Happy Birthday, William Dean!

Our adorable Godson/nephew turned 4 on June 8th. His birthday party was on the 11th and we also had another birthday party for Mya and Stella's little friend, Payne that same day and time. Will and Payne share a birthday although he is 2 years older. I didn't get any pictures at Payne's party but that little lady is beyond adorable. We were only able to stay about 45 minutes at her party but we are planning to get together with them often because her Mommy is a teacher too so she's off in the summer.

Will's party this year was had a Paul Frank monkey theme. My sister always does such a nice job. We had a delicious Mexican dinner of tacos and chimichangas. Our drinks were served in mason jars with a little name tag tied around the neck. Instead of a cake she made homemade vanilla and chocolate ice cream and then had a bunch of different sundae toppings. It was DELICIOUS! We sang to Will with a candle in his sundae. Sophie was so funny. She was a little beside herself that we weren't singing to her and kept singing "happy birthday Soapy". That little stinker has dodged my camera lately and she hasn't been in many pics I'm noticing. She is always present and being cute as ever so I'm just going to have to do a photo shoot with her soon! LOL Ash and Mya had a little photo shoot themselves. Mya wanted to sit on her lap and was just loving watching Ashley eat her ice cream. She didn't want any herself but she did want the "candy" (M&Ms).

To my wonderful Will ~ I love you so much, buddy! You blow my mind with how intelligent you are. I especially love how loving you are to me lately. Every time I see you, you come running to give me a hug and kiss and tell me you love me. You give the BEST hugs and I dread the day when I don't get them as often. In the first picture below you were giving all the love to me and so Uncle Dub was pouting. He was jealous because he knows just how awesome your hugs are, but being the sweet boy that you are you shared some with him too! You are a wonderful big brother and big cousin. The girls love you so much and I love that they have you to learn from. I hope you know that Uncle Dub and Aunt Casey are always here for you and love you more than you know! Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!

Monkey See, Monkey Do! Our Little Monkeys Turned Two!

This year we really tamed down the birthday bash. Last year there was 70+ people invited and I spent an insane amount of money making sure every last lady bug detail was perfect. I loved it but I told Wes that was just because it was their first. This year we went with a cute monkey theme (hence the title of this post) and only invited immediate family, our grandparents and a few other close cousins. It was a hot day and so I was glad to have less people. The girls looked adorable in one of my favorite outfits I've bought them. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and had other cookout sides. We had a cupcake tower with cute toppers. The girls were spoiled rotten with all of their presents and then we went outside for some fun in the pool and sprinklers. It was a great day! Thank you to our family who made it a special day for our favorite little girls!

A Letter to My Girls

My sweet, sweet girls,

You are TWO!!!! It has been two years since you came into my life, but I feel like you've been here forever! I don't know what I would do with myself if I didn't have you! You make every day fun and exciting. I love watching you experience life. You have so much energy and you are so very smart. You love to laugh and play. You love each other so much and I'm so glad you have a permanent playmate. Your relationship is so cute to me now and I can't wait to see it grow into the strongest and most important friendship you will ever have. You also love Daddy and I and are sure to show us every day with tons of hugs and kisses. I love when you tell me that you want to cuddle me or when you tell me "I love you so much" ~ without a doubt it melts my heart! We are the luckiest parents on the planet, because we get to have you as children!

I feel so incredibly blessed to be your Mommy! You are beautiful, sweet, funny, kind and intelligent. I absolutely adore you and I hope that you always know that! I love you always and ALL ways!

Love,

Mommy

Mya and Stella are 2!!!

On June 2nd our girlies turned 2 YEARS OLD!!!! Blows my mind to think about it! These first 2 pictures are actually from the night before their birthday when Daddy brought them each a bouquet of flowers for their birthday! What a thoughtful guy!

The morning of their birthday we woke up and opened just a few presents. We saved the rest for their party on Saturday. After the presents I made breakfast - eggs and pumpkin pancakes! They loved it and ate really well. We put a candle in their pancake and sang to them! *Sidenote: Our air conditioning is being installed tomorrow so it has been a little warm in our house. The girls would sweat at night in whatever we put them in so we tried this large (size 10-12) t-shirt that Daddy brought home from school. They look so stinkin' cute in it and it worked ~ they weren't sweaty! :)

After breakfast we got ready and headed out to the Toledo Zoo. The girls talked to YaYa on the phone on the way there.

We were only going to stay two hours so that we could be home in time for two different companies to come and give us an estimate for installing central air and so the girls could take a nap. They LOVED the zoo! It was so fun! Having a membership is fabulous because I didn't feel like we needed to try to get to everything. We spent most of the time looking at the monkeys! They are my favorite and the girls could not stop laughing. They kept telling us how silly the monkeys were as they swung from the branches and ropes and played. Stella was a little scared when they walked close to the glass because she was afraid "the monkey gonna get me", but still thoroughly enjoyed seeing them.

We also checked out Nature's Neighborhood which is a playground for little kids. We didn't play at all but we did get to go in with the goats. They thought that was so cool and Mya was following them around and petting them. We definitely washed our hands after touching them! The girls loved the hand dryer! LOL After that we stopped in the gift shop and got them each a stuffed animal - Stella a giraffe and Mya a zebra! We ate lunch in the Carnivore Cafe before leaving.

We had plans in the evening to go to the park but plans changed and Nana and the Riedemans came over to play and eat birthday cookies with the girls. We had made their fav ~ mac 'n cheese for dinner. I know my sister will cringe when she reads that but they are so picky lately and they never refuse that.

The next day was their 2 year well check appointment. Nana came with me since Daddy is still in school. He had taken a personal day to be home on their birthday! I was hoping that this appointment would go better than the past appointments. There were no shots and they are older now. They did so great! Mya only cried when Dr. Carmen first started her exam but if I held her she did fine. Stella didn't cry at all. Dr. Carmen said that they are doing excellent! Nothing to be concerned about and there is nothing we have to be careful about them eating anymore (i.e. peanut butter, honey, shellfish). She asked them to walk so she could watch and Mya ran to me while Stella danced! LOL They didn't talk that much around her so I had to just tell her that they are talking constantly and always in complete sentences. These are my first children so I assumed the amount they talk is normal but I guess that is not the case. They do get it honestly though! I love to talk! :) I loved that they are now able to weigh and measure them standing up on a scale now. It is more accurate and they were less afraid!

Here are there stats:

Mya Alyse ~

Weight: 27 lbs. (50th %)

Height: 34 1/4 in. (50th %)

Head Circumference: 19 1/2 in.

Stella Grace~

Weight: 25 lbs. 2 oz. (25th %)

Height: 34 1/2 in. (75 %)

Head Circumference: 19 in.