Party Time!

We had Hailey's 2nd birthday party here over the weekend, our first official pool party! It was a perfect day, with perfect company, and Hailey enjoyed every minute of being the center of attention! She received some wonderful gifts, girly gifts I might add, and was delighted with every one. I think she managed to play with every single toy and read every single book and wear every single item of clothing, including her princess dress, before bed that night! I was so happy to have my Mom and step Dad here all weekend to help out with the party, too, we couldn't have done it without them! Thanks to all who came, you made it a very special day for Hailey and me!

Finally!

As promised, almost two weeks ago, here are the "after" pictures of the patio cover and the front yard that James did! They turned out so good, I'm so happy with both! We've also added some lights to the pool area, which look awesome but are hard to photograph. We plan on putting the same lights around the rest of the yard, as soon as we can figure out how to wire them! All in all, I think our backyard, and front, look awesome and I feel so BLESSED to have them! I'm also blessed to have a such a hard working hubby that can do so many things! Hope you enjoy the pics and then come on over to the house to enjoy them in person!

Notice there is grass by the patio now! Yeah!

Our house is on the left and the neighbors is on the right. James did both yards since they were connected and we wanted them to match.

The first picture of the lights is a little blurry, but the second one is okay. We put spot lights on the palm trees and we've added them to the waterfall since these pic's were taken! Guess you'll just have to come to our house to really see them! :-)

Ryan's Yellow Boots

So this post is a couple of months overdue, but I just have to do it anyway. Ryan got a pair of yellow rain boots this past winter and he absolutely LOVED them! He wore them anytime, anywhere he could (including pre-school which got him banned from all the playground equipment because they were too slippery!) and I just think he looks so cute in them! I had the camera with me one afternoon and wouldn't you know it, Ryan was wearing his yellow boots! I got some pic's to remember Ryan's Yellow Boots!

Kids, park, fun!

Mother's Day!

I have the best husband in all the world! He had to work on Mother's Day this year and I was resigned to the fact that it would be just another ordinary day for me and the kids, but James had something else in mind! I woke up Sunday morning and came downstairs to find this beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the kitchen island, along with a very sweet card, waiting for me! I don't know how he did it! He was home all day Saturday and had to leave for work by about 6:30 that morning, so when did he get the flowers? He refuses to give up his sources and it's driving me nuts! I guess I should be happy that he won't since he says in case he needs to use them again he can! In any case I was very pleasantly surprised by the flowers and then I got an email from him saying that on Wednesday I had an appointment for a manicure and pedicure and the rest of the day to myself! How awesome is that!? Like I said, I have the best husband in all the world!

But wait, I'm not done. I also have the best boys in all the world. Maybe they learned from their father? Jackson and Ryan surprised me on Mother's Day by making me waffles (the frozen kind) complete with butter and syrup, all by themselves. I suspect that Ryan did more eating then helping, but it was the sweetest thing ever! I went downstairs to eat them and found out that they had given my the last two waffles, so I shared them with my two sweet boys! Again, I have the best boys in all the world!

It was quite a special Mother's Day, despite the fact that James was working, one I'll probably never forget!

Neighborhood Pool Party!

We had our first little pool party last week when we invited the neighborhood over to swim! We ended up with eight kids and seven adults, at various times, and it was a blast! Check out the kids on the waterfall!

Patio Perfection!

We've made another addition to our backyard oasis - a patio cover! Although it's not totally finished in this picture, it looks pretty cool! It's so nice to have a covered area outside, we've eaten out here for at least one meal a day since it was done! I'll get some finished pictures of it tomorrow and you can see the whole thing in all it's glory! :-) We've also replaced the grass that you see is missing next to the patio, along with the entire front yard. James, along with some help from an awesome neighbor, repaired the damage that was done by the pool company and all their equipment to the front yard. It looks amazing and I'll get some finished pic's of that tomorrow, too! In the meantime you can see the before pic's and be amazed when you see the after ones!

James rented a sod cutter to make cutting out the rest of the old grass easier.
We also re-did the neighbors yard since they were adjoining.

Come on in, the water's f-f-f-freezing!

So, after our little vacation to Disneyland and Gramma's house we were so excited to get home and go swimming for the first time in our new pool! Unfortunately when we got back it wasn't so hot anymore. Not to be discouraged, we decided to brave the cooler weather and much cooler water and go for it! It lasted for about 20 minutes before everyone's lips were blue and we were all ready to go inside and warm up! It was fun though, despite the cold, and definitely worth it! Check out James' dive and the expression after, then check out the water temp on the thermometer! The good news is that it can only get warmer from here on out!

Miss Hailey was the only one smart enough NOT to get in the water, although she was ready for it!

The boys braving the cold! The dive!

The shock of cold water!
Yes, it really does say 65 degrees, and yes we are crazy!!

My baby girl is 2!!!!

I can't believe my little girl is 2 years old! How did it happen? How did it go by so fast? I can honestly say that it has been the best two years of my life because I cannot imagine my life without this beautiful, sweet, funny, and happy little girl. She has brought such joy to my heart and such contentment to our family. I thank God for you Hailey Elizabeth! Happy birthday my sweet baby girl. Hailey Elizabeth - 2 years old!

Digiland 2009!

That's what Hailey calls it, Digiland! She also says Mimi Mouse, which is so cute, and she got to meet Mimi Mouse too! We had a wonderful time on our trip last week to the happiest place on Earth. It was an exhausting three days but oh so fun! We got to go with our good friends, the Millards, and it made for an even more exciting time since the kids got to share it with their good friends, Emily and Abbey. (And James and I got to hang out with Jim and Laura in the evenings - Yipee!) While we were there we celebrated Hailey's 2nd birthday and Abbey's 5th birthday complete with cupcakes at the character breakfast to sundaes at the Rainforest Cafe! They even got to wear special badges with their names on them to let everyone know that it was their birthday. Of course Hailey pulled hers off in about 5 minutes, but it was cool while it lasted! Some of the favorite rides ended up being Indiana Jones for Jackson, Nemo's Submarine Voyage for Hailey and Ryan loved the Soarin' Over California ride at Disney's California Adventure! Go figure!

After our fun was over at Disneyland we said goodbye to our friends and headed to Gramma Bubba's house, just 20 minutes away! I love going to my gramma's house and so do the kids. We enjoyed spending time with her, going to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D at the theatre, and seeing my Aunt Maxine, Uncle Glenn, cousin Richie and his girlfriend, Crystal, for dinner at Jackson's favorite restaurant, the Hibachi Steak House! All in all, it was a great vacation and I can't wait to do it again soon!