Ten Point O

Today Brooklyn turned ONE DECADE old.

I literally had to check the math because it just does not seem possible AT. ALL.

So, for her 10th Birthday, here are the 10 best things about Brooklyn.

#1: She is RESPONSIBLE.

We've thrown some hefty duties at her lately and she thrives when we give her responsibility.  She's venturing into babysitting land, she's on her schools' student council, and she desperately wants to shave her legs. (not yet, dear.)

#2: She is CREATIVE.

She's my favorite shopping buddy and she honestly gets my creative juices flowing better than anyone else.  She has such a fun open mind and my best ideas come from bouncing things around with her.

#3: She is SMART.

We're talking genius-level smart.  Straight A pluses smart.  Luke-ish smart.

#4: She is DRAMATIC.

Not sure if this belongs in the positive or negative column, but it's true.  She's very dramatic.  I'm hoping she's just getting it all out of her system before her teenage years hit.  :)

#5: She is ADMIRED.

Kids LOVE her.  They flock to her.  Most kids would brush them off or want to go play with the older kids, but Brooklyn clicks with younger kids and it's adorably sweet.

#6: She is GIDDY.

She goes from zero to hyper in .0003.  She has a hysterical laugh and she pulls it out often.

#7: She is A WORRIER.

She gets scared frequently, but I can usually calm her down quickly.  Don't even get me started on the night she found out some idiots were dressing up as clowns and beating people up.  Also, what is wrong with some people?!

#8: She is equally INTROVERTED and EXTROVERTED

She is so comfortable and playful around people, but she also has a definite private side.  She both thrives in a social setting and also enjoys her solitude.

#9: She is BLOOMING.

She's turning from girl to young woman a little too fast for comfort, but she's doing it beautifully.  Also, she won't be able to date till she turns 29.

#10: She is TEN.

While I honestly can't believe it, I'm excited to see what year ten has in store for her.  I have a feeling it'll be a good one.

Tour of Chaaampions

 Q. What is better than buying 9th row tickets to see the Olympic team at the Tour of Gymnastics Champions?

A. WINNING THEM FOR FREE!!!!

Aubrey won tickets from our awesome gym (seriously, this kid wins a. lot. of. things.) so we crawled out to LA, drove around looking for parking that didn't cost the same amount as my mortgage, grabbed a salad and an ICEE and literally skipped to our amazing seats.

 I'm not even capable of describing in words how much fun we had.

I literally had to stretch my face out at one point because it hurt from smiling so much.

We saw the trampoline Olympic team, the Rhythmic Olympic team, the Acro Olympic team, and both men's and women's Olympic teams.

 There was flipping, dancing, stunts, cheering, tumbling.

(And that was just from me and Aubrey in the stands.)

It was legitimately one of the greatest nights of my life with one of the greatest girls in my life.

 And just when we thought it couldn't get any cooler, Shawn Freaking Johnson came right up to us and said Hi.

Shawn. FREAKING. Johnson.

 And we are both still smiling.

26.2 x 3

Luke ran his third marathon this weekend.  The first one he did in 4 hours, the second one he got a stomach bug the day of (GASP!) and basically crawled across the finish line, and this one he managed to finish with a smile.

 We found a spot about a mile before the finish line to sit and wait for him.  It was here that a runner collapsed and puked and made the most uncomfortable moaning noises of all time and I had to cover the girl's ears and subtly pick our stuff up and move down the block.

Yiiiiiikes.

 We waited for a good hour and then Brooklyn spotted him coming and we cheered and hugged and yelled and embarrassed ourselves so hard.

 And then Luke bent down to kiss Bailey and she didn't know it was coming so she kind of evaded him and it was so funny and sad and I started crying and I don't even know why.

 At the end we got to meet up with some dear family members and catch up a bit.

 And then I got what I had actually come for (don't tell Luke).  HOLY SWIG COOKIES.  If you have not had a Swig Cookie, you don't know.  You don't know how sweet life is.  You don't know what frosting should actually taste like.  You don't know the point of living.  YOU. DON'T. KNOW.

I had planned to let the kids have a cookie, but I think I really knew deep down that they wouldn't be getting a cookie.

We both can't wait to do it again next year.

Our Five Year Old Felon

Case Number: CJW09272011
Incident: Turning One Year Older
Date: September 27, 2016
Reporting Offer: Ashley C. Webb

Official Police Report:
At approximately 2:16pm on Tuesday, September 27th the perp Cameron Webb, age 5, was reported by neighbors for turning a year older and charged with a disorderly conduct citation because this is absolutely illegal and such behavior will not be tolerated.  Suspect is currently being charged with felony-count ageing and will be required to perform 70 hours of community service, and also will not be able to grow any older.

THE FACE

Bailey regularly makes what I have lovingly dubbed "The Face."  (Don't let my creativity blow you away guys.)  It's a cross between a bathroom-selfie-duck-face + Phelp's Face + a botched plastic surgery lip injection.  She just walks around with her face looking like this.  

And   I   flippin'   L O V E   It.

The Vegas Dash

 This weekend we went to Vegas for the most epic, extraordinary, legendary, fabulous, unbelievable birthday party of ALL time.  

Before the party we met up with our old Iowa Besties (fun fact: we met in the church library when she complimented my sweater and I told her it made me feel like a 90 year old librarian and then the actual 90 year old librarian glared at me).  We ate dinner at Serendipity and found a Buddhist shrine and contemplated kidnapping their baby cause she is actually the squishiest baby eeeeever and I wanted to eat her thighs for dessert.

 Then we partied. so. hard.

No.  We didn't.

We actually watched "Stranger Things" in bed and ate candy and went to sleep at 9:30.

ROCK. STARS.

The next day, the Vegas Dash 2016 began with some trash talking and a group breakfast with this crazy cool group of people.  They are fun and awesome and like family.  I seriously love these guys.

 ... but I'm also extremely competitive and I wanted to beat them all.  :)

So, basically the day was one big fat Amazing Race all over Las Vegas to all the greatest places to do all the greatest things.

Stop #1 was Speed Raceway and we started in dead. last. but Luke got us back into 5th with his mad Nascar evasive maneuvers.

 Stop #2 was a trampoline park where we dominated in dodge ball (aka hid in the corner like a scared child and tried not to die.)  Oh, and there was a slam dunk contest in which people took of their shirts and things got weird.  And awesome. 

 Stop #3 was the Welcome to Vegas sign in which I jumped out of a moving car in the middle of a highway and photobombed at least 3 dozen Asian's vacation photographs.

(No time for pics, obviously.)

Stop #4 was the Archery Range where we discovered how much we suck at archery.  We still had a great time though and that one time that I hit the target was ah-maaaaaz-ing.

Stop #5 was The Container where we had to run through a shopping center and buy 3 particular birthday presents + get 30 people to sign a birthday card + get 10 people to leave Alec a video birthday message.  (No time for pics when there are rubber balls to buy.)

Stop #6 was the Zip Line through Downtown Vegas and I had the pleasure of feeling like I was seconds from falling to my death.  (Which was strangely terrifyingly fun.)

 Stop #7 was dessert at Luv-It where we found out we were in a solid almost last place and ate the yummiest "Alec Special".

 ...and Stop #8 was back to the house where we came in at (read it, suckas!) THIRD PLACE!

Considering the stiff competition, we'll take it.

And that's how the VERY best birthday party I've ever been to went.

(Happy Nerdy 30, Alec!  And good job on marrying the Queen of the World.  :)

Summer 2016

VOTE BROOKLYN 2016

This year's U.S. election has become quite the political circus.  It's basically a choice between a felony-committing spawn of Satan or a salty, trollish, crude and immature manwhore.

Decisions, decisions.

But anywaaaaays, Brooklyn walked into the kitchen a month ago and announced that she was running for Publicity Chair on her school's Student Council.  After I picked my jaw up off the floor and cleaned out my ears to make sure I had not in fact heard an imaginary voice from the farthest reaches of my imagination, we got to work on her campaign.  All the ideas were hers (I almost ugly cried when she said she wanted an "emoji theme".  Like... what... is.... that...?!), but they turned out awesome.

She was the very first one to give her election speech (which she slaaaayed!) and she'll be the cutest little Publicity Chair in the school's history.  (Cause of course, she won!!!)

Now we'll just have to get her to run for President in the 2044 Election and pray there's still a government to run for.

Celebrity Look-A-Like

Since the Olympics are over (we're in denial) and it's been a while since my last Celebrity-Look-A-Like post, here's our most recent celebrity sighting.

BAILEY ES UNO!

 Bailey is officially UNO year old.

In honor of her first year, we had a mini-fiesta with family and of course I was too busy making 9,000 enchilladas to take any good pictures.  But it was great and we adore this girl to pieces.

So, for her first birthday post, here are the single greatest things about our Bailey Jane.

 ONE thing Bailey couldn't live without:

Jagger

 ONE thing Bailey can't stand:

When her mom tries to wipe her buggers.

 ONE thing Bailey could eat every day of her life:

Pasta.

 ONE thing Bailey likes to play with:

Whatever Cameron is currently playing with.

 ONE thing that makes Bailey unique:

She gets super uncomfortable and awkward when people look at her for too long.

 ONE thing that I think Bailey will be when she grows up:

A vet with a rock climbing hobby.

 ONE thing about Bailey that will never change:

She will always be loved and adored by each of us.

Happy Birthday Bailey!