Oh, the Memories...

Today, the twins took me back to my childhood. The put Bryan's shoes on and laughed and laughed as they walked aroundt he family room, tripping and falling. Micah and Matthew took turns wearing the shoes and being silly!
This is something that my brothers and I did when we were kids. I remember how funny we thought we were and how much fun we had. It was so fun to watch my kids be kids!! And of course to relive the past.

Sea Life Aquarium

We had a chance to go to the new aquarium that opened up at the AZ Mills Mall in Tempe. My twin's group was going and got us all in for real cheap using a group discount. The boys had a blast and we stayed at the mall all day long!!!

Here we are waiting in line. We found some of our friends!! Abbigail and Addyson were there, too.

After a long wait and some instructions in a classroom, we were finally off and running. The boys were so patient as they waited and so excited to finally be inside with the fish.

Here is Micah petting a star fish...

I love this picture!! The boys were under an aquarium looking up into it.

We are on an over look here and you can see the sharks in the tank down below. It was fun to be up so high and see them below...

The tanks were so beautiful and full of fish. This is Micah...

And Matthew and Dalin...

Micah kept screaming and screaming when he got to this tank, "Hey mom, I see Nemo and I see Dory." He loved seeing the fish that he recognized fromt he movie...

Dalin loved to see the great big sharks. He liked the bones in the tank, too, that the sharks were swimming all around...

This giant replica scared the twins half to death. Dalin had to walk with them and convince them that they'd be okay...

There was a shark tunnel that was awesome. We stayed in it for quite awhile watching all of the sharks swim all around us...

The jelly fish were fun...

"Oh no!! My boys are trapped inside a tank!"

This tank was shaped like a horse shoe so the kids could pretend to be inside. It was fun...

It is an awesome aquarium and the price was just right!! Normally, it is really overpriced, but with the group rate, it was perfect! It is a small aquarium, but laid out really neat. We had a lot of fun!!

After we left the aquarium, we ate lunch at the mall and wandered around through all of the shops. We eventually wandered over to the Rainforest Cafe. We haven't been back there since our last adventure there for lunch with all of the cousins when the twins cried the entire time, scared to death. I think they may be old enough now. They liked seeing everything from the outside. So I think we may be old enough now to come back.

We just hung around outside. We saw the snake and they parrots. And of course, fed the alligator some pennies. The boys loved seeing the alligator and really seemed to think it was real.

What a fantastic day!!!

Dalin's Birthday Party

Dalin invited his friends to see The Last Airbender with him for his birthday. After the movie, we went back to the house for cake, ice cream, and swimming.

Of course, after weeks of sunshine, it decided to rain during his party. No worries! There was no lightning, so we let the kids swim anyway. They wanted to eat their cake outside, too, so they could watch the rain. (Hmm...must be AZ kids who never see the rain.)

It was so fun to watch them swim in the rain. They laughed and giggled the entire time!

"Look, Mom, it's raining on me!" Micah loved it most of all!!!

It was fun to watch Dalin with all of his friends. He loves being with his buddies, especially the ones from school that he doesn't see much of. They're all so grown up now!

Very shorly after everyone left, we found the twins...

It must've been a great party because they were asleep before 7:00. And we can say that we survived another party!!

Visiting a Baby Kitty

Grandma Mell has a friend who helps an animal shelter when they receive baby animals who require more attention than they have employees for. This time, she was caring for a kitten who was super sweet. She told my mom about the kitty and invited her to bring over her grandkids. Grandma called me and we accepted the invitation. How could I pass that up?

My boys loved playing with the baby kitty. It was soft and sweet and scared to death of them. We were able to hold it and pet it though and have a fun visit. Dalin especially loved the kitten and really wanted to bring it home. I wish he wasn't allergic because he sure was excited!

Dalin's Big Day

Dalin's birthday party wasn't happening until the weekend, so we did all we could to make the actual day a special one. It started with his favorine breakfast, sausages. Complete with a candle to blow out. He spent the day with his friends in the neighborhood. Then, for dinner, we went to TGI Fridays, his favorite restaurant. The waitors sang him happy birthday and he got some free ice cream. He really got a kick out of the attention!

Matthew enjoyed the ice cream, too. He loves birthdays!

It's so fun to spoil my kids and on their birthday they deserve something special. Happy Birthday Dalin!!

Dalin Turns Nine Today

Nine years ago today, my little baby was born and air lifted to a hospital with a NICU. When he left my side, I wasn't sure if he was going to survive. He was so tiny and born earlier than he should have been. But he was a fighter! And he survived!!

He was our little miracle! Now that "miracle" baby boy is all grown up. He turns nine today and I can hardly believe it!

Here are a few things I want to remember about my 9-year-old Dalin:

* He loves to chase his little brothers around the house.

* His favorite foods are pizza, nachos, and chicken nuggets.

* He loves to be outside with his friends riding bikes, climbing trees, and skateboarding.

* He is a fantastic reader but will only read a book he is really into.

* His favorite restaurant is TGI Fridays.

* He talks a million miles per minute!

* He wants to go back to Disneyland really, really badly.

* He rides his bike to school everyday and loves his independence.

* He loves to watch TV in his room where his little brothers can't bug him.

* He loves to blast the radio in the car whenever he gets a chance.

* He invited girls to his birthday party.

* He is totally into cars, especially Mustangs!

Happy Birthday Dalin!!

Holiday Swim with Friends

After the fireworks were over, we still had two days left of the long weekend. So, we went to a BBQ with friends. Of course, a 4th of July Party is not complete without swimming, right?? These pictures turned out so cute!! You can tell how happy our boys are in the water.

4th of July

We had a quiet holiday with our boys. So many of our extended family was sick, that we decided not to share germs. It was a nice change for us and we found a quiet park to play at and eat Sonic ice cream while we waited for the firework show to start.

The boys had glow sticks that were a big hit, even with my 9-year-old.

Being three-years-old, the twins loved the fireworks!! They were amazed!

Micah and me...

Matthew and Bryan...

Dalin wasn't as impressed as the twins were. Of course, he wanted more fireworks and better seats. Maybe next year... Happy 4th of July!!!

Time for Twilight

We started the Twilight Adventure for the new movie, Eclipse, a week before the movie is released. We met together in a friend's basement and watched the first two movies together. It was so fun to be together and talk about the movie and debate about the characters. (I know we are pathetic, but what can I say!!) Of course, I had to make a Twilight Shirt. I loved this quote when I heard it, just after the first book was released. I couldn't find it on any shirts for sale, so I used iron on letters to make my own. "Boys in Books are Just Better"! And of course, "Team Jacob" had to be displayed on the back. I love Jacob!!

I was lucky enough to see the movie early at a sneak preview starting the day before opening night at 8:00 PM. We got to walk passed the lines and lines of people who had been waiting in line in the AZ heat all day with our tickets in hand.

The sneak preview was complete with cardboard cut outs of the guys. Here's my Jacob...

And although I belong to Team Jacob, I do think Edward is quite sexy, too.

I drug my mom with me this time. It was fun to have her with me. We are both succors for good books!!

My friend, Tanya, came with us, too. She is a blast from my past and it was fun to spend the night with her.

Here is part of our crew, Krista, Dakota, Jacob, Haley, Jessica, Edward,Tamara, and me.

My wild and crazy "twin" friends, Deb and Michelle came, too. We all have twins that are three-years-old and like to have fun. What an awesome "Girl's Night Out"!! The movie was awesome and the company was even better. I can't wait to do it again for the next movie!!!