Fitness Expo fun!

Our kids were asked to perform at a local fitness expo this weekend. Sometimes hometown events get dance studios to showcase their dances so we got invited to participate at this expo promoting fitness.     The kids had a blast!

Mindy time!!

 Chloe, so gifted at bringing out other's wild side :) I just asked they smile for mommy and Chloe thought this would be more fun! 

Love when we get to spend some time with our favorite little redhead Carmindy.   Such a quiet delightful little lady she is we love having her around.  Abigail didn't get much time with her but I caught a super sweet cousin hug when Mindy woke up from her nap to find the Bit home from school.   Good stuff!!!   I hope they will always grow up to be sweet friends with one another :)  

Just another Saturday

 Chloe's first Starbucks.  She's a fan of the cafe mocha :)

Running off the caffeine buzz!

The girls and I had a great time welcoming in spring last weekend.   We had no plans but the house was feeling too closed in so we headed out to fight the chilly cloudy weather and make it a nice day.  The coffee helped.   The girls were fighting over my last sip of coffee that morning and I decided to promise them their own.  It's just the right thing to do, teaching them to be coffee drinkers.  If they are going to stick to my one rule as they grow up.   They must return with life stories of all of their adventures after they leave, sit on my porch and drink coffee with us!   Brian supports their interest in it of course.  We played at the duck park then I took them shopping for a new bathroom rug.  Very exciting I know but we were good, stuck to the budget and walked away with only one new green rug for Brian's bathroom.   It can't always be fun shopping when they get treasures.  We had a great time together.   Always.   Love our little ladies!

Local Competition

and yet another parking lot picnic!

 "Wady bug!"

This weekend we got to enjoy just some madness closer to home with a dance competition here at home.   By this point in the season I pretty much have pictures of them in their costumes for the year and I'm just snapping less.   These last two of Abigail were purely to bug her.  I'm so glad I did because her angry Bit faces pretty much rock.   I warned her with a promise that I will not be the only person in her life to giggle at her when she's angry.  It's going to be irritating but she's just stupid cute when she's mad!!!  

Crazy full getaway fun!

2nd generation here of a very special friendship!

Of course my art teacher friend has a fun creative art class for a party!

such great silly faces!!

I had to take a picture of her back yard decor.   It amused me since I have almost the exact same decoration on my porch.   Great minds and all that.

 My dear buddy Manda Gail!    :)

Yeah!  a race to the ball field 2 hours away to see my sweet nephew pitch his first game!! 

 I was so thrilled I got to see him pitch!

My girls looooove them some crazy Aunt Sue.  It's always a party when she's around!

I could eat this little guy up....agh! he's getting not so little anymore!!!!

Doesn't like his picture taken, but mwaa haa haa his Aunt Alli was faster! He is evasive but I can be fast too and I did get my squeeze!  He's growing up so I spared him the smooch.  I do still want him to like me, sweet thing!

I didn't plan to post these 2 shots on top of one another but I love the mini Sue and mini me photo just above their mommies : )

Two very tired sisters turned zombies after an insane few days but totally worth pushing through exhaustion to get some much needed time together!!

Visiting Sue's church,  every bit as wild as she is and we loved it!

Loving seeing Sue and Alexander on the praise teams

It was a blast but it wore their butts OUT! This is exactly 5 minutes after we left Sue's house! :)

What a wild wonderful weekend across our state and back again to see 2 very special events with 2 very special families.    We headed out on a Friday to spend the night with my old buddy Amanda and be able to share her daughter's 5th birthday party.  It was so fun to see her beautiful new house and stay up late into the night on her front porch listening to crickets, sipping wine and catching up on life. Sweet Matt owned up to dealing with the 3 princesses inside and getting them all to settle down and leave us alone so we could enjoy each other.    The more years we pack onto this friendship the dearer it is to us both.  There is something special about a relationship that started in childhood.   We had a blast at Callie's bday party and our 3 girls just connect with as much ease as their mommies no matter how much time spreads between visits.  
     After the party ended we raced 2 more hours to the coast to hopefully catch Alexander pitching his first game.  We made it to the game just in time and I was the typical annoying aunt that I aspire to be screaming for him from the sidelines.   It was a blast to be in such a different world then we are accustomed to with dance.    I was cracking up at the baseball parent drama that was brewing behind the chain link fence.    I became aware that any activity involving competitive little people would inevitably include opinionated parents in the wings.   I loved watching the game and being up to dust  in Sue's world for a change.   Alexander did amazing and we were all so proud of him.   We grabbed some fast food and headed back to her house exhausted and ready to put  our feet up and relax while the cousins ran absolutely wild with out any signs of fatigue.
   Sunday we had the full experience to see Sue in action at her church and meet some of her friends that I've heard of only by name for years.    It was a great day and after a quick bite to eat we giggled through a 30 minute session of each kid exchanging hugs with one another at least twice then we packed up to head home.  The kids were asleep with in minutes of heading out.  A true sign that the weekend had been worth every last scrap of energy in us all and with hearts full of sweet memories we called the weekend of craziness a raging success.