Raegan's 6th birthday party

Last year we had a small princess birthday party for Raegan with just girls, but we decide to do things big this year and had 22 friends join us for a birthday party at a local gymnastics place.

We kept things simple with chex mix, star shaped Rice Krispie treats, chocolate chip cookies, water bottles and a cookie cake! 

It's Easter and this HAPPY girl still hasn't opened all her bday gifts from their packaging yet!

Raegan at 6

25 Birthday Questions

March 24, 2015

1. What is your favorite color?  Pink 

2. What is your favorite toy? New Barbie Lego set

3. What is your favorite fruit? Pineapple

4. What is your favorite television show? Peppa pig

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter and Nutella sandwich

6. What is your favorite outfit? My happy one

7. What is your favorite game? Monopoly

8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish

9. What is your favorite animal? Dog

10. What is your favorite song? Till up my cup

11. What is your favorite book? My School Day

12. Who is your best friend? Olivia 

13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky charms

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swim

15. What is your favorite drink? Water

16. What is your favorite holiday? Winter

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My white bear

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Waffler

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Spaghetti with meatballs

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A vet

21. What do you like to do with your family?  Play 

22. What makes you happy? Candy

23. What makes you sad? When ms amy is out of town

24. Where do you like to go? Target

25. What are you really good at? Cursive

Kid's Spring Break 2015

While the adults were away the kids got lots of playtime in with Papa, Grammee, Aunt Melissa and baby Camden!

One day they went to the Discovery Center. Raegan talked the most about her experience here (picture below) turning sand into gemstones.  She plans to sell the gemstones for a $1.00 each.  I believe she has over 90!

They also got to go to a drivethru wildlife safari experience and a trampoline park, on the days they weren't busy helping take care of their newest cousin, Camden. 

They were almost as happy to see us as we were to see them on Saturday! 

2015 Spring Break Cruise

Philip and I decided to getaway for awhile aboard this Norwegian Jewel cruise ship for Spring Break.  

We left out of Houston and sailed for a day and a half to our first stop, Cozumel. In Cozumel we had an excursion booked for driving dune buggies through a jungle to Jade Caverns.  The trail was too dirty to take our camera but here's a glimpse of  what we looked like afterwards. 

We cleaned up a little and found an authentic Mexican food restaurant (recommended to us by our excursion driver) just off the main tourist strand in Cozumel.  

It was interesting to say the least! But with pretty bland food, no air conditioning, very little lighting, and no one seeming to notice a dog just passing through, it's not a place I would recommend. ;) you live and you learn!

Tuesday morning we woke up in Belize! 

We went snorkeling on the Angel Ray boat early in the morning.  The crew was fantastic, so was the rum punch, which could be why I thought we were in Brazil most the day! After snorkeling they took us to starfish beach, a small private beach where we spent time enjoying the beautiful blue ocean! Here's a picture of me picking up a starfish, right after this I moved my foot and a big crab scurried over it, I got out of that water so fast!

Once back in Belize City, we ate lunch and found a chocolate store where they made chocolate!  The scent was almost overwhelming when we first walked in.  

They have machines they use to process the cocoa beans that were behind glass but these rocks and cocoa beans on display.  We got a drink and chocolate samples before reboarding the ship. 

Wednesday morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise with the gorgeous green mountains of banana coast Honduras. This is a brand new port that cruise ships have just recently started visiting.  One lady explained it as what the Caribbean was like 20 years ago.  

We took a non-airconditioned bus to an environmentally protected river.  Here are a couple fb pictures from the drive:

Our tour guide explained to us that school children attend school from 8am-6pm, but walk home for lunch.  We saw many children not in school clothes but shirtless and without shoes playing with sticks on dirt roads.  After a lil of my own research I learned that 

- 65% of the country is illiterate

-only about 12% of students in Honduras who finish 6th grade go onto middle school. 

-fewer than 2% of Hondurans ever go to Universidad 

- the unemployment rate in Trujillo is about 70%

So strange to see so many adults,men and women sitting around or laying in hammocks instead of at work.  Many families here still farm for a living, I suspect with the new tourist $ coming in it won't be like that for much longer. 

The kayak trip was great! We stayed at the front of the group with our tour guide for most the way and he asked us if we exercised, which was funny because I suppose he thought we were good kayakers which meant we must work out.  We did go to the gym one morning while on our cruise :) While kayaking we watched fish jumping out of the water and these great big birds dive straight down (seriously completely vertical) to catch fish in the water.  We also saw what out our guide called "water ducks." In my head I thought aren't all ducks "water ducks," but these ducks can go under water for a long time and when their necks come back up it looks like a cobra rising out of the water.  

Each evening the enertainment on the cruise ship was wonderful!  We went to the shows nearly every evening, and I spent one evening up on stage with the comedian/magician, Jean Pierre Parent, not by volunteering.  Philip videoed the show, and it's pretty hilarious, but I think it's too long to share here, if I can figure out how to post just a clip of it I will.  

So thankful for a relaxing getaway with my favorite person! 

More snow!!

Still in pajamas, Cameron threw on his sisters boots and asked to go outside while it was snowing Thursday.  I made him put on a hat and jacket and decided to take the camera! This is the first time I've ever let him play outside in the snow; he loved it!

Trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth!

I spent most of Thursday scrubbing the kitchen while Cameron watched way too many episodes of Mickey Mouse clubhouse!  The weather cleared up and after Philip brought Raegan home from school I had a chance to go to the chiropractor for a much needed adjustment and neck decompression and then to yoga! (Best Christmas gift ever honey!) and because I was feeling extra spoliled and FREE I made a trip to target in my yoga clothes and wandered around, chatted with some friends I ran into, and bought a cart full of things that I didn't really need and a bottle of contact solution that I really did need. ;) (I really overuse that winking smiley face, I know.) 

So then came Friday, snow started while we were rummaging around the kitchen for hot chocolate, cereal, and waffles (the frozen kind). The front yard looked like this when Philip left to take Raegan to school.

Then two hours later looked like this:

And it didn't stop...

I didn't let the little guy out to play in it, just too cold, instead Cameron found unique ways to play inside.

Hitting a balloon with a wooden kitchen spoon (who needs expensive toys anyways!)

Hiding under the laundry basket, while mommy does laundry.

Throwing all his toys out of the cabinet and using it to play peek-a-boo with mommy!

School closed almost as soon as it got started.  Philip was already at work but went back and picked up Raegan and kept her with him until he decided the road conditions were just too bad and he wanted his employees to get home safely.  So he closed the store at noon, which is a big deal, because 12-1 is generally their biggest sales hour.  It had to be really bad, for him to close before lunch.  

We also decided it would be best for him and Raegan not to try and make the drive home, but instead stay at a hotel across from the restaurant.  Sounds crazy I know, but I just couldn't let him take the risk of driving home on a long, curvy hwy, when a fatality accident had already been reported nearby that morning.  It turns out it was also a good idea because he would be able to determine the plan for closing or delaying opening in the morning without having to drive out in the bad weather before the crack of dawn. The bad was, this wasn't planned for so neither one of them had a change of clothes, Philip had to buy a phone charger, and the hotel was filled with a bus full of high schoolers!

They did make it home Saturday morning. Philip had to turn right around and head back up to work to complete end of month duties.  I took the kids out to play for a lil while.

These are deer tracks through our front yard. Some of them were about the size of a small child's foot! 

Oh Mr. Sun, sun please come out and play!!! We miss you!

Snow day #2

Two and a half days trapped in the house with two littles could make a mommy go crazy! :) here's how snow (ice) day #2 went down...

Raegan had a rough night and came down to sleep with us around 2am, which allowed Cameron to sleep in a little later than normal.  Philip went up to the store around 6 to resalt his parking lot and sidewalks before their delayed opening. 

The kids entertained themselves while I tried to complete my quiet time studies.  

Then we went upstairs to the playroom.  Raegan, wearing the gown she requested from the hospital when she was in the ER a couple weeks ago, played a patient with a broken heart.  Cameron may need to go back to med school to learn where a heart is.  

After lunch we snuggled up in my bed and watched the original Annie movie, through amazon prime.  Cameron was a tad bit bored with the movie and instead took pics with my phone.  It's fun to see life from his perspective.

The movie was during normal nap time for Cameron so he fell asleep soon after.

After naptime and noticing most all the ice had melted away during the day, we got ready and heading up to Chick-fil-A for dinner.  Family night included a breakfast for dinner special and our local librarian came to read bedtime stories with the kids!  The place was packed full of people tired of being cooped up in their homes.  We saw many friends and got to meet the families of our new marketing directors!  We have such a great and friendly community!

1st snow day this year - Feb 23

These two brought snow inside to play with.  They put food coloring and valentine heart sprinkles in their snow/ice to make a true mess! 

Raegan drew/colored this picture for me:

And I recycled one of Philip's old work shirts into matching headbands for me and Raegan.

The whole family took a long afternoon nap with the fireplace on in our bedroom. We enjoyed roast, potatoes and carrots for dinner and then played a lil monopoly before putting the kids to bed at 7.

Photo courtesy of Cameron Smith.

School is out again tomorrow... To be continued.