Leah 'Rapunzel' the Birthday Girl!

4 years old!  Our Leah is 4 years old!  She has been so stoked about this birthday.  All month she has been praying that 'May is her birthday' and it was finally here!  Her birthday fell on a Thursday, which was also the last day of school for Ethan and very busy!  We couldn't do a whole lot of celebrating, but we wanted to make sure she felt special and that we marked the day she joined our lives!

Good morning birthday girl!  We had one tough time making sure no one else broke through these streamers before she had a chance to.  Although when Camden realized he had pulled a streamer down, he said 'Uh-oh!' and tried to put it back up.

Busting onto the birthday scene!

Don't worry sweet little Camden.  You'll get your turn.

Banana pancakes!  The birthday breakfast at her request.

Uh oh!  A little birthday hair fire.  You should see the video footage.  I was filming.   All you hear is me screaming that her hair was on fire while the camera films the floor sideways.

We were able to put the hair out without any serious damage other than a few melted strands of hair.  She was pretty wary of the candles after that and I had to blow them out in the end.   Nothing a few banana pancakes and a tiara won't fix though!

After breakfast, we all got ready to go to Ethan's school to celebrate the last day at a popsicle party.  I'll detail that in another post.  I don't want to take the spotlight from Leah!  Since we couldn't go out to dinner that night as a family, we decided to do lunch together after Ethan's party.  Leah chose McDonalds.  I know, I know.  We're so fancy.  We did let the kids each have their own Happy Meal since it was a special occasion so that set it apart from the ordinary.

We didn't need actual Happy Meals to have a happy meal!  

Leah and Daddy!  She is truly a Daddy's girl!  She adores him and I know the feeling is mutual.

We put the rest of the Leah celebration on hold until Saturday.  That's when the big Tangled fest was to occur.  We've decided not to do friend parties until the kids are 5 and so it was a small shindig with just Kyle's brother, Brandon, and his family.  The thing that is so funny about Leah's birthdays and the small family affairs they have been is that she has chosen themes like Tinkerbell and Tangled and the invitees....her brothers and her cousins....are all boys!  (Except little Holland who will someday appreciate all this sparkly stuff.)  We try to make it fun for everyone even if the decorations might be dainty.  There are so many cool Tangled party ideas out there!  I had to reign it in and stick with a few of my favorites.  Most of the ideas I used came from the Disney Family website and the blog, Paging Supermom.  I include the links in case anyone is looking for ideas.

Leah was over the moon all day as she watched the party prep and saw the house fill with all kinds of Tangled stuff.  She couldn't wait to dress up and get going.

Our little Rapunzel ready for the party!

Trying to make things as Rapunzel-ey as possible.  That braid was a fun Friday night project for me and Kyle.  When you have to braid 18 feet of yarn, you need at least 2 people or you'll lose your mind.  Kyle was up to the challenge! Then there was the pennant banner with the sunburst, jell-o symbolic of the canoe ride, Pascal party blowers, balloons, cupcakes and wanted posters of Flynn with various noses.

One of the party games......Pin the frying pan on Flynn.

We had to show a small clip of Tangled to bring all of the party goers up to speed on what we were doing at the party. Leah got her Rapunzel and Flynn dolls out and acted out this scene along with the movie.

Camden getting ready for a little bounce house action.  No party is complete around here without some time in the bounce house!

Present Time!!  Princess shoes from her cousins, Aunt Jen and Uncle Brandon, Play-Doh ice-cream shop from Ethan.....

.....and a princess play tent from Mom and Dad.

Cupcake time!  She was so excited for this and stood up and sang all the way through the song the whole time!

As you can see, her previous encounter with the candles has given her a desire to keep a healthy distance from an open flame.

Our dessert girl digging in!

And to cap the night off, we launched paper lanterns of our own!  Very Tangled!  We kept ours tethered though since we didn't think we would win any friends if we burned down the neighborhood.  It was pretty cool!

What can I say about Leah that can sum up what a blessing she is to us?  I don't think I could ever do it with words.  She is one spunky ball of fire and fiercely independent, but she also has a huge heart.  She never gets a snack, a drink, or a toy for just herself.  She makes sure everyone is taken care of.  She gives hugs, kisses and 'I love yous' all day long.  She loves playing pretend and comes up with some pretty wild scenarios for us to act out.  She loves watching movies and wrapping up in a blanket to snuggle while she watches.  Her favorite color is green and  proclaims that "It's green for Leah!" whenever she sees something of interest that is green.  She is friendly and polite and tries so hard to clean up after herself if she's spilled something or gotten something dirty.

She loves going shopping with Mommy and picking out things that she thinks are 'so cute' or 'so cool'.  She is a master at delaying bedtime.....seriously.  She needs ice in her drink, or needs another hug, or needs to know what sound she is hearing.  Who knows?  She comes up with everything!  She is extremely tender-hearted.  She loves to play outside, loves to rough house with Dad and loves to hide in small spaces.  (Which sometimes gives me a heart attack when I can't find her anywhere.)  She loves to play Angry Birds and Ninja Chicken and will be as sneaky as possible to get Mom's phone or Dad's Touchpad so that she can play.

My gosh, I could go on forever.  We love her!  We are so blessed to have her!  Happy Birthday to our sweet little girl!

Caterpillars and Butterflies!

About a month ago, Ethan's teacher asked if I could come in and teach a science concept.  They were learning about how things grow and change and she was wondering if I had any ideas.

Well.....my kids received this sweet butterfly garden for Christmas from their cousins (although I know my sister-in-law Jen was the genius behind it).  We hadn't ordered the caterpillars yet since we needed to wait till the weather was warm enough for butterflies to survive when released.  I figured this would be a great way to show them first hand how living creatures grow and change.  When the caterpillars arrived, they looked like this....

So tiny!!  They arrived on a Thursday after Ethan had already finished school, so the earliest we could bring them in was the following Monday.  They grew so much before they even made it to the school!  I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle before I showed them the caterpillars because I wanted them to understand that caterpillars eat and eat and eat and grow quickly so they can make a big transformation.  Then we did the big reveal!  Those kids were pretty pumped to see real live caterpillars that they got to keep in their classroom!   We then made some caterpillars out of pom poms so that the new classroom caterpillars would have some friends.  There was one person not too happy with the fact that the caterpillars had to stay in the classroom.....Leah.  She was pretty sad to let them go, but Ethan's teacher told us we could come in whenever we wanted to track their progress.  And now we can share that progress with all of you!

It's true!  Very hungry caterpillars do end up changing into BIG, FAT caterpillars!

And here they are in the chrysalis stage.

All five caterpillars survived the journey and transformed into butterflies!  It was pretty exciting.  I went back to the class for the big release.  And since we were coming in, we thought it would be a fun day for Ethan to celebrate his summer birthday with the class!  He felt pretty special!  We brought dirt and worms (oreo crumbs on ice cream with gummy worms on top) as a special treat for everyone to enjoy!  And then it was time to say good-bye to our butterfly friends.....

There's the whole class sharing one last moment with their butterflies!

And off they go!  They didn't go too far and the kids enjoyed chasing them around for a while.  I think they'll probably make their homes pretty close to the classroom.

It was such a fun nature project and I was glad to be able to have a little fun with the kids while they learned some Biology.  I've been able to go in and help with science projects a couple of other times during the year and I love to see those curious minds working!

And as an afterthought....just when we thought the caterpillar experience was over, we had this little guy show up on our driveway.

He ended up taking up residence in our garage of all places.  (I'm kind of surprised he could find room!  Ha!)  The kids were pretty taken with him.  And then when they couldn't find him anymore, they assumed he had just changed into a butterfly and flown away.  Although I'm pretty sure that's not what happened to him, hanging out in the driveway and all.  But I'd never have the heart to tell them otherwise.

The Beginning of the End of Pre-School

Ethan had his end of the year shin-dig last week for all the pre-school kids in his program county wide.  I'm never real eager to go to something like this when I know it's going to be me vs. the three kiddos, but I thought we needed to celebrate with Ethan and his classmates....especially after two and half years in the program.

It was fun seeing all of Ethan's teachers, old and new, and meet their families.  They had tons of activities for the kids and I managed to keep track of them without breaking much of a sweat.  Kudos to those that planned the event for providing so many activities that engaged little ones of all ages!

They sculpted their own snack out of pretzels and marshmallows.  Rather than eat it though, they both decided to save it as a keepsake.....one which found its way to the garbage can a few days later.  I felt bad doing it but they didn't miss them and I just can't save it all!

Macaroni and glue!  How can you go wrong?  I actually was pretty surprised at how much they all enjoyed this....including Camden!  He was all over the macaroni.  I'm going to have to bust this activity out again this summer.

After the party, I decided to treat the kids to something they had never had before.....French fries and Frostys from Wendy's!  They've had French fries.  They've had Frostys....although it's been ages and I doubt Camden's ever had one.  But they've never had them TOGETHER.  I showed them how to dip the fries in their Frosty and for once, they believed me when I said it was good.  They loved it!  They are officially initiated into the club!  My mom would approve!

Springing It Up!

I feel like life just gets a little crazier when the weather warms up.  Yard work gets added to your plate.  

The kids are always getting dirty so lots more baths.  The days are longer so it's just that much harder to get the kids in bed.  And at least lately, it seems there's been a lot more running around to do.  We've had some busy days around here!  The result is fewer pictures to tell the story, but I still want to tell it.

We planted some seeds a few weeks ago and they have germinated and grown, so we have spent a lot of time re-potting and caring for our plants.  Ethan loves this little hobby and he's been my right hand man.  He checks on them everyday when he gets off the bus and talks the ear off of the aide about his plants and his caterpillars.....the caterpillars are a story for another day.

Leah is my little miss sweetie pie one minute and my little miss sassy pants the next.  I thought the moodiness arrived when they were teenagers!  She is bound and determined to be as independent as possible and wants to do everything herself.  If I offer any suggestion, she automatically wants the opposite of what I suggest.  For example,

"Leah, you did a great job making your bed!  You're such a big girl!"

"No! I not a big girl!"

"Okay, well then you're such a good little girl."

"No!  I not a little girl!  I a big girl!"

Ohhhhhhh boy!  And we could go on and on like this about any subject in the world.

She says very sweet prayers though, blessing us to be gentle with babies and blessing that her birthday will be in May....which it is and she is one pumped chica!

Camden is one determined dude.  He gives me a heart attack at least ten times a day.  He wants to be outside ALL the time!   Then I become a full-time toddler chaser since he has absolutely no judgement....and he's FAST....and he never stops running.....and he throws a fit if I try to redirect him.  When he's inside, he has to be climbing.....absolutely has to be on top of something or jumping from something or not watching what he's doing and falling off of something.  Needless to say, he keeps me on my toes.

The other morning, the kids had gotten up and I was still in denial that they were awake.  That is, until I heard the water turn on in the bathroom and I knew it likely wasn't someone just washing their hands.  I was forced to leap to attention and ran down the hall to find this........

Water on, running over his feet, two toothbrushes (neither of which is his) and the most awesome bedhead on earth!  He's a firecracker, but he keeps us all smiling!

And to wrap it up, here's what the busy days do to a poor tired dad.....  

I found him in Leah's room looking a little out of place with all that pink!

Spring Break!!

So if you've read the previous posts, you'll know that Ethan spent the week before Easter and Easter weekend pretty dang sick.  The week following Easter was Spring Break for him and we had big plans to go see the grandparents in Tennessee.  Well.....the sickness hung around and we couldn't make the trip much to everyone's dismay.  But thankfully, we were able to use the week to rest and get everyone healthy once again.  By Thursday, the house was full of energetic, healthy kids and I knew it was time to get back in action.  I told Ethan that we would do something special on Friday for Spring Break and he went to bed with much anticipation of what we would do.

Well.....I forgot about what I had told him until I was lying in bed and realized I had no game plan for the next day.  I hit the internet to find some inspiration and I stumbled upon the Highfield Discovery Garden.  We'd never been and it looked kind of cool.

I tried to pump them up the next morning having no idea of what to expect but wanted them to be motivated so we could get out the door.  So......what did we think?  I can't believe it took me so long to discover this place! Why in the world has no one ever told me about it?!  It was A-MAZ-ING!  It was quiet, fun, educational and BEAUTIFUL!  We all had a total blast!  I was told that it can get kind of crazy in the summer with all the kids, but it wasn't crowded at all the day we went and I couldn't have asked for a better outing with my kids.  And they agreed.  Here's the day in pictures.......

This is the main play area....a giant cartoon tree with a million things to explore!  It rocked!

There were mailboxes around that contained clues about some of the things hidden in the tree.  Here the kids are searching for the owl that they could hear hooting.  They spotted it!

Camden climbing up the inside of the tree.  He's followed right in the footsteps of his siblings and is a pro climber.  He's constantly on top of something he shouldn't be, so I appreciate a place for him to climb that's intended for that purpose.

Checking out a super cool salamander that he spotted.

Taking a swing in the butterfly garden.  Twenty seconds of relaxation recharged them nicely!

Checking out the view from inside a playhouse in the butterfly garden.

Who doesn't like to climb on a tree stump?

Ride 'em cowboy!  Do you still call them a cowboy even if it's a snake they're riding?

This train was totally RAD!   This picture doesn't do it justice at all.  It was HUGE and very intricate.  So many details!  There were about five cars going and you never knew when one was going to appear.  It was like train peek-a-boo!  Cam loved it!

And here's the train station.  You could make train sounds with those buttons and the kids felt like real station masters!

Ethan and Camden checking out one of the entrances to the tree.  Turned out there were BATS in there!  (Not real ones, fun ones!)

Making our way through the caterpillar tunnel to go for a little walk.

Camden and Leah ran around giving their pinwheels a spin.

Back up the hill.  Ethan thought if he pushed the stroller it would hasten our way back to the playground.

Checking out a spiral garden.

After all that playing we took a minute to learn a thing or two about plants.  They do little classes for the kids throughout the day and my kids actually sat and listened to the whole thing.  Not really something they usually do.  They were talking about life cycles that day.

They took them out to the frog pond to show them life cycles in action.  You know....tadpoles turning into frogs and such.

And now for your enjoyment.....a little game of 'I Spy'!  I spy....two tadpoles (and maybe more)!

I spy.......a bullfrog!  This one's tricky!

I spy.......a giant spider!

This was weird but cool.  Art made out of tree trunks.  Do you see the troll looking thing that only has it's legs sticking out of the ground?  They called it the Wizard's Village.

We ended the day running across this bridge 800.000 times.  Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration but I'm pretty sure just a slight one.

So if you live in the area, I totally recommend checking this place out.  They don't allow food in the play area, so plan for that.  My kids had a blast and I'm pretty sure I would like to put this in my backyard.  That would be sweet.  I really have been seriously impressed with the Hamilton County parks system.  They have done such a good job of setting aside green spaces and doing beautiful things with them.  I give them two thumbs up and a big thank you for the many wonderful days we have spent enjoying all of their Great Parks!