:

See what I mean?
We started off his birthday with a bang...we let him open his present because we couldn't wait until his party!


He got the watch he's wanted for a while - he deserved it!
When he left for work, the party prepping began...

The girls worked so hard, and Cate ate the fruits of their labor!

We had just enough left for the Happy Birthday candles...

B got to work and made Happy Birthday Daddy shirts...


And when J walked in the door we had a cheer (thanks to Head Cheerleader Bethany) ready and waiting that went a little something like this:
D-A-D-D-Y
You're the best, we'll tell you why
(B holds up her sign and yells)
You're FUN
(Towns holds up her sign and yells)
You're CRAZY
(I hold up my sign and yell)
You're GREAT and AMAZING
(Then we all flip our signs over and spell out)
D-A-D
And by this time his face is beet red, but it was so worth it!
We then led him to the kitchen for the party, but stopped to take a picture first...

We lit all 32 candles (I'm kidding) and he blew them out and made a wish (that he was lying on a beach on some tropical island with yours truly by his side, I'm quite sure - actually I'll bet he was wishing we wouldn't make such a big deal out of his birthday!!)...

And then the girls demolished his cupcakes...



We went to dinner, then Starbucks, and home to round out a great day for an even greater guy!

Father's Day was sunny and hot and J asked for only one thing...
A family trip to Point Mallard! Where else?!






We're still recovering from such a big weekend, but I can't think of a more fun person to celebrate!

Point Mallard

We ventured to Point Mallard this afternoon to celebrate the end of a big week, and I must say that all the laughs that resulted in going with my 3 plus Towns' friend Emma were well worth sweating it out in the 105 degree weather! Who needs words when there are thousands of pictures?!

Cate and I hung out most of the time since the older girls were having fun on their own (I had one eye on Cate and the other on them, trust me!), which meant I was like the paparazzi and came home with three times as many pictures of her as I did the others. In case you don't believe me...







And now to the part that was a huge eye-opener and an even bigger heart-breaker. I'm pretty used to the fact that Cate doesn't meet a stranger. It's never really been an issue until today when I saw her interacting with the lifeguard. I think Jonathan would have been fit to be tied had he seen what Bethany and I saw. My jaw was on the ground the entire time that I was snapping pictures...I knew J would never believe me unless I had proof. She had the lifeguard at her beck and call, and all she had to do was point and give instructions and he did whatever she asked. I'm a little (ok, a lot) afraid of her teenage years. As soon as she can write her name I'll have her sign official documents stating that she won't date or marry until she's 45. Maybe 50. That's the only way I'll be able to sleep at night! HA!
She's doing everything possible to get his attention...

Ahh, finally!

He's asking which slide she wants to go down, and she's pointing...

Actually, just follow me over here. I think I'll take a look at the view before I slide...

Naturally, you can't go until you give the hunky lifeguard a quick wink...

And she's off...

She finally figured out that she went much faster like this...

Raise your hands if Point Mallard is your favorite place on Earth...

I think that's what she was saying as she was sliding her little heart out!

Pro Princess!

Hey B, weren't you promising us a certain picture of a certain someone in a certain homemade-but-looks-store-bought tutu? Don't worry, I've got it covered! You couldn't be cuter in it and I love your enthusiasm!!

Thanks for all your HARD work and helping so much with all my princesses in Princess Ballerina Camp this week! Keeping twelve 3, 4 and 5 year olds in check and entertained isn't exactly an easy task, but you've handled it perfectly! It's no wonder that those little girls were all fighting to stand by you or hold your hand! They figured out on their own what I've known all along...you're THE BEST! What fun it was to get to enjoy the week with both you and Towns!

I'm Going...

C - R - A - Z - Y!

Want to join me?
See photo below for explanation...

Please tell me you're there already and I'm not the only one who does things like this 547 times a day!
{Yes Cate's 20 months old and still has a bottle at night. She's my baby and I just can't seem to let go!}

We've been busy bees around here...

I've been teaching Bethany the tricks of the trade, and I must say that she's a natural! I might start putting her to work! Here she is with one of her first finished products...

See that smile?? I can't even begin to tell you how excited she was about what she'd accomplished! The picture says it all!

B's been so incredibly sweet and tolerant of her two little sisters who all but drive her crazy (maybe she'll join me soon!). They want to be right up under her most of the time. It was one thing when she was in school and she only had to deal with them in the afternoons, but now it's all day, every day! And it starts at approximately 6:30 a.m. (when Cate goes looking for her Bebby and finds her sound asleep in her bed) and doesn't end until their heads hit the pillow!


Thank goodness she's so sweet...I don't know too many 13 year olds who would be as nice as she is to two chicks who are constantly getting her cell phone, swiping her ipod, trying to put on her make up, playing with her shoes, etc.!

The other night I took a solo trip to TJ Maxx to have a few quiet moments to myself (I have a really great husband!), and I ran across a deal on the clearance aisle...

A do-it-yourself princess doll making kit...which was clearly manufactured with Towns in mind! She's pretty domestic at an early age and crafting is her #1 favorite thing to do! So Saturday morning we decided to see what it was all about. We started with this...

And ended with this...

And now the doll is 90% bald thanks to this monkey...

See that look in her eyes? The poor do-it-yourself doll didn't stand a chance...there'll be yellow yarn scattered all over the house for the next 4 months because she pulls it out faster than I can pick it up! What can I say? The girl's a mess!

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from Sunday morning before church...


It's still a challenge to get both of them smiling simultaneously, but I'll take what I can get!

Another Opening, Another Show

(that was the title of the dance she helped open the show with)

Just wanted to take a sec' to brag on the cutie pictured above...her dance recital was last night, and her teacher (that's me) is giving her rave reviews! She came in during the middle of the year which would be hard for most people, but B isn't like most people. She's absolutely amazing in every way, so it was no surprise that she was a total star! She worked so hard and it definitely showed by her performance on stage last night. I'm so proud of you, Bebby! Way to go, chick!!