Sweet at Six

Hard to believe that six years ago, I was a brand new mommy to precious twin girls.

Hard to believe that six years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

Arianna Grace

Sophia Hope

Happy 6th Birthday, my beautiful girls!

Ear Piercing #2!!!!

My sweet little Arianna decided that now that she is turning 6, she would like her ears pierced. Of course, Sophia tried to talk her out of it saying, "How will everyone tell us apart?" 

This is a legit question, but we couldnt let that stop her from getting it done!

So, we headed over to Claries after a day of swimming. She bravely climbed in the chair and got all ready.

now, here is where mom messed up. The lady told me she was the only person here so we would do one ear at a time. I thought Arianna would be okay, especially once she saw how pretty it looked. I was wrong.

they marked her ears

love this pic! She squeezed her eyes shut while she did it

Then came the tears- TONS of them! She was so upset...

I tried to show her how pretty it looked 

(she chose green ones for the month of August when she was going to 1st grade- isnt that cute!)

She did not think it was pretty and screamed bloody murder. Well, we had to do the next ear, but she was not moving her hand off her ear and cried, no, no!

We tried getting off the chair and walking around, looking at all the pretty earring she would be able to wear, but she kept crying.. We finally got her back up in the chair and I asked the lady if we could come back and get the other ear done later. She said we could, but we would have to pay the full price today and then when we came back! Are you kidding me!!! There was NO WAY we were paying $80 for ear piercing...

So, Mark held her on his lap, held her hands down and I grabbed her head  and held it still (not an easy task) and the lady got it done! Oh my goodness- quite traumatic! 

But later today, Arianna is so happy she has 2 pierced ears! 

Now everyone is going to have to find some other way to tell them apart:)

They do look SO much alike now:) (This is Sophia)

Days 3 and 4- the best yet!! (Warning: lots of pics:)

After a good nights sleep in Cody, we ate breakfast with Joel and Steph and enjoyed catching up with them and their lives. Thanks guys!

We then took a quick dip in the pool and I got my cowboy boots:)

I LOVE them (although later that day, Arianna spilled Sprite on them...maybe a mother of four should not get expensive Justins cowboy boots:) nah!

We stopped along the way to take in some gorgeous mountain views- Wyoming is SO pretty!

Then, we entered Yellowstone- its basically a HUGE forest with so much pine and woldlife! We saw countless moose, elk,deer and buffalo.

In Yellowstone they have this super cool Geyser spot where you can walk right along these hot pools. The water in them is actually boiling and SO clear and blue. Steam comes off of them (and this was a 75 degree day) and they are breathtaking! I included a LOT of pics- it was one of my favorite "sights"

This one was actually in the lake!Boiling away!

After this, we drove another long stretch thru Yellowstone till we came to Old Faithful!

We got there right as it was erupting- perfect timing since it erupts every 1-2 hours! 

and just like that it is over- pretty neat though!

Then we continued driving past beautiful waterfalls and TONS more wildlife 

until we came to The Grand Tetons! It was the most beautiful mountain range I have ever seen! These pictures do not even come close to describing their beauty! You have to see it with your own eyes!

GORGEOUS!

We arrived at our hotel exhausted, but did take time for a quick dip. I drove all around town trying to find a good cup of coffee. Couldnt find one- I finally stopped at an ice cream shoppe and they had a coffee menu. I ordered a latte and the girl looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, "Whats that?" Needless to say, it was the worst latte I have ever drank.

Then it was time for bed- Mark and I slept up top since it was SO high and I was afraid the kids would fall out. Bunk beds sounded cool over the internet but not so much in person!

Day4- DRIVE ALL DAY until we reached home!!!

Overall, we had a VERY nice time as a family. No major meltdowns. Very tired kids who were happy to be home! and a very tired mommy and daddy, who are grateful to be able to create memories with our little family! 

Continued.. Day 2

Well, here we are on our way to Cody, WY- Mark followed google maps on his trusty new EVO phone and it navigated us through a VERY LARGE mountain range. I am talking STEEP with small guard rails, and at one point dirt roads. I was practically in tears thinking we would never be seen again, eaten by some huge mountain bear. But modern technology did not let us down and brought us over the top and back down again. We were not disappointed with the scenery - these pics do not do it justice- it was BEAUTIFUL! and we even saw about 20 deer and 2 MOOSE! Amazing!

We arrived in Cody at another winner of a hotel:) Its is brandnew and SO pretty and rustic looking!

We quickly changed and headed out the door to meet our friends, Joel and Steph Proffit for dinner. (they live in Cody) We took our 4 kids and their 2 kids (all 5 and under) out to eat, so needless to say, I didnt get a pic of that- it was crazy enough. We are seeing them tomorrow for breakfast, so I'll be sure to snap one then!

After dinner, we did a bit of sight seeing and shopping.

 Oh, the cowboy boots- they are ALL over and they smell so yummy! 

I LOVE the smell of fresh leather-aahh!

Can you guess how much a pair of these boots above costs?

I bet you wont even come close to guessing the right price...

$5,580.00!

No joking!

Think I'll NOT be buying these anytime soon-

I did find some in another shop that were a bit more in my price range. 

I left them to think about the purchase- I've never spent much on a pair of shoes, but these will last me a lifetime and they are SO cute and look good with jeans and dresses...

We'll see if I break down and get them tomorrow!

Gonna sleep on it...

The girls and boy had fun trying on various items and even found some small trinkets and treasures to take home!

 

Then, it was off to the RODEO- I have never been to a rodeo and it was cool!

I must admit, I do have a thing for cowboys- they look so handsome and manly in their jeans, boots and cowboy hats:) Think I need to get Mark a cowboy hat:) 

The kids loved the first 20 minutes of it and then started getting bored.. until the 

THE COWGIRLS started showing up!

Then, they let the kids come out and actually chase a calf who had a pink ribbon tied to its tail- if they caught it, they won! The twins tried valiantly, and even got knocked to the ground a few times:) 

We stayed for a little over an hour and then decided to leave- it was after 9pm! 

But we did have to grab a photo with a bull before we left!

I must say, I was not really liking the way they treated those poor bulls, horses and calves- I felt sorry for them- being roped, rided and tied down so much. Poor animals. 

I think my hubby and I are much more suited for city life:)

So, after another full day, we called it a night...

but not before a cup of hot cocoa in the hotel lobby...

Goodnight, ya'all and see you tomorrow from YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK and Old Faithful!

oh, and dont forget to look at my feet to see if I caved in and bought me some boots:)