Braylee's 14th Birthday Party

Since Sydney and several of their friends play volleyball, we waited until their season was over to have a sleepover for Braylee & Sydney's birthday.  It was a month late and super low-key, but the girls still seemed to have fun! Thankful for this sweet group of friends.

♥ Bray & Syd. Best Friends. Cousins. Birthday Twins. ♥

They requested an ice cream cake this year.

Lots of little helpers to open their gifts.

Rest of Fall Break

While Braylee was on break, I took her to an ophthalmologist to get her eyes checked out. About a month ago, she noticed that her pupils were unequal sizes. It didn't hurt and would come and go. Then it even switched to the other eye!  The doctor said she needed to do a test to rule out a serious syndrome. When the doctor explained the test, I told Braylee no one would believe her when she told them what she did over Fall Break... Dr. E placed drops of cocaine in each eye! 😳 Thankfully, her results were normal and the Dr diagnosed her with anisocoria (basically benign unequal pupils). Dr. E thinks it's just underdevelopment of her reflexes that she will eventually outgrow. 

Carrying her baby on her hip. 😍

I love that our girls each have a buddy. I also love dressing my girls in matching or coordinating outfits.  For church on Sunday, they matched their buddies. 💕

After church, Brielle was quick to remind me of my promise! I had told her she could get her hair cut after Bridgette's wedding. Less than 24 hrs after the wedding, she had the scissors out and we cut her hair! She was so excited to finally have enough to donate! I decided to cut Beilyn's too...and then cried! I had cut it shorter than I had promised her!  I'm no professional (obviously!) and didn't think about her constant head tilt. 😨 So after the initial cut, I realized her head was at an angle and had to cut more than I had planned.  She forgave me and fixing her hair in the mornings has been easier!

She loves it!

October 14th was also our little Leila's 15th birthday! She is definitely showing her age (deaf and almost blind), but she's still such a sweet puppy!

Bridgette & Brad's Wedding {10.13.18}

Alex's cousin Bridgette was our miniature bride back in 2002. Somehow, enough time has passed that it's now her turn to be the bride. She was stunning! Brielle and Beilyn had the honor of being her flower girls too!

Rehearsal dinner. Inside because it was raining.
Ironically, we had to do the same thing at our wedding too!

Then (She was 8, same age as Brielle!)

And now! 

With her momma (Alex's mom's sister)

All 3 of these beauties joined their families through adoption. ♥

The miniature bride is now her niece.

Brynna passed out programs.

Bridgette sang to Brad before coming down the aisle. ♥ 

Welcome to the family, Brad!

Gift Collectors at the reception

Fall Break 2018 {Camping at Turkey Run}

It sure felt like summer, but the color of the leaves reminded us it was Fall! We spent a long weekend camping with our besties at Turkey Run. There were rainbows, muddy faces, horseback riding, lots of yummy food, and a huge scavenger hunt.

Friday night~

Saturday~

Londyn is a bit klutzy (I can relate! 😉) and it was only a matter of seconds until her face found a muddy puddle. 😆

We were excited the weather was warm enough to canoe, but then it was closed due to high water. Bummer.

Staying dry during a quick afternoon shower.

Sunday~

Our team won the scavenger hunt!

Brielle was sad that she was too little to ride a horse. Krista and I took the little girls to the Nature Center while the dads went with the big girls on the horse trail.

This sweetie thrives in one-on-one situations. And her daddy knows it. So he took her on a long walk over to the store where they have ice cream. Superman ice cream to be exact. Her smile says it all. 💗

Lazy afternoon while the little girls napped.

Monday~

We took a long walk over to the other side of the campground. The girls were moving pretty slowly until the dads came up with an obstacle course through the playground equipment. Amazing how much more energy they have when a competition is announced. 😄

Snuggling momma on the way home

Quick stop at Dairy Queen

We had just gotten back on the road after our ice cream stop when a truck pulled up beside us and the driver started waving us over. He is an RV owner himself and had noticed that one of our back tires looked like it was bulging. (It was on the inside edge of the outer dual tire so it was very difficult to see between the tires!) He also told us there was a tire shop just down the road. Sure enough, they said the tire had a bulge that "could have burst at any moment." Not only did they have the tire in stock, but they also had time to fix it right then. Plus, the price was less than we expected! An hour later, we were back on the road and made it home safely. I believe in angels and am thankful for His protection!