berkley's cine-splash birthday bash

Months before Berkley's birthday, she begins brainstorming for her party.  She has been doing this for several years now it seems.  (I know, she is only 8!)  She is a planner, and she doesn't like to miss any details.  She comes by this naturally from her grandmother, Marmie.  It is always fun to hear her ideas and see the direction that her little mind is heading.  Sure, I help her along the way and sometimes "plant" new ideas so she is steered down a path of reality; but for the most part she comes up with a lot of the "party planning" on her own.  Who knows, maybe this is a career path she will be headed down some day.  Whatever the case, Berkley did inherit her Marmie's creativity, and I love that she is already using it in so many areas.

This year Berkley was unsure at first if she wanted a swim party since she did that last year. (And of course she wants original & creative, not familiar & easy!)  Together we began our brainstorming of ideas on how to turn another swim party into something a little different.  This summer my parents took the kids to a fun, family-friendly resort in Austin.  Each night they showed a movie out on the lawn, which the kids loved.  Matt & I were at a similar resort this summer in San Antonio where the movies were actually shown poolside.  Lightbulb!  After a little discussion with Berkley, we came up with our birthday brainstorm for this year.  We had a Cine-Splash Birthday Bash!!!

Berkley was SO excited about her party and loved planning all of the details.  She was so proud of how her invitations turned out.  (A BIG thanks to Marmie!)  She couldn't wait until her party.  When the big day was finally here and her friends began to arrive, the party was off to a big splash!

The girls swam, splashed, and played lots of games.  They had a great time with the noodles and even formed a parade in the pool.  Berkley has the sweetest group of friends!!!

The girls stayed busy swimming until it began to get dark.  We got one last pose from the group before we moved on to more festivities.

It was time to sing "Happy Birthday" and have a little treat.  We celebrated this year with a cookie cake...yummy!

Berkley seemed to enjoy her friends singing to her.

And seemed to make a big wish as she blew out ALL those candles!

Next it was time to open the gifts.  What party girl doesn't love that?!?

She enjoyed opening each gift and even took time to read her cards.

She got several pairs of new earrings which she LOVED!  Her Mimi just recently took her to get her ears pierced for her birthday, and she can't wait to model her new jewelry.

Once the candles were blown out, the wishes had been made, and the presents were all opened; it was time for the show to begin.  The screening for the bash was Gnomeo & Juliet.

The drinks were set up...

and the popcorn bags were filled.

The girls grabbed a spot as the movie began.  Some grabbed a float or stayed dipped in the pool.

Others claimed a spot in a chair to be up close and personal.

The movie seemed to be a hit!

 And of course, now that everyone was settled, our host got busy.

Berkley took her friends' orders and enjoyed fixing their treats at the "popcorn bar."

As the movie ended and the credits rolled, parents began showing up marking the end of Berkley's Birthday Bash.  And all of a sudden the pool was empty.

Overall it was a great party!  I think everyone had a good time.  I know the birthday girl did, and in the end I guess that is really all that matters.

happy birthday to our queen b

It is hard to believe that our queen B turns 8 today!  It seems like just yesterday that we were anxiously awaiting her arrival, and now our baby girl is no baby at all.  She is such an amazing young lady full of wonderful talents and gifts.  She is the best big sister around.  She is becoming a fabulous babysitter for her beloved cousin, Dane, along with a few other special friends.  She is a loyal and true friend to several lucky ladies.  She is a sweet and precious granddaughter and great-granddaughter as well.  And most of all she is an unbelievable daughter who is a true blessing from God.  We are so grateful for you Berkley and love watching you grow and mature each day.  You have such an obedient heart, you are filled with such a nurturing spirit, and there is a pure joy that radiates from your smile.  We love you so much.

And with all of this love for our sweet Berkley, we needed to start celebrating her first thing this morning.  So, we woke up extra early today so we could head to Chick-fil-a for breakfast.  (The birthday girl's request.)  Of course mommy had to bring along a candle to stick in her breakfast.  After all, your birthday should always begin with a chance to make a wish!!

And of course, you can never make too many birthday wishes...

Beckham and Brenner did a great job singing happy birthday to their sister.  They know who takes care of them!

After the birthday breakfast, there was time to have a little fun before we had to head to school.

I'm not sure who ended up having the most fun either.  

I

But I'm pretty sure our queen B had a good beginning to her birthday.

Of course the party didn't end there.  Our next celebration was lunch at Austin Elementary.  Berkley loves to get a special lunch brought to her at school, so this was definitely a birthday treat that she requested.  And to make it even more special, mommy and daddy both got to come, along with Brenner.  (Not to worry, Beckham didn't get left out either.  Now that he is at Austin this year, we brought him lunch too.)  Berkley greeted us as soon as we got there, proudly showing off her birthday ribbon.    

Lunch with our queen B was a special treat, and I am so glad that it is still a treat for her too.  I will cherish that as long as I can.

Daddy enjoyed lunch with his sweet girl too, but baby B had about had enough of his cafeteria time.  After all, he had already sat through an entire lunch with Beckham and was on his second round with the birthday girl.  His lack of enthusiasm was understandable.

As an added surprise, one of Berkley's best buddies, Kaitlyn, got to join us for lunch too.  Her mom brought lunch up to school for her also, so they joined us at the visitor table.  I think their faces show how excited they were to celebrate together.  I'm not sure what special treat is in store for us after school today, but I'm sure queen B has something in mind.  And of course the real celebration won't begin until the birthday party tonight...

but that will be another story in itself.

back to school for baby b

Today was Brenner's turn to go back to school and he was ready.  We were a little unsure how he would feel about going back to school this year, because most of his friends from his class last year were moving up to preK so they can head on to Kindergarten next year.  Since Brenner's birthday is not until September this was not an option for Brenner.  He will be repeating his early preK class (which he got in last year only because they made an exception) and will head to preK next year.  Although he has the same teacher, who is absolutely amazing, we have been a little concerned that once he got in his classroom and realized his friends really weren't there that he might lose some of his excitement.  We have been talking about it with him all summer to prepare him.  His sweet teacher even called us a few weeks ago when she was getting the classroom ready to give Brenner a chance to pick out his "symbol" on his own since he is the only student returning to her class.  Brenner picked the whale, and we have been talking it up big time.  We keep telling him that the whale is the biggest animal in the ocean just like he is the biggest and oldest kid in his class.  I guess all of that hype has worked, because he was all smiles this morning!  (And yes...as he was brushing his smiley teeth he got some toothpaste all over his nice, clean shirt.  So that explains the water spots!)

Our little "whale" was definitely feeling really big when we got to his school.

He was happy to pose with Daddy.

And Mommy was able to sneak in a picture with the little man before we headed inside.

Brenner quickly found the whale with his name on it, and he was so proud.  He loved that he had the first hook.  Since he was familiar with this classroom and the morning routine, he knew exactly what to do.  And as soon as he finished putting his things away in the hall he marched into his classroom without turning back.

Of course Mommy called him back for a hug and kiss, but he made it quick.  After all, he was the big man in class and I think he felt his duty calling.  He was prepared to have a whale of a day!!!  (And I'm proud to report that I think he did.)

back to school and back to blogging

Today was a big day for two of my little Bs.  Berkley started second grade and Beckham headed to Kindergarten.  It is hard to believe it is already time to go "Back to School!"  It is really a bittersweet time for me.  I always hate saying goodbye to Summer, but I have always loved heading back to school too.  I'm not sure if it is the teacher in me or just the fact that I thrive on schedules and routine, but there is something kind of magical about the first day of school; and although it is not considered the new year it still feels like a new year is beginning.  It is a great time to start fresh, get organized and refocus.  So, on that note I am "back to blogging."  I have not documented the stories of my Bs for such a long time and I miss it.  I hate the thought of not having something to look back on and remind me of such wonderful memories that we are making right now.  So I am going to do something about it and I figure there is no better time to start than the beginning of their school year.  There is so much adventure awaiting!

Berkley was simply ecstatic about heading back to school.  She got the teacher she had been hoping for, she has a couple of great friends in her class, and she just loves school all together.  Beckham was happy to be heading to Austin and excited that he too got the teacher he was wanting, but he also had some hesitations about it all.  He is used to going to preschool only three days a week.  As the harsh reality set in that being in Kindergarten meant you went to school five days a week the excitement seemed to fade a little.  Fortunately, he has a great class, full of a great group of kids, and a teacher that is absolutely amazing.  All of these things added together made this transition not seem so bad.

First day of school always means LOTS of pictures.  We first started with pictures at our house.  Berkley and Beckham were great sports.  (and looked adorable I might add)

Our next stop was our old house.  Since it is right by Austin AND our great friends now live in our house AND they just happen to also have a little boy heading to Kindergarten who is ALSO Beckham's BFF, we parked there for more pictures.  Berkley was ready to pose for more too.

Beckham was hanging in there as well even though the smile was beginning to look a little forced.

Then, of course, Beckham's BFF Sawyer had to join us in the pictures.  After all we were posing in his front yard.

The mommas sure didn't want to be left out of all the photo fun!

Or the daddies for that matter.

Our crew was finally ready to head over to Austin.  Beckham and Sawyer didn't end up in the same class so they gave each other a little encouragement before they headed their own ways.

Berkley insisted we drop her off first.  She is definitely a rule follower and did not want to be a minute late.  She quickly found one of her best buddies, Kaitlyn, and they prepared to head in together.

Faces of pure joy and excitement...and absolute confidence too.  These second graders don't seem to need any help from their mommies!

Finally we headed to the Kindergarten building to take Beckham.  He patiently awaited his turn at the lockers.

His locker was on top, but he assured us that he could reach it by himself!

Beckham's sweet teacher greeted him and made him feel right at home.  We are so blessed that Beckham is in Mrs. Ratcliff's class.  We absolutely adore her at our house.  (She was Berkley's teacher too and she is amazing!)

One of Beckham's buddies quickly found him and greeted him as well.

And even more buddies gathered...not sure if this is a good thing or not.  This group might be TROUBLE!!!  (But they sure are cute!)

Beckham gave one last hug to Brenner as the bell rang, which cued all the lingering parents (yes that would be me) that it was time for the day to begin.

And just like that Brenner and I were headed home...just us.  My baby B will turn four next month and this is the first time he will have a couple of days at home with just me.  This too is bittersweet, because although I am so excited for some one-on-one time with Brenner that he definitely deserves being the third; it also means another one of my Bs has grown up that much more.  And soon enough all of my Bs will be in school.  It is such a reminder for me to enjoy each day I have with my amazing kids.  Time flies by, and I think some days I am even wishing it to; yet today I am reminded that I want it to slow down... maybe even freeze for a while.  So I will try to truly live each day God blesses me with and cherish each moment... not forgetting to blog about it along the way.