Family Reunion

We headed to El Paso to reunite with family to celebrate two birthdays. Nana turned 70 and Sienna turned 5! The four days were packed with fun activities, from a breakfast birthday party to a fajita fiesta to family photos. It was so great to see all eleven cousins together for the first time. The last time we all got together the last three cousins hadn't been born yet. So it was time to reunite and take another family photo. The Fiesta honoring Nana turned out great. And she's such a good friend and neighbor that all but one of her invitees showed up. The restaurant was packed with over 60 people but everyone seemed to have a great time. The cousins had their own table sprawled with iphones, ipads, sticker books and personal gaming systems. Whatever it takes sometimes, right?

We all had a great time catching up, celebrating, and watching the cousins have fun.  I only hope it doesn't take another three years for us all to come together again.

Crazy cousins

The birthday girl and Denise

Grandpa Rami and Sugar Bear

Rebecca and Superman

Never thought of using a bathmat as a blanket

RIck, Brisa, and Noah

Diego and Sweet Pea enjoying their cones

The 11th one is missing.  She's fast asleep already.

Nicolas and Sweet Pea

Saturday morning cartoon time

Ready for the fiesta

Nana's house was "flocked" for her birthday

50 something flamingos hanging out for a day

Sienna's 5th birthday celebration

Benjamin and Sweet Pea

Sweet Marco

Enjoying their shaved ice

Memorial Day at the Lake

This Memorial Day was spent at Lake LBJ in Marble Falls. A big thanks to Uncle Ray and Aunt Bobbie for inviting us and being amazing hosts. The girls had a great time hanging with the Bumba cousins, McGarity cousins, and Schmid cousin. We fished, swam and took boat rides. It will be a memorable trip even though it was a quick one. I might always remember this trip as the time when Papa was sucking on live worms...yuck!

Enjoying the sunrise and the morning silence

She had no problem catching her breakfast

Cousins ready for a ride

Just hangin' by the water

End of the School Year Madness

I can't believe this school year is over. What helps to believe it is to see how much Sweet Pea has learned during this year of kindergarten. She loved going to school each day and would many times not turn around to say good bye as she strutted into her classroom ready to get the day going. She is such an extrovert and social butterfly that it would bring her to tears when she had to stay home on sick days. She could do without much of the school work, but she was always looking forward to being with her friends. There were nine girls and six boys in their class, and all the girls and boys were so sweet and got along all year long. Isabella never really had a best friend, like she did the year before, but this year she had many great friends.

The school year ended with a class party at the Boy Scout lodge just a short hike away from the school. The mommies worked together to make this "festival" themed party as fun as possible. The party was over four hours long so we had to have plenty of games, activities, and munchies to get them through it. The kids all get along so well that there were no problems keeping them entertained.

Centerpieces were adorable

Drinks were ready

Prize buckets were eager to get filled

Here come the kiddos!

Games were cute and clever

Faces were painted and repainted.  You'll notice hear that Sweet Pea was Hello Kitty.

Ready to chow down!

We will miss Mrs. Bartnett!

Ready to head home with her goodies.  Now she's sporting a butterfly face.

Lauren and Sweet Pea

The gorgeous graduate

She sung her hear out, recited her lines in the microphone and received her diploma and bible.

What a great year!

Our Ballerina Beauties

Well the girls have taken ballet for an entire year now. It was their first year to take classical ballet. They had taken ballet folklorico last year and had loved it, but we were ready to have our Saturdays back and they were ready to put on leotards and ballet slippers pretty much since they could walk. Isabella has been begging to take ballet since she could talk but we didn't want to start her before she could understand why it was so slow. We knew her idea of ballet probably would not match with what she'd experience this year in class.

Well, class was on Tuesday afternoons, and as soon as we'd leave class, she'd say "Mommy, how many more days until next Tuesday? I can't wait until my next class!" Victoria on the other hand, wasn't as enthusiastic to go each week, but with some bribery (aka lollipops) she was able to finish the year strong.

The year ended with a performance entitled "Museum". Each ballet class danced to a song that reflected a famous painting. It was very impressive, and very long. Sugar Bear behaved herself in the extremely well despite the two and half hour perfomance. God answered our prayers there. The girls danced their hearts out. We were all so proud of them. Neither one had any stage fright.

Primping before the performance

Getting gorgeous

Ballerina #1 is ready to perform

Ballerina #2 is eager to go

So excited to get on stage!

Nana came into town to be in the audience

Also ready to witness the show were Papa and Grandma

Ready for an encore were Mimi and Mack

So proud of my budding ballerinas

Baby sister was proud as well

The girls with their besties

All the girls