Happy Birthday Big Man!!

We celebrated Russel's 41st birthday this month.  One thing I admire about him is that he fully embraces each one.  I, on the other hand, have heart failure every time I realize how old I am about to turn.  In my head, I'm still 17 :)

The last couple of years or so Russel and I have started a little tradition of going to Arizona the weekend of his birthday.  It's the perfect time to get out of the snow and into the sun.  We managed to hit Arizona yet again at a perfect time.  The temperatures were soaring in the high 70s and I couldn't have felt more content.  We took little Mei Mei along and she was just as excited as I was.  She knew there would be some swimming involved.....not to mention she gets pretty excited about the plane ride, although you just can't see the excitement in this picture.   (Just ignore the guy's BEHIND right BEHIND us.....maybe that's why the look of distress on Meili's face.)

We mainly just relaxed and did nothing, went to dinner with friends and family, of course did some major shopping....even venturing as far as Scottsdale (and wondering why the heck we don't venture there every time we visit).  We visited with my sweet Uncle who is battling cancer and doesn't have much time left.  He has fought an amazing fight and is a wonderful man.  It's very difficult to see your loved ones get sick.  I guess I have looked at these wonderful people all through my life and just always thought they'd be there.  In my eyes, they haven't changed a bit.  It's a difficult thing to watch.  We know he is suffering and wants to move on to the next life but that doesn't make it easier for those of us left behind.  Because of our sweet uncle we were able to see lots of loved ones and enjoy their company.  We hope he could feel the strong love that we all have for him.

Russel was able to catch a round of golf with a friend and had a great time.  We took about 2 pictures total while we there and that's no exaggeration....you are seeing the two pictures.  What a gorgeous picture this is though.  That's why we LOVE Arizona.

We got home on Sunday and Russel' Birthday was the next day.  The day started with the kids waking him up with hugs and kisses and lots of Happy Birthdays.  I brought in some YUM-O Temptation cupcakes to his office and stupid me forgot to take a picture.  They were absolutely beautiful....all different kinds in black and white.  Really gorgeous.  The girls really thought they were great.

Meili and I then met Russel for lunch.  She was very excited that it was his "birfday."  It's so fun to see her start recognizing different celebrations and understanding the meaning of why we are doing things.

I invited Russel's mom over for dinner and cake and ice cream and we had a great time.  We decorated the kitchen in Toy Story decor complete with 3-D glasses.  No kidding.....the plates and table cloth were in 3-D.  (We've had a few little mishaps with the camera......after we got the pictures recovered on the SD card, I may have thrown away the card accidentally.  The camera won't work without that card so these were all taken on the iPhone which didn't work so well.....maybe it was the operator...possibly.)

The kids decorated our bedroom door and wanted to get him something special.  They all gave me some of their hard earned money to take to the bank to change into quarters.  Russel loves quarters and collects them in a big huge bank he got for Christmas.  I chipped in a few extra quarters and made the grand total to $41 in quarters.  

I made a gluten free carrot cake which the kids were horrified by the idea of.  How could a cake be good that has carrots in it?  I asked them if they liked zucchini brownies?  Of course they did.  Well, why would this be any different?  Guess what?  After the first tentative tastes, they were begging for seconds.

Russel said it was the perfect day.....I hope so.  We love him and appreciate how hard he works for us.  He is an amazing guy and we are so lucky to have him in our lives.  LOVE YOU!!

Joshie's Eagle Court of Honor....

We had a special night Sunday when Josh was honored at an Eagle Court of Honor where he and three of his best friends all received their Eagle awards.  We are so proud of Josh and his accomplishments as well as the other boys.  If you recall, he held a dinner and raised over $3000.00 for the orphanages in China to purchase much needed supplies such as cleft palate bottles/nipples, vitamins, diapers, bibs, onesies, etc.  He was even able to get a camera donated and many other items that really helped many of the sweet little ones in China.  It pushed him definitely out of his comfort zone as he went door to door selling tickets for the dinner but it was a huge success and he knew what he was doing was helping children just like his little sis.  He had seen first hand those that had done so much for our little angel and knew he could make a difference too.

The court of honor turned out so nice.  We were honored to have our local fire department come and post the colors which was a really cool thing to watch them.  This picture is of Rhett Hellstern who is our neighbor and friend.  We appreciate his efforts in coordinating the men for this event.

We also had the Veterans of Foreign Affairs come and do a presentation for the boys.  They also presented the boys with flags that had been flown in their honor over the nation's capital.

As they presented the boys these flags, they had their dads and any grandpas that were there come up to help in the presentation.  They then first presented the flag to the grandpa, who then presented it to the father, and who then passed it to the Eagle Scout.  It was really cool.

The boys were then presented their Eagle Awards.  They each chose who they would like to present their award to them.  Josh chose Corey Walker, one of his scout leaders.  Corey is an amazing leader who truly goes the extra mile for these boys.  Without Corey, Josh would not have earned his Eagle.  And the camaraderie between Corey and these boys is amazing.  He is not only their leader but their friend and mentor.  

Here is Josh presenting me with the Mom pin.  I even got a hug. :)

The boys were also able to chose a mentor to present a special mentor pin to.  Josh chose his Dad and for good reason.  Russel was a great help in coordinating the medical supplies that were to be sent to China.  

Here are a few pics of Josh with his friends and his scout leaders.  All such great people.  

 

We had great refreshments after and the moms decorated the gym up for the special occasion.

Josh had lots of family there supporting him that night.  We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people.  They were all so proud.

 

We are so proud of you Josh.  Remember it only takes one person to make a difference and you have experienced that first hand.  You are the reason all our wonderful friends, family, and neighbors came together to support this cause and bless the lives of these orphans.  Your project touched many and they opened their hearts so generously to help these beautiful children all the way across the world.  Always remember the power and potential that you have.....that each of us has inside us.....to change the world, to make it a better place, to serve and love others.  Thank you bud for your great example.

Abi, a TEENAGER already??

What? I can't possibly be old enough to be the mother of TWO, not one, but TWO teenagers?  Where have I been? I swear just yesterday Abi was running down the street in Gilbert to play with Megan.  How quickly things change.  She was a sweetheart then and is a total sweetheart now.  She is an absolute joy and so very helpful.  I had a little breakdown as I was loading the pictures from her special day onto the laptop.  We had a malfunction and lost over 300 pictures including her birthday pictures, her video, and many from Christmas Eve at Grandma's, and a few others.  I still am very sad but the pain in the front of my skull has subsided somewhat and I'm dealing better with the tragedy.  I was able to realize, through my pain, that we had a few that I had taken on my phone from earlier that day and I guess we will try to recreate a few of the rest.  Of course there will be no cousins recreated in the pictures, no presents, and no cake, but there is one VERY important part that we will definitely be able to recreate, and Abi has no complaints about that one. :)

UPDATE:  My wonderful friends informed me that most of the time pictures can be recovered from a card.  I took that baby down to my local Inkleys and $42 later, my priceless memories were restored.  YAY for modern technology!

We started the day a little crazy on Saturday.  We had a baptism and four basketball games but after the last game, we raced out of there and grabbed her good friend Hannah.  We went to Pizza Pie Cafe and had a wonderful lunch.  The two girls picked the coziest spot in the whole restaurant.  Russel and I were a little squished on our side but those little girls' skinny butts fit just perfectly.  Here they are with happy tummies.

We then stopped at the mall and picked out the most adorable PJs for them.  Pretty cute twinners I might add.  It was lots of fun and then we rushed them to Hannah's basketball game (game #5 technically).  After Hannah's game, we brought them back here and let them hang out the rest of the night eating goodies and watching movies.

On Sunday, we had 9:00 a.m. church so things were a little crazy trying to get everyone ready.  I had been shopping for a special outfit for her to wear to church so I had it wrapped and ready for her to open that morning.  She looked absolutely beautiful.  After church, we made some birthday muffins for brunch and grandma and grandpa and Brennan came for dinner.  She felt pretty special and loved the gifts she got.  Girls are SO easy......right up my alley.

Russel's family came a little later for cake and ice cream and she had a great time.  

Right as we were getting the cake and ice cream ready, there came a knock at the door.  Abi went to answer it and couldn't believe her eyes.  A special visitor had come to wish her a Happy Birthday.  It was a wonderful day and she just kept telling me how much she loved everything and that she had a perfect day.

 

 

She also has the best friends in the world who brought her gifts and decorated her locker at school.  She's so lucky to be surrounded with such great kids.

One thing I wanted to highlight about Abi this year is a new talent she has been developing.  She really enjoys taking pictures and seems to have quite the knack for it.  She also has the perfect model to practice on.  Here is just a sampling.......plus it's super awesome for me.