Birthday Weekend =)

Sisters at heart

Swimming with Daddy/Uncle Luke

Sophia bowling with Daddy

Twinkies, or should we say Tinkies!

my Louisiana BFFs! Kelly, myself, Lauren

Lauren took this awesome picture of me diving

Ryan loves the pool!

"POW! POW!" What has Uncle Mikey started!

Wii Karaoke with my hubby

Swing time! Weeeeeeee!

They are ready for their close up!

Beautiful Babies!

What a great birthday week! First, on May 12th, my sister, Denise (Aunt Nisey to the kids), gave birth to my nephew, Alexander. Natalie was beside herself with excitement. When we spoke with Nisey (Daniel's sis) that evening, Natalie proudly proclaimed, "I have a new baby cousin! He's a tiny baby right now." We were able to speak with Daniel's mother as well, which hardly ever happens so it was a really good moment. She kept thanking me for sending so much stuff for the baby over the past months. She emphasized how appreciative they all were for everything we have sent. I told her that is what families are supposed to do. I am a very proud Auntie and want to help (and spoil) as much as I can! There is still one more big package that we will be sending to Nisey and her family. I actually became an aunt twice this week when Daniel's half-sister gave birth to a baby girl on May 14th. To make the week even more special was the arrival of Sophia, who was here all weekend!

I turned 29 years young on May 16th. I say 'young' because that is how I feel. I was teased about next year being the big 3-0. I'm not scared. I say bring it on! I have a young heart and soul. I have so much more to learn and experience and give. I think about my bucket list and know that there is so much more for me to do. The day itself was wonderful. The day started off with Natalie's soccer game, where she made her first goal! She was so proud! She ran all the way over to me to hug me and proclaim, "I did it! I made a goal!" Sweet moment. After soccer, we partnered up with the rest of my family and joined them for bowling. Natalie and Sophia bowled with me and Luke. It was so cute! Sophia (assisted by daddy) would push the ball as hard as she could, but a couple of times the ball stopped short and we had to run down the lane and retrieve it. Natalie is getting pretty good at bowling by herself. She carries the special bowling ball they have for kids (a neon orange, 6 pound ball) and tosses it as hard as she can. Both girls ended up with one strike each and even had the exact same score up until the 10th frame. It took the four of us an hour to bowl one game! LOL! After bowling, I took the kids home for nap time. They fell asleep on the way home, so I just tucked them into bed. I sat on the bed to read a little bit and ended up napping as well! Cool! After we all woke up and stretched, we headed back to my folks' place for birthday fun! The girls were given new, matching Tinkerbell swim suits and they squealed with delight. For my birthday, my parents said I could invite some friends over for BBQ and Pool Fun. Daniel, of course, was our griller for the evening. He made mouth-watering burgers, dogs, and chicken. So good! My friend, Kelly, brought over home-made spinach and artichoke dip. Amazing! After swimming, we ate and played guitar hero with karaoke and even had a bonfire in the back yard. So much fun! It was a great evening.

The kids had a great time in the pool. Ryan has decided that he can swim. He will move his arms and legs as if he already knows what he is doing. He actually likes to put his face in the water! He will come up and just laugh, and then go under again. So cute! He will even jump in the pool. I am constantly amazed at his physical abilities, which reach far beyond his age. Sophia is like Ryan in the pool, unafraid of the water. She even jumped off of the diving board to her daddy! Brave souls! Natalie is still hesitant to put her head underwater, but we made some progress when Sophia was showing her how to use the goggles. She would tell her, "look underwater, Natalie!" So Natalie tried, and it worked! If she has on her goggles, she will put her face in the water. Thank you, Sophia! On Sunday, we took the kids to the park. The dads had as much fun playing around as the kids. We took Mikey with us because he revels in being an uncle. Ryan has even started calling for him by name...sort of. We know he is saying "Mike", but it comes out more like "bike".

Overall, it was a blessed week and weekend. The Lord has blessed my life with good people. Please keep my uncle in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers from his injuries. He is in good spirits and ready for the road ahead. I admire his strength and determination. Praise God!