Sharing the love!

I can't believe that February has already come and gone.  It seemed to fly by this year and with me in the middle of planning a major fundraiser Valentines day snuck up on me.  We had to do a all nighter the day before to make all our goodies and cards.  This year Britann was even having a party so double the fun around the house!  The next two pictures are of our homemade presents for dad this year. 

 

This is a picture I had framed for his office.  Who wouldn't get a smile from seeing these two every morning!

  This is a keepsake I had framed that the girls made.  Addie Blaire's hand for the "o" and Britann's feet for the "v".  It turned out perfectly, smudges and all.  I know these tiny hands and feet I will cherish for a long time.

 We made our own handmade cards this year and the girls both enjoyed decorating these up. I helped Britann get the names on the cards and she took it from there.  I can't say enough good things about these foam cards and letters we found, it made it so easy for them to decorate their own.  Can't you tell she is soo proud!!

 Addie Blaire wouldn't let me put her picture on the cards, she is getting so particular these days.  I was used to my "go with the flow" girl and this little one has developed a mind of her own. I know that is a good thing but just taking some getting used to is all.  She wrote her own name on each card!

 We had snacks to make and boy did we have plenty.  We made a chex mix with m&m's, sprinkles and lots of pink chocolate.  Yummy, yummy!

 These are the take home snacks the girls took to all their friends.  It was an individual smore' with heart shaped marshmallow included.  The label read "I need S'more friends like you!"  I guess I have to thank pinterest for that one, always such cute ideas but this one was actually easy too.

 

 This was Addie Blaire's valentine box.  We tried to get a little creative with it.  She even drew her own hands and painted the nails on it.  She got the biggest laugh out of it after we were done, she couldn't put it down. 

 AB at her school party, she had a desk full of love!

 She was surrounded by balloons and candy, her perfect little world all right there together!

 Passing out snacks to all her friends.

 Addie Blaire and Whitman

 We had a little trouble fitting in the car that afternoon! Then we were off to see Brit...

 Britann was so excited when we both walked in for her party.  She was having snacks and playing with her buddies. 

 Mrs. Shonda had even gotten her an awesome present filled with candy and coloring books. 

 Then it was time for her to hand out her cards.  She took great pride in taking each one to that particular child.  It is so cute to see all the little ones together and having so much fun. 

 She even made sure that baby Avyn got her very own.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone, with lots of love from the Bobo's!!

And on to a few more pictures from recent weeks. (Can you tell I am playing a little catch up this afternoon as the girls nap!) 

I was so excited to get to join AB this year at Muffins for Moms. It is so neat getting to be there at the school and watch her interact with friends.  I feel very blessed that she is so comfortable there and seems to be learning so many new skills every day.  She is even starting to read real books now!  It is truly amazing how fast they grow up so moments like these I don't want to take for granted.

 Great- grandma Nicki's birthday dinner with cousins Julia and Lydia. 

Valentine's necklace class at the college.  AB made her very own necklace.  Didn't she do a good job!

 Addie Blaire's first skate party.  It was a little bit of a rough start, I'm not sure whether I mean on me or her but she got the hang of it by the end.  I think we need a little more practice before she goes out on her own though.  I forgot how much work it was to get around that rink! I haven't had that good of a workout in awhile.

 Luckily, the birthday girl Livi was quite the pro and showed AB how it was done.

 Superwoman!!!  Super hero day at school and somehow our Halloween costume from over 2 years ago still fit.  Now we did have to add some pants, a wee bit short these days but she was filling pretty fantastic when I dropped her off at school.  Her friends said she was the cutest superhero they had seen!  I know that made her feel good too! (We had forgotten the first day so I was trying to make up for it the rest of the week, gotta love dress up week.) 

 See I told you she is reading!  Here she is reading to her great grandpa Pop.  He was very impressed with how well she is sounding out her words.

 Japanese night for the Bobo's, the girls are now huge fans of the booths where you get to take off your shoes and eat. We are making it a regular spot these days, which is fine with dad and I because we love sushi!  We sent this picture to my dad because he is a soy bean farmer and the girls chowed down on this edamame!!  Proof a love of soybeans runs in the family.

 A view from the top of West Mountain in Hot Springs. We took the girls up to see for the first time what it was like at the top of all those mountains we talk about around town.  They thought it was pretty cool you could see all the way to Magic Springs.

 My silly little Brit.  She is always and I mean always up to something and you never really know what until it is usually a little too late!  Hence, why I need new furniture and now as of last week a new rug!!  She is definitely fond of sister's markers!!  She also has a love of toilet paper and wipes, she will be a clean one these days, just wish it didn't mean going through rolls at a time around the house.  Love you little Brit for always keeping us on our toes!

 This picture was taken before my latest fundraiser at the college.  We do Beads, Bags and Bangles each year.  This year was a world market bazaar theme.  It is always fun to see the women in town get to enjoy a night to themselves for a little fun and charity.  All the proceeds of the evening go to Kids' College to raise money for the program each summer for K-6th grade.  Addie Blaire loved it last year and can't wait to go again.  I guess that is why I am so glad to be a leader of this fundraiser now.  I am soo excited too because this year we raised the most the charity has ever brought in!! I feel really happy knowing that I had a part in that.  This year's theme included belly dancers, henna tattoos, a genie which you will see in a second, a stone engraver that we paired with a jewelry maker for a one of a kind souvenir and tons of silent auction and vendor items.  I hope we can continue to have this same success next year, I'm already thinking of ideas!!

 The best valet parker around!!  Thanks to Mitch for getting a crew of guys to help me out!

 The genie, as you can tell my mom and Lashonda wanted nothing to do with having their picture made, can't you tell!!  Come on ladies, "it is ladies night, oh what a night!"

 Addie Blaire is my little crafter and she spent the entire afternoon one day making all three of us these beautiful crowns to wear.  Very impressed with her skills and attention to detail they were perfect!

 Little Brit just adores her big sis.  I am so glad to see them interacting more and more each day, it makes my heart happy, happy!

 I was excited to get to be a part of bringing in all the schools to the college this past week for a program from Brian and Terri Kinder.  We had over 900 K-2nd grade students from all over the county attend.  I am so glad that we have this facility now to allow the kids in our area of the state opportunities they would never have had before now.  I am already trying to start thinking of other programs we could bring in.  If anyone has ideas I am always open.  I know that my first stop will be the Arkansas Arts Council, I would love to see some plays come to town in the coming months.

Okay, now I will breath a sigh of relief because I am finally caught up for now!!  I can't wait to share whats next.  The girls don't even know yet where we will be heading next week for spring break! I hope to have lots of great pictures to share!!!

Out and About

I struggle with naming my posts each time because these days one post includes so many different goings and doings of the Bobo family that one title just doesn't do it justice.  This post as you can tell by the title is no exception.  It has made life so much easier now that posting the pictures seems to run more smoothly so I get a little photo happy on my posts now more than ever!  January was such a busy month for us and February is looking to be the same.  The girls are becoming so involved in activities that we stay pretty busy most weeks.  Also with my new position, I have been slammed with activities and fundraisers since I started so it keeps me on my toes for sure.

 

Speaking of toes, the girls went over to Bob and Mrs. Sharon's lake house for an afternoon of mani's and pedi's.  Sharon had set the house up like a spa for the girls and they loved it.  Each girl got her own chair with an icee and snacks.  She had a foot massager and all kinds of sparkles for their toes.  She even had books to read while they waited.  Such a cute idea and so nice for the girls to get a break from mom and dad to spend some time at the spa.  I just wish I had been invited!

That same evening we meet up for our annual gift exchange with the Ralph kiddos.  The kids get along so well and always have such a good time together.  So good to see old friends!

The next day we had a little meet and greet at Purple Cow.  The kids had to pose in front of their works of art that made it on to the wall.

We meet up with my friends Renee, Jill and Angie for lunch with all the kiddos and we had a great time hanging out.  Lots of activity at that table but thanks to a few ipads we actually got to visit a while too!

 

Dad's birthday comes up so quick on me each year because it is January 15th.  Christmas has just ended and before you know it we are celebrating all over again. Although I do have an confession, dad is still waiting on his birthday gift.  I do have it in mind just not exactly in hand.  So we still love you daddy, just hang on a little while longer and we will prove it!  Addie Blaire had big plans for dad's cake this year.  As we were driving through town and I suggested we buy a cake this year she said and I quote "anybody can buy a cake we have to make one" so I said well if that is the case then you are making it and you are decorating it too!  And that she did.  She wanted a red cake, which I thought we could pull of with some white icing and a little red food color.  Only problem is as I was mixing my red, and more red and more red it wasn't turning pink.  This is when my 5 year old said "mommy white and red make pink"  oops one little rule mommy forgot.  It is a scary thing when my 5 year old seems to be more on top of things then her mother! But hey I never said I was Betty Crocker, nor do I ever want to be!!  Well the other detail that AB had to have on the cake was Razorback footballs.  So we did a little improvisation and with the help of some little Debbie football brownie, here you have the cake of the year!! Britann couldn't stay out of the brownies, so she helped in her own way putting those on and off the cake.  I know it is a little weak, it is just good the girls are still young enough to think what mommy comes up with is cool!

The Maneth's came over to celebrate dad's birthday with us.  It is a tradition at the house that we break out the white grape juice for toasts to the "family member of the hour" and dad got some interesting toasts that night from these three.  Let's just say the toasts were a little lengthy and a wee bit hard to follow.  But in the end, daddy knows we love him and wish him the happiest birthday of all this year.

This is a picture from the grand opening of Hempstead Hall we had in January.  We had a big ribbon cutting and following that the Gatlin Brothers came in for a concert for the community.  It was a huge success, the whole auditorium with 1600 seats was full.  It was a great way to dedicate this awesome facility paid for by the community.  My parents came down and brought Addie Blaire and Britann.  Both the girls seemed to have a good time which is more than I would have expected.  Mitch and I, because of my new position, were backstage with the band all night and they were so nice and really hilarious.  One little story,  I was in charge of feeding them before and after the concert so Larry Gatlin, the lead singer, for those that aren't familiar wanted to wait to eat.  I told him that was fine and we would have food available after the concert.  So low and behold he asks me to heat up his food in the microwave.  Well he covers it all kinds of sauce and (may I remind you of my lack of skills in the kitchen, how I ended up preparing food I have no idea!) I throw the plate in there and a few seconds later all you know what starts blowing up in the microwave!!  I am running to stop it and well his food was a little overdone.  So he said let's give this another try.  About that time his brother walks and as it has now become a huge joke between Larry and I proceeds to give me a lesson on the microwave and the use of paper towels over the food to avoid the spill we had earlier.  Needless to say they were good sports and actually seemed to get a good laugh out of dealing with me.  Larry asked Mitch later what I was good at because he had already eliminated my skills in the kitchen! 

Addie Blaire ran into Nona at the concert.  It had been so long since we had seen her.  I love that woman and she looks so great! Makes my heart happy.

Addie Blaire ran into two buddies, Maggie and Darby were at the concert too. I know I took a picture of the Britann too but I can't seem to find it. I will have to add later when I do. 

 Well cheerleading season ended with the Homecoming basketball game a few weeks ago.  I must say I don't know who was more excited me or AB.  She was a little done with it by the end of the season, it seemed we were only going to games for the popcorn!  The girls cheered at the pep rally that morning.  I couldn't believe it when I got the call about ordering a corsage, but sure glad I did cause all the girls had one.  Is it really time for that already?!

AB and Adison

Lydia, Katie Ella and Addie Blaire

2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits a dollar all for the Saints stand up and holler.... they loved it!

My big girl, I didn't know they still made corsages this big anymore takes me back to the my junior high dance days!!

AB and Bobo

The first week of February we get to celebrate to big birthdays Pop and Lila share a birthday on the 9th. So we headed up to her party that day at Parkway Baptist church.  It is so cool, the church does this play center as an outreach to the community. The only problem is you have 15 minutes to set up and take down, but other than that it is an awesome place for a party.  They just take donations for the use of the facility.  It is perfect for little ones with a big "chick fil a" type play center.  Terri did such a good job on the whole party everyone had a great time.  That night the whole family with my aunt and uncle went to dinner for Pop's birthday.  Great day with my family!  Here are a few pics of the decorations..  happy bday Lila and Pop. 

"all you need is love"

We had so much fun playing with all the kiddos.  Britann was a little scared at first but she eventually started exploring on her own and even braved the slide.

The birthday girl!

I couldn't get them to set the balloons down, so you do what you have to in order to get a picture.

This picture is from my weekend in Dallas with friends at market.  We always have a great time and find some cool items.  This time I found my prince  Aladdin he was waiting on the magic carpet to take me for a ride!  Silly girl I know, but Addie and Britann loved getting the picture!

Angie, me and Jane Ellen

Backwards day at school!  At the Bobo's we go all out and when we have the chance at school we try to do the same.  It was backwards day so with AB's help we did it all, mix matched socks, shirt on backwards, skirt on backwards, and shoes on the wrong feet (don't worry she did change that back soon) can't sacrifice our well being.  Anyways, I thought that was about as backwards as it gets but an hour later.... 

 I got this!!!  My child was at chapel and apparently had put her hoodie on backwards as well!!  I could not stop laughing!!  She comes by it honestly but seriously have you ever seen anything so funny.  The teacher said she even sat there so still.  Now that is a silly girl!

 Cowgirl day!  We had to improvise more on this one we don't have a closet full but luckily our dance costume from last year proved helpful.

 Little Brit wanted in the picture too.  She just loves her big sis so much and wants to do everything that she does.  It is sooo sweet!

The class all decked out for a rodeo.

My "little Hogs!"

 I just had to attach this picture because this isn't the only one that Addie Blaire made she had done one for each of her friends.  This is the invite to her bunking party she wants to have.  I thought they might be one of the sweetest things I have seen!  She had put the child's name on there, a person in a bed with "zzz" the word "invited to Addie Blaire" and two girls, which I initially because she loves her ipad so much thought were ipads ( a sign of how times have changed that that was my first thought) but after questioning her turns out they were pillows for a pillow fight.  Good to know good ole' fun still prevails.  Anyways, I had to post because this is a just more evidence of how my little girl is growing up. 

 We found the girls the perfect chair! Doesn't it look comfy. I thought we might never get Britann off.

And now on to the rest of February!!