A fish called Sam!!

It's sort of a given when you live in this desert land that your kids have to go through this right of passage called city league swim team. And I gotta say... BRING IT ON! Growing up I always wanted to be on a swim team, nevermind that my strokes often look like someone is having a seizure in the water, but none the less I wished I had tried. Well, you better believe that this mama is living vicariously through her kids when it comes to swim. Sweating palms. Nervous stomach. Pacing back and forth... this is usually how you can find me and Scott on the sidelines. I LOVE IT!! She was pretty good last year for her first year, and this year she really did even BETTER...bringing home 3 first place ribbons.

I actually only ended up bring my camera to one of her meets, shameful, I know. But in my quest to be ever more present in my kids' lives I didn't want to be all camera-crazed, jockeying for the BEST position with all the mom-tographers videoing their super-star athletes. Rather, I wanted to scream and shout and cheer without my crazy voice being recorded for all to hear. ;-)

Here was Sam at her backstroke race... I think she got 5th.


And here she is in her backstroke relay race... I think they got 2nd.

My babies turned FIVE!!

3 weeks ago today we celebrated the twiners 5th birthday. Nope, I refuse to believe my babies are now 5! I don't know when I should officially stop calling them babies, but you better believe I'm milkin' it for all it's worth... they are my BABIES!!

Aside from the fact that Brooke was absolutely determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that we would be celebrating her birthday in Disneyland, we had a super low-key birthday celebration. I have no idea how she got that bee in her bonnet about Disneyland, but the weeks leading up to her birthday were filled with questions like 'what's the first thing we're going to do, mama, when we get to Disneyland?', or 'will there be fireworks on our birthday at Disneyland just like on the commercial?' Seriously, it was heartbreaking to tell her the sad and pathetic truth that we would be spending her day at the all-you-can-eat Peter Piper Pizza lunch buffet. Not even in the same ballpark as going to Disneyland, but it did the trick... it put a smile on her (and Brody's) face all day long.

Scott was super excited and adamant that they get bikes this year for their b-day. Well, if buying a bike wasn't hard enough ($$) for one kid, try buying two... at a time. Pretty much their birthdays were bikes and $1 store bubbles. But, yet again, it did the trick. Clearly I'm setting the bar pretty high as far as birthday expectations go... ;-)

I did, however, manage to squeeze about 90 seconds out of their attention span in order to capture some photos at an impromptu photo shoot off the side of the road. I let them each bring a toy/present they received (bikes did not count) to show off their favorite gift.

First up... Brody Scott... Born July 7th @ 7:38am and weighed in at a whopping 4lbs, 14ozs... and now look at this little stud!!

And then there is our lil peanut, Brooke Anne... Born July 7th @ 7:40am with just a mere 4lbs to her... what she lacks in size, she makes up for in attitude and sass!

Family road trip // Jerome & Prescott

A few weeks ago we had quite a few days with some down time and we couldn't stand the thought of letting them go to waste. Having lived here in AZ for 13 years now there is still so much I have not done or seen, one of which is to visit Jerome and Prescott.

I loved both of those towns, but Prescott was by far my fav... and not only that, but the quick jaunt from Jerome to Prescott through the Mingus Mountain is absolutely beautiful.

So, if you haven't yet visited by other photo blog [HERE] and seen my other street and random photos from our Jerome & Prescott road trip be sure to do that as well.

Here are some fun snapshots of the fam from that trip...

Sammy J...

Oh Sammy J...where do I even begin with this girl?! One minute I'm lovin' on her and we're having a great mother/daughter bonding moment, the next moment I'm giving her a time-out with her nose in the corner! I can't wait for the teenage years...said the mom in the most sarcastic tone!!

This was such a funny photo I took of her a few months ago...just her being so over dramatic...not at all like her mama... ;-)

So, about our Sammy girl...
-She's one of the toughest 8.5 year olds I know
-A few months ago she asked us how old she has to be to be able to base jump (cRaaaaaaaZy, I know)
-Can be the most tender big sister only when I'm not around...or so I've been told
-Is so determined to be the absolute best at everything she does
-Wants more than anything to be with her Dad at all times...she just adores him so much
-Is tough as nails on the outside, but sweet and tender when it counts
-Is obsessed, and even that's stating it mildly, with all things dogs...hence the reason we now have 2 dogs
-She is so very smart and really loves school
-Doesn't quite realize how much her little sister worships her
-Is such a great example to her bro and sis...in ALL the right ways
-And is so unbelievably responsible as in chores, duties and now even with babysitting

Super star soccer girl!

And then there's Sam...who made us so unbelievably proud of her breakout soccer skills last year. She showed the most talent and enthusiasm for the goalie position so her coach pretty much made her the team's FULL-TIME goalie... yeah, she was that good. When all the other girls where scared to run into a crowd of girls kicking the ball, Sam would dive in head first to retrieve it. She has some serious 'no fear' when it came to diving and just getting in there.

Wee little princess...

Oh man, where does one begin to describe our little peanut. For starters I still get a kick out of the random folks that ask me almost weekly what the age difference is between the B's... then the genuine look of shock and awe when I tell the unsuspecting person that they are in fact twins.

Let's see...what else about Brooke...

-She bounces EVERY where she goes...she can never just walk places she has to twirl, bounce, you name it
-She is the most amazing UNtrained dancer EVER...at least that's what her Grandma Herrick would say!
-She has the most loving heart I have ever witnessed...loves and cares so unconditionally
-Wants to be just like her big sister in the worst way
-Has my chin...and it's soooo cute!
-Her prayers will melt your heart...no joke!
-Still prays everyday that her Grandma will be strong and healthy and we don't dare correct her
-Always wants to be on the go and constantly asks to go to the mall
-Has the sweetest bond with her bro and I pray that never goes away
-Completely has her pops wrapped around her finger...like in the worst way.
-Refuses to eat anything I cook, which does not bode well for her size
-Would be completely content if she only ever ate quesadillas, gogurts, pudding and PB&J's forever!
-Has the cutest pursed little lips when she gives kisses

Big Girl Soccer Player: First Soccer Game [video]

Never before has Brooke seemed so small... I couldn't believe how tiny she was out there on that field with all those gigantors and their gigantic bodies. Thankfully we had a bit of a pep talk with her before each game and just told her that she could throw elbows anytime they crowded her or started mowing her down. From that point forward she just began to run with her elbows out... girl's gotta protect herself!!

Here's a video from our lil peanut's first soccer game...