Kaylie's 11th Birthday Celebrations

Our sweet Kaylie turned the BIG 11 this year... so much energy and love in one little body :)

We started the day opening presents...

Makenzie got her a cute "fancy" zebra glass...

 Best buddies :)

 Someone was very happy to get makeup, lotions, nail polish, etc.

 Grandpa Mel and Donna took everyone out to lunch at one of our favorite places, Golden Coral... birthday girl really enjoyed her dipped strawberry!

Kaylie had a blast shopping with them for a new outfit, dress, shoes and earrings :)

Before Daddy had to go to work, Kaylie got to blow out her candles with Daddy, Makenzie, Dannen and Mommy...

 Zamma and Auntie took me and our kiddos out to dinner at a neat Mexican place... bring on the fried ice cream!

 It may have been an "off" year for birthday celebrations, but I know this little lady had a great time! It's amazing to see what a beautiful person she has become :)

Lightning

 If you were to ask me, "What's one thing you like about Florida?", it would automatically be the thunderstorms! For YEARS, I've been wrapped up in different weather phenomenons... I actually had planned on attending college and becoming a Storm Chaser. (FSU fell through- LONG story- and then we moved out of Kansas City, which was near the school to become a storm chaser.) It drives my family crazy when I run outside in a thunderstorm, trying to capture a picture, or attempt to drive in a hurricane... yes, I did that! My most fond moment was back in 2004, when staying at a hotel in Southern Florida (Ironically enough, just a little bit away from here), Kaylie was just one. She was always a car-sleeper, so when having a tv on in the hotel kept her up, I took a drive! It freaked my Dad out... I remember watching him stand in the doorway as I drove off (oh, boy if I could only go back...), and accept us both with a HUGE smile and loving hugs. The weather was INTENSE! 

We get afternoon, early evening storms pretty much every day. The night before my birthday was an exceptionally crazy storm! Living on the 4th floor of a condo means we're up high... and I swear we could touch the lightning LOL

I was outside on the patio when I actually captured these shots...  

 

The hairs on my arms were standing up! Talk about LOVE!!! :)

Little Guy is Swimming!

One of the only good things about living here in Florida is having a pool right outside :)

I wish we could go every day, but let's be honest, I'd rather NOT cook my kids in this horrible heat or worry about sunscreen every 15 minutes. The times we do go are spent having fun. With two big sisters who swim like fish, our little guy was VERY anxious to keep up. 

He started learning to stay under water on his own, which of course scared the crap out of me lol Jumping in was his next big adventure... and when my not-so-little son comes flying at you, there's no hope but to close your eyes, turn your head, wait for the splash, then look to make sure he's up! The smiles were HUGE and getting him to stop laughing right away was a task... yes, please laugh and have a great time, but don't swallow the water LOL

One day, Dannen decided to go after his shark floating in the pool, and just kept going... all the way over to the other side. We couldn't stop giggling and praising him! After a few times across, right in the middle of the pool, looked at Daddy and said, "Okay, I'm tired", and stopped swimming. Next step is watching to make sure he reaches his destination and making sure he can get back :)

When my cousins were visiting, Dannen decided he was going to swim underwater... didn't think I could be so excited over something so little lol He came up, after swimming about 4 feet, and shouted, "Did you see me?" Of course, goggles are his best friend!

Though I will always have my eyes on all three kids, knowing I can give him "some room" in the pool is kind of exhilarating and relaxing as a parent. My baby is growing up and learning to be self sufficient. The need to hold someone is gone... again, kind of sad, but pretty cool to reach as a parent :)

+2 equals 16 Teeth!

Thank goodness our Tooth Fairy is super traditional and shares a quarter per baby tooth and two quarters per molar!

Makenzie had been working on two teeth for about a month. So, when Kaylie got wind and they were "bored" one night, DENTIST Kaylie got to work. Makenzie is super brave, and allowed her to pull each tooth out, just a few days apart from one another lol

Makenzie sits at 16 teeth gone... just two more to go before all that's left are molars :)

Pinterest Ideas

I've seen so many cool ideas on Pinterest... and quite honestly, have to set a timer when I frequent the website, otherwise, it's an hour later and I'm still zoned in on the screen lol

With the ridiculous heat, we decided to try this cool popsicle pin... 

Overall, it was pretty cool! The downsides, and yes, there ARE a few: The green gummies are extremely nasty, the blue start to have an alcohol taste toward the middle of the popsicle, and the gummies have a slimy outside before reaching the somewhat chewy inside. Though they were fun to make and eat, I will not be adding this to my "do-again" list...

 Who doesn't love watermelon?!?!? Seriously, I absolutely hate cutting it... for fear of losing my fingers or even slicing my arm. When this watermelon post showed up, I couldn't wait to buy some (had to wait until the price was right lol)... 

There were a few moments where those little buggers wanted to go flying across my counter, but it was fairly easy :) I cut one half yesterday @ dinner time, and as of 5pm today, it was gone lol Eating watermelon and getting messy go hand-in-hand... but at least this way you don't have to have watermelon smile marks lol