just a little bit OBSESSED!

So I have been a little obsessed with reading this summer.

Mostly "chick lit" like the Sookie Stackhouse series of vampire books that the HBO series "True Blood" is based on {thanks Kimberly}:

And (of all things) Middle School fiction, such as "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins {thanks Emily}. Can't wait for the sequel:

The girls and I have been spending A LOT of time at the library!

Library holds and inter-library loans have been good to us.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's day to all you great dads out there {including my dad and hubby of course}!

17 Years

I just changed my profile to read married for 17 years! That's right, yesterday marked 17 years since we said I-do in a little chapel in Reno, NV.

We did not have big plans this year, but did the usual, dinner and a movie. Then we came home, picked up all 4 kids {which hardly EVER happens anymore} and went to Mojo in downtown Tempe for frozen yogurt. It was our first time there, and we all loved it!!! Such a cool concept for a fro-yo place. You choose your cup size, add any flavors of fro-yo, add any toppings {including fresh fruits and other exotic items like Captain Crunch and Fruity pebbles}, then they just weigh your cup. So fun! If you haven't been, I highly recommend.

Not too glamorous or exciting, but very "us". We even talked a little bit about how we have been together now longer than we were apart, and what it takes to get there. It helps that no matter how upset I get about things {I am type-A all the way}, Tony can always lighten my mood and make me laugh. Even after 17 years:-)

California Mini-vacation

My fabulous husband stole me away for a romantic mini vacation to California.

Um, ok, not really. What he actually said was "I have some meetings in Cali, you and the little girls should come and we will spend a day at the beach". Not quite the same, but I'll take it!!!

We drove out to Calabasa on Sunday, stopping in Menifee on the way to see some friends. On Monday we drove to a small beach just north of Malibu.

It was an amazing spot with cool outcrops of rocks that were covered in mussels, sea stars, anemones, crabs, and other critters.

The girls had a blast, even though the water was ice cold!

Tuesday we drove north to Solvang, the dutch capital of the United States. It is so cute, all the buildings are beautiful.

There are adorable shops and yummy bakeries.

There were so many fun shops, and one really nice baby boutique. It had the most beautiful dress up clothes, hair bows, baby clothes, and dresses. I found these items for my work friend who is expecting a girl any day! The dress is silk on the top and has layers of embroidered tulle. I can't wait to see baby Stella in it.

We were considering staying another night, but ended up having dinner in Ontario with some other friends, and driving all the way home (til 4:30 am!). We sure crammed a lot into our "mini vacation".

Cute Cousins

One of the {BEST} parts of Michael's graduation was having family to share it with. I met my newest nephew, Oliver, for the first time. WHAT A CUTIE!!!! All 7 cousins (my children and my sister's children) were together for the first time. They were fast friends and had such a great time together.

We needed an activity that would be appropriate for our group ranging from Oliver {4 months} to my 91 year old granny. We decided on Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix. While my parents, aunts, and granny had afternoon tea in the square, Alexa took these {amazing} pictures of the cousins. If anyone is looking for a great place to do a photo shoot (or a free amateur photographer), I would definitely recommend this spot. Here are some of Alexa's best shots:

Some fun shots with {cuteness} Ollie

Oliver- 4 months, Emma- 5 years, Celeste- 11 years, Abe- 8 years

Just the girls

Sophie (6 years) and Emma were so cute together and were such good friends.

Celeste and Abe

{Cousins}

The 5 youngest cousins together, minus Alexa (our photographer) and Michael (who was at work).

The weather was gorgeous, like 80's ish and breezy, and all the kids were so happy to be outside. We're gonna miss these guys, till next time!

Graduation

The big day finally came. It felt like we prepared for so long for this day, and now it is over. I wish I could say it all went off without a hitch, but no such luck!!!!

The displays for his party turned out great. The big blue book is all his senior pictures, the small red book is pages from relatives to wish him well, and the poster shows him through the years:

The cake was made by my friend, Hollie, who has a business "Sugarbritches". It was an AMAZING carrot cake. However, it appears Sadie got to it first, before I could get a picture!

We did not know if we all (20 guests) would be able to see Michael graduate. There was a storm coming, and if it was too bad they would move us inside and each graduate would get only 2 guests!!! We were hoping the storm would stay away.

We took a few pictures before heading out:

Then it was off to his school. We all got settled in the bleachers just as the rain started. They decided at the last minute to go forward with the outdoor ceremony in the rain. We were all SOAKING wet but so happy to all be together to see Michael walk! Here are a few shots from after the ceremony:

And finally, my "baby's" gown, Payne Academy cord, tassel, and DIPLOMA!!!!!!

Needless to say, we are all so proud of Michael and can't wait to see what comes next for him.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there. I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating motherhood.