Happy Birthday to my sweet Naomi Kate! She turned 9 on May 26 and we celebrated with her friends last weekend. I haven't blogged in forever! I'm such a creature of habit so once I get out of habit, I have a hard time being consistent but I'm back! Plus, the last several months were all consuming as our foster baby was a very busy toddler and it was almost impossible to get anything done. She went to her adoptive family 2.5 weeks ago which has been a big change for our family since she was in our home for 16 months. Even though saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've ever done and we all miss her so much,  I have total peace that she is where she is supposed to be. Now, let's get back to Naomi...

On Naomi's birthday, we had some presents and decorations waiting for her when she woke up and we enjoyed her breakfast request of crepes with nutella and peanut butter.

She opened presents and had very cute little helper.

Per Naomi's request, we went to Punch Pizza for dinner. This was our first time at a restaurant (even though only the patio was open for eating) in forever.

After dinner, we went to Naomi's softball game and she got to play catcher!

You can see her cheering squad in the background. Uncle Jake, Brooke, Grandma and Grandpa came to watch the game and even though it was freezing...

we had to end the day with birthday ice cream!

For Naomi's birthday party, she invited her friends from the neighborhood and we rented a bounce house with a water slide (thank goodness since it was 100 degrees)! 

I think the donut themed party was a success! That wraps up another birthday and another year older. Naomi is such a sweet girl with a big heart and truly loves taking care of others. I know 9 is going to be a great year for her!

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My little guy turned 6 on November 18th! Maxwell is such a sweet boy and has really taken his role as big brother to baby M and Levi seriously. We had a fun day celebrating him with crepes for breakfast followed by presents and an afternoon of painting pottery, eating Punch Pizza, and spending time together as a family.

It has been so fun being his kindergarten teacher this year. He is learning to read and learning to do subtraction and addition. I just love watching him learn so many new things...it makes my heart want to explode.

 

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I cannot believe that I have a 10 year old! It doesn't seem possible. 10 years ago (on Oct. 22) this sweet girl made her grand entrance into the world. She has always had the biggest smile and so much excitement for life! She is crazy smart and always coming up with her next book, story, creation, or art project.

Here's her last night as a 9 year old. 

We celebrated in the morning with decorations, presents, and breakfast.

She was very excited about her new rollerblades! Even though the weather was less than ideal she still was determined to give them a try.

Mia is pretty much a professional at taking care of babies, she loves to make activity books for her siblings, she is creative in the kitchen and is known for making delicious smoothies and desserts, she and her friend created a stop motion series called, Giraffie and Monkey, and she is constantly writing stories. Mia loves space and all things NASA and going to a NASA space camp is on her wishlist.  

Mia has a big personality and feels all the emotions but she has a big heart and truly cares for her friends and family. Not going to school this year has been hard on her but I love getting a chance to spend more time with her since I know that the years are short. We all love you sweet girl and hope that year 10 is your best one yet!

Happy 10th Birthday Mia!

 

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We had a birthday party for Mia a couple of weeks before her actual birthday. We planned the party in a week since I saw 70s in the forecast and knew we needed to take advantage of the upcoming nice weather if we wanted to have a COVID safe, outdoor party. Thankfully almost all of her neighborhood friends were able to make it!

I'm so thankful for all of these sweet girls in the neighborhood, having friends to play with outside has made this season so much easier!

For the party, we played Minute to Win It games,

whacked a piñata,

ate lots of candy,

and the girls each decorated a few cupcakes!

I was pretty impressed with their creations! The cupcakes looked like they came straight from a gourmet cupcake shop.

We ended the party with presents on the trampoline and then the girls continued to play outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

I love this sweet and spunky girl so much and am so proud to be her mom.

 

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