The Party....

Lauren's 5th Birthday party was fantastic! She had a great time and I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that she was spoiled rotten by her family. We love her so much! You can't help yourself but buy buy buy for them! She got some really cute clothes, lots of arts and crafts, lip gloss to last until her college years, and some fun toys and books. She was so happy! My mom made her a Hello Kitty cake since it's her favorite. How cute is she?





Here is a cute pic with her grandparents that love her more than words can express!

Pai scored a dollar from Granny Ollie... she was pretty pumped about it!

It was a great night! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAR! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

A Date With An Angel...

Last night, I took Lauren on a birthday date! She will be 5 going on 15. I wanted to take her out, just the two of us, and spend some time together. It's very rare that I get one on one time with my nieces and I am VERY grateful for that! But once in a while I think it's important to have some quality time together. I've decided to start a new tradition and take my nieces out on their birhtdays. So here we are... at the beginning of out date.

Now, for someone who has a dog that is practically a child to her... it's terribly hard to find a good baby sitter. But alas, I found a PERFECT baby sitter for Lola. I knew she would get an evening full of games, giggles, and adventures with her care taker.

I don't think you could find a better baby sitter with a face like this...

So after we were sure that Lola-kins was in good hands... we were off! On the way, Lauren talked a lot about school and her upcoming birthday. I think she is just a little excited! She decided the mall was our destination and a new outfit was her birthday wish. We conveniently walked right past Mrs. Cavanah's Chocolate Store and we quickly stopped and backed up a few steps to pick up a little bit of heaven. Then we were really ready to shop! We found a GREAT outfit and she was so excited! But what good is a cute outfit with out the perfect lip gloss? We were on the hunt. Lauren happened to see our dear Santa and wanted to watch him from afar for a little while. She started asking me all these questions about Santa, the wheels in her head were seriously turning. My response "Welp, we better get finding that lip gloss!" So we were off again. Finally, we found the perfect shade to match her new outfit. All that shopping made us two VERY HUNGRY GIRLS! Lauren picked Cafe Rio for dinner. If any of you want to plaster a smile on her face, you order that kid a quesadilla and a root beer and you are golden! She was SO excited! Here we are eating some YUMMY food!

After we had stuffed ourselves, we caught each other yawning... we were pooped! So back to the house we went. She was beaming the whole night. It meant the WORLD to me to have just a couple hours of her attention to myself. I will never forget it! Happy Birthday Lar- I love you babe!

My Babies....

Sorry it's taken so long to post these Halloween pics of the girls. Aren't they adorable? The one of Pai crying is her in a nutshell... gorgeous little butterfly distraught by something so small. She is so precious and sweet. Lauren is so beautiful. I'm telling you, she is growing into this gorgeous little girl and as we talk on the telephone she tells me about school, friends, and all things curious to her. I find myself thinking "is this really my baby Lauren?" Anyway, if you haven't gathered the fact that I absolutley love these girls by my previous posts... I will tell you again. I LOVE THESE GIRLS!




I just can't stand it. These pictures make me want grab my computer screen and suck on those cheeks! Isn't Tanner so cute? Love him!
I have to tell you about the funniest converstaion I had with a dear friend the other night (I'm leaving his name unmentioned because I don't want him to get in trouble!). I was talking to this friend about his adorable children. He instantly lit up with what seemed like the most energetic light bulb you could find. He was telling me about their sweet personalities and how much they are changing. Then he said something that froze me in my tracks and made me instantly say "OH CRAP! I DO THAT!" He was telling me about a realitive that calls his children "My babies" and how sometimes that's hard to hear as a parent because clearly they are yours. It was hard for him that someone else was trying to claim his beautiful children although I'm sure they mean it in the most endearing way. So, I started thinking, maybe I should ask my sister about this phrase. I've used it since day one with my nieces. Not that I am claiming them or taking credit for these amazing girls, but as a deep, endearing, heartfelt term. To me, they are my babies, they mean so much to me, they are a great part of my happiness. I love to be with them, teach them, love them, play with them, and hug and kiss them. I even cry at the stinkin dance recitals. I am SO PROUD of them. They are amazing. As I addressed this with my sister she was of course gracious and said she didn't mind at all and that she knew that I wasn't trying to take credit. She was happy that I love them so much. So proudly I claim them as my babies and everyday I try to be the best Aunt I can be. I re-assure them that I am always there for them, that I love them, and that they are the most beautiful girls in the world. That is pure bliss for me.