More celebrating

We went out to eat with family on Cody's birthday to the Avalon. They have done a spectacular job making this place special and the Christmas lights and ice rink make you feel like you are right in the middle of a movie. I love this time of year!!

Cody and I first came over here on a date and we knew we wanted to bring Mae back to see the ice skating. She is always pretending to ice skate around the house. She will run in and ask us if we will be coming to her show and then as gracefully as she can, she will twirl and jump in her socks on the hardwood floor. 

Cody's 35!

Our family took a mini-trip for the weekend to go up to Chattanooga to celebrate Cody's birthday. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We got a suite, so the kid's were all in one room together. (And should have known) they talked and giggled and would not fall asleep. I strongly believe this was all Jovie Ming's doing. When I fell asleep I could still hear them in there.  And when they finally did fall asleep I think they all ended up huddled together so at 3am Mae started yelling out that they were on her hair and she couldn't get up.

We had a delicious southern style dinner at Tupelo Honey Cafe. My mouth is watering just thinking of the pork chop I had with a side of the best ever biscuits and honey, and no true southern meal is complete without banana pudding. hmmm-mmm. It was a little cold out but we enjoyed walking around the city, and the main event was visiting the aquarium.  I love the aquarium just as much as the kids do and I might should be loyal to Atlanta here... but psstt we like it better than the Atlanta one.

Sea otters are the best 

 

 

 

Pickin Time

Today is my birthday!! I'm thirty-four today (: 

I just love birthdays.

The fun part of having a Monday birthday is that I got to celebrate all weekend! 

I think birthdays should be birthweeks, don't you?

I got a day of apple pickin with my nearest and dearest yesterday. 

I have discovered my happy place. Apple trees.

To sum up our afternoon — as we were leaving Mae said "I want to stay here forever." 

Me too. 

**Update
A photographer was there taking pictures while we were at the orchard and these pictures of our family ended up in his article.  Thank you Jonathan Phillips for the feature!

happy, happy birthday Mae Juan!

Yesterday we celebrated our big girl. I can not believe I have a five year old!!

Mae has asked for frozen dolls for her birthday for at least a month, so we placed Elsa and Anna outside her door to be the first to greet her.

Then we went to IHOP for special pancakes. The staff even came to our table and sang to her... Which really took her by surprise.

We had told Mae she could do whatever she wanted for her birthday and all she said she wanted to do was to "play games". We asked her if she wanted a party and she said, "no, I just want to play family games." With that being her one and only request we made a special day out of it!!

First we went bowling - it was fun but tired the kids out pretty quickly!

Then, after naps we had family games galore in the basement! Mae had no idea that we were planning any of this so she was positively delighted.

We had a very memorable game night and most importantly our birthday girl felt very loved. She got presents that were perfect for a grown up 5 year old.

Seeing her in these dangly earrings just about kills me... She's getting so big and grown. She insists that now that she is five she can help me even more. She really is our little sunshine.

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