Life as a Brandtito

Sunday afternoon I learned a valuable lesson, a full canoe, is easily tipped. We've been planning to spend a day on the river for a while, but it always seems to get pushed to the back burner of weekend ideas. We had no plans for Sunday afternoon, so it seemed like a good day fulfill our river dreams. Every time we camp the kids always eye the passing Canoers with envy..so we  booked 1 canoe & 1 tube (as only 4/Canoe is allowed & off we went. Of course since there was only 1 tube, all the mini's only wanted to tube...so we had to switch out every 30 minutes or so. We packed some drinks & towels & made several stops along the "beaches" of the river along the way. Of course, being a beautiful day, the nicer shore areas were very crowded. The kids had a blast swimming with the other kiddo's in these spots & even did some minor cliff jumping. It was a perfect day to be out on the water and mostly we traveled along the river wi

Seriously...I mean, HOW cute are they?? Performance Day has arrived. The countless hours of practice surely paid off as both girls completely rocked the stage. Unfortunately, our parent preparedness did not pay off, as during crunch time my camera crapped out thus we have no video recorded & only one decent photo. We had really good seats, but of course, by the time the camera situation was straightened out, 2 adults moved right in front of Annabelle. So...I guess everyone will have to take by insanely unbiased opinion, that our Branditios, were certainly the best! Heaven is in the top row with the enormous pink feather bow..Annabelle is blocked by the adults standing in the front row :( S ince the girls  performed so eloquently, the got to pick lunch. Much to Gavin & John's displeasure, they chose Chinese :)   Purdy Girl (I'm obsessed with these huge fluffy bows)  Only person eating Pizza in the Chinese restaurant Chop Stick

Glad to see someone's been eating well We've had a busy Saturday this weekend. I had some work appointments this weekend, so while I worked Saturday morning the girls joined Nana & Papa for some pool time & lunch. Then us ladies headed into Pensacola to shop for some new crafting supplies & since the girls were exceptionally good, a little yogurt & Ping Pong. I've got several craft projects lined up, and next week when the kiddo's are in Orlando, I'm going to be a crafting machine! Hobby Lobby Photo Op Ping Pongging When we could shop & ping pong no more, we met up with the boys & headed to a cookout at the Johnsons house.  While the kids swam & played the adults socialized over burgers & wine (which is a much more sofisticated comibination than it sounds). We hung out into the wee hours of the morning and even though SOME of us didn't make it without doozing off (KIM!) had such a fun night. Needless to sa

Much to the disappointment of 2 little girls, their last night of VBS was canceled due to rain. Looks like we'll be practicing our Sunday morning performance at home

Sisters!  This week is VBS and the girls are having a blast so far! It's held in the evenings, which is SO nice and allows us to be able to drop them off and pick them up much easier than the typical day VBS most churches typically have. I was  a bit worried to how the girls would take to it, as it's somewhat soccer themed and being held outside at our local soccer fields. Even at 5:30. it's been in the low 90's everyday when I drop them off....but they came home the first night absolutely pumped up & ready to return. They're practicing for a big performance on Sunday....I've caught a few glimpses of it and I sure hope there are no scouts in the audience...because the girls are fantastic!  Heaven says she's even THINKING about playing soccer again this year because she's enjoyed it so much. I think the highlight of their night though is their ride home with Nana. She's working & offered to bring the girls home as the soccer field

5 Boys > 2 Parents Sanity I'm not sure how it happened exactly...but after several days of recuperation, it appears we have survived the boy filled weekend. It was loud, it was messy at times, and it was most definitely chaotic...but overall...I'd say it was a fairly successful weekend for Gavin's big 1-1. Friday night he had 4 friends spend the night & though I had a mini stroke over a legitimate offer to spray paint part of our outside storage area, the boys had a blast. Gavin is really hung up on  Guthrie's  right now so we started the evening out with Guthrie's for dinner & then John, begin the brave (insane) loaded all the boys up and took them to see Ice Age.  They returned home with plenty of energy to burn & spent the rest of the evening playing outside and having video game battles. Thanks to my saint of sister who kept the girls, it was a boys only zone, and was undoubtably outnumbered.  The next morning, though they were up VERY late,

We've had too much testosterone in our house this weekend...so me and the girls loaded up and headed to see Ice Age today. All those boys....have made us crazy.

Someone awesome turned 11 today!!! GAVIN!!!! :) Unlike the females in this family Gavin doesn't like TOO much fuss over his birthday. Just the same, he did have a few requests including dinner at Chili's for tonight and a weekend with the boys kicking off tomorrow. He'll be having 3 or 4 boys (Lord save me) spend the night Friday night,  followed by a day at Sam's Splash City (If we don't get rained out) and a family cook out Saturday night. I promised not to get too carried away, but I couldn't resist a few little things for Saturday. Hopefully he survives the excitement!  Here are a few shots from dinner.... They love their big Bro!  So cute!  Amazing Aunt Jessica got Gavin some petifores which he has discovered he LOVES so finished off the night with those (he didn't like the dessert at the restaurant). He also got to open his present from Nana & Papa tonight since they won't be there on Saturday. He has to wait t

I came home from work today to find a full fledge dance off in my living room....

Princess Peach Today we celebrated lil Relli turning 5 with a Mario Party at Casa De Cotton. It looked as though rain might put a damper on things...and then we remembered kids love messy so we released the wild ones into the mud & rain. The skies cleared eventually (thankfully because KC was about to lose it) and it turned out to be a great day! The ladies enjoying their grub! Aiden showing off his missing tooth spot.... Silly Cousins!  5!! Pool Ready!  Relli & Mario Heaven doing the Limbo How Gorgeous Tug of War Champs Big Fan of Green Icing...