Dad and Shane went golfing today for their Father's Day gift. They had a really great time! Yay! They drove an hour to this beautiful golf course, hit a few balls at the driving range, played 18 holes and then had lunch. Shane even remembered to snap a few pictures! It was a really really hot day so I'm glad that they still fun. :) And....they want to do it again next year. Yay for me!! Good gift!! :)

Happy Father's Day

A full day of festivities! We went to Shane's parents house for breakfast. I made Banana Blueberry muffins for breakfast and Shane made a fruit salad. Yesterday I helped the girls make Shane a small father's day gift. They made him bookmarks. They colored pictures on them and stamped their fingerprints on them. They had a blast and the bookmarks turned out pretty cute for their first craft project. :)

We came home for naps. Nat was worn out from spending the night at Mammy's and she took a three hour nap! I had to wake her up and it took her a while to get out of her sleepy mode. She sat on Shane's lap and they watched golf together...too cute!

We got some really great steaks for Father's Day. Dad and Shane were seriously drooling and then moaning and groaning over these steaks! I have to say...they were really good! I think this made their whole Father's Day!

He had to get a whole extra plate just for that massive steak!! He was a happy man!!

I made them a cheesecake for dessert. It turned out perfect! I once made a cheesecake for work and it turned out awful and I was soooo embarrased! So now when they turn out good I am really really happy! :) Anyway...yesterday chopped up some strawberries and threw them in a jar with a handful of blueberries and a little sugar. They got all yummy and goopy and I put them on top of the cheesecake. YUM!! I had at least two pieces. :)

I love how much the girls love Shane. They are totally Daddy's Girls! And I really love how much Shane loves them. He is an amazing Dad. I have such a great family! :)

Happy Birthday Nokie!

We celebrated Nokie's Birthday yesterday. Dane threw her a Tinkerbell party and all the girls got to dress up like fairies. They looked soo cute!

The grown ups put on fairy wings too...just for some pictures :)

The birthday cake was so pretty! Dana bought it at Baskin Robbins. It tasted yummy too! Nokie didn't like it though. She was too scared to blow out the candle and she doesn't really like cake. :) I think she ended up having a few bits of the ice cream part.

It was a fun day. Natalie really loved dressing up in her fairy costume. The other girls, not so much. I'm sure that they will have fun playing dress up in them again and again as they get a little older. Here are a couple more cute shots from the day. 

When Life Gives You a LEMON, Make Lemonade!

So, just to preface, I am not a pro divorce person. I think people give up to easily and don't take the commitment of marraige seriously. But there are always exceptions to the rule. My wonderful sister married a lemon. She stuck by him through thick and thin and when times got tough he couldn't take it and he left her. We...her family....are so thankful that this is all over and Dana is finally able to move on with her new life. So we threw her a party today. :)

After her court hearing she came home to a house all decorated with lemons and yellow. We made a poster, bought balloons and the table looked awesome. Mom even made up a magazine cover. :)

We had crab legs for dinner and I made sugar cookies with lemon frosting and some lemon bars for dessert. All Dane's favorite.

The girls were really great while we were at Mom's house. They were both really cuddly and cute. Natalie got a mesquito bite on her face and she thought it was a boo boo and wanted a bandaid. Just to explain. Nokie and Heidi were sitting together watching Disney. It was a great day.

Cheers Dane! To a new and better life!

Loving Life

First off...I don't know how people do it. How do people have kids and still stay sane?? I love my kids to death and the scary thing is that I actually want more...a couple more. But even saying that my brain is like....what??? What the heck are you thinking?? It is so mentally exhausting to just get through the day. Answering all the whys, explaining myself over and over, hearing Mommy Mommy Mommy five million times a day, listening to cries and screams, solving fights and thinking of new ways to keep them entertained. But all it takes is one hug from Heidi or Natalie coming up with a cute new phrase and I'm melted into the floor. Heidi does this thing now where I will say to her, I.....Love.....You! and she will say it back to me. The words don't actually come out quite right but her timing is perfect. It really kills me. I could hear her say that a million times and still love it. And Natalie, that little girl has a brain!! She is always thinking of ways to reason with me or to talk me into what she wants to do. She keeps me on my toes!

 

These faces melt my heart!

 

So I'm realizing, as the days go by that being a mom is the craziest job ever. I love it and want to run as far as I can from it at the same time. Today was a long day but at the very end it was wonderful. Shane set up the Slip and Slide in the backyard for the girls and they had a blast. Natalie was playing on it while Heidi and I were at the grocery store and when we got back, Heidi just wanted to play. That's why she doesn't have her bathing suit on. :) They didn't really get the Slip and Slide thing but they had fun splashing in the water. 

 

They really loved playing in the water

 Seriously...how cute is she?

Shane has been working in the yard for the past two days and it's looking really great. I'll post more pictures when we are finished. 

 

Trying to be just like her Daddy

The Things I Love

It has been such a long day! My girls have been wonderful but I've had a headache all day. It seems to make even the best of days seem long. So I've been thinking about all the good parts of my day today.

Natalie sleeping in! There is nothing better than sleeping a little longer in the morning.

Getting a good work out in at the Y. I really love my pilates class.

Heidi's hugs and kisses. I'm just not used to things like that. Natalie is not an overly affectionate child. She kisses and hugs but only when she feels like it. Heidi will spend 5 minutes straight hugging and kissing me. And her hugs...she wraps her little arms around my neck and squeezes me tight...really there is nothing sweeter.

My quesadilla maker. My brother bought me one almost 8 years ago for Christmas. I thought it was a strange gift but I use it all the time. A go to lunch when I can't think of anything else. If you want a fun new cooking gadget you can get one at Target. :)

Both of my girls taking a nap. It doesn't usually work out that way but today was a good day.

Going to Target. Just walking in the store makes me happy.

Mocha Frappuccinos...mmmm...with whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top.

Watching the girls color. My dad wasn't feeling well today so the girls each drew him a picture. Heidi drew circles in every different color. Natalie drew "sea lions" and then colored them in. Not bad for a three year old!

On Demand. Thank you Comcast for such a great invention!! How did people have kids before this?? I love being able to pick a show for them to watch that has no commercials, that we can watch whenever we want to and that they can pick whatever they want to watch. Allthough at the moment it is usually Caillou, Little Einsteins or Curious George.

So You Think You Can Dance. Another thing on TV to be thankful for but whatever. I love the show and I'm happy that it's on again.

Having Mom give me leftover lasagna rolls for dinner. Talk about amazing!Shane coming home after a long day and helping me put the girls to bed. He is truly an amazing husband and father. He makes my life so much easier and happier.