Emma turns 8

Emma turned 8 last Thursday. We celebrated her big day with a "beach" party and invited her friends from school and church. it was such a fun day for her and her friends. I love seeing her so happy and having the time of her life. I really wanted the day to be special and for it to be a great memory. I only hope her memory doesn't linger on how cold it was outside. It wasn't the best day for a water party but the girls never complained, even when their lips turned blue.

One of Emma's Birthday wishes was for brunch at I HOP. So, we spent the morning eating out and then putting the decorations up for her party. It's GREAT to be 8!!! Emma's friends!
The water slide. We played a few games. Water limbo was a hit. The kids couldn't stop laughing at Lucy. She is still so short that she could walk under the stick but she would bend as far backwards as she could anyway. It was hilarious. Another one of Emma's birthday wishes was for Italian Sodas to be served at her party. She's been in love with these ever since our trip to Aunt Heathers house in June. The party kids were just as thrilled with them. I've realized that it's not the drink they love but the little umbrellas in the cups. I think Iza was feeling a bit jealous of all of Emma's attention.

I love having birthday parties but I hate that my kids are getting older. Now that Emma is 8, she will be baptized next month. I'm thrilled for her. She is excited about this and what it means for her. She seems so grown up now and it is killing me. I do love her so.

Happy Birthday!

On a side note... Emma's favorite gift was Bumpits. I'm so embarrassed that I actually bought this. I laughed and made so much fun of these when I saw them {even though I was secretly jealous that these weren't around in the 90's when I used to bump my own hair} But, she was infatuated by the commercial and talked about them constantly. So, I just couldn't resist when I ran across them at target. I have to admit, she did look cute with her new bumped up hair.

slip & slide

Every Monday at Thanksgiving Point, they put together a family night for their members. The activity this week was a giant slip & slide. This year we {along with a bunch of our friends} bought a year pass so we could bring our kids to the gardens once a week to run around. The Family Night activities have been a great bonus. It has been well worth the $$. We love it there. With all the time we spend in the gardens, Emma & Isabelle are becoming quite the little botanists. If you've never been to the gardens, this month is $2 Tuesdays. It's so beautiful there. I totally recommend going out with your family.

enjoy the pics...

T T F N

Weekend fun

Friday I took the girls over to the sports park in our neighborhood for Foam Day. The fire department brought their trucks over and filled the park with fire retardant foam for the locals to play in. I wasn't sure how safe it would be {cancer causing agents and all} but went along with the rest of the neighbors anyway. The kiddos had fun but I wanted to puke the whole time. The smell was awful! Crazy thing though, I was the only one who could smell it. And no I'm not pregnant. Just a sensitive smeller. As soon as we got home I stuffed all three girls in the shower together and sprayed them down. I spent the rest of the afternoon dizzy and with the worst headache. Could the smell cause a brain tumor that fast? Oh the sacrifices of trying to be a fun mom. I won't be participating in this tradition next year.

Carly, Sam, Brooke, Emma, Iza

The Smell

Poor Lucy Jane. She face planted in the smell and spent the rest of the afternoon making hacking sounds.

...Later that day

we had a neighborhood party complete with a roasted pig

As I was still feeling the effects of the smell, I opted to go vegetarian for the night.

We have the most amazing neighborhood. Thanks to the Guercio's for hosting a perfect night. And thanks to the Shepherd's for letting us hang out in their kitchen til 2am playing games!

Happiness is...

today's harvest with plenty more on the way.

Messy

I saw this idea on my friend Jackie's blog. It took me all of 5 minutes to hop in the car with my last $10 of fun money to buy 8 cans of shaving cream. The kids were begging me to tell them what they were for. I told them that it was all part of my master plan to stay sane while Mr. Lloyd is away {5 more days to go}. Or maybe I'm going a bit insane. Either way, they had a blast!
I was a bit concerned if shaving cream would hurt the grass. But since we're having some sprinkler issues, most of the grass looks like crap anyway. As of now, we may not be the greenest grass on the street, but it's the cleanest.

Bridal Veil Falls

Saturday was the day I was supposed to clean bathrooms, fold laundry, and wash windows. I didn't feel like it so... we took the kids and their friends here. It's been years since I've been. I nearly forgot how beautiful it is.

A couple people commented on how beautiful my girls were. I'm sure they assumed that all 5 were mine and I went ahead and let them. It felt good being the mother of 5 beauties for the day. Unless the next baby is twin girls, you can be sure it will never happen.

I hope Isabelle and Kaylen are the closest thing to twins I'll ever get.

tata for now...