splish splash!

Today was birthday party day!!  We decided to do another combined birthday party this year since all the kids' birthdays are are so close together.  Our theme for this party was definitely inspired by the girls' love of ducks.  Will likes ducks as much as any other 4 year old, but the girls reallllly love them right now!  Since we live so close to a duck pond, I originally thought we might attempt to orchestrate a walk down to feed the ducks, but in the end, we decided to just stay here and enjoy the bounce house, slide, roller coaster, and beautiful weather.  I had fun decorating this year.  I loved the cheerful colors, cute duckies, and especially the yellow flowers!  

The kids' cupcakes with duck candles

I was happy to find a way to reuse our old baby bathtub!

I found this cute idea on pinterest, and even though jello is kind of a random party food, I had to do it!

Our party favors were rubber ducks that the kids can paint and use in the bathtub.

I wish I had fresh flowers around the house all year!

The kids started partying before anyone arrived.

Miss Caroline was really not interested in pictures, so I took what I could get.

We lucked out with BEAUTIFUL weather.  It was cold earlier this week, and tonight an arctic front is coming through, dropping the temps into the teens and bringing freezing rain...but we sure enjoyed the 80 degree day today!

Have you been wondering where Will is in these pics?  There he is...bouncing the whole time!

So I decided to grab the kids before the party started and take a few pictures.  I got one with sweet Will...

And then I was able to pull a reluctant Emily in, although she was eyeing the bounce house.  You can see that Will is already distracted and wondering why I haven't let him go yet...

And Caroline was NOT interested in pictures!

Maybe not the best idea to take three happy kids away from their toys for pictures?

 Everyone was happy again when we started the bubble machine.

This year's party was definitely calmer {and less messy!} than last year.  We invited a smaller group in an effort to keep it simple, and then several families with kids weren't able to make it, so we ended up with a lot more adults than children. {and maybe it was also calmer because we didn't have a ginormous table full of candy?!}  Will, Emily, and Caroline loved all the attention, time with family, and fun times playing with their friends.  

Cupcake time!

It's been a year since someone gave Caroline a whole cupcake...I think she was a little excited!

We headed back outside after cake!

And maybe my favorite picture:  Emma and Will kicking back and enjoying juice boxes after all the bouncing.

What a fun day of celebrating, and good news for the kids....we get to do more celebrating and cake eating tomorrow, when Caroline and Emily officially turn TWO!!

happy happy! {will is 4}

Happy birthday, sweet Will!  I can't believe that our smart, adorable, caring, hilarious little boy is four years old.  Will keeps us on our toes, amazes us constantly, and brings so much joy into our lives.  I am so proud of him, and I hope he always knows how very very loved he is.  

We had a really fun day on Tuesday, celebrating all things WILL.  Tuesdays are school days, so we made Will's requested strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing to take to his class, plus they were having their Valentine's party, so we had Will's valentines all ready to go for his friends and teachers.  AND I was scheduled to read to his class....big day!  And then we turned on the news on Monday night, and according to the newscasters, the world was ending because of all the ice.  {no ice visible to us yet}  I mean...they were showing wrecks, cars stuck on overpasses, all traffic completely stopped at 11pm, basically armageddon...and it was only supposed to get colder and icier overnight.  So although we hadn't gotten a notification yet, we were pretty sure that school would be closed, or we wouldn't be able to get out of our steep driveway, and Will would have to miss the super day of preschool parties.  {sad face}  And on top of missing school, the forecast sounded like there was a good chance the freezing rain/snow/sleet would continue throughout the day on Tuesday, which would probably keep all the grandparents from being able to come over for our planned birthday dinner.  {At this point, I was thinking we had A LOT of cakes and cupcakes to eat by ourselves.}  And then we woke up bright and early on Tuesday expecting to see a winter wonderland outside, and.....it was bone dry!  Yay for saved birthday plans!  

So we went about our regularly scheduled birthday.  Mimi and Duke came over early, as they always do on Tuesdays {my "mother's day out" day for taking Will to school alone, running errands, cleaning house, making hats for Night Owl, etc, while they play with the kiddos}.  Will got to open his presents from us first thing in the morning, even though we really didn't have time before school...because he got a BIKE, which we couldn't really wrap.  He was super excited, hopped right on, and started riding around the living room.  It's been too cold to take it out to practice yet, but I have a feeling he's going to get the hang of it pretty quickly.  

After presents, we decided to further disregard the time, and cook a big breakfast for Will.  He had asked for omelets, which is funny because I don't think he's ever had one, so we made omelets and biscuits, and left for school at about 8:55.  Did I mention that school starts at 9? Luckily, everyone decided to stay home and avoid the horrible ice, so no one was out on the completely dry roads, and we weren't TOO late.  Will had so much fun partying with his friends, and he even got a birthday crown:

And I had fun coming to read to Will's preschool class.  I got serenaded with a Valentine's song they had been practicing, and after the story, I got lots of hugs from the sweet little ones.

Will was excited to come home from school to have lunch and play with his birthday presents!  Mimi and Duke got him a Monopoly Jr. game which has been a big hit.  He's been playing with anyone who will play, and sometimes even by himself, like today when I was putting the girls down for their naps.  Board games are a big interest for our 4 year old.  

After naps, it was time to gear up for another party!  Will was so excited that Nana and Grandpa joined Mimi and Duke at our house for his birthday dinner.  His food requests?  Raising Canes and a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting...shaped like a donut:

So I made his cake and some sides to go with our fast food fried chicken...he's a pretty easy guy to please.  :)  Here's our sweet birthday boy blowing out his candles:

After dinner, the guys immediately started an intense game of Monopoly.

The girls got ready for bed, and then made sure to help everyone brush their hair.

 They also showed off what we call their "runs" for everyone.  This is what we have all the kids do at least 4 times a day...run back and forth across the living room to burn off energy!  And luckily, they think it's hilarious and so fun.  They yell, "ready! set! GO!" and run and run.  This combined with the bounce house set up in our master bedroom is probably how we have survived all the freezing weather this winter.

And after over an hour of playing, and both grandfathers running out of money and graciously surrendering their properties to Will, the birthday Monopoly match came down to Daddy vs. Will.  

WINNER: the birthday boy!!!

{these are pics snapped during his victory dance}

   

What a fun day!  I am so thankful that my parents were able to stay all day, so I was able to focus my energy and time on playing with my sweet boy instead of dividing my time between 3 littles, 2 of whom are sometimes a bit more needy than big brother.  I think Will had a blast all day.  Combining school friends, presents, Raising Canes, AND all of his grandparents might just be the best day ever for this guy.  We are so very blessed to have Will.  I know I already said this, but we are truly amazed every single day by him, and I can only imagine the fun that's to come.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the guy who changed my name to Mama.  Couldn't love you more, buddy!

a case of the mondays

We absolutely started our day with a HUGE case of the Mondays.  

I had plans for us to go enjoy the nice weather at the arboretum...but after about 20 meltdowns before 10am {at least 5 directly related to NOT wanting to get dressed and/or go to the arboretum}, we decided to stay home and try to get our minds right.  So Matt came to the rescue and suggested that we meet him for a picnic lunch at his office, which was just what we needed.  We relaxed at home for a couple of hours, bounced in the bounce house, watched a little Fresh Beat Band to calm our nerves...and then packed up lunch for 5 and headed to Irving.  Matt's office is next to a great little lake, and although it was pretty windy today, it's a perfect spot for a picnic with 3 littles.  We don't have to annoy anyone at restaurants, and we get to enjoy being outside and watching the ducks.  And I don't have to clean up the kitchen after lunch!  Win win.

Matt is sporting a pretty legit beard these days.

And sweet Caroline has enough hair to support a bigger bow!

It was a little bit chilly because it was super windy.  Will kept scrunching up and telling us he was protecting his baby body from the cold.

pointing out the ducks

Caroline LOVED the salsa we brought.  She always wants any kind of sauce, but usually salsa makes her cry because it's too spicy.  But not today!  She slurped it off of the chips and kept asking for more.

After lunch, the kids all enjoyed good naps {and I enjoyed the quiet time!}.  And then it was back in the bounce house.  I've mentioned before how the bounce house is loved by all...but generally a bit death-defying for the girls.  But they love it SO MUCH.  Especially Miss Emily.  She couldn't get this grin off her face the entire time:

Caroline loves it too, but she doesn't usually want to stay in as long as the other two.

Tonight, Emily would have stayed for hours.  This smile makes my day!

Will is usually moving too fast for pictures...

    this hair! 

So glad we turned our case of the Mondays into a pretty awesome day!