Caught Up!

Mark it down...I am finally, FINALLY caught up on my blog! (If you have Google reader or some other thing like that, you may have noticed 30 or so new blog posts showing up from me. Please just mark them as read and don't worry about what you've missed, because I'll be honest, most of them are boring!) I have spent the last year catching up from the last 3 years. Since I don't scrapbook anymore, and I don't keep photo albums, I wanted to at least put the important pictures and memories here, on the ole blog, so they are recorded somewhere. It took me about 9 months longer than I thought it would to get everything recorded that I'd missed, mercy! But now it is done! Which means now my challenge is to keep it continuously updated...surely I can do that...right? I actually think I can. In this age, with my trusty iPhone and my BlogPress app, I can even blog from the school pick-up lane while I wait for the kids! Ahhh, I do (usually) love technology!

My sweet boy.

I came across this picture yesterday...

Austin Cooper, Easter 2012

He melts my heart.

Friends rock.

I have some great friends. I love spending time with these girls. We laugh, we cry, we eat, we exercise, we will use just about any excuse to hang out together!

Here we are with the addition of Becky! Wish she lived here!



Ami, Janelle and I, last year in KC for Michelle's bday!

And out for Ami's bday at The Landing!



And on our way to breakfast on the first day of school!


I am blessed.

Shelley

First Day!!!

Does my title sound excited? Because IT SHOULD! It's the first day of school!!! We have a Kindergartner, a 2nd grader, and a 5th grader! Wow!

Ellie moved to the Intermediate school this year!

Annie moved to Elementary East with Mrs. B!

And Austin moved upstairs to Kindergarten!

And Mama is enjoying the peace and quiet! (and maybe missing the kids just a little. :)

Eight!

How can she be eight? Just yesterday she was my tiny, pixie faced baby. Sigh. And today? Today she's so beautiful, and tall, with these lonnng legs and tan skin. She still has a pixie face but it's a girl-face, not a baby-face. She is fun and sweet, but definitely has a sassy side as well. She loves school, friends, swimming, boating, tubing, pizza, candy, and sleeping. She has never been, and I doubt will ever be a morning person. She's a good sister and daughter, an excellent student, and a sweet friend. Annie Grace, you have blessed our lives.

In the weeks leading up to Annie's birthday, the Summer Olympics were on, so we thought an Olympic themed birthday party would be fun! We invited our friends over for a backyard party and bbq, and it was a blast! The kids played "Extreme" Duck Duck Goose, where they tagged each other with water balloons! It was a HUGE hit with the kids of all ages! They also played Hillbilly Horseshoes, Giant Beach Volleyball, and did Three-Legged Races. We ate yummy food that daddy cooked for us, and had chocolate chip cookie bars for dessert!

The kids doing "The Bolt"!

Giant Beach Volleyball, The winners of the Three-Legged Races in victory, and Yummy food!

Extreme Duck Duck Goose!

Olympic Cookies and Cookie Bars, The Three-Legged Race, Friends having dinner, and Olympic Gold Favors!

Blowing out the torches, getting hosed down by J, Hillbilly Horseshoes, and a table of friends!

It was a super fun party that took me about a week to recover from. :)

A few days later, on August the 15th, my eight year old woke up...


She picked the "Bowser Door Place", better known as Mr. Yens, for her birthday lunch with Grammie and Grandma Ellie...

And then Orange Leaf for dessert!


I'd say she celebrated in style. :)

Have fun being 8 my sweet girl!

Shelley

A last/first!

My last baby lost his first tooth!


*sniff sniff*

Shelley

The Texans

The cousins from Texas came for a visit! We had a fun day at SDC with them, and then had an impromptu birthday party at our house for Annie and Ashlyn. It was a fun day!

Cupcake time!

The little boys!

All the kids! 

Hometown Fun

Annie chasing Austin, bumper boat fun!


Shelley