It is GREAT to be EIGHT!!!

Well, it has finally come and gone and Cambree has been one very happy little girl! For the past 9 months we have been on the birthday countdown. I am not sure that there is another being out there who loves birthdays to the point of distraction. She loves for people to have birthdays and counts down for them, but she REALLY loves her birthday...I mean really!!
Here is the rundown of the festivities:

I made these "Oreo Pops" for Cambree's school class and dance class. They turned out pretty cute and they actually tasted really good too!


Cambree wanted the new flavor of Cookie Crisp cereal, so we teased her by wrapping it up as a present for her birthday.

She really wanted a bike this year, but the one we really wanted wasn't to be found around here. So, we ordered it online and it is supposed to be here next week sometime. She had to open a picture of a bike and at first I don't think she was so sure about what was going on. She was a good sport though!

Every year, a new Barbie movie comes out right before her birthday and she really wants it. This year it was "Barbie and the Three Musketeers". Cheesy, but it is what dreams are made of for a little girl I guess...

Brinlee was pretty happy until Cambree wouldn't let her see the movie up close and personal. This face says it all....
Aidan just showed up for the cupcakes. Mainly the frosting I guess. :)

Grandma Judy got Cambree a set of blue scriptures and she was SO excited because it had the Doctorine and Covenants in it. This is what they are studying this year in Primary.

Now begins the b-day party portion. We had it 2 days after her birthday because of school...
I actually made a pinata for the party. My friend helped me make my very first one! It was pretty fun and the girls were all about hitting something filled with candy. They didn't care what it looked like, but I actually think it turned out fairly cute! (It's supposed to be a daisy for those of you in question...)

We had a pizza party with little pizzas that they made themselves. The girls loved this and were so cute making them. They finally got to eat what they made...Some were a little anxious for them to be done. :)

This is the cake that I made for the party. I made a filling for the middle out of a little bit of the cream cheese frosting and some raspberry jam I had made. It was really tasty and yet some of the girls didn't seem to be so impressed with it. What's with that?

Just a cheesy game I threw together at the last minute. Inside the balloons were little jelly rings that they got when they popped their balloons...kind of dorky, but whatever.

Everybody loved watching the gift opening! Their reactions were so cute and fun. It was a really fun party....thanks girlies for coming!

Because the 1st one didn't take....

Today Mike is applying and registering for classes and getting ready to go back to school. (It started a week ago, but Mike thinks he is special and will start on Monday.) I guess that the 1st bachelor's didn't really do much for us or something, so now we are going to try again. So, he is now taking Education core classes and next semester we hope to see him student teaching. By this time next year we hope he is a certified teacher with a teaching job and that our lives can be somewhat stable...Here's to hoping.
In other news. It is that time of year when the garden starts producing and the fruits of our labors pay off. We have eaten potatoes, corn, cucumbers and carrots from the garden. We have 3 pumpkins...Just the right amount for us this year and we have this amazing onion that is about to sprout legs and break free from the dirt. I can't believe how huge this thing is!! It makes me laugh when I see it and I just can't bring myself to pull it up yet. I don't know why.

Family photos!

On Friday evening, we went and had our $5 family picture taken at the school. Since we were all dressed up, I thought we should probably take advantage and get some pics of us. So, my friend Lisa came and shot some great pictures of us. I think they turned out pretty well. We tried to get by a red barn that is pretty cool, but the side we needed, was growing a ton of stinging nettle. (Lisa found that out for us 1st hand!) Anyway, I want to maybe put one at the top of my blog, so feel free to vote which is your favorite!!

First day of school, movie party with friends and boating with the Brunson's!

School started last week and the girls were pretty excited about it. I have to admit that I had a harder time leaving Brinlee at the school this year on the first day. It seems strange that she won't be my little buddy for 1/2 the day, but I always have Aidan to fill in the would be quiet hours!
Anyway, they LOVE school!! I am so grateful that they are so willing to go and do anything. And that they love most everything in life right now!
We had a small party on Friday night to watch Hannah Montana the Movie. The girls invited a couple of friends and they watched it outside...yes, in the sunshine (it was from 7-9 so the sun wasn't quite down). It was a lot of screaming and sqealing! But, I think it was pretty fun too!

On Saturday Bonnie and Jason invited us up to the boat club that they belong to and we were able to go boating with them. My kids were able to ride tubes for the 1st time and LOVED it so much...they are already trying to plan the next boat trip!

I also took a turn on the tube with my good pal Bonnie and we took Morgan and Aidan with us. Aidan actually thought that it was a-ok too! I was also introduced to "Tube Wars" with the Brunson fam and let me tell you, it can be brutal...I think they took it easy on me since I could barely hang on as it was! I did get dumped and then I was out for good. I am STILL sore!! Thanks for the great memories and muscle pain you guys!!

Things that don't "crack" me up!

I can find a lot of joy in my children. They come up with some hilarious things to say and do and can be quite fun. HOWEVER! Some things do not "crack" me up. Let me explain the day I was having at the time I took these pictures. Only Aidan and I were home. So, I put him in the tub and went to grab a diaper for him. After I returned 20 seconds later, I noticed he had pulled his towel into the tub and then thrown it out on the floor and was proceeding to dump cupfuls of water on top of it. So, I got him out and dressed him. While I was cleaning the bathroom, he proceeded to get in the fridge and break the eggs in the egg carton all over. Great. So, I had to clean the fridge. Which to be quite honest, really did need it. While I was cleaning the fridge, he went outside and got a scoopful of pebbles from our backyard and came in and dumped them all over my living room carpet. Aw...the joys of a 19 month old baby boy!! Needless to say naptime and bedtime are a favorite at our house!! :)

The Wedding of the Century!!

Last Thursday my brother Andy got married. We couldn't have been more happy or excited!! My new sister in law is Kristin and my girls absolutely adore her. She is perfect for my brother and he waited a long time to find her! Here are a couple of pics from the BIG event!!

This is my grandma with my girls. My mom has this great friend Colleen who made some delicious treats for people to have after the wedding while we waited for the bride and groom to come out. It was so perfect and we are so thankful to her! Anyway, here they are enjoying the treats!

Here is my sister and my girls. She is the best aunt in the whole world...Don't believe me? Ask my kids!!

A picture on the famous stone steps. We waited for a while...and the kids were kind of bored...


No,this is not a picture of Kristin or Andy's family. Yes, that is my dad. He likes to play "Who is that guy?" in wedding photos. When my dad goes to weddings at the temple, he waits until other bridal parties are taking family photos and then just casually gets into them like he is part of their family. I am sure that the bride and groom and their families wonder "who is that guy" when they get their pictures developed. Everyone thinks this is a hilarious joke in our family!! **Side note on this particular day. My dad was helping the grandparents and others get positioned for the picture. Like he was really part of the family or something!!

These are pictures from the reception. It was in this really amazing greenhouse place and it was so beautiful. The batteries in my camera died at the end of the reception, but a limo picked them up and my girls thought that was a dream come true. They really wanted to see inside, but there just wasn't time...I guess Andy and Kristin will have to tell them all about it...
Anyway,now my bachelor brother is a married man. How strange/wonderful is that? And, they lived happily ever after...The end!!!

PS Kristin's dad does AMAZING wedding videos. Here is the link to his blog if you want to watch Andy and Kristin's "pre-wedding" video. I can't wait to see the wedding video!! http://idovideos.blogspot.com/