An artist….who knew?

My parents have been friends with and fans of a local artist for many years.  His name is Andy Smith.  You can see his works here.

Last year my mother gave my father four lessons with Andy as a gift.  My dad dove into these lessons the same way he approaches everything in life, with full gusto!

Turns out my dad really has some talent.  We’ve all been impressed by the watercolors he’s created.

Last weekend Andy had an open house for his students.  We went to support my dad and it turns out he was placed next to his best friend who has also been taking classes.  It was a fun time and I was really impressed by works from all of Andy’s students.

I was especially proud of my dad and his beautiful watercolors.

You can see the students’ works here.  Just click on “my students’ paintings” on the right hand side.  Then scroll down a bit until you see Jim Tanner.  These are my dad’s works.

I told him that I’d really love one of his works for my birthday this year.  I wonder which one he’ll pick out for me?

Brynn is 3!

How can that be?  She was just a baby, sucking on two  fingers and scooting backwards across the carpet.

This year Brynn was beyond excited for her birthday.  She talked about the theme, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, since last summer.  Thanks to some help from my sister-in-law Julie and my friend Erin she loved it.  Erin made a great personalized banner with a Mickey Mouse theme.

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Julie made this amazing cake.  She really did a great job on it and Brynn was in love with the cake.  She was particularly excited that she got to keep the figurines to play with at home.

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This party was on February 4th and it was to celebrate not just Brynn’s birthday but her cousins’ Maiah and Zoie’s birthdays as well as their Dad, my brother Danny, we got the best party ideas from http://www.jumpersjungle.com/south-gate/.  Julie was so clever because she created “another” cake on the backside of Brynn’s Mickey cake for Maiah & Zoie.  The girls had told Julie what colors they wanted on their cake and Julie hit it dead on.

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Not to slight Danny she made him his own cake.  I will say he was a bit selfish and didn’t share his cake with anyone.

Since Brynn’s birthday was on a Saturday we made cupcakes for her to take to school on the Friday before.  Both Rylee and Brynn helped to mix up the batter.  I decorated them after Brynn went to bed and she was so excited to see these in the morning:  

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Here are photos of her at school on her special day.  She was excited because she got to be line leader too.  That means she was first whenever they went out side to play and to come back inside.  Her teacher, Miss Erika, made her the cute hat that she has proudly worn ever since she got it.  Note the big difference in the before and after shots!

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Love ya like Brynn love cake!  I like the bit of icing on her nose the best.  (Of course she commented on how messy Ryland’s face is in the background.)

On Brynn’s birthday, this past Saturday, we headed out for a fun day that Bill and I planned a few months ago. Brynn couldn’t wait to get started on her fun day.

Our first stop was Adventure Aquarium.  We took Maiah and Zoie many years ago when it was first remodeled.  There’s a lot more fun stuff now and there’s still one area, for the kiddos, that is under construction and will open in the Spring.

Brynn’s favorite part was the Hippos.  We had to go back to the exhibit about four times because she wanted to “see them again!”.

Bill and I really enjoyed the shark tunnel..

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Rylee said that “everything!” was her favorite.  She really did enjoy the touch pools they had.  Brynn wanted no part of them though.

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We got to see a 4D show too.  We saw Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and Sea Monsters.  We really thought the girls would enjoy it, but we were wrong.  Also, the 3D part of it was rather blurry.  But didn’t Brynn look great in her glasses?

It was such a fun time for all of us.  We’re thrilled that we got a super deal on an annual pass because we all want to go back again soon!

18-Feb-2012 15:30
 
After leaving there we headed toward home and Chuck E. Cheese.  The girls really have a lot of fun playing the games and riding the few rides they have there.  Rylee is definitely getting better at the games.

Once the girls turned in their tickets and gathered their loot it was time to head home for our family party.  Brynn loved her ice cream cake and the gifts she got to open too!

18-Feb-2012 19:01
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Happy 3rd Birthday to my Baby!

Love, Momma