Brandy and Lily Visit!

Lily and Brandy came to visit us at the beginning of last week and Amelia and I were so, so excited.  Elise was excited too, but I'm not sure if she knew exactly what she was excited about, haha.  The girls played really well together.  Lily was a little concerned at first about how LOUD and WILD my girls are, but she soon realized that they weren't going to quiet down and got right in on the playing fun.  Elise wanted Brandy to hold her--even when Brandy was holding Lily, haha.

 

We took the girls swimming and they were all so cute in their little swimsuits.  It was Lily's first time at a big, public pool and she did great!  The girls all splashed around and Amelia had three brave firsts.  She did the dolphin slide, went all the way under water (on accident), and jumped to me without me catching her.  I guess Brandy and Lily inspired her.  The girls took GREAT naps after their water fun and the mommas may have dozed a little ourselves.

Amelia was very (s)mothering to Lily the whole trip, ha.

Friends Foreverrr

Another first--Buzzy in the fountain

Elise filling up a bucket over and over..

Snacktime

 After naps, Amelia wanted to snuggle with Brandy instead of me--too sweet.  She honestly was so elated their entire visit.  She kept asking Brandy, "Haven't you MISSED me?"

 Then we got ready and headed to Famous Daves for some yummy BBQ and then to Orange Leaf for some yogurt.  Such a fun (and delicious) evening. 

When it was time for Lily and Brandy to head home, the girls asked about them for the entire rest of the day.  We honestly had such a great time playing with the girls and chatting.  Thanks so much for visiting us guys!!  Next time, we are taking the adventure to travel to Conway when the Hopkins move into their brand new house!! 

Happy Birthday (again)

We have a lot of summer birthdays in our family and that means it's a party every other weekend!!!  Everyone came up to our house for a double birthday party for Steph and I (our favorite kind) and it was another fabulous time of family.  Nothing makes me happier, honestly.  Here are my angel pies excited about the party.

Steph and I got some great gifts.  I was super excited that Steph made me some Arkansas pillows to match my curtains!  She keeps getting better and better with her sewing skills.

All the girls- the best shot

Dancing with Meme

Liv trying to get Jared's attention

Our cakes were from Cold Stone and they were DELISH.  I loved sitting next to my sister, like I have for so many years and blowing out my candles.  And..I honestly don't feel that much different than I did ten years ago blowing out my candles with her.  Other than the husband, and two kids part, haha.

Hello Kitty, Hello Two!

 Amelia had been waiting to wear her Hello Kitty shirt to Ingrid's party for what seemed like YEARS!  She was elated when it was finally time to don our shirts for the big evening.

 

Ingrid's party was such a fabulous night.  Everyone had a great time and all the decorations and snacks and food were amazing.  I didn't get as many great shots of the decor as Steph did, so check out that here.  But, I did capture some of the fun.  Actually, Ross got most of these awesome shots.  The girls had a blast playing in Ingrid's room when we got there.  They were actually just content with that and no one mentioned cake or presents, haha.  

 

Ingrid just loved all of her presents and my two (especially Amelia) were very interested in what she got and super ready to give her the gift from us.  I loved Ingrid's expressions as she opened her gifts.  She was simply adorable the whole party.

Helpers?

Dance party. This is classic Elise dance move--bend over and look like an old lady.

Best face ever.

 The food, oh the food.  It was insanely delish--all of it.  But these Hello Kitty cookie truffle balls of goodness were IT for me.  So yummy.

Ingrid is the smartest little two year old in the world.  I love her tiny voice and big personality.  She shared all of her new toys with my girls and never even had to be encouraged to do so.  All the noise and all the people didn't bother her a bit and she had a sparkle in her eye the entire evening.  I just love her so much and I am so proud to be her Aunt Heavvver. 

My Best Friend's Birthday

Happy Birthday to the one that dressed me up as a penguin at the last minute so my pregnant self would have a fun Halloween and stop moping about having no costume.

Happy Birthday to the one who loves to pinch my nose (or anyone's nose for that matter) and hates smoochy wet kisses and overly tight hugs.

Happy Birthday to the one that asked me to stand beside her on her most special day creating an immeasurable joy in my heart.

Happy Birthday to the one who stood beside ME at my wedding, did my makeup, helped me take deep breaths, and kept me focused on the true meaning of the day.

Happy Birthday to the one who keeps me in stitches and gets things before I ever even say them.

 

Happy Birthday to the one who held my firstborn with so much love and compassion that she instantly became a most fabulous aunt.

Happy Birthday to the one that spent the night in the hospital with me after my second and dealt with a wiiiide aray of postpartum hormones.

Happy Birthday to the one.  The best friend.  The sister.