Shane's Splash Bash

For Shane's 4th Birthday we had a Backyard Splash Bash!! This was Shane's first birthday party with some of his little friends.  He was so excited he could hardly wait for the big day! 

I found this cake at the Family Fun web site and thought it would be perfect for Shane's Splash Bash.  It looked just like Shane the girls thought! 

Shane was anxiously awaiting all of his friends to arrive! 

We had bagel sandwiches, hot dog crescent rolls, jello cups with gummy fish in them, string cheese, go-gurt, grapes and watermelon cut out like fish.  

The kids had fun splishin' and splashin' in the back yard.  The weather was beautiful and all the new water toys Alexa and Shane got for their birthday came in handy !

What a life ... Happy Birthday, cake and presents in the backyard ... every little boys dream of a birthday!! 

Shane had so much fun with his friends at his party.  

He sent his friends home with buckets with goggles, whale crackers, water guns, bubbles  and a pool toy! 

Happy Birthday Shane!

Happy 4th Birthday Shane

Shane, I can't believe that you are 4 today.  Where has the last 4 years gone?  It seems like just yesterday you were our little, laid back man who was content just to hang out and didn't have too much to say and wasn't too eager to move.  Once you figured out the moving and talking thing you haven't stopped.   You are a ball of energy and are all boy!! You have so much energy I wish I could bottle it up.  You talk non-stop and I mean non-stop.  So much for boys not being as verbal as girls.  I think you might be the one who gets in trouble in school for too much talking.  You make us laugh with all the things you do and say.  You are my little man that is so full of love.  You are so quick to give hugs and kisses and to cuddle. You love your sisters and feel like such a big boy that you can do most things they can do now.  You are all about cuddling up on my lap to read a book until your daddy comes a long and then you are all boy.  You light up when daddy gets home from work.  You love to wrestle with him and your new favorite thing to do with him is golfing with daddy.  Shane your smile melts my heart especially when it is accompanied by " I love you mommy, you are the best mommy in the world!!"  I hear those words come out of your mouth quite often.  Shane, it is so much fun watching you blossom into a little man.  I pray that God continues to mold you into the boy and man he desires you to be.  I pray your daddy and I can guide your sweet, energetic spirit! We love you little man! 

Happy Birthday!

Love 

Mom  

A Fun FIlled Week At Crocodile Doc

The kids had a great week at Crocodile Doc Bible School!! They had fun learning about Jesus, playing games, making new friends, singing new songs, doing crafts and Shane of course loved the snack shack! These were some cute hats they made this week! 

On the last night they had a program to share what they had learned through the week and sing some songs.  What fun to see close to 200 kids singing praises to Jesus and raising their hands to Him!! 

Alexa getting all the actions in! 

 

Shane was singing "Our God Is Powerful!"

 

The girls' favorite song was "Get Down He Lifts Me Up!!"  

What a fun week for the kids!! Eric and I sure enjoyed our 5 nights of dates too.  It was nice to have a couple hours to catch up over dinner or coffee each night! What a great week for everyone! Now off the the lake for some family time this weekend and celebrating Shane's real birthday!  At least that's what he calls it! 

Fun Filled Weekend

We had a fun filled weekend at the McDonald house.  June is a month of celebrations and it so happened that a lot of those special days fell on this weekend.  Friday was our anniversary, Saturday was Alexa's birthday and Sunday was Father's Day!! Our real anniversary get away was our 8 days this spring in Mexico. We decided since the kids were going to be going to Bible School with some of their friends this week we would have a 5 night date anniversary marathon.  So when we were invited to some friends house on Friday night that we haven't seen forever we took them up on their offer.  The weather was picture perfect and we enjoyed a wonderful evening sitting outside watching the kids play and catching up with friends.  

Eric took up golfing in the last couple years. He enjoys it but doesn't get out on the course too often with the business of life.  I love it that he has found something

 that he enjoys and is a good stress releiver but he often chooses to spend time with us rather than time on the course.  He has a couple friends in the same boat.  The wives decided to surprise the guys with a round of golf on Saturday morning for Father's Day! We were hoping we could pull off the surprise with out them finding out.  The kids and I came up with a scavenger hunt of gifts like golf balls, tees and a new shirt to open with the Round of Golf at the end. 

The kids decided they wanted to hide clues all over house where they do special things with their daddy.  Eric got a kick out of some of our clues.  He was surprised and excited for the Saturday morning golf game with friends. 

Saturday was Alexa's birthday so after Eric's golf game we spent time as a family at Wild Water West, the local water park that we have a season pass at.  The weather was perfect and we had so much fun with the kids.  They are at such a great age this summer.  They have fun together and enjoy doing the same things.  They all love playing in the water! 

Alexa chose noodles as her special meal so daddy cooked up some yummy pasta for the birthday girl.  She opened a couple gifts from Emma and Shane and from us.  

We finished celebrating Father's Day on Sunday.  I had fun taking pictures of the kids in Eric's clothes.  We made a frame for him for his office.

We also found this cute Daddy Book.  It is a book about what Daddy's do.  It is super cute! 

The kids had fun making their own Daddy Book for Eric with all the special things their daddy does with them.


Sunday was rainy so after church we had a relaxing day and all got a nap in.  The kids started Bible School on Sunday night and we started our 5 Date Night Marathon.  Our first night we spent a couple hours at Barnes & Noble looking at magazines and books and chatting over a cup of Starbucks coffee.   

Happy Father's Day

Daddy We Want To Be Just Like You!!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Happy Birthday Alexa

Alexa Grace I can't believe that you are 7 today.  The years seem to go faster and faster.  As I look back at pictures I wonder what happened to my little girl.  Is it your big girl teeth or your face that looks more mature or the things you say or do?  All I know is each year I get sad and wonder what happened to the last year but I also get excited for the year to come.  I see you continue to grow and blossom in so many ways each year and I can't wait to see what this year brings.  You are a blessing to our family.  You are sweet and gentle.  You a very loving and nurturing to your brother and sister.  You are always looking out for them.  You are my big helper and are always willing to help without complaining.  You are an amazing artist and are very creative.  You love to read and write.  You love to be outside and be active.  You love to cuddle and read books with your mom and you love to play ball and wrestle with your dad although you do like your cuddle time with dad too! Alexa Grace I pray that God blesses you in the year to come and that you continue to grow into the girl that God desires you to be.  

I love you Alexa!

Love 

Mom

Ten Years of Blessings

Ten years ago today Eric and I stood in front of each other and made vows to each other.  We didn't know what life would look like or what it would bring but we promised to love each other and stick by each others side no matter what.  It is hard to believe it has been 10 years.  Sometimes it feels like just yesterday and other days it seems like I can't remember what life was like before we were together.  As I  start to look back over the things that have stretched and molded us as a couple it seems like we have more than 10 years experience together in life.  I am so thankful that God brought us together 10 years ago to be husband and wife.  I am so thankful that we get to walk through the ups and downs of life together.  I am so thankful that God chose us too be the parents of our three blessings.  I am so thankful for the wonderful daddy that Eric is!  I am so thankful for the love that Eric and I share that continues to grown.  I am so thankful that we still enjoy spending time together and make it a priority to do that.  I am so thankful that Eric is a spiritual leader in our house and encourages me to grow in my faith.  I pray that God will bless us on our journey in the year to come and that we will grow closer to each other and to Him! 

Happy Anniversary my love!

I love you!

Julie

June Birthday Bash

June is the month of birthdays in our family.  Last week we had a big birthday bash celebrating four birthdays.  The main focus was on my niece Mia who turned 2 on June 6, Alexa who turns 7 on June 20,  and Shane who turns 4 on June 26.  We also celebrated my brother Jay's birthday! 

We decided to do a cupcake tower and incorporate all the kids birthday! My sister-in-law made all the cupcakes and I made the toppers.  We had a yummy taco bar for dinner and then finished the evening with these yummy cupcakes !

Shane looking on ... he could hardly contain himself and really wanted to eat the frosting and the lollipops. 

Shane was pretty excited about his new ball glove and his slip and slide.  He got a water gun that he thought was pretty neat too.  It is the first gun in our household, funny how little boys know exactly what to do with them.  He also was pretty excited about his new golf clubs from Papa and Grammy.  He can't wait to go golfing with daddy now! 

I love this picture of Shane.  He got a $5 bill in his card from my sister-in-law.  He was pretty excited and knew exactly where he was going to put that ... yep right in his pocket! 

Alexa is an animal lover so she loved her new big Webkins.  Her and Shane also got a new pool from aunt Molly.  It looks pretty big.  She also was excited about her magazine subscription and her cool new pink guitar!

Shane blowing out his 4 big candles!

Alexa not sure where to look when everyone was singing to her! 

Mia was loving her birthday cake!

We even made uncle Jay his very own cake! 

There will be more celebrating in a couple weeks when the kids each have a party with a couple little friends! Stay tuned!

Lovin' Life At The Lake

It is always exciting when summer comes because it also means time at the lake.  The kids love the lake.  Last weekend we were able to head there for the first weekend of the season.  The weather was pretty cool and raining but we did get outside a little and were able to enjoy getting away, relaxing and of course playing some cards!

Alexa enjoying some time by the lake!

Emma's smile says it all .... we love it here!

Shane trying to find something with the net that is bigger than him!

We enjoyed watching the sunset.

One more thing the kids love about the lake is time with cousins.  This weekend they were able to hang out with Bailey.  They had their first bath with Cousin Bailey.  I'm sure there will be many more to come!

And of course a trip to the lake is never complete with out a trip to town to the Ice Cream Shop!!  The favorite flavor of the weekend was Birthday Cake! Yum! Yum!

Time With Cousin Bailey

A couple weeks ago we were able to take care of Cousin Bailey for a couple hours.  The kids were so excited and couldn't get enough of their new little cousin. 

Bailey didn't know where to look with everyone trying to play peek-a-boo with her! 

Hanging out with Alexa and Emma! 

Talking and smiling to Alexa!

Shane was more than willing to give her a couple kisses!

Isn't she just the cutest?  Don't you just want to kiss those sweet cheeks! 

We took Bailey for a walk and on her first picnic.  You can see she enjoyed every minute of it!

Do you think she is loved?

The Arizona Grande

Eric flew in on Thursday to join for a weekend of fun in Arizona.  We spent two nights at a wonderful resort in Phoenix that had a fun water park.  Our friends all joined us Saturday night.  We had rooms right next to each other so we had fun in the water and the sun during the day and then were able to hang out in the evening even after the kidos were down.  We had a fun weekend that went way too fast! 

This is all of us on the way to the water park minus Eric since he is the one taking the picture! What a gang! The kids had so much fun together! 

Shane loved being thrown around by Eric! Daddies are always so much more fun in the water than mommies are!

Emma by the fountains trying to escape the big spray! 

Fun in the tubes in the Wave Pool!! The kids and adults also spent some time relaxing on the Lazy River.  

Emma and Alexa jumping over the big waves in the Wave Pool! I love these action shots! 

We had checked out of room on Sunday so we used the Spa and Fitness Room bathrooms to shower and get ready in before we hopped on the plane.  The girls thought it was just the best.  They each sat in a comfy, wicker chair wrapped in towels to dry their hair.  There was lotion and cotton balls and q-tips for them to use after they had showered.  Alexa  looked at me while she was swinging her hair back and forth and drying it and said, "I feel like such a mommy!"  If only mommies all had bathrooms like that I thought and the time to really pamper ourselves as we get ready!! After Eric saw the pictures he said no wonder it took you guys so long to get ready!  I know we were just enjoying a little girl time!