A day celebrating birth

Even all these years later, it is still hard to understand why all three of our children have their birthdays so close together.  Makes it very difficult to get parties in, afford to do 3 birthday dinners and get gifts for all three of them at the same time!  We wanted to do Ryan's party the weekend of Labor Day, but one of the only two friends he cared to invite, was going to be out of town.  So we had Lydia and Emily's party on Saturday, September 11 and Ryan's on Sunday, September 12.  Party all weekend long!  :)  The girls tried once again to have their pool party.  This is the third time they have tried to have a sunny pool party and the third time it has been cool and overcast.  Frustrating.  They still had a great time!  Swam and swam and had a small gymnastics showcase at the end.  Pizza and Ice Cream cake and all was happy.  Plus, my cousin, Michelle, came up and brought her girls.  It was nice!

Ryan's party was the next day.  We took him and two of his good friends (Kemper and Kendall) to Jump C'ville.  It is a great place that has trampolines all over the place.  Plus there is a foam pit that you can jump into from trampolines.  Other trampolines allow you to dunk a basketball or do flips in the air.  Of course Lydia and Emily went with us.  Everyone had such a great time.  We went to Cici's for lunch after.  Great day and everyone was tired when we got home.

Though it was not hot and very overcast, the girls all had such a nice time!  Played games and swam the whole time we were there.  The pool is such a great place for a party!!

Pies and Parties

Ryan turned 11 this year and Lydia and Emily turned 9.  They each had pool parties at my parents house.  Lydia and Emily had nice warm weather and it was perfect except for a small bit of rain we had at the very end of the party.  The following weekend seemed as if we had already come into a different season.  It was cold and windy and a bit rainy.  The boys still had a good time swimming, but spent a bit more time inside since it was warmer.  We had a good time with both.

Making food is always one of Lydia's favorite things to do.  She hopes to be a chef some day.  Had some stuff for her to make pumpkin pies a few weeks ago and she was kind enough to let Emily make them with her.  They each made a pie from start to finish.  They were yummy!!

We are 7, 5 & 5

With the kids birthdays being so close together we always have a group birthday party.  We invite the family and close friends to come and celebrate with a backyard picnic.  This year, in addition to our group party, we decided to let Ryan have a friend  party as well.  We had a bike party.  Each guest brought their bike (or scooter).  We had an obstacle course for everyone to ride their bikes.  They rode through cones, got off their bikes and made a shot in the neighbors basketball goal, rode over a straight line, got off their bikes and hit the baseball off the tee and rode over a little ramp (not too big for the kids that could not ride their bikes too well) and then over the finish line.  They had so much fun!!  

 We then set up bike stations.  Each child was able to decorate their bike with a name plate that they made from foam letters, streamers and clip a playing card in the spokes of their wheels so they could sound like a motorcycle.  This was a big hit with the boys!!  After cake and ice cream, the kids played in the backyard while we waited for parents to pick up.  It was a great day!!

 The next day was our group birthday.  Our friends and loved ones came to help us celebrate the kids birthdays.  It was great!!!

Towards the end of the evening it began to get a little chilly.  Emily and Lydia asked if they could get their jackets.  Emily came down with a sweatjacket on, but Lydia came down dressed in complete ski gear.  It was too funny!!!  Poor Penny . . . I am sure she will have snowman nightmares after Lydia talked to her in the stroller!  :)

The day after . . .

Yesterday our close family and friends came over to help celebrate Ryan's 6th birthday and Lydia and Emily's 4th birthday. It was a great time!! The kids LOVED everything they received, but the girls each received a tea set to have tea parties. They had so much fun this morning serving tea to me and to each other. They dressed up in their princess dress up clothes and set up their table, combining both tea sets. Ryan even came over for a minute to sample some tea, but was quickly finished and did not want to hang around the pink tea setting for too long. Ryan spent most of the morning building a helicoptor, robot, and go kart with his erector set that he received. I just love these pictures!

Happy Birthday!!

Another year has passed and the kids are 6, 4 and 4. Can't believe it! Where does the time go? Why does this mean I have to get older too? :) We had their traditional group party/cookout the Sunday before Labor Day. Very fun, as always! We have not been brave enough to host a party with the kids friends, but think we may try that next year. As always, the kids received some TERRIFIC presents and we so appreciated all the friends and family that came! Lydia and Emily had the hardest time understanding the following Wednesday that THAT day was their actual birthday. They were certain that their birthday was the day of the party :). Ryan and the girls took Rice Krispie Treats in to school for their "school party." It is always such a great time for them! Check out our pictures.

Olivia Turns1

Olivia is Lynnea’s little sister. Lynnea is in Ryan’s kindergarten class. Olivia goes to the center where I teach. Olivia’s half brother, Cass, went there as well. Kara is Lynnea and Olivia’s mom. Kara is the step-daughter of Sarah, a lady I used to deal with regularly when I worked in Property Management. Crazy—we have quite a few connections. As a result, Kara and I have become good friends. Olivia tuned one the other day and Ryan, Lydia, Emily and I were invited to the birthday party. While there, the kids broke out Lynnea’s collection of princess clothes. It really has become an epidemic with Lydia and Emily. Once they started sporting sunglasses (Emily could not figure out how to keep her sunglasses on with her eyeglasses) we felt a picture needed to be taken. I just thought they were too cute not to blog about.

Happy Birthday Erin!

I am starting to understand that things "start" in Kindergarten that I was not quite expecting yet. Birthday parties are one of these things. Ryan just turned 5, but children in his class are already turning 6. We were invited to our first classmate birthday party today. Erin is a little girl in Ryan's class who actually turned 6 a couple of weeks ago, but had her birthday party today at Pump it Up (Harrisonburg's answer to not having a Chuck E. Cheese). They are known for their inflatable playground. They have slides, a large jumping trampoline thing, an inflatable obstacle course, and a flag catching ramp. After letting the children loose to play for an hour, the staff of Pump it Up bring you into the party room where they serve pizza, cake and ice cream or one or two of these items. The birthday child is then seated in a large inflatable throne and is adorned with a crown while they open their gifts. It is a very exciting time for the birthday child as well as the children that are attending the party. Ryan has already decided that he is having his 6th birthday party at Pump it Up:). We shall see.

Happy Birthday

Well, Ryan has now turned 5 and Lydia and Emily are 3. It is absolutely amazing to me how quickly time goes after you have children and how completely shocking it is when your son tells you “I am 5!” and your daughters, that you just brought home from the hospital, tell you “I am 3 now.” We had our annual backyard cookout for their group birthday party on August 31. Our close family and friends were there—it was a great time! Lydia and Emily dressed in princess dresses that we borrowed from our friend, Frances. They were so excited to wear these dresses and were quite sad to return them, but Uncle Paul, Aunt Allison and Adella gave them princess dresses of their own for their birthday. Ryan actually turned 5 on September 2 and Lydia and Emily while we were at the beach on September 9. Ryan’s teacher allowed Ryan to bring cupcakes to celebrate his birthday at school and his classmates all drew him birthday pictures and made a littlebook out of it. Very neat! Lydia and Emily took cupcakes to preschool on Thursday before we left for the beach on Friday. Was not quite as exciting as Ryan’s experience, but kids don’t really care when they get to eat cupcakes. It was a really great party and a great day! Thank you to everyone that came! You are all very special to our family and we love you very much!