Friday, June 29, 2012

Still feeling lucky!

This week I spent Friday with my little munchkins. No really big plans, except playing with their new toys and fun makeup!

 So I don't have a pool and Abby was upset.  This is the solution....it says it needs 3 to 4 people to assemble.  Boy did I teach them....Ghetto much?

 Raji had a good time watching as Kayla went in. She couldn't wait for the water to fill up and for me to move the ladder and chairs!

 We let the water out of the pool after a few hours. Abby and Kayla were helping by "kicking" the water off the porch!

 It's hard to see, but I did her makeup with "real" makeup...and painted her nails :)

Of course Kayla got in on the fun!

 Both of their "paint nails" on their feet:

We ended our day by visiting Grandpapa and Mama at the cemetery.  They both gave them kisses.

 Excited to go and see Mommy and Daddy!

What will next week's adventure be??

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Perfect addition

**Let me start off by saying that I am not a horse expert.  I have ridden two horses in my entire life: one in CA visiting my half bro, and one on a cruise excursion.  Both times were horrible, I couldn't relax so I bounced A  LOT.
Kaaos joined the family about 6 months ago.  She was the first horse owned by one of us!  Jared gave her a loving home, and Kaaos loved him for it.
Sunday my mom spent some one-on-one time with her, taking a bucket of water out to her so she didn't have to walk around a lot.
Jared went out and wet her down to cool her off on Sunday.  She was one happy princess!!
 A close up of the injured leg.
Beautiful horse, inside and out.  Kaoos did wonders for many of us in the family and will be dearly missed.  Thank you for opening our eyes to a new animal to love :)
This was one of the best days, when she let my dad ride on her back and do some little tricks.  Made us all so happy for my dad!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

How can you not love these girls???

Are these two not the most precious girls in the world???
(Warning: picture overload ahead!!!)

This was during our father's day pictures.  They were adorable loving each other and playing.
Abby giving extra attention to Jared's horse!
Even after all the fighting, they still love each other!!!
This picture was from Easter...when did Abby get so big???
Can Kayla get any cuter???

Father's Day

There is nothing like a father.  They teach their kids how to be a good person, are the rock of the family, and are the man most daughters love first.  I am lucky to have the dad I do.  From his stories, to reality, to generous heart I know I am blessed to have had him as my dad.  Although as he ages things change, I still will always look up to him and the accomplishments he has had in his life.  He fought for himself; both parents died at such a young age and he didn't give up.  For someone who had such a horrible childhood, he turned into one amazing man!  I love you, Daddy!

Here are some of the amazing pics Tracy took for us as a gift to him:



As the years go on, I appreciate you even more.  You have made my mom a very happy lady over the years, and I hope you know that as the years continue we will all be here to take care of you...just like you did for us all these years :)

Summer sleepover....week #2

We started out this week's sleepover with a movie...who doesn't love some superhero stories with family fun?  That's right, we watched The Incredibles! I hadn't seen that in a while, so it was fun to see it again.  The girls were adorable, laying on their sleeping bags and sharing popcorn.

Ok, I know that this picture looks bad, but she really isn't clawing her eyes out!  Abby and Kayla were tickling, and by the time my phone decided to take the picture, this is what happened.  The only reason I kept this picture is because of the foot in the background.  Newby joined us for our movie.  Yes, he had a pedicure, and YES his toe nails are painted.  He thought the girls would find it funny....

Friday morning we went for FUNNY FACES at IHOP.  Yum!  Well, Abby had a funny face and Kayla had fries and mac n' cheese.  But still, fun!  They did a nice job coloring.  (Would you have ever guessed that I said "look like you're coloring so I can get a good picture??" haha)

We ended our sleepover by meeting their mom at Hamilton Aquatic Center.  I unfortunately did not get any pictures there of them having fun, so I stole this one from online.  Abby went on the diving boards and down the slides all by herself!  She looked so tiny next to the other kids doing it,but she was brave!  Kayla had a blast swimming in the little kid area and going down the kid water slide :)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

One lucky Aunt--week 1

With my summer job being Monday through Thursday's I've got some free time on my hands. I am so fortunate this summer to get to spend Friday's with my adorable nieces for a few weeks, including a couple sleepovers (aka Jamma parties!!!!).  Abby is now 5 years old, and the smartest person alive (or so she thinks!!).  Kayla is 3 and full of spunk. 

For this week's sleepover, we watched Lion King II (hated it, fyi), had a few crying sessions during the night from Kayla--one of them was because she rolled off the bed, took Raji for a short walk (it's just too hot out), played with clay, and went to see Madagascar 3 at the theaters with my parents.  It was cute because the girls didn't know they were joining. I LOVE the sound of Abby yelling "GRANDMA" and Kayla squealing to see PAPA!!!
Clay time was a hit with Abby, and for me.  Probably because she was so impressed with ANYTHING I made....including the smaller version of Raji (my dog) that she insisted on carrying in her pocket for the rest of the day.  Needless to say, Raji (the clay model) morphed into a ball of clay as the day went on!
Don't let this picture fool you...Kayla was having NO PART of the glasses once the 3D movie started.  She did, however, get a really good nap in during the movie.  And I loved the cuddling we got to do!
After naptime, we went swimming for a bit before going home.  I was exhausted, they were worn out, but all in all we had a good time.  Only two more days until we start again!

Stolen from Meg, but still fun...

A. age: thirty, the big 3-0
B. bed size: king
C. chore you hate: waxing the floor
D. dogs: most recently Raji
E. essential start to your day: shower!
F. favorite color: green and yellow, duh
G. gold or silver: gold, allergic to silver earrings
H. height: 5'9"
I. instruments you play: violin
J. job title: school year: elementary school teacher.  summer: camp coordinator
K. kids: hellz no!
L. live: Arizona
M. maiden name: still the same
N. nicknames: Jamers, JamieSowder (no break), hey you...
O. overnight hospital stays: a few years back with an infection in my leg
P. pet peeve: lack of respect
Q. quote: "there's more to life than football, but no much"
R: right or lefty: right, but always wished I was a lefty
S. siblings: ha too many to know!  But we will count my brother Jared, sis Chel, and half brothers Scottie and Shawn
T. time you wake up: 5:45 AM on work days
U. university attended: ASU East Campus, then NAU extended campus for my Masters Degree
V. vegetable you dislike: uncooked broccoli
W. what makes you run late: cleaning, sleeping, breathing
X. x-rays you've had: quite a few....but I am a-ok right now
Y. yummy food: ice cream, anything my mommy makes
Z: favorite zoo animals: any of the big ones fascinate me