Happy Birthday Lils!

So June 26 my little girl turned 6! I can't even believe how fast that went...I know we always say that but on days like this it especially hits you. She started the day with a bagel and note that Daddy left her since he was gone before she got up (another golf weekend for Daddy!) I gave her my present when she got up which was birthstone earrings, a necklace with a "L" on it and a cool card game of MASH (you all remember how much fun that was a kid? well now you don't even have to make your own, some genius made a card game out of it) We went to lunch at Red Robin (her pick of course) with Grandma, Lacey, Caleb, Addie, Tristan and of course Ellie, Jalen and I. She had 6 friends come over in the afternoon and Grandma and I took them up to the Oregon Golf Club to go swimming, then home for pizza and clown cones from B&R and finally settled in for the premier of "Princess Protection" on the Disney channel. The girls were up till 11:00 and going at it again this morning at 6:30 and they had a blast! As I was watching her interact with her friends I felt proud at what a sweet, kind hearted, generous girl she is. I think every age has some challenges that go with it, but those years from five to six have to be some of my favorite. They still love their mom's and all the cuddles and even though they are becoming more independent they haven't hit that sassy stage where they let you know it's way cooler to hang with friends than you. She still has the sweet innocence to her (most of the time!), and when I catch her watching Dora or falling asleep in the middle of the day I am reminded that she is still a little girl. A little girl who tries so hard to keep up with her big sister that sometimes I forget that her needs are different. So I write this as she sleeps on the couch with that sweet, peaceful look on her face...Happy Birthday Lily...I love you!

Celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Mazatlan!

We left for Mexico on Monday the 15th and after a long day of traveling enjoyed 7 sun filled days at the Emerald Bay in Mazatlan. We brought the kids but we also brought my cousin Teale and her boyfriend Dan to help with them so we could enjoy a few nights to ourselves. We had separate rooms and even though Jalen slept between us every night the girls had a few sleepovers in their room which they loved. We spent most of our days at the pool just relaxing, swimming and splashing in the ocean. Our long time friend Benjamin who lives in Mazatlan took us on a tour of the city, shopping in the Golden Zone, to see the Church of the Immaculate Conception and for a BBQ (they call carne asada in Spanish). We got to spend time with his wife Grace and two kids also named Benjamin (Junior) and Grace (they call her little Grace). It was amazing for the girls to see the "real" Mexico and not just the beautiful resort we were in. Benjamin's family took us to dinner one night at a "local" restaurant that tourists did not go to and the food was amazing authentic Mexican food. It is completely different than our version of Mexican food but also better! We treated 11 people to dinner and drinks and the entire bill was only $38.00! Jamie and I went to dinner a few times at the resort and enjoyed good food and beautiful sunsets over looking the beach....but paid way more than $38.oo! We were in the the pool so much that Jalen came back a little swimmer! He loves jumping and will put his head under and swim back and forth from side to side. It's a little scary now though because he has no fear so we can't take our eyes off of him! The girls also perfected their swimming as well as underwater back flips and handstands. They of course got their hair braided, painted the pottery and bought plenty of handmade necklaces and earrings and even little purses made out of candy wrappers. They loved the water bar and drank their share of smoothies and we had to order the fresh guacamole everyday...just because we were in Mexico! On Sunday we decided to go to the water park Mazaguas. No joke we were the ONLY Americans there and no one spoke English and all the signs were in Spanish. It is definitely not a tourist attraction! The crazy thing about it though is there are no rules or regulations in Mexico. There are no height restrictions or requirements, people run to get ahead of you in line, and all the slides are made of cement so if the paint happens to be chipped away you will come off with a nice little scratch on your back (which we did!) The girls favorite part was the zip line and they actually had a great little kids area with small slides and waterfalls. Let's just say it was no Disney water park! But then again it was only $9.00 per person to get it so I guess you get what you pay for! It was great having Teale and Dan along...the girls and Jalen both loved playing the water with them, and Jalen liked to take Dan to the pond to look at the fish and the iguanas. It was a perfect mix of getting to spend time with the kids during the day and then enjoy some quiet walks and meals at the end of the day. It was great to be able to celebrate our 10th anniversary there...it has special meaning to us since that is where Jamie proposed to me 11 years ago. It is fun to reflect back...but I am so grateful for the life we have now...our sweet kids and each other, and although we hit some rough patches in the years in between we wouldn't change a thing...it brought us closer together and to the happiness we have today.