We had so much fun weekend before last with my parents and brother’s sweet family celebrating John’s big 30th birthday!  Nancy, Saylor (4 months), Harper (2 years 2 months), and John Boy are a ladies and gentleman kind of family too (no little boys)!  Anna Kate, Harper, Noelle, and Rose had the time of their lives spending the weekend together under one roof.  There’s no better time than cousin time, and we can’t wait for our Ebert cousins to live in the US again soon and join in the fun!

 

Poppa time!

We’re ThePondFam5, having a good time… having a good time! (I’m a dork… but are you singing the song?)

 

 

 

The Banks girls!

 

This child of mine! 

 

Sweet Noelle and Poppa games with Rose

 

Cake time!  When we went to pick up the cake earlier that day, they showed it to us, and I was like, “It says Happiest 30th Birthday?”  They said, isn’t that what it’s supposed to say?  Umm…no!  Have you ever seen a cake that said that?  I was so confused because I was the one that placed the order.  I’m thinking at this point and said out loud, “Who would order a cake that didn’t just say Happy (insert number) Birthday, (insert name).”  That’s pretty standard birthday cake lingo in the biz, right?  Anyway, everyone at the cookie company started laughing about it and pointing fingers at each other, trying to figure out who wrote it to pick on them.  So, you know me, I said, “Can you just take a couple bucks off and we’ll be good to go?”  So they took $5 off, gave Noelle a bonus cookie… which is all fine and good, but the best part was all the laughs that I knew would continue on throughout the day and into the cake reveal (John’s always been a jokester and loves goofy/silly/funny things), so I knew he would crack up.  What the cookie company/that artist didn’t know is that their mistake actually made the day even that much more fun!  We got so many laughs out of those few extra letters on that cake and then some…

Out of all the 30th birthdays you’ll have in life, John, we hope this one is your best!  It was just too much fun!  I guess you had to be there… maybe you’re following this late-night story I’m trying to tell you, maybe not.  Who knows?  Regardless, we got a cheaper cake and priceless entertainment!  That’s what you call a win-win!

Happiest 30th Birthday, John, lol!

The Bobcats first official game was last weekend (9/28), and the girls loved wearing their mums the football players gave them the night before at the pep rally!

 

Carson and Noelle (Aww!)

Go Bobcats Go!

Emily, Noelle, Brianna and Ava so excited to get this party started!

 

Rose and Harper

 

The girls get on one knee and cross their fingers when a player gets hurt; it’s really sweet!  Here’s little sisters Sydney and Anna Kate enjoying the soft grass before the cold front moved in!

  

Here I am trying to monitor the sugar intake from the spirit sticks (lol), and Noelle introducing cousin Harper to Carson.

  

Cousin time!

The girls always love to perform for their team after the football game is over!

Happy 9th Birthday, Yuuki! 

Yuuki is Tomomi’s son and is a year older than Noelle.  Tomomi is my Japanese pen pal that I’ve had since the 5th grade, when there was no internet, and we really were pen pals!  Through the years, we’ve kept in touch, and reunited once when I was in college and Mike got to meet her too!  We’ve never met each other’s children, but I really look forward to the day that we do! 

  

 

Here’s Noelle being her sweet and sassy self, enjoying her fun happy life!  So glad she wanted to try the sport of cheerleading for her 2nd grade extra curricular activity this fall.  So far, she has loved every minute of performing, and that makes me want to say, “Hooray!” 

The Bobcat cheerleaders had an exciting pep rally last Friday night.  They surprised the boys with these really cool personalized dog tags and the team mom for the football players made the girls these awesome mums with their names on them and everything.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Noelle more excited.  It was really sweet!

After the girls did a cheer, they got the football team to do the cheer with them in front of everyone.  Their parents love it and video them and everything!  It’s really fun how much the Bobcat teams support each other!

 

Here’s my Cutie Kate with dirt all over her face after playing in the sand with Harper, and Noelle and Ava showing off their mums!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

  

 

 

 

Here are 100 of over thousands of my favorite pictures of you, Mikey!  If I had time to do this post all over again, I could use 100 different pictures several times through and that doesn’t even count the millions of memories that are so dear to me that are mere fleeting moments in time throughout our days together.  You are the best husband and father that could ever have been thought up for me, Noelle, Anna Kate, and Rose.  You know how we tick and how to encourage and strengthen us as a family.  I would not be here today without you; I know you know all of this, it’s just so humbling to try to put your friendship into words.  And although I simply can’t, I hope you always know how treasured and loved you are!  Thanks for being so great… no, thanks for being so awesome!  I love you, Mike Pond!  Happy 33rd Birthday! 

*We need to get our dating, engagement, and wedding pictures on digital files with all of our free time, lol!  I can’t believe we’re old enough for me to even be saying that!  I wonder if anyone can even process the film?  Hahaha!

Sweet baby Rose

Sweet baby Harper

 

Last weekend was the best!  Brother Man and his sweet little family came to stay with us for the weekend to celebrate John’s 30th birthday!  I can’t wait to go through all the pictures from the weekend.  This week has started out so crazy busy, but I’m hoping for some time in the next few days to work on party pics!

We’ve had lots and lots of a little bit of everything going on.  And the 6th week of school just started!  Man, this year is going by so quickly so far.  It’s like they always say, the days are long, but the years are short.  I’m trying to slow down and smell the roses!  Here’s a peek into some of our little bits of everything!

 

Anna Kate is by far the most imaginative kid I’ve ever met (see picture on the right).  She even takes her friends on adventures near and far!  Her little sister buddies, Sydney and Eden, have had a blast at cheer practices this year!  Pretty soon, Rose will be the little sister watching these guys do their thing!

 

Friendship means so much to me, and I am so refreshed by sweet friends both old and new, none greater than my little loves!

Noelle loves to dress up and can often be found painting her face during her free time!  Today, she was Hello Kitty!  When she walked in to show me, I went, “Ahh!” and pretended I was scared because I thought she was trying to be a monster from the wild things, but then she sweetly smiled and said, “Don’t be scared, Mom, I’m just Hello Kitty!” and I totally saw what she was talking about, yellow nose and all!  I think this was the last picture of Noelle before her dentist exposed her front two teeth last week.  Now they are almost in (about half-way), and, although she is smiling from ear to ear and so very proud, I’m sad my biggest baby is growing up!

 

Here are Noelle’s first three spelling tests of this year!  She is an amazing speller, and it comes so naturally to her!  She absolutely loves to practice spelling, and it only takes her one try to remember a word that isn’t spelled the way it sounds.  She’s crazy good at it, thanks to her Daddy!  I have no clue where all of this costume jewelry came from… when she filled up what used to be her Polly Pocket organizer with this much jewelry, I was like, “What!?!”  She spends most of her chore money on jewelry here and there and gets jewelry every Christmas and birthday from friends and family.  She never misplaces anything, so I guess it has just added up.  If you ask her where any piece of jewelry is that she owns, she knows exactly where it is and who gave it to her, even from when she was 2!  These two pictures side by side make me laugh, because this is so Noelle… unpredictable, can’t read a book by its cover, smart, charming, dazzling, fancy, hard-worker, diva, perfectionist… she’s my little oxymoron, and I love everything about her sweet little self!

 

There is no where else in the entire world I would rather be on Sunday evenings that at church with the Euc community; such a wonderful extension of family and the definition of safety, trust, and acceptance to me.  And the picture on the right is one I want to remember.  I had lunch with Noelle one day and her friend Jake had this shark tooth necklace, however, he was so upset because the shark’s tooth had broken off of the necklace so he couldn’t wear it, so he was holding the tooth in one hand and eating with the other (bless his heart).  I finally thought to ask him if I could take it home and fix it for him (the wire part had completely fallen off).  I promised him I would take good care of his treasure, and he let me leave with it in my purse.  He’s been in the same class with Noelle every year since kindergarten, so I’ve enjoyed getting to know this bright and charming kiddo.  All this to say, Noelle took him his necklace the next morning at school, and he was so excited!  It made my day to fix his greatest treasure!

We love to stop by the park whenever we are out and about!

  

We met Katie one day at the park, and the girls played their little hearts out! 

Love these happy girlies!

 

Here’s a picture of the girls and me at the orthodontist (yep, it’s about that time), and Noelle posing under the skeleton at Target!

Last but not least from this little bit of everything post, here’s another precious picture drawn by our lovely Anna Kate.  Her pictures have so much personality in them.  I love seeing her creations, as she’s just beginning to express herself through drawing (something us adults should take more time to do).  Mike and I always comment how interesting she is, and it’s true.  I know I’ve said this before, but I’m so excited to have a front row seat for her life.  She’s going to be great!  (along with her sissies, of course, all in their own unique and special ways)

 

The big sisters had a fun time singing in the rain with their awesome Daddy last weekend, while Rose and I snuggled up inside!

Holla!