Sleepover Party

Well, I survived my first sleepover party as the Mom! Emma had four of her friends come to a spa sleepover for her birthday last weekend. They were really nice girls and gave me nothing to complain about! It was a bit surreal when I (who must have just attended a slumber party as a girl last week - it seems that way, anyway!) had to get out bed, go downstairs, and in a mom voice, ask if they were going to sleep yet. In that moment, I felt for all of my childhood friends' moms who had to sleepily do the same. Here are some pictures from the adventure:

Lila, entertaining her sister's friends over pizza.

The whole gang

Presents...

Manicures - Emma's idea was to have each girl design a fingernail. Since there were 5 girls, they each had a set of the designs on each hand.

Birthday Girl

Hot Tub Beauties

They all got spa robes for a favor thanks to great deal at CVS last month :)

PB&J French Toast - yum!

So Thankful

Where do I begin to say what I'm thankful for?! I'm thankful for the wonderful life God has blessed me with to live for Him. I'm thankful for the responsibilities, opportunities, relationships, and comforts He has given me. I'm thankful for the peace, assurance, and joy that comes from having a relationship with Him.

Here are some action shots of the Thanksgiving Appetizer Party at my house:

"That Boy is a Running Fool"

Ryan completed his second marathon last Sunday in Philadelphia. He did really well, and we're all pretty glad it's over. He trained hard for this and was even ahead of his goal pace until his knee stopped working around mile 18. Still, he finished in 3:57 - under 4 hours! I can't even imagine running for 30 minutes, let alone 4 hours!

It was a beautiful day, and our friends were here visiting so Brad could run the marathon too. So Melynie and I took our six girls in to watch them finish.

A beautiful background and adorable fans

Yeah! Here he comes!

"Run, Daddy, run!"

So proud of their dad

Ryan and Brad with their medals

Ready to go find the car

Eleven!

My beautiful Emma turned eleven last week! She continues to make us incredibly proud to be her parents. What a wonderful young lady! Besides being sweet, loving, and gorgeous, we continue to hear reports from other parents about how nice and polite she is and how she includes others and stands up for herself and others who need her strength. She's having a great soccer season, plays the piano beautifully, and just got her report card with straight A+'s (well, she only got an A, a 95, in her accelerated Math class!). I know I'm bragging, but how can I not?! This is my annual blog post to tell you all what Emma's like, and she's just a terrific kid!

Aunt Becca gave her a straightening iron!

What a different look for my curly-headed beauty!

Family Shot

No fancy-themed cake to make this year - just Gramma's Chocolate Cake

New Converse and a vest

Lila was SO excited to give her a Pillow Pet!

New jammies for Emma and her American Girl dolls.

My little baby with her curls back

Woo hoo! It's game time!

Vacation

It was a rough week in Longboat Key, Florida.

Lots of relaxing on the beach,

fishing on the dock,

gorgeous sunsets,

experiencing wildlife,

going on rides,

dancing, shopping, and eating downtown,

and don't forget trick-or-treating.

It's a rough life, but someone has to live it! ;)