My Birthday

This year my birthday fell on a Tues... our most busiest day of the week.  So, Casey and the kids gave me a "surprise party" on Monday night.  That evening, while I was away at a class, he took the kids to Target and they each got me a little gift ~ two of them I had asked for and two were surprises :) When I got home they excitedly yelled "surprise!!" and I got lots of hugs and kisses! Each of them told me they loved me and what I do for them that they loved the most. Most of them were pretty thankful that I feed them! haha Trenton's favorite is when I tuck him into bed... no surprise there since he loves it when I gently scratch his back and spend time talking to him.  I'm so thankful to be "mommy" to each of our kids!  Casey also gave me beautiful flowers for my birthday and is giving me a day to myself this coming Friday.. yay! He's the best :)

 My new workout water bottle!

Trenton, aka. Captain America, telling me how much he loves it when I tuck him into bed :)

Birthdays

Last Sunday my parents and I celebrated our "birthday week"! Our birthdays are just days a part so for years now we've always celebrated with a nice family get together. This year Krystal and I made the complete Sunday lunch - so that mom wouldn't have to cook. And, Jake & Krystal got our birthday cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.. which was SO yummy!! We had a nice, relaxing afternoon.. which is just what we all wanted!

 Dad and Buddy

 Katie and Leon spent quite a bit of time constructing a mansion from Lincoln Logs...

Kristiana.. very tempted to "touch" but resisting the urge :)

Legos

I'm so proud of the boys! They saved their money and combined it to buy a bigger sized Lego set that they wanted.  With the two machines and a couple of men, it was a perfect set for them both to have... no fighting over who gets what! They're having a blast with their new toys and, learned a little about saving and spending hard earned money in the process.

Randomness...

Here are just a few photos from this last weekend and last week... taken from camera phones so not the best quality but, they'll do :)

 On Saturday my parents bought a new Bull Mastiff puppy named, Buddy. He's just 5 weeks old and an adorable ball of fur! He'll eventually grow up to be anywhere between 150-200 lbs so, for now, we're enjoying his little, snuggly size :)  We're "puppysitting" today and tomorrow while my parents work.. he's loved by all - especially the kids!

 Yesterday afternoon my mom and I went to a hike on Corral trail, off of Bogus Basin Rd. We were originally headed up to the top of Bogus but it was snowing so hard and the roads were icy.  We witnessed a numerous amount of vehicle slide offs so, decided to turn around the head back down.  The Corral Trail had just the right amount of snow that we didn't need the snowshoes and could walk ok in our hiking boots.  It snowed on us but, the temperatures were perfect for being outside!! Plus, such a great view of the city and valley!

 As a gift from my parents, I am now working out twice a week with our friend/trainer, Leon, and am totally loving it!  It's nice to be adding in weight & inner core training to go along with my running.  He's so knowledgeable in what he does and has already helped in improving a nagging pain I have in my lower back.  He also makes me work hard and push myself!

Snowman

We woke up to a good amount of snow this morning!  It began melting off this afternoon but, not before Katie Rose was able to build a fun snowman!  Our good friends, Brian & Monica, gave us a cute "snowman kit" for Christmas and the kids have had a blast with it!

Shopping and Earrings

After an all weekend celebration, Katie's actual real 8th birthday was on Monday, the 6th.  She woke up to opening gifts and, eating her traditional birthday donuts. She then did school and played with her new toys.  In the afternoon we got to go on an all-girls shopping trip to the Boise Mall! Myself, my mom, Katie and her two girl friends, Raina & Janelie, had a fun afternoon/evening shopping and eating dinner at Old Chicago. The highlight of the trip was getting Katie's ears pierced at Claires! She had waited for 2 years to get her ears pierced and she was SO excited!  She was pretty brave about the actual piercing part and said it felt like a staple went through her ear (although, how would she know what a staple in her ear felt like? haha) But, she was able to spend some her birthday money on a couple pairs of earrings, new glasses (fake of course.. but, she's always wanted glasses!) and a crossbody purse from Justice.

 Girls' Shopping Spree!!! I love my girlie :)

 We picked up Janelie & Raina from school, took the younger kiddos to Casey at work and stopped by our favorite Dutch Bros for a special birthday smoothie!

 Getting her ears pierced!

We had a yummy dinner & dessert in the Old Chicago at the mall... the girls were having a great time... giggling and enjoying themselves!

Sunday Celebration

On Saturday night Katie Rose got to spend the night at Nana and Papa's... they took her to downtown Boise for a special birthday dinner.  Then, on Sunday we had a family dinner at my parents for her birthday.  She requested shrimp, salmon, rice, brownies and ice cream (along with quinoa and veggies) It was all yummy!!

Jake, Krystal, Leon, Marie and Kyle were able to make it so we had a very nice Sunday gathering!

Tea Party

On Saturday, the 4th, we celebrated Katie's 8th birthday with a tea party! Eight of her girlfriends came over for a fun party of tea (hot cocoa and apple cider) yummy snacks and a 4 layered cake! Katie chose the menu and planned most of the party herself. The girls had a wonderful time being "ladies" for tea and, competing in an air hockey tournament!

 Most of the girls who came where from Katie's school however, Emma is her homeschooled friend.  Emma was able to come over prior to the party so they could play with their American Girl dolls together :)

 Katie, Angie, Raina, Emma, Ashlie and Lily

 Lily, Eleana, Janelie and Ana

 Katie's had lots of practice playing against her dad and, won most of the games :)

Happy 8th Birthday, Katie Rose!!!

First of all, I can't believe how fast time has flown and Katie is already 8 years old! How can it be possible that my baby girl is already so old?  It truly seems like just yesterday that we held her in our arms for the first time.  Realizing how fast these 8 years has flown by makes me cherish even more the years we have her.  Before we know it, another 8 years will go by.  I've been spending more time cherishing each and every moment and just love the sweet, kind girl that she's growing up to be!  

As Katie has gotten older, her intellect level and maturity level is also blossoming.  We have more intellectual conversations now; she is such a bookworm and loves to read and learn! She has also begun reading her Bible this year and grows in her love for Jesus.  It's so nice that she can read and is able to participate in church service now!  Katie's not afraid to ask theological questions and loves to play hymns on the piano.  Lately, she's been working on making "good decisions" when it comes to things such a spending her money etc.

Katie's sweet character is such a blessing to our family!  She's always been my helper with her siblings, shows kindness to her friends and is considerate of their feelings.  We love her laughter, spunk and ability to have a good time!  I truly enjoy hanging out with her and doing things such as baking, shopping or projects together.

This year is the BIG year as she gets to have her ears pierced. She's been waiting for 2 years for this day!

Happy Birthday,Katie Rose!  Your family loves you very much!!