CRES Fest....

The girls' school hosted a school carnival this past week.  It was packed with games, food trucks, a DJ, a silent auction and a whole lot more!

I had the opportunity to help set-up for the carnival during the day.  It was interesting and exciting to see how much effort and time was involved in setting up such an event.  Here is the silent auction before the crowds arrived - over $25,000 in donations were collected for the auction.  Truly amazing!

We brought along Jack and Carly to CRES Fest, as their parents were out of town.  We were blessed to have them with us and the four of the kids had a blast together!

Playing some games...

Posing in the "photo booth"... what a bunch of goof balls!

Quinn with her two dear friends, Hailey T.and Leah...

Finally, I will leave you with this two headed Hawaiian girl with her Hawaiian friend... the cutest clan I've ever seen!

A great family event - we look forward to it again next year!  

Fairgrounds Field Trip...

I was lucky enough to be able to attend another field trip with Sullivan last week.  Her kindergarten class went to the Indiana State Fairgrounds.  They learned about a "Farm to Pizza" topic where they studied what ingredients go into pizza and where those ingredients come from.

It was a rainy, cold day but we braved the elements and visited the farm animals.  

We also learned about plants and had the opportunity to plant some peppers. 

Then we visited an educational building that taught about different types of farms - pig farms, soybean farms, dairy farms, etc.  And although there was a lot of good content in this building, the kids were most excited to have their picture taken with the different characters hanging around.

They also had a photo booth that was quite the hit...Sullivan thought it was a hoot!

And if the photo booth wasn't enough, to top it all off we got to make English muffin pizzas.

Oh boy, were they yummy!!

Here is Sullivan with her teacher, Miss Williams, waiting outside one of the buildings.

I am so thankful that I was able to go on this field trip with Sullivan - it was a great time!

Interview with Quinn - Age 9

Here is this year's interview with Quinn - age 9.  You can check out her answers from last year here.  See how things changed...or stayed the same!  (The ones in green stayed the same from last year.) 

What is your favorite color?            Turquoise
What is your favorite toy?              Legos
What is your favorite fruit?            Apples
What is your favorite TV show?      Bella and the Bulldogs
What is your favorite outfit?           Shirt and Shorts
What is your favorite game?          Garbage (card game)
What is your favorite snack?         Salt and Vinegar Pringles
What is your favorite animal?        Dolphin
What is your favorite song?          Jealous by Nick Jonas 
What is your favorite book?         Wonder by RJ Palacio
Who is your best friend?               Hailey T.
What is your favorite food?          Chicken Fried Rice
What is your favorite thing to do outside?       Ride Bikes
What is your favorite drink?         Sprite
What is your favorite thing to take to bed?    Book
What is your favorite candy?         Gum
What is your favorite holiday?       Christmas
What is your favorite season?     Spring
What is your favorite movie?       Annie (new version)

What do you want to be when you grow up?    Dolphin Trainer
The thing I do the best is...             Reading
The coolest person on Earth is...      Taylor Swift
Three words that describe me...       Dramatic, sweet, and sassy
One food I really do not like is...       Pulled Pork
One wish I have is....                      To swim with dolphins.

This is how I write my name when I am 9...

Quinn is 9 Today...!

We had Quinn's last single-digit birthday celebration today.  Never again will she celebrate a birthday with only one digit.  She's getting old, I tell ya!  

I would love to say that she woke up to a magnificent birthday breakfast at our house, but the fact of the matter is she didn't even wake up at our house!  She had a slumber party at a friend's house last night - another sign she's getting old!  But she had a great time and that's all that matters.

We had decorated around the house while she was gone, so that she would feel special when she got home.  She was also showered with quite a few presents, which didn't hurt!

She got a lot of great gifts and lots of wonderful phone calls wishing her a happy day!  

She picked the restaurant of her choice for supper, a local favorite called The Ram.  But no birthday celebration would be complete without cake.

Quinn is quite the lover of lemon, so I found a sweet Lemoncello cake for her special day. 

It not only looked delicious but it surely didn't disappoint.

It was a great day today - a day to celebrate all the wonderful and great things about Quinn!

**************************

Dear Sweet Quinn,

Nine years ago you entered the world and changed our lives forever.  You had (and continue to have) two enamored parents that love you beyond belief.  

You possess so many great qualities - more than I have room to write about.  You are intelligent and you're eager to learn.  You are always up for a challenge and you adore your teacher.  You still fall asleep with a book in your hands and can't get enough with reading.  That melts my heart!  

You have surrounded yourself with great friends at your new school that see you for who you are and appreciate you for those qualities.  Continue to surround yourself with great people - those great people will be there for you when you most need them the most!  

You continue to be dramatic - a quality that is both aggravating and endearing all at once!  While little things sometimes become big things around here, it proves that you are passionate and you hold true to your convictions.  A future on the stage could be in your future!  

You have developed a pretty dry and witty sense of humor - often applying that humor on your father!  I wonder where you got that sense of humor?!  You make me laugh when I need it the most.

You have a nurturing soul - often looking out for your spunky (and sometimes aggravating) little sister.  It is evident that you love her like crazy, and that your sister equally returns that love and looks up to you with admiration!  

With each day that passes, I celebrate all that you are and all that lies ahead of you in your future.  The world is yours to conquer, Quinner. We are so proud of you and we love you more than you will ever, ever know!  

Mom

Flashback Friday - Birthday Edition

This is always a crazy time of year around here with back to back birthdays for the girls.  In honor of our sweet little ones, here is a look back at some of their birthday memories...

Quinn 

This was one of Quinn's best birthday party memories... When she got to pet a skunk for her birthday at her house! This was taken at her 6th birthday party in 2012 when she was in Kindergarten. The zoo came out to our house and brought some great animals with them. A skunk was by far the most interesting one!

Sullivan

When we had to improvise Sullivan's birthday breakfast this year because we were canoeing in Missouri, Sullivan recalled a similar birthday breakfast story.  When she turned 3 years old, back in 2012, I cooked her pancakes for breakfast. After having a couple of bites, she was totally uninterested in the breakfast. She wanted a pop-tart instead.  So a pop-tart she got! But we jazzed it up a bit with a few candles! This year she said, "Rememebr that year when you put candles in my pop-tart?!" 

Sullivan and Quinn...

These are just a few of the many cakes that I have made over the years for the girls. I really enjoyed making all of them. I smile when I look back on all of them. So many hours spent on those cakes - I often wonder if they have as fond of memories for the girls as they do for me?! 

I Mustache You A Question...!

Don't these girls look adorable?!?!

It was Mustache Monday at the girls' school this week - in celebration of Spirit Week  for their upcoming Spring Carnival.

The girls were pretty pumped for this spirit day - so I decided to make them these mustache shirts to go with their sporty mustaches.

I happened to be at school for a field trip with Sullivan on Monday - and sadly only these two celebrated with mustaches in Sullivan's class.

Just Sullivan and Truman (the son of my friend, Tabbatha).  

I think mustaches are a good look for the girls! 

Spring Fever & Weekend Happenings...

This weekend proved to be the BEST weather.  It was about 80 degrees, no wind and the sun was shining.  A lot of time was spent on the driveway watching this....

Quinn and Sullivan, along with the neighborhood kids, have taken a liking to kickball.   They spend oodles of time playing and devise the strangest kickball rules. Much different than I was a kid.  Cherry bombs, all time kicker, all time outfielder, sticks... I can't keep up with all their rules!  I have to tell you, I don't really even try.

My sister had given the girls Jamberry nails while she was here.  Anyone heard of them?!  I hadn't.  They are essentially stickers that you apply to your nails to give them cute nail art.

 The girls were dying to try them, so we finally set to it this weekend.

I won't say it was as easy as applying stickers, but it wasn't necessarily hard.  It just takes time and I imagine the more times you do them, the easier it gets.  It was well worth the time - the girls LOVED their nails.

I have to admit they were pretty awesome looking! 

We also spent some time at garden centers.  Ryan and I always get an itch this time of year to look for new plants to add to the landscape around the house.  We came home with a couple of azaleas (not pictured) that we are both certain will most likely die in the cold Indiana winter.  But we couldn't resist.  They are just too pretty not to give them a try!  

And what spring day would be complete without having some frozen yogurt for dessert?!  We just couldn't resist.

A great, great weekend.  It is giving me spring fever - except that it is cold, windy and not very nice this week.  Please return, sun! We need you!