Emma's Birthday Party

We had Emma's birthday party this weekend, even though her birthday was two weeks ago. It's the birthday celebration that never ends!

We had her party at a local gym. This was the first party where she invited friends from school and she was so excited!  The location was great and they made everything so easy. Here are some highlights from her party.

This was her favorite thing. She ran as fast as she could and then ended with a roll.

Cupcakes fit for a princess made by Auntie Kimi.

It was such a great day celebrating with friends and family! Emma and Sophia had the time of their lives and passed out once we got home (so did Andy and I!).

My sweet girl continues to amaze me each and every day. It's hard to believe she's four!

Emma Turns Four!

So, I have a four-year old. Let that sink in for a minute.

This past Tuesday we celebrated Emma's birthday. I left work early on Monday to take cookies to her class. She was so proud of the birthday crown her teacher gave her. It was so fun to see her play with her friends at school.

There were lots of surprises in store for her birthday morning. Andy and I decorated the house and her door with balloons and we barricaded her door with crepe paper so she had to bust out of her room. She requested chocolate chip pancakes for her birthday breakfast and made them extra special for her.

After breakfast, the girls and I headed to the zoo for a day of fun. The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time!

When we got home home from the zoo, the girls took a long nap before dinner. We were planning on going to Wasabi, a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. All week long, Emma had been talking about seeing the flames, onion volcanoes, and catching rice balls in her mouth. Our chef didn't disappoint. The girls were enthralled the entire time.



    

Once we got home, it was time for cake and presents. Andy was so excited to give her the special present he picked out for her. He has been dying to get her a tennis racket and he's looking forward to having a little tennis buddy.

Emma,

I hope you had a great birthday! Each year, you continue to amaze me with how much you've grown. You are such a special little girl and you brighten the lives of everyone you know. Mommy, Daddy, and Sophia love you so much! We are all so proud of you!

Playing Catch Up

I promise that I haven't forgotten the blog. It's on my mind a lot, but every time I think about sitting down to post, something comes up. So here I am, forcing myself to spend a little time updating.

Emma is still doing well in school and dance. She's had to miss some days due to sickness and bad weather and she really hates to miss school. Her love for school makes me so happy. She's growing and learning so much. Sometimes she'll share something with us and we have no idea where she learned it! She's such a character.

We have had the craziest weather here. We've bounced from snow, to 70 degree weather, to ice storms, and back to warm temperatures. The girls enjoyed the snow and I enjoyed the extra time I was able to spend with them.

 

 

The girls and I have really been trying to be crafty. Paint, glitter, crafts...they're just not my thing. But the girls love it so much and when the weather outside is too cold, it's sometimes the only thing that can keep us all sane!

 

 

The most important news is that my baby girl turned two! I can't believe how fast two years have gone by! We decided to skip a birthday party this year because of the abundance of sickness our house has seen this winter. We had a special dinner and dessert for our birthday girl and  I don't think she missed the party! We had a great time celebrating our little one's special day!

 

 



All is well with our little family. I hope all is well with yours!

Sophia is Halfway to Two!

Sophia,

You are 18 months old today! I can't believe that you're halfway to two years old. You are such a bright spot in our lives and you make my heart so incredibly happy. You are such a character and have an amazing sense of humor for an 18 month old!

You have your 18 month wellness check next week, and I'm guessing you'll be about 20 pounds. You've really slimmed down because you do NOT sit still. You are always running, jumping, dancing, and chasing Emma.

You love listening to music and can't hear a song without dancing to it. You love musical instruments and often make your own out of whatever is handy. One of your favorite things to do is plop yourself down in the nearest lap with a book. Your favorite books are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Baby's First Colors, and Counting Kisses.

You are still a great eater, but have recently stopped liking bread as much as you used to. Your favorite foods are spaghetti, turkey and cheese roll ups, peas, corn on the cob, and all fruits, especially watermelon, cantaloupe, and berries. You have finally developed a taste for milk, but water is still your favorite. You want to drink out of a big girl cup and throw an absolute fit when we give you a sippy cup.

In the past few weeks, you have really discovered how to talk. We've hit a language explosion around here! You say a lot of words and phrases now. Some of the things you say are: Mama, Dada, Emma, Nana, Mimi, Papa, cat, TaTa (Sasha), more, water, up, hi, bye-bye, no, yes, uh oh, oh no, I don't know, night-night, and you recently said "Bye-bye llama llama!"

Tonight we celebrated your half-birthday with a half-birthday cake and you got to blow out the candles.  You loved your cake even though most of it ended up in your hair. 

Emma enjoyed her cake too.  ;)

I have absolutely loved spending the summer with you and I am so sad to see it end. I am amazed at how much you have grown in the past couple months and it makes me sad to think of where you'll be next summer. You're growing so quickly and are learning so much. I am so, SO proud to be your mommy, Bug. I love you!

Emma's 3rd Birthday Party

Yesterday was Emma's third birthday party. We postponed the party date since Emma's birthday landed on Easter weekend, but it was definitely worth the wait.

We had the party at The Little Gym and it was wonderful. They do such a great job and the kids have a ball. Plus, no clean up for me and I don't have to find room where a bunch of toddlers can run around! We had the party there last year as well and it was so fun to see how much she's grown.

Emma said wanted a "rainbow birthday" so I tried to grant her wish and stay in the theme.

Isn't this shirt cute? I got it here.

Each guest took home a "Rainbow to Go:" crayons and rainbow Goldfish.

I found the idea for these rainbow cupcakes on Pinterest. They didn't come out quite as cute as I had hoped, but I chose to do just white frosting so the kids didn't make as huge of a mess!

Chocolate covered pretzel sticks with rainbow sprinkles.

Rainbow fruit tray.

Rainbow Goldfish, of course!

The kids had a great time playing in the gym and running around. They were into everything and were everywhere!

Sophia had been waiting for The Little Gym her whole life. A place she could run, jump, climb, and yell as loud as she wanted? She was sold!

This game was hilarious! A kiddo would run up to the wedge, push it down, and the kids at the end would get a big poof of air in their face. They loved it!

Will we ever outgrow the crazy smile stage?!?

We had so much fun celebrating our sweet girl's big day!