You saw it here first ~ The Fab 5

allow me this mommy moment.. that kid in the middle?  He's mine.  And those multi colored polo shirts all those fab boys are sporting?  I bought 'em. At Goodwill.  Yep.  Cause I'm a stage mom like that.  ;)  I couldn't be prouder of Tristen.. every year he expresses interest in being in the school talent show, but has never come up with anything he'd like to do.  This year he was determined to put a boys group together and do a "spoofy" take on some current chick pop songs.  He hosted rehearsals, dreamed up the wardrobe, begged his mother to foot the bill for some polo's, and sent constant coordination and reminders to the group to wear jeans on performance day.  The boy is a natural born leader, and seeing him increasingly develop this god given talent is joy for his mommy to watch.  And personally, I think the Fab 5 killed it!  Did I mention they were the closing act?  They were.  We think it's cause it was known they'd bring the house down, and they did.  ;)

Ryan's 5th Birthday

me, Shane, Brandon, Melissa
the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th siblings, of 6

all 4 of us live in different towns
and it is the extremely rare occasion we are all together, at the same time.
this photo will be hard printed and treasured

Great Grandpa Fred ~ 75
just a few weeks ago a little miracle happened, on the golf course
he shot a hole-in-one, for just the second time in his golfing career,
and in the same round, shot his age.  A very rare happening in the life of a golfer

our birthday boy

Ryan is FIVE.  What, when, hoooow!!!?  My word.. I vividly remember everyone gathered in my living room in my townhouse in Bend.. Shane and Jani passed out envelopes to everyone, and instructed us to open them at the same time. Envelopes were violently ripped apart and then silence.  Followed by screams, and hugs, and tears, and congratulations, and what!!?, and when?? But no how's.  ;)  That precious little sonogram of a little nugget was our little Ryan.  Shane and Jani's first born.  Wow.  That was over 5 years ago now.. amazing how time flies.  Every year Jani throws an amazing birthday party for him, this year she absolutely out did herself.  I'm shamed that I didn't take photos of her amazing Carnival themed party, complete with tickets and game stations, snow cone & pop corn machines, hot dogs and peanuts.  And the cupcakes above this text?  Cupcakes made in ice cream cones that she had to individually wrap with tin foil to bake.. just darling.  And our darling Ryan is officially, Five.

this one goes out to my boy

there is nothing more precious to a momma's heart than seeing her child bask in the happiness of success.  For them to know that hard work pays off.  Tristen has listened to Rhett's continual encouragement to develop his left handed ball skills, dug deep and heeded his Auntie Aubrey's defensive tips, and spends endless time working on his shot ~ just him, the hoop, and his beloved, worn and torn, black and red basketball.  He's developed some serious skills over the past few months and makes our hearts pump and our fists bump with parental pride to see him out there on the court, playing well, and taking pride is his own improvements and accomplishments.  This team is a stand up collection of boys that are becoming young men, that have fun, work hard, and are deserving of the Champions title.  Way to go Birdie!  We are so proud of you. You make this Mom Life a super sweet experience.  Me loves you, the whole wide world.

an afternoon at the Oregon Zoo

do I look like I'm 5 years old in this photo, or what

I can't believe our little rendevous to the zoo was a week ago already!  A week ago today, my brother and sister-in-law dropped their boys with us and headed to Seattle.  My momma came up Saturday to make sure we properly feed and clothed the boys while their parents were away.  It was so fun to have her here for Mother's Day weekend.  Saturday afternoon my sissy Karley and her boyfriend came over, and we all took a little stroll to the Max, hopped on, and took it to the Oregon Zoo..

 

 

Perfect Day.