The Tri Training is Beginning....

We are nearly a month out from Lexy's IronKids race in September...Chris started the tri training (and while Hannah's not old enough to compete this year, she's still training with them).  Bike riding & running on Saturday & running again on Sunday...tomorrow we hit the pool for some laps...smiley face

Thank you Nana

Nana made the girls some beautiful pillowcase dresses (and matching ones for their dolls...they just weren't in this picture) and adorable Minnie Mouse outfits for our upcoming trip to Disney World (all the cousins have them)....thank you for the surprise - smiley face!  The girls (and mommy) love them!

Lexy & Hannah's FAMILY birthday celebration

Having such a big family and so many friends...what are girls to do?  Have mulitple parties of course...smiley face.  Life is good when you are a Faklaris Girl...not only do you have a fun family day on your birthday (dunkin donuts, daddy staying home from work to share in some fun family activity, special dinner out), but you get a birthday party with your friends and again with your family.  With Lexy & Hannah's birthdays so close we had one big family fun day.  We had planned lots of games (have you ever tried to find a watermelon with seeds?  No luck...so our watermelon seed spitting contest turned into a....) candy spitting contest, three legged race (we ended up skipping the egg on a spoon race b/c of the heat and Hannah's mishap with Sean during the three legged race) and our version of Top Chef.  Everyone drew numbers for teams/judges....and the all girl team won the cupcake challenge with the bathing suit starfish, the princess on the soccer field came in second and the birthday girls w/ Daddy & Sean finished in a strong third (where is the love from the judges?!  ha ha).  Fun night with those that are most important to us...our family.  Of course the girls were spoiled....lots of generous gifts (and talented ones too - Papa & Nana made the girls incredible changing tables for their American Girl Dolls).  I can't say it enough...life is good!

She's five going on fifteen....

and just as sweet and moody as can be.  Gotta Love Her...smiley face

Hannah's Mermaid/Pool Birthday Party

Hannah must have changed her mind 100 times on the type of birthday party she wanted this summer.  When she finally settled on a pool party - at the Branches b/c she wanted to go off the diving board (Lexy has had pool parties the past two years at Granny & Grandpa's condo pool) - I got an email from a board member at the preschool - her babysitter and friends were tryingto start a new business....The Mermaid Experience...and they were looking for girls parties to try it out on this summer.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect and the girls all had a ball!  The mermaids were in the water when all the guests arrived -they played games with them (Mermaid Says, Swim thru the Hula Hoop and Treasure Hunts where they swam for jewels) and did crafts (painting suncatchers and face painting).  In addition to pizza and cake, we had a pinata too for the girls....it was a fabulous celebration (and would you believe Hannah never even went off the diving board?!  ha ha - but no one cared a bit - smiley face).  19 sweet girls celebrating our sweet girl.