Surf's Up

We have had the pleasure of attending two of Riley's birthday parties, and let me tell you, they never disappoint!  Sheri has a great way of making an impact with a couple of really cool party features that pack a huge punch with her theme!  Riley wanted a Surf's Up party and that's just what she got!  Such a fun afternoon with friends...

Summer Bucket List: Musical Theatre Camp {And Circus Camp too}

Before summer even started, I asked Olivia if she would be interested in doing a musical theatre camp up at the local performing arts center.  It came highly recommended by several people, and although she didn't know anyone else signing up for it, Olivia said she wanted to do it.  So I signed her up for the last session of camp.

As we talked about it over the course of the summer, however, Olivia started getting really anxious about it.  She wanted me to cancel the class and became very adamant that she did not want to do it.  Even on the day of the camp, she had herself worked up into a tizzy over it.  I knew she would love it once she gave it a try and met some friends, so I gently encouraged her to go.

When we went to register, she started to tear up when they asked her what her name was to get the tshirt. :( BUT....by day 3, she didn't even want to say goodbye to me at drop off before she was searching for her friends.  On the first afternoon of pickup, she told me that she met a girl who was in her group from 80s camp, and they became fast friends!

The performance she did was called "Rock the Class-Bah" and it was about rockers vs classical musicians....I think??  It was definitely over Olivia's head, but as she read over her script and the more she practiced the songs and the lines, the more she started understanding it.  They learned 7 or 8 songs, and Olivia's part had FOUR lines!!  She was a rocker, and boy did she ever ROCK her part!  I was {and still am} so super proud of her!!!!!

➹ Sheri and I spent a couple hours the night before her performance shredding her shirt so she could shred onstage! :) ➹

➹ Miss Holly is a teacher's aid at Olivia's school and worked in her kdg classroom and moved up with a student in a different 1st grade classroom.  She's a true gem of a lady and she and her daughter {and grand baby!} came to support Olivia in her performance on the last day of camp!  Liv was SOOOO excited for them to be there! ➹

While Olivia had camp at the performing arts center, Sydney made up for the girls missing a couple days of their other camps at Circus Camp!  She LOVED it, and I was amazed at how I was able to sort of dress her in theme!

We took advantage of Olivia's full day of camp and Sydney's half day to do a little Mommy and Me time.  We went and did her school supply shopping at Target -- can't believe she is a Pre-K kid!

Summer Bucket List: Flagstaff {Day 4}

A trip to Williams is just not complete without a trip to the Deer Farm.  It is dusty and gross, but ohmygosh, it is just way too much cuteness to miss out on!

We woke up on our last morning and decided to surprise the girls with a trip there since we didn't have time to go the day before.  Sydney was in HEAVEN!  Liv, not so much!  Those deer can be pretty pushy!

➹ The Deer Whisperer! ➹

➹ She knew she wanted a picture taken, but didn't want the deer around her, so she made me throw the deer food on the ground and quickly snap a picture of her!  Hahahahaha! ➹

It was a fairly easy ride back, and by the time we got back home, Nana and Poppy were waiting on us to swim!   We got the best of both worlds that day!

Summer Bucket List: Flagstaff {Day 3}

Miraculously, I was able to keep the surprise of the Pedersen girls coming to Arizona a TOTAL secret from my girls!  I planned on meeting up with them in Williams once they got into town which was supposed to be around lunch time.  At first, we thought we would meet at the Deer Farm or Bearizona, but since they hadn't eaten yet, we decided to meet up in Williams for lunch first.

We had never really explored that town, despite doing the Polar Express there twice, so it was fun to walk around for a little bit while we waited on them to get there.  Williams is on Route 66, so there were tons of kitschy little shops to explore!

We met the crew at a pizza place right on the main strip in Williams, and got our table a few minutes before they got there.  Of course, Olivia IMMEDIATELY questioned why there were 8 places set at the table!  You can't get anything past her, I swear!  Anyway, she was TOTALLY surprised when Kendall walked in and the first thing she said was, "So THAT'S why there are 8 spots here!"

➹ I just LOVE their sweet friendship!  Miss this family so so much! ➹

After a big, long lunch.  We loaded all of the girls into our car and had Doug drive solo to Bearizona so we could save a few bucks on admission!  ;)  When we parked, we walked around, watched the bird show, and then took the bus ride!  It was so pretty and so much fun!  I loved looking at the confused looks on all the faces of the passersby as they tried to figure out what was going on with these four blondes all dressed in overall shorts!  Ha

➹ Build me a house RIGHT here! ➹

After Bearizona, we went in to Flagstaff and walked around a bit.  It was SO crowded and most of the restaurants had a long wait, so we ended up getting Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle for dinner.  The day went by so quickly, but I'm SO thankful we were able to get together.  I can't wait for our next adventure!