i'm scrappy...

look what i can do (thanks to lauren and her cricut!)

a day with the girls...

i spent the day with my nieces at merrifield and notre dame taking their summer pictures and casi's birthday pictures. we're going to do another session next week since today was so blasted hot but we did get some great shots.

when did they get so big? i took paige's first professional photos when she was a week or two old and she'll be starting pre-k at the end of the month. i took casi's first professional photos for, i think, her 4th christmas and she's going to turn 10 in just a couple of weeks.

our 'little' linebacker...

our nephew tyler started rocket football this week, meaning full speed tackling, full pads and a big thick helmet. no more flags, no more easy downs, real hardcore football. as hardcore as football for elemantary and middleschoolers gets that is. it seems like only yesterday i met this little redheaded, freckled face boy that refused to call me anything but 'lady' and now, almost six years later, he's nearly as tall as i am and could easily tackle just about anyone given their lack of preparation!

check out this photo i found of baby tyler, a few years before i met him, this is where you can start to see his linebacker-like build, broad shoulders and a big thick head, perfect for tacklingand here he is 10 years later, ready for practice and sooo done with people taking his picture. if only he knew how many more times we'd be taking it in the upcoming years at games!
ha! i better have big strong boys like this once we procreate... he looks so darn cute in those pads and pants!

tony's birthday...

i forgot to blog about tony's birthday (happy birthday tony) which we celebrated saturday evening at mazatlan, lisa and i used it as a good excuse to have a margarita after our spectacular 5k.

the wait was long but well worth the delicious food, we did have them embarrass him with singing and the traditional wearing of a large sombrero

and then, of course, the children had to wear the hat (much nicer hat than you wear at hacienda but you don't get to keep it)and lisa took a while to show off her cherry-stem-tying skills, apparantly it's been a while since she's performed this trick!and then the girls put the hat on mike, he wasn't thrilled but was a good sport

grandma was able to come as well but she didn't get in any photos. we had a great time and even better food, lisa and i even found some healthy dishes that didn't ruin our diets which made it even better!

ais (asian inspired sunday)...

thank you daddy, sue & denise for contributing some delicious foods to our asian inspired dinner. dad made bulgogi which is delicious korean bbq steak, steamed white rice, steamed saffron rice, and bought several side dishes and a couple of desserts at the oriental market on grape road, most of which were korean. my mother-in-law sue made the most delicious egg rolls i've ever tasted, she uses wonton wrappers and puts this filling in that melts in your mouth. denise made some delicious bubble teas made from Thai tea and some wontons which we boiled before crisping up in the pan, and we feasted! the photos don't do the food justice so i'm not posting them but it was amazing!
you may notice that everyone's plates and glasses are pretty much empty, we all gobbled everything down before i could take pictures of it but having it in my belly is a better memory than having photos of it, although i think the wasabi peas may have gotten the best of chase!
after we finished our asian inspired feast the ayo-raders, chase, my mom and i played bang and had a great time, thanks everyone for coming over and sharing ais with us!!!

5k results...

team bang finished the 5k today in "record time" aka. we finished faster than last timeat the start we all look very happy and ready to rock... is it the happiest place on earth for many of us and, even though just a workplace for the other two, it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining in our favorpat had to show off and finish very quickly since he hasn't run more than a couple of times since he got out of high school and denise only walked for a 1/4 mile which is awesome since she thought she'd be walking the whole second mile to rest

the four walkers did a great job keeping pace and not fnishing last... those medals we're all wearing are for finishing, not for placing high but finishing in a better time than the last time is our whole goal, well, second to not dying!

i even had enough energy left over to smile with the logan monkey

funniest email ever...

my husband, the man that has sent me maybe 5 emails the entire time we've been together, sent me the funniest email i have ever seen, check it out for yourself:
i know, i know, it's hilarious... i say this under the influence of only one margarita mug from mazatlan which i'll get into later so there may be funnier emails out there but i do not remember them so i'm calling this one the funniest ever and if you don't agree please forward me the email that tops your list!

i sent it to my sister, who also had a margarita tonight and called her as soon as i sent it so that i could listen to her and the girls laughing as they read it... it was histerical, just send these to someone you know and love and listen to them as they read it, it is truely one of the best sounds you'll ever hear!