Brigham is 3

Happy #3 to my sweet boy.

Rain and other hitches forced us to change plans, but we still had a great time with balloons and pirates. I think Briggy was happy except that he did ask when we were going to his space party. ???

 

Sammy's gift-Pirate picture.



Eli's gift-Priate picture complete with frame that he built and painted.



Eli's big day!

We have two priesthood holders in our family. Eli recieved the Priesthood.  I'm so excited for him. I'm proud of the decisions he has made to live a life worthy of being an instrument for the Lord.

PARTY #2--Eli's birthday

If you're wonderin' if they had fun . . .

They played games including this frozen t-shirt game. So fun.

Eli wanted fruit pizza for his "cake".

Matt did a fantastic job MCing this party. I couldn't have done it w/o him!

The boys played like best friends, well since most of them grew up together they pretty much are best friends, but it was really fun. (Oh and Abbigail, the only girl of course was just one of the bunch:))

 

Blue Bell, the best ice cream . . .

Camilla's visit was so fun. We did a lot for 2 ladies and 6 kids.

We both are in love with the same boy

...and baby.



Loves ice cream.

Loves lizards

Sigh.

Camilla. . .

Have a mentioned how much I love my sisters?



Almost as much as I love a day at the beach;)(I'm TOTALLY kidding)

Hermit Crabs GALORE=very busy children.

School in session means a very quiet beach, a very happy family.

Back to School Party!

 I wasn't really excited to get back to school this year, mostly overwhelmed. Of course every time I get overwhelmed, the best solution is to throw a party! Funny thing about this is that I ususally do recieve some inspiration about my parties. In this case I failed to heed my inspiration and though we had a lot of fun, (I loved it!!!) I did learn from a few mistakes.

We laughed a LOT! We had some fun belly floppin' times. Definitely something I'd love to do again. It was also a good dry(not really) run for our next two pool parties, yes, 3 weeks in a row of party party PARTY!

My Star!

So, this is a terrible picture but I just couldn't not acknowledge Eli's hard work and accomplishment. He's a rockin' Star Boy Scout. He got his Star award a month before his 12th birthday. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures because some glitch in the system didn't catch all his merit badges and rank awards and he wasn't given any of them. Really sad considering his hard work but they're trying to get things worked out. Go ELI!

The Crazy VanWart Side

My Dad's side of the family just seems as normal as normal could ever be. They are dependable and predictable and are good examples of composure and good living. My mom's side of the family is not. They are crazy, fun, unpredictable and will love you to death. They have showered me with love and devotion in every stage of my life. I could not be luckier to have both influences in my life.

Sammy met my cousins kids-so did I actually.
 

Dear Aunt Deanie.

My sweet cousin Mona and her husband Lance. Parents of those cute kids. She's embarking on a homeschooling adventure and is very inspiring with her enthusiasm:)

In the pink is my Aunt Ramona. Matt loves my Aunt's almost as much as I do I'm pretty sure. They're the shirt off their back kind and sometimes that's all they have. They can love and that's why he loves them. They adore him.

My sweet Grandma. She gave birth to all the crazy Aunts but she's really not so crazy. I think they all got it from Grandpa. She's loving though. Oh how very loving she is. Sennia just made everybody's day. I'm so thankful I was able to take a moment out of my own crazy world to visit them and get pictures for my little Sennia. I certainly hope she can know them and remember them but just in case.

Royse City Family

This is my Papaw. He's retired from a life of hard work and responsibility only because he has Parkinson's Disease which my Dad is also fighting against.

I wondered if my Papaw would even know me because the Parkinson's meds are pretty hard on the mind. When he told me that Sennia had my mom's eyes. That was very precious to me.

This is my Grandma. She's an amazing person. My grandparents are prime examples of many things but one thing that they do is never complain. My Dad is a lot like that. She has an amazing dog too:) His name is Dugan.

When Grandma said "Dugan, go sit with Sammy." He did. He only met Sammy minutes before but he obediently hopped down from her lap and climbed up on Sammy's.

My Grandparents live in a rural area near where I grew up. Their little road ends in a cemetary. Samuel, my cousin's husband and their little boy went out  hunting critters and walking to the cemetary. Reminds me of when I was young. My grandparents home is the only place in my life that has remained the same for me to go back and reminisce.

Sammy and Cody had lots to share:)