my 32nd birthday

For my birthday this year, Brooke told me that she was going to make me a cake "all by herself".  It was pretty adorable, and her and Kevin made a pretty cute team.  I found a recipe for them, but other than that, they were on their own. 

Once the baking was done, and the 32 candles were placed, my crew was ready to sing to me :)

I'm grateful for these two family and the effort they made to make my birthday feel special. Kevin also encouraged me to order some Frye boots that I have wanted for years, so happy birthday to me!!

miniature golf

I'm pretty sure this was part of my birthday celebration, but man, it feels like forever ago.  We have never taken the kids miniature golfing, so we decided to go on an adventure.  Besides the extreme heat, it was a ton of fun, and Brooke was really excited.  Colby just wanted to collect the balls, haha.

Brooke talked about going back for weeks, so I am sure we will go again this Spring.  Preferably because it gets hot again!

first haircuts

We were beginning to have some major "tangle problems", as Brooke and I called them, due to her long hair.  Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful, but it was a constant battle to keep it tangle-free since she likes it down the majority of the time. So, I made appointments with my good friend Andreia for both kids, and myself :)  I could tell that Brooke was a little nervous, but I kept reminding her that it would help with the tangle problems, and she seemed convinced.  She wanted Colby to go first, so he did.

We weren't sure how well he would do with the clippers, but he did great!  Andreia was so sweet and patient with him, and she praised him for being such a good boy.

I was IN LOVE with his haircut!  I have since learned to cut his hair myself since I can't go see Andreia every two weeks when his hair needs a trim, but her haircuts obviously look better.

When it was Brooke's turn, she was so brave.  I think she felt like a big girl sitting in that chair, and she was amazed at her "golden curl" that I let her hold.  It was really hard for me to see that last baby curl go, but I knew it needed to be done.

I was proud of them both and grateful for a friend who does hair at home so that I didn't have to deal with taking them to a salon! Miss Andreia is the best :)

dancer girl

I mentioned in a previous post that we signed Brooke up for a Ballet/Tap/Tumble class, but here's an update: She LOVES it!  Her class is filled with the most adorable and sweet little girls, and her teacher is really great at managing a whole room full of 3 and 4 year olds. I was a little worried about the teacher (Miss Emily), because I felt like the owner of the studio was giving me disclaimers about her not being friendly.  (Which is weird, in my opinion, coming from the owner.)  Miss Emily is not over the top friendly, and is maybe strict, but I love that Brooke is learning a ton and the girls are all following directions while having fun.  The assistant (Miss Grace) is really great as well.

They don't have a great parent observation area, but they do have a small window to look in, so I peek in once or twice during the hour class.  Colby gives me the perfect excuse because I sometimes pretend like I'm going to the restroom to change his diaper, haha.

I love this cute little dancer girl! My favorite is to watch her do ballet.  I don't know if this is something we'll keep up with forever, but for my 3 year old girl, it is perfect.

class activity

My beautiful friend Rachel is the Laurel Advisor in our YW Program, which I absolutely love!  She is such a fabulous example to me of Christlike love and service.  She is also a lot of fun :)  Her and her husband have a boat at Joe Pool Lake, so they took us out one evening for Mutual.  The girls wanted to learn how to surf, and since Rachel doesn't know how, I was voluntold, haha. The girls had a great time, and we enjoyed the most beautiful sunset! With summer approaching again, I am sure this will be a repeat activity. 

visit with the amorims

It really has been such a blessing that the Amorims have family in Texas, because we get to see them whenever they come see their family!  They stayed with us, which means that we get to see them quite a bit :)  One Saturday, we went shopping, and as you can tell, the kids were really into it...

I don't know why I didn't take pictures of anything else, but my favorite memories from that trip are staying up late at night and talking.  They have been some of our very best friends for over 6 years, and I'm grateful that we are still close.  I need to do a better job at calling Daleth, but life is busy with kids, callings, etc.  Thankfully, they understand, because they are in the same phase of life.   

colby-10 months

Things to remember about this month: One morning, as I went into his room, he said "muh, muh, muh", then said "dada dada", then "buh buh buh".  Almost as if he was calling for each member of his family :)  His bottom right tooth popped in, and another one is almost through on the top right.  He started waving, and pulls up on our hands to stand. He uses the sign for "more" without prompting.  Says "dat" repeatedly when he wants something.  Found his nostrils and wants his fingers in there all.the.time! By mid-month, he started sleeping about 12 hours at night. He loves his paci at night, and when he's getting tired. 

He loved the paper on the exam table during his check-up, haha.

When you're too lazy to hold your water cup...

Mother's Lounge Shenanigans...

Around this time, I feel like Colby really started to look like a big boy.  I'm not sure if it was his confidence in sitting, but his face just looked older to me as well. 

This kid needed a hair cut!

Even months later, I still remember this little nap at church.  He fell asleep quickly because he was SO tired, and I remember never wanting to forget the feeling of his chubby little hand resting on my arm.  He really is such a sweet boy and I feel blessed to be his Mama.