A Busy September!

We love it when Uncle Cole flies in for a visit!  I couldn't resist taking this picture of these two - looks like they are playing dress-up!  It's crazy to think that Cole is a real pilot and Kolby's nearly a doctor.

If you knew how goofy these two are, you'd be crazy to put your life in their hands!

We made a trip to the Oklahoma State Fair with the kids.  They loved the petting zoo and visiting the giant horses!

Amos had to pose in front of anything with wheels!

And we had an awesome time at Disney on Ice this year!  It was even better than last year's High School Musical on Ice!  It kicked off with Cars on Ice - Amos was in heaven!  He went home and gave his dad every detail! 

(Stephanie C., if you are reading this, yes, I stole these pictures from you.  And I'm not sorry.  Your camera is so much better than mine, and I will steal again if I have to!)

I loved the Little Mermaid the best!  Pregnant women, sick of swimmin'! 

Check out Ursula!  Who could skate in that costume?  Amazing!

Sebastian

The Lion King showed the whole stampede on ice!  It was magical!

And the girls' favorite was Tinkerbell!  Winn kept saying, "Mom, I thinkly Tinkerbell is coming up next!!!!"  She made a grand entrance and they did the whole movie on ice!

This was June's face through the whole thing!

And last but not least, Winn got to make a special trip to Build-a-bear to spend her birthday money from Nana Betty!

She stuffed and fluffed her new black bear, who started out as a boy, but then magically turned into a girl once Winnie took a gander at the outfits.

Winn named her bear Kalvin Betty, after Nana Betty.  We're still not quite sure if it's a boy or a girl.  It's a little confused about it's own gender right now.

Kalvin and Winn, best friends for life!

Winn's the big 3!

This sweet girl has been counting down to her birthday since June!   For months, Winn's first words to me each morning have been, "Is it my Monsters vs. Aliens birthday today?"  I was so happy on September 8th to finally answer, "YES!"

 

These past three years can be summed up in one word:  JOY!  Winn smiled the day she was born, and that big beautiful face has been smiling ever since.  Winn loves life, gets excited about EVERYTHING, and can put a smile on any one's face.  She makes friends with everyone she meets and desperately wishes she could go to school with June every day!  Lately, she finds her greatest joy in playing jokes on her mom, dad and June.  I've been told she inherits this from her mischievous Uncle Kory.

 

Birthday present #1:  Nana Deb got to be here for the big day!  She was a big help with party preparation since Mom got back from Costa Rica at 10:00 p.m. the night before the party!  What do you think of our "bob the blob" cupcakes?  Winn couldn't stop beaming over them!

Here's Bob himself and the Missing Link!

Winn and Amos are such good buddies.  It is such a blessing to live by cousins!

Winn scored a lot of loot this year.  Check out this pimped-out ride for Barbie!  Uncle Buck never disappoints!

I can't believe it's been three years!  She sure has grown up into a lovely little lady!

Winn is definitely a daddy's girl.  Every afternoon she whispers to me, "Mom, do you hear something?  I think it's Daddy home from school!"  We have the best daddy in the world!

These sisters may sometimes struggle to get along, but I've seen the love when they don't think any one's looking!

A big day of partying can sure tucker you out!  We love you Winn, keep smiling!

Ten years . . .

(From top to bottom:  Heather, Wendy, Melinda, Jess, Heidi, and Nicole)

I have never been very good at making friends.  I always feel awkward and say the wrong thing, and then privately obsess over my awkwardness and lack of social skills.  But by some miracle, I was blessed to find these truly amazing friends while starting my freshman year at BYU ten years ago (yes, I do feel old when I say that).  We were all lucky enough to live in the same hallway at Deseret Towers.

I can easily say that freshman year with these girls was one of the most fun years of my life!  I could go into greater detail, but most of our stories are incriminating to one or several of us, and I'm not looking to embarrass, or get anyone in trouble with the law!

So we decided to celebrate our 10-year anniversary in a big way.  We left behind our jobs, children, and husbands and headed to Costa Rica for five days!  

(Heather, Melinda, Jess, Rebecca, Nicole, Heidi, and Wendy)

The trip was AMAZING!  We zip-lined over the rain forest, snorkeled off the coast of Tortuga Island, and hiked to white sandy beaches, where we soaked up the sun and sea.  But by far, the best part of the trip was just lounging around with these awesome chicks, laughing hysterically about our college years, and catching up on the new happenings in our lives!  It really does my heart good to know that we can still get together and it feels like no time has passed at all!  Thanks for all the fun girls, I can't wait to do it again!