Sharing

Thought this was such a cute picture just had to share! Moments like these I cherish because lord knows it won't be like this forever between these two!

Alyvia at it again

Notice any thing wrong with my stove? Look closely.... If you are thinking you see no knobs for the burners then you would be correct! Yes miss Alyvia is at it again. We can no longer keep the knobs on unless James or I are actually cooking because she will wait until our backs are turned for just a second to run over there and turn them.

The first time I smelled that gassy smell I thought the flame just went out. The second time I smelled it I was convinced something was wrong with my stove and that it was going to explode. The third time I finally caught that little demon in action and figured out what was going on. I swear that little girl gets into absolutely everything.

Dolphin Habitat

Every year James' work gives out summer splash passes to all its employees. Its like a small coupon book that gives us free admissions to certain places or a discount as long as he is with us to show his work I.D. This week we took the kids to the Mirage to see the Dolphin Habitat. This is something we would have never gone to because it is a little pricey. Luckily this visit only cost us $3.00. Talk about a deal!!!
We had an absolute blast being able to be up close to the dolphins. The kids were in awe of the noise they made and of course the few jumps that we were able to watch. There was also an under water viewing area that helped the kids really be able to watch the dolphins. Two of the females were basically touching the glass that separated us. Talk about a great experience for those little kids.
One thing that I didn't know about was there were also lions, tigers, alpacas, jaguars, and a leopard. The white tigers were a personal favorite for all of us. The rest of the animals were having a lazy day. Most of them were sleeping.
It was a great experience for all of us but seriously so very HOT!

Happy Fathers Day

Oh how I wish holidays could be on a Saturday! James had to work on Father's Day but we made the best of it. My mom, chad, James' dad, sister and brother came over for breakfast on Sunday. We have this family owned restaurant and bar just two blocks from the house that we all walked to. It was nice to not have to cook and let someone else clean up after us for a change! LOL After breakfast there were some jumping houses in the parking lot that the kids were able to play in. Since no one else was using them James hopped on in and had a blast with the kids. If this isn't spending some quality time with his kids then I don't know what is. I absolutely love watching James in daddy role and seeing how much he loves those kids and also how much those two kids love their daddy. The bond those three share is absolutely amazing. He may not be home as much as we would like but the second he walks into our home its like he's been there all along. The kids just pick up right were they left off.

James is such an amazing father and husband. He has made so many sacrifices for us and there isn't anything he wouldn't do for his family. James, thank you for always being there for us, but mainly thank you for being the best father any child could ask for.

My Best Friends Wedding

Weddings are one of my favorite events to attend. It doesn't matter to me who's getting married I just love attending them! My best friend Alicia finally got married a week ago and I was very honored to have been a brides maid. She is one of the last of our friends and family to have tied the knot. It was such a beautiful ceremony. I of course shed a few tears and James laughed at me later because I am such a softy, but as they said there vows to each other I couldn't help but remember the day we did the same things almost 5 years back. Marriage changes you for the better I believe and I hope they have years and years of happiness!

The Wedding Party

This is one of my favorite pictures of us, besides the cigar part!

Love my Mom!

Another great picture!

Growth

When James and I bought our house almost 2 years ago, we started measuring the kids height growth on our closet down stairs. Obviously they are going to grow lol but when we open that door to take out some shoes or grab a game it still amazes us how much they have grown in the past couple years. We even put our measurements up there too! Needless to say where ever our lives take us in the future this door shall be traveling with us.

Summer is here

Summer is here and with that comes lots of time spent in the water!

Lemons to lemonade!

Some times we all need to vent. This is my moment that I need to let out a little bit of steam. I don't like to ask why because I never get a good answer back or at least one that I actually like. The old saying goes "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." And that is what I am trying to do but at the same time I just want to throw my hands up in the air and yell out my frustrations. Since people will probably thinking I've lost my marbles I will refrain from doing just that. :)

Lately, life has just been tough! And I mean tough. About two weeks ago James noticed a stain on the ceiling of our garage. Well, after calling our builder and having someone come out to take a look, we find out that our upstairs bathroom (kids bathroom) toilet has been leaking. Apparently it was never set properly. OK, so it's under warranty and will be fixed and I should be happy, right? HA wrong, I am happy it won't be an out of pocket expense but it has seriously been a pain in my butt to not have that bathroom available. Thankfully it should be back to fully working order in another 2 to 3 days. In the time being I make the best of it and move on.

Now, yesterday as the kids and I were driving home from Walmart I thought my brakes went out. Talk about a scary moment and luckily I was only going about 15mph but still the feeling of you can't stop your car in terrifying! I was able to slow the truck down and pull over. Long story short my mother and brother in law were close by and were able to give us a lift home. Come to find out our master cylinder broke and could be a costly repair. Again we have a warranty and it will be covered. Thank goodness. Now the truck has been towed and in the process of being repaired. Again I am happy I won't have any out of pocket expense but still what a hindrance this is! Frustrated to say the least and I know I am entitled to it but still. So again we are making the best of it and moving on.

Now my last frustration will probably never go away. My dear daughter is going through a stage that I hope we will never have to re live! LOL She is in her terrible twos and to say the least there are moments when she is a little monster. Brock went through this at 4 but not as bad. I won't go into detail so I don't scare anyone who doesn't have kids from having them but some of the things she does I could easily pull my hair out. I am looking forward to the day she out grows this stage.

I actually do feel better writing this all down and can take a huge breath of relief. This is just life and some times its easy and sometimes it tough. So for now I am just going to continue to move and make the best of things!

Memorial Day

I seriously lacked on this but oh well :)

We celebrated Memorial Day on Saturday this year because James had to work on Sunday and Monday. :( Nothing to fancy just a small barbecue at the house with family. It was such a perfect day with 83 degree weather. The kids wanted to swim so James pulled out the pool and with the help of Chad and Scott set everything up. Haha it was COLD!!!!! But they all had a blast. I know, sounds kind of boring but I found it so relaxing. We all just hung out put our feet up and enjoyed the day.

Something special that James did this year was invest in an American Flag. We have always wanted to buy one and just never have. I felt very proud to be able to hang this on our house for Memorial Day. I am proud to be an American and honor those men and woman who have given their lives for our freedom, their memories will always live on. In loving memory of Uncle Joe, 1 LT, Joseph Maks, Army.