4th of July

Like Memorial Day, I just love Independence Day! I can't think of a better reason to throw a party then to celebrate our freedom!

At the last Girl's Night Out, we decided that we would have a 4th of July Block Party. With the help of Karen, Abby, and Karen A., I planned a kick-A party (if I do say so myself).

We had tons of really great food, lots of awesome friends, children's games, water balloons, bouncy houses, a children's parade and (thanks to the church behind the neighborhood) spectacular fireworks. Though it rained at the beginning and the very end, I can't think of a better party!

*Nolan running through the rain. He thought it was so much fun*

*E's face cracks me up!*

*Sheila (the photographer) and a couple of her girls*

*Jessie, her girls, and Ian*

*Our two bouncy houses were courtesy of one of our very generous neighbors~ Thank You So Much!)*

*The kids playing water-balloon volleyball*

*Nolan with the water balloons... and yes, those are the remains of the balloons he loved to pick up and drop just to watch them pop*

*Brennan showing off his mad balloon tossing skills*

*My sweet baby in his dressed-up stroller for the children's parade*

Nolan's 2nd Birthday

I don't know how I managed to have all of the boys birthdays near major holidays~ it makes for a hectic week/weekend, and Nolan's birthday was no exception!

We spent the morning running errands and picking up last minute items for the 4th and Nolan's Birthday. Once the kids were settled for their naps, I started working on Nolan's cake. I've never really done a cake before (just some Barney one's for my nieces and nephews, but nothing of real worth). I'd spent the couple of days before looking everywhere for a Mickey Mouse cake pan, but they were discontinued a long time ago. I knew that Nolan's really wouldn't like a Transformer or Spider man cake, so I decided to forgo the pre-shaped cake pan route and picked up just some plain-old round cake pans thinking I could fake it enough that Nolan wouldn't even notice. I baked the cake (yellow for the face and chocolate for the ears) and mixed up the homemade butter cream icing and started decorating. I free handed Mickey's face and was shocked at how good it looked! For those of you who know me, you know that I don't have a single artistic bone in my body... my stick-figures look like dog-bones. But this cake really looked good~ What do you think?

After my *PROUD* moment, the boys woke up from their naps and we decided to have cake and presents. I was kind of sad that there wasn't anyone celebrating Nolan's birthday with us, but I know that he'll have many more where we are celebrating with family and friends. We put Nolan in his chair and I was really excited to see his face when he saw my Mickey. His first reaction was a very loud scream, followed closely by a wail and trying to climb down from the chair. Even after Don lit the candle, he still didn't like the cake, but the singing calmed him down a little. After I cut the cake and gave him a piece, he just pushed it away and got out of the chair. I don't really think that Nolan like birthday cake :)

*Nolan didn't know what to think about Mickey's Head*

*I don't know why, but the boys just love Don's tone-deaf singing*

Presents went something along the same lines. Crying when we handed it to him, but really happy when it was out of the wrapping so he could play with it. Nolan is such a silly kid~ he cries when he should be happy. Oh well, we love him just the same.

*Nolan loving his new stacking wooden blocks (my kid is an organization freak like me)*

Happy Birthday Nolan!

*I threw this one in because I just love little Ian's face and how big he is getting*

Father's Day

Like always, Don didn't want anything for Father's Day this year. I couldn't NOT get him anything, right? So, I decided to have my friend Sheila take some pictures for us. Here are some of my favorite!

*I would just like to let everyone know that I had to post these pics one at a time, so be happy they're up!

Backyard Fun

June 20th, 2009

I have a new theory about the simple things in life~ Water in any form is fun for all involved, spectators included. Don't waste your money going to the pool. Give the boys a $10 blow up pool and a sprinkler head and you're ready for hours of fun in the sun. Was life really this simple to make fun when we were younger?

Girl's Night Out

June 18th, 2009

I've been feeling kind of cooped up in the house with the kids lately, all the while knowing that I'm not the only one that feels like their life revolves around kids, food, diapers and naps. While I was complaining to Gina about the state of things, we decided to take our future into our own hands and, as my mother would put it, "Fly the Coop!" (aka Girl's Night Out).

After making invitations and walking door to door to deliver them (and meet them!), I had enough info about everyone to make a neighborhood phone list~ which has turned out to be super helpful!

We met at Mimi's for dinner followed by a movie "My Life in Ruins". It was a great turnout for our first night and I think that everyone enjoyed themselves... I know that I did!

Gina, Paula, & Heather

Deanna & Angela

Sheila & Karen
Me and Leigh Anne

Casey & Jennifer
Me and Karen
The Ladies busy chatting :)

Enjoying our 1st Girls Night Out!

Chalk Talk @ the Library

June 16th, 2009

I like to think that I've been keeping the boys busy this summer (translation: trying not to go crazy myself). Included in our weekly outings to Target and the Farmer's Market is our weekly outing to the Library. Our *NEW* Library opened at the beginning of the summer, and has been wonderful! They have activities every Tuesday and Saturday~ we've been to Music, Magic, and Reading with Ponies... and I've forgotten my camera at everyone one of them.

But not this time!

After reading stories about sidewalk chalk and the fun you can create with it, we all went outside to participate in the activity portion.

This is were things got interesting...

Nolan has textural issues... he doesn't like the feel of certain things. Sidewalk chalk is one of those things. After the initial fight of getting him to hold it, Nolan took to the idea of drawing on the sidewalk. He was really enjoying it too! So I pulled out my camera and took some great shots of the kids.

You know how things tend to happen when you don't keep an eye on your toddler? I really should have learned by now not to turn my back, but I was taking pictures... but Nolan had my full attention when he started throwing up the chalk that he'd just eaten. Being the mother that I am, my first instinct was to catch the throw-up so it didn't get all over. My next instinct was to reach in his mouth and make sure he wasn't choking. Things only a mother would do!

Thank heavens Gina was there. She kept an eye on Ian, Brennan, and Dylan while I carried Nolan into the bathroom to clean him up. Instead of helping me by holding still, he was more interested in the mini-toilet they have for children. So while I'm washing my hands in the sink, Nolan is washing his in the nifty little potty. Such a boy!