Happy Birthday Big Daddy!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. Thank you for being such an amazing husband and father. Before you I never truly knew how wonderful life could be. I also never knew a love like we share. You are the most giving, loving, kind, intelligent, compassionate, FUNNY, sexy, generous, hardworking, and devoted man I know. I am soooo blessed to have you in my life, my eternal companion. You are my best friend, I always wanted to marry my best friend. I love how you love me, I have never in all my life been loved like this before and it feels soooo good. I love your commitment to our marriage. I love how you always make each day special, that you never pass an opportunity to make me smile and show me that you love me. I love that you take note of what makes me smile and so whatever it takes to do it over and over again, surprising me a long the way. (Oh all the deeelicious BIG beverages in a cup, over little ice balls with a lid and straw...its most def the little things, and they always taste better when delivered by you!) Thanks for that.

You are an incredible Daddy and Uncle. You make me want to have a ton of babies with you, just so children can experience the kind of father that you are. Jordan is such a lucky little girl to have such a great dad. I love watching the two of you together. I love that YOU are the example of the kind of man that she may someday marry. I love that you make special time for the two of you and I am not just talking about your weekly daddy/daughter dates. I love how she prefers to spend her mornings with you. I love how you are the only one who could ever make her breakfast just right, and that you take a bite out of her sandwich, and write her a little note everyday when you make her lunch. I love how you listen to her and make sure she knows that what she says is important to you. I love how you are never too busy for her, that you know her childhood is just a small moment in time and that you place value on those moments. I love to see how excited you get when we are working on a special surprise for Jordan and how you see the beauty in the details. You are a magic maker, I love you for that. Yep, I can't wait to have more babies with you...they will all be so blessed to call you daddy.

You always put Jordan and me first and do whatever it takes to make our dreams come true, big and small. You provide us with a beautiful life, a life I never knew was possible. I know that making your "girls" happy brings you a lot of joy and that you do it all because you love us. Lucky US to have YOU.

looking FABULOUS...and 100lbs lighter, so proud of you and your hard work!

So on this day, your birthday, I want to tell you thank you. Thank you for the smiles, the love, the laughter....our HAPPILY ever after. Life is so much sweeter because of you.

I love you Boo boo...Happy Birthday! May this year be filled with all things wonderful and I hope all your birthday wishes come true. You are amazing and deserve the best, you really do!

PS you are HOT!

Happy Birthday Jordan!!!

The goodness you bring to our lives on a daily basis make us so thankful to have a wonderful kid like you. You make us laugh and shake our heads and wonder how we ever got so lucky to be your parents. We hurt when you hurt and want to take all the hurts in your life away, and we do our best, but we know that there are struggles that you need to go through that will help you grow and become an even better, stronger person. We realize there are some hurts that we can't make go away so we try really hard to make sure you feel loved and supported by us and know that we are 100% in your corner. Your compassion and kindness that you show for others is a true example of pure love. May everyone who is lucky enough to know you and bask in your pure awesomeness learn that kind of love. You are a true and loyal friend and our wish for you is that you are always surrounded by friends who are just as loyal and true as you are.

You are growing up so fast but also at a perfect pace for you. It amazes me that you are so true to yourself and that you do not allow others to dictate you or make you feel like you are left behind. You have a wonderful sense of who you are and you love yourself, that is something to be admired, there are women my age who still don't possess that gift. Our wish is for you is that you always have a high self esteem that you will continue to know who you are and learn new things about yourself.

Hold it all close, feel free to bask in your own awesomeness.

You are an amazing Child of God. He knows you, every little hair on your head, everything about you. He knows your gifts and your challenges and He is always there for you, always. We already know you have an beautiful relationship with our Father in Heaven, we love to hear your conversations with Him as you kneel in prayer each night. We are so proud of the goals that you have been setting and accomplishing this last year in Young Women's. You have put so much thought and effort and energy into making goals that are often challenging, yet you achieve. You have been a wonderful example to your daddy and me.

You have so many wonderful talents and gifts. Your poetry is beautiful, it has a heartbeat and anyone who you share it with walks away changed for the better.

Your humor is so much fun, you make us laugh all the time and keep our home filled with happiness.

You have that way with so many people. Everyone loves to be around you. You bring a light and an energy to a room that draws people to you and want to be your friend.

We love spending time with you. I love that you enjoy being with us, we hope that never changes.

So on this day, your 14th Birthday I want to thank you. You made my lifelong dream of becoming a mother come true. I believe with all my heart that we are a match made in heaven. You needed a mom like me and I totally needed a kid like you. My life is so much better and brighter because of you. Creating magical moments for you has been my pleasure. You deserve so much for making MY dreams come true, it's the least I can do. Here's to many years to come filled with as much glitter, magic and giggles as possible!

a YEAR in review...

Bass Pro Shop

Big Daddy took the 4 "big boys" to the Bass Pro Shop for some archery lessons. They thought this was VERY cool and enjoyed goofing off a little before the lesson started. I have never been to the Bass Pro Shop (seriously, why would I?) but after seeing these pictures I kinda want to go. This coupled with thoughts of wanting to move to Arkansas has me a little skeeeerd.
There were a lot of "stuffed" animals there

Bikes to sit on and feel cool....

Boats to sit on and feel even cooler...

I love how Zachary chose to "drive with his feet like dad"...Mark, do you really do this on your boat? (she asks like her brother ever even reads her blog...even when his children are the main feature for going on 2 weeks now)

Getting ready for the lessons on a beeeeeeautiful sunny morning...there were lots of cub scouts running around there. I tried to blur faces of kids not in our group...sorry if that is distracting.

Garrett takes his turn....love the concentration and form.

Parker's turn...hmmm the view from the other side of the lot was better...
Zachary...love the look he gives Uncle Paul before he gets serious lining up his shot...maybe he liked his position on Parker's turn better.

Tyler...from what I understand he was the best shot...

a few more turns for each of them now that they have the basics down...

So. Much. Fun. If you have a Bass Pro Shop and a little guy or girl who might enjoy it, look up the free stuff they have online...the boys even posed for a magazine cover that you can pick up online for FREE (or order mugs and tee shirts etc.) I am bummed I gave their moms their codes so I don't have them to share...but still, pretty cool right?

Oakdale Goodness

There is a little Cowboy Museum in the town of Oakdale. There are adorable little blue haired docents that take your $1 donation and talk about the cowboys who's history is alive within those walls...AND there are lots and lots of things to TOUCH in this little museum, which is perfect for our team of nephews.
see that little lady? soooo cute, and she loves her post at the cowboy museum and loves letting the kids loose to explore the place.
giddy up cowboys...I love how they have hats and boots for the kids to put on AND a saddle and lasso to play with...perfect for a Mamarazzi moment...
Big Daddy had fun goofing with the kids and the branding irons...these pictures crack me up.
after exploring the museum we headed up HWY 120 to Oakdale Cheese and Specialties. We found a shady spot and enjoyed a deeeeeelicious picnic lunch.
...fed the animals in the petting area...so cool. These kids have most def bonded with the goats of the central valley.
Then we of course tried to catch some tadpoles. I am so glad I had a container of wet wipes...oh the muddy goodness that these boys can collect within minutes of arriving somewhere. WOW, boys are dirty...my Durango still smells like schweatty boys. (funny story, Big Daddy took my car to get cleaned and when they picked the seats up there were enough Goldfish, fruit snacks and yogos to fill their lunches for an entire school year...oh well, road snacks make road trips easier)
Handle THESE animals with caution...I love how that goat is poking his head out between Zachary's legs to get some green grass goodness....and the faces these boys make kill me!
Today's featured "camper" is Brock...

Brock is my brother Mark's youngest child. He is 5 years old and he makes me laugh. He is still a little snuggle bug when there is a quiet moment and loves to find a lap to curl up in. BUT he is also ALL BOY and his personality is BIG. Brock is a major picky eater and he looooves "chicken nuggets, because they are goooood." His favorite part of Camp Vasquez so far has been, "the Jelly Bean place, I love jelly beans the pink ones are good and they give you jelly beans at the end." He was looking forward to, "making ice cream and going to the zoo." When asked what the best part of Camp Vasquez is Brock answered, "It's fun and we get stuff like presents that's why I liked the Un-Birthday party and I like going to all of the other places we go to."
more to come....
collages made using picnik.com you can clickety to biggefy any of them.

Applegate Zoo and Ripon Skate Park

There is the coolest little zoo in Merced called Applegate Park Zoo. Big Daddy and J have been there before for a daddy daughter date you can read that post HERE. This was my first time and I loved seeing it with my nephews. There is a darling little park close by too that we got to stop and have snacks and play at.
It seems that wherever there is a kitty cat the kids will find it...this one was happy in her little shade spot but enjoyed the head scratches none the less.
The kids loooooooooooved feeding the goats and we spent a good amount of time feeding and petting them. Brock named all of them and was able to stop and point them out, so cute. The names he came up with cracked us up; there was Boogery, Black Spot, White Spot, Horny and more. Brock names all of the animals we come across...he just has a knack for it.
I stayed home with the 2 little guys and swam while Big Daddy took the 4 big boys to a skate park...those kids can SKATE!
more skater goodness...
Today's featured camper is Tyler...

Tyler is 7 years old. He is my sister Amy's middle boy and he has a HUGE personality. I have blogged about him before...a few times (he is excellent blog fodder). Tyler loves "Art, building stuff and sculptures out of whatever I can find just laying around and stuff". His favorite food is "Chinese food, I love orange chicken and noodles." When asked what he loved about Camp Vasquez so far he said, "Making the powerboats and Lowe's, taking the ferry to San Francisco and camping out in the tent, that was actually my first favorite." Tyler is looking forward to, "The Cowboy Museum, and all the museums. You and Uncle Paul are the only ones to take me to museums. OH and I can't wait to check out all the skate parks." Tyler's favorite park of Camp Vasquez is, "I am really excited because there are 2 or 3 cool things planned to do everyday plus swimming everyday, that's cool."
more to come....

collages made using picnik.com you can clickety to biggefy any of them.

Cheese, Tadpoles and Nuts, OH My!

I am failing miserably and keeping up with my blog, but i am determined to get everything from Camp Vasquez posted so that the kids can come and look and so my parents can see some pictures of their darling Grandsons (well 6 of them anyway) and their adorable Granddaughter Jordan.

On Monday Aug 10 we visited Hilmar Cheese Factory where the kids took a tour and made ice cream...this is something we did last summer too and the kids could not wait to get in on the frozen goodness. BONUS..this year they let you add toppings to the ice cream you made. Way cool!!
On the way home we stopped at our favorite little Fruit Barn where they have a pond to feed fish and ducks. The kids discovered tadpoles and spent a good amount of time trying to catch them. This is one of those childhood memories that last forever...I still remember trying to catch tadpoles when I was a kid...good times!

The kids also discovered some VERY friendly cats and named them right away. We also made our way over to the animal area and petted the horse and tried to check out the new chicks but Parker discovered the mama chicken was super protective and wasn't letting anyone near them.That evening was Jordan's back to school night and afterwards she joined up with her BFF Emma and Big Daddy took all the kids to a Modesto Nuts game...they cracked peanuts, snag the ballgame songs and even saw themselves on the jumbo tron. "We're FAMOUS!"

Today's featured "camper" is Zachary...

Zachary is 8 years old. He is my older brother Mark's boy and he is the best hugger I know. Zach likes to "skateboard, swim, play soccer and play basketball." His favorite foods are, "apples, bananas and spaghetti." When asked what his favorite part of Camp Vasquez had been so far he answered, " The Un-Birthday Party, The Jelly Belly Factory and the Ferry to San Francisco." He was most looking forward to, "The baseball game, going to some skate parks and third a tie between G-Force and the Zoo." His favorite part of coming to Camp Vasquez is, "Just spending time together." (me tooo)
more to come...hopefully within the next few days!!

collages made using picnik.com you can clickety to biggefy any of them.

Really?!?!

Is she really in the 8th Grade? I can hardly stand it, our little girl is growing up. Here she is all primped and polished for her first day of her last year of middle school. Next year High School? I can't even think about it.
... and yes my friends that is make up...she wanted to be sure to get a pic without the glasses to show it off. She has been experimenting with make up over the Summer but has yet to go 2 days in a row wearing it, so we will see if this becomes part of her morning routine. She is rocking the side bang too...hair in her eyes all. the. time. When is that style gonna make an exit?! lol

We are so proud of our teenager and the good choices she is making for her life, this is going to be an exciting year!!

Happy UN-Birthday To YOU!

Sunday was a stay home day and we were busy!!! The kids woke up to the dining room decorated with streamers and balloons...their were hats and presents and CUPCAKES...it was our Happy UN-Birthday party and we were celebrating everyone! An UN-Birthday? Oh yeah...it was a great time! Each of the kids got a present from Big Daddy and Me and one from Jordan, she loved shopping for them and was really thoughtful with her choices...I decided to get the same thing for everyone and we got it all at the dollar store...the boys were thrilled with their airplane launchers. light up yo-yos, mini cars and trinkets.

Jordan organized party games and the boys had a blast...a 3 legged race that Garrett was determined to win even if it meant dragging his partner Steven across the lawn.

Bowling using powerade bottles and a playground ball...check out these awesome action shots...fantastic! There was also a balloon game that was a huge hit. Jordan was an incredible organizer...it' so fun to watch her grow up...

THEN the boys came inside and we made SLIME! 1/4 cup liquid starch, 1/4 cup white glue, and a few drops of food coloring...mix it up in a Ziploc baggie and enjoy the stretchy slimy goodness!

THEN Big Daddy helped the boys make these awesome 3D puzzles. They are balsa wood kits you can get from Michael's for $1 and they are awesome. It took a little while for everyone to get their pieces punched and organized but the directions were fairly simple and the result was fabulous. Not to mention the feeling os success...precious! The two younger boys got foam 3d puzzles (they were $3 but more age appropriate) that they were able to master with my help.

THEN...a favorite here in our house pegboard and bead melty things (is there a real name for these?) the kids got more creative then ever before and we found glow in the dark beads making them even cooler. I am seriously impressed with the designs they came up with all on their own, so cool!!

Today's featured "Camper" is Steven...

This is Steven's first summer with us (we require potty trained and able to wipe their own bum, shush...Mamarazzi has no time for such things). He reeeeeeeeally wanted to come last summer, but wasn't quite old enough. Steven is 4 he is my sister Amy's youngest. He makes me laugh. Steven likes to "jump on the trampoline and dance hip hop". His favorite food is Chicken nuggets, Mac and cheese and pancakes." So far his favorite things we have done are, " Going on the big very fast boat, standing up on that bus (street car in SF), riding on the train, roasting marshmallows, camping in a tent and getting jelly beans." Steven is most looking forward to, "making ice cream, going to the zoo and more swimming everyday." Steven likes Camp Vasquez because, "Uncle Paul."

We are happy to have Steven join us this year...it's definitely keeping things hopping!

more to come...we have lots and lots of goodness planned!

PS Happy 40th Birthday to my older brother Mark!!