Happy Memorial Day!

Wishing all our friends and family a very happy Memorial Day! Yesterday we had a wonderful day on the beach at my father-in-laws house in Buffalo. The girls LOVE going there, especially in the summer. Randy loves that they are making memories at his house and I have so many photos to prove it!

This was an especially nice year because my girls are at a wonderful age for all the beach activities. Amelia can officially swim, which takes a bit of stress off when down with her at the beach. And she could try new activities this year, like riding in the Ski Doo. Both Mira and Amelia had a blast yesterday!

Loving sisters:

 Amelia taking a jump off the dock:

 Mira and cousin Cara getting ready for a Ski Doo ride:

 Mira going down the slide off the dock:

 Sweet Amelia:

 Amelia and Katherine (family friend) on the Ski Doo:

 Mira waiting to be picked up after her ride:

 Randy bringing the pontoon home:

We hope you all have a safe and fun Memorial Day! A shout out to my dad on this day, who served in the Navy. I love you, Dad!

Lovin' 8!

Happy 8th birthday, Mira! Yesterday was Mira's birthday! Mira got some guppy fish and a tank for her birthday, and Amelia gave her a pink kitty. She loved it!

 Here is a photo of her taken at exactly 5:16 pm, the time she was born! Her friend Megan was invited to go to Mira's choice restaurant, Olive Garden, with us. It was a lovely evening, followed by ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.

We love you, Mira! You are officially 8, but have been going on 13 for quite some time! We know you'll have a wonderful year.

Amelia's gymnastics session

Last night was Amelia's final gymnastics lesson. The parents get to stay on the first and last lesson and see how their child improves and what they learned over the 8 weeks. It was so fun to see Amelia walking on the balance beam and doing different kinds of jumps and somersaults. She was really proud of herself, but told us afterward that she really didn't want to sign up again. I guess it's not the sport for her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking in the sprinklers

Mira and Amelia helped us break in the sprinklers yesterday for the summer season. They had a playdate with friends, plus the kids across the street came over and had fun with the water toys and running through the sprinklers. Looks like we're going to have a great summer!

Amelia and her BFF Sophia:

 

 Chasing with the water toys:

 

 

 

 Enjoying a snack and drink on a wonderfully hot day!

Mira and Camryn creating with sidewalk chalk. My driveway looks so pretty!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day 2012 was a wonderful one! Chris and the girls gave me cards and three hanging baskets, then took me out to breakfast. The rest of the day was spent lazing about, and I even got a little shopping in. Here is our annual photo with my darling daughters:

Happy Mother's Day to my sweet mom Martha and all the other mom's I know.

Inline skates make eight feel great!

Mira scored a bit of birthday money this year and, instead of wasting it on little junky items like she's done in the past, she decided this year to put her money to good use and buy something worthwhile! Mira found my old rollerblades in the garage and has been trying mightily to use them for a couple of days, even though Chris and I have been protesting that they are way too big. So Mira decided to buy herself some inline skates for her birthday. Chris took her to the sporting store and came back with a really cool pair!

Mira took right to it, under Chris' excellent guidance! We insisted she also purchase knee pads and wrist guards, and she must wear her bike helmet while skating. Mira loved zipping up and down the sidewalk across the street and is anxious to get really great at it so she can skate around the park! I have a feeling she's not far away from that goal.

Amelia turns 5!

Today is Amelia's 5th birthday! Our family party for both girls was today (Mira turns 8 on the 26th of May!), so the day was extra special.

My mom and dad came up yesterday and stayed overnight. It was especially nice since yesterday was my and Chris's 11th anniversary, so we were able to go out to dinner alone while Mom and Dad graciously took the girls to McDonald's for dinner. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Today my baby turned 5. Here she is in all her five-year-old glory:

Mira blowing out her 8 candles!

 Me and Chris on our way out to our anniversary dinner:

 Dad and Amelia playing Rock, Paper, Scissors:

 Amelia and cousin Sydney:

 My oldest, about to turn 8!

 Two people had the same idea for a dress for Amelia!

 Buried under mounds of tissue paper!

 Amelia blowing out her 5 candles:

 Putting together a craft that she received as a gift:

 Writing in her top secret diary (with a lock!) that she received as a gift:

We also got a gift card from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson to buy some guppies and went to get them straight away! They are happily swimming in their new homes. Mira named her three guppies Chloe, Genevieve, and Alessia. Amelia named hers Amy, Sophia, and Chloe. They are very excited to have new pets. Fingers crossed they live a long life in their tanks!

Thanks to everyone who made it to the girls' birthday party. We really appreciate you taking the time to celebrate with family and you made this day very special for Mira and Amelia.