Laila is 12!

 One, last year before Laila is a teenager; time is a thief! This year Laila had a family party so we got to see almost our whole family which was nice. 

She chose Jersey Mike's subs for the party and
I made an Oreo cake! Laila's interests this year are beauty products, shoes and clothing. She's growing up into a young lady and we couldn't be more proud. For her first year of middle school she tried the band, student council and has been on the honor roll every, nine weeks. She also continues to be in Girl Scouts and still loves to peddle those cookies! 

Laila also played basketball this past winter and was much improved from last year. She really worked hard and became an integral part of the team. Her love for the sport grew so much and she can't wait to play again next year. It was amazing to watch her progress each week in the games and she was even high scorer a couple of games. Her teacher at school also nominated her to attend the Junior National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. this year! We're beyond proud of Laila and are excited to see her continue to grow and be great at life. She's always been such a bright light in our life and in our family and I beam with pride when I look at her and think of what she has accomplished.
The sky is the limit for her! 

 

xoxo, 

Mom 

Lena turns 9!

 Last year in the single digits for Lena Grace! For her birthday this year she only wanted to have her friends sleepover. The party theme was 'dogs' since Lena's love for animals shines! We were glad to encourage her to help them on another level by asking her friends to make donations to the Circle Area Humane Society in lieu of gifts; she loved this idea! 

At her party we had a dog adoption activity in which all of her friends got to pick a puppy and fill out an adoption certificate for it. 

They played all night (some longer than others) and everyone had a great time. Lena requested a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and strawberries in the middle. The cake was delicious but it did fall apart when we cut it - made us laugh! 

Overall, I think Lena enjoyed her day. She got to see friends and family and spend the night with her friends! 

Lena started playing in her first year of 10u softball. She has some new teammates to get to know this year and we're looking forward to another fun season next spring/summer of '24. This winter Lena played basketball for her first time in the Biddy program at school and she had a great time! She learned the fundamentals quite well and had fun playing with a lot of her friends. They won some games and a couple of games she had some points. We are so proud of her and hope to see more Tiger basketball played next year. 

Lena is a kind, young lady who loves her family, friends and animals. Her heart is so sweet and we are so glad that God blessed us with her. She makes us laugh all the time and I couldn't imagine life without her. To the moon and back for infinity, we love you. 

xoxo, 

Mom