5th Birthday!

Yesterday was the girls fifth birthday. I can't believe how far we have come from the day they were born. Wes and I should have known what was ahead for us. From the first day, the girls were fighters and strong. They didn't let anything prevent them from growing. We had ups and downs in the NICU but faith that everything would work out.

Today, these two little girls are sweet and loving. They fall down and will get right back up again. We love them very much and hope that we are raising in the best way. Parenting is hard, but we make it through. Constantly, people are telling us how tall the girls are. Wes and I are amazed when we hear that. Who would have expected these tiny babies to get so big?

Their actual birthday started out with donuts. Wes picked up donuts and brought them home for breakfast. The day was full of fun things for the girls. They got to go to Chuck E Cheese and Build A Bear. It was so fun!

Here are some pictures from their birthday.

New bikes from Grandma and Papa

Gracie having fun!

Lizzie getting her picture made

Now waiting patiently for the picture to print

Pizza!

Love it!

Build A Bear!

Cleaning them up!

Creating the birth certificates

Wes and I are thankful everyday for these two little girls. I still think of them as my miracle babies. They are beautiful and full of spirit. Each with their own personality.They love each other and encourage each other.

They challenge us daily, but make Wes and I want to be better. They are really a mirror of our behavior both good and bad. Hopefully, more good than bad but the bad really stands out. That's when I know when I need to change and become better. Each day brings new joys. Love these little blessings.

Strawberry Shortcake Yoga Party!

This past Sunday, we celebrated the girls 5th birthday with a yoga birthday party. My friend, Cheryl Walker, does kids yoga parties and it was so fun! The party was hosted at Rescue Yoga All the kids had a blast! As always, Allison took pictures for us. I made floral crowns for all the girls and had hard hats (that's the best I could come up with) for the boys.

Here are just some of the awesome pictures she took.

Gracie with Reese and Riley

Lizzie

Cousins!

Having a blast

Nana and Lizzie

Nana and Lizzie

Ready to start

Dance!

Thumbs Up!

Relaxation

Blow out the candles!

Sweet girls

More cake

Sydney and Kassidy

How many are you?

FIVE!

Our family

 I can't believe my babies are 5! It was a fantastic party! Cheryl is awesome with children. We had 19 kids including the girls and she did great!

Memorial Day in Alabama

We spent Memorial Day in Alabama with Wes' family. We made the 12 hour drive over. It was a short stay but it was great!

We had lots of fun. On Saturday, we went out to Wes' uncles land and had a cook out. There is a creek that runs through the property and the girls loved playing in it. They also loved playing with their cousin Kinsleigh. She is a couple of years older.

Getting ready for fun!

Watching the cows

Getting ready to walk in the creek

Kinsleigh and the girls

Nana and the girls

Great-grandma and the girls

 

Listening to music

Nana, Darlene, and Great-grandpa

Gracie talking to her cousin Huck

The girls singing

On Sunday, we went swimming in the pool. While waiting for lunch, we played in the yard. The girls had a blast. After dinner, we took all the kids to the park. That evening, we all sat on the porch while we visited with the family.

Lizzie swimming

Loving the pool!

Gracie swimming

Warming up from the cold pool

Playing at the park

Love a tire swing with cousin Brande pushing!

It was a fast trip but nice. We had some Nana time that we've been missing. The girls got to spend time with their great-grandma, great-grandpa, great-aunts,great-uncle and lots of cousins!

Last Day of Preschool

Wednesday was the girls last day of preschool. Both girls were sad that they were leaving the school but they are looking forward to kindergarten. The girls had a great year at school and loved it!

Gracie and her teacher Tammie

 

The girlies

Lizzie and her teacher Tarrin

I'm having a bit of trouble with how big the girls are getting. It seems like they are growing up so quickly. It will be hard not to see them in the halls at church while I'm working.

Weekend Fun!

We had a great weekend. We stayed busy and had fun. On Saturday, we started out by working in the yard. Then in the afternoon, we went to our friend Ally's birthday party. It was a gymnastics party and the girls loved it. I've know Ally's mom, Shari, since college. Our other college friend, Cindy, was there with her kids Mara and Jack.

Gracie waiting for the trampoline

Lizzie waiting her turn

The girls, Jack was too busy to stop for a picture.

It was great to see my friends again. We all moved down here from Oklahoma after college at various times.

Sunday was a very big day for us. As part of my job at the church, I helped plan a huge retirement celebration for our senior pastor. It went really well and we had lots of people come!

Singing in the choir

Posing with their new stickers on their purses

It was a great weekend.