Jake's 5th Birthday Party

Gabriel's friend, Jake, from Staci's house celebrated his 5th birthday Sunday. It was such a fun party for the adults and the kids.
There was a GIANT bounce house for the kids. It was --- no joke --- half the size of a full-sized gym. It had seesaws, punching bags, a climbing wall, and two slides. Gabriel was worn out after spending about an hour in it.
I wish I could have gotten a picture of his face as he laughed.
Jake's family served pizza, fruit, and chips. Gabriel chose to only eat chips and fruit. All three of these boys, Jake, Evan, and Gabriel, have grown up together at Staci's house. They are such good buddies.
Here is birthday boy, Jake, and his mom, Kristy.
Gabriel's friend, Evan, was at the party too.
The Three Musketeers got ready to hit the Batman pinata.
Younger kids got to hit first, so Gabriel and Evan waited patiently for their turns.
Gabriel is an animal when it comes to hitting a pinata. I know --- you'd never expect that from him!
When the pinata broke, Gabriel dove in to scoop up some loot. There were some younger kids who didn't get any candy, so Gabriel very graciously shared his. What a good boy!

Mama's At It Again

Grace asked Missy to help her wrap her babies up last night.
Grace put all of her babies to bed in front of the fireplace. So sweet!

Play Time

Grace and Abby used Handy Manny tools to "fix" the register.
Gabriel has always been very fond of Billy. The boys stayed in the living room and watched the Colts play last night.
The girls read books and played. What cute girls!!

Bathing Beauties

After that mess, Miss Grace HAD to have a bath.
Ha Ha! I love that chocolate face!
Just to make things easier when they got home, Abby joined Grace in the bath tub.

Milky Way Pie

The Hoylands brought Milky Way pie for dessert last night. The kids LOVED it. These before and after pictures show how much they loved it too.
This is as messy as Abby got. How did she eat ice cream pie so neatly?
Do you see the chocolate ice cream on his face, shirt, and arm? I think he enjoyed it.
Oh-My-Goodness!! Yes, she used her dress to wipe the melted chocolate off of her plate and then sucked the melted chocolate off of the dress. She was absolutely covered in chocolate ice cream!

Christmas with the Hoyland's

The Hoyland's came over last night for our annual Christmas dinner and gift exchange. Yes, Christmas has been over for almost a month now. What can we say? We're busy!
Abby got a Snow White mirror and hair brush set.
Gabriel got a Pirate and Dinosaur activity set.
Grace got a new baby doll. She loves babies!

Thank you for the gifts, Missy, Billy, and Abby! We love them!

That's Our Boy!

Grace was playing dress up the other night after dinner, and Gabriel decided to join in. I tried to get a picture of Grace dressed up with her earrings on, high heel shoes, and necklaces, but she WOULD NOT be still enough for a picture. Surprisingly, Gabriel posed for a quick picture. I'm sure he'll regret that decision when he gets a bit older. Hehe!

Preschool Update

Gabriel completed his first full week of preschool this week, and HE LOVES IT!

This week they worked on the number 5 --- counting five objects in a set, recognizing the numeral, and writing it. They worked on opposites, like you see here. They always work on tracing and spelling their names. They also worked on cutting and pasting. On Wednesday, when we got home Gabriel insisted on tracing his name to practice. On Thursday, he had done the cutting and gluing activity that you see here, and he wanted me to find some paper for him to cut SO BADLY. I am so glad that he is enjoying preschool. I hope this continues for many years of schooling.

Awww Geez!

This morning Grace and I were debating whether she would take her blanket OR her bunny to Staci's house. I had told her she could take one, but not both. In the middle of our debate she looked at me so sweetly and said, "Kiss, Mommy." She puckered her tiny little lips, and I gave her a little kiss. Then she leaned in for a hug, and said, "I love you, Mommy." Once the hug was over, she picked up her bunny. The blanket was laying at her feet. She asked so sweetly, "Now can I take my blanket too?"

Yes, you know what I said! She has her blanket AND her bunny at Staci's this morning. How could I say "No" to such sweetness? I admit it. I was totally manipulated by my two-year-old.

Sam's 4th Birthday

The kids and I went to the McAfee's yesterday for Sam's 4th birthday party. I swear, my kids think the McAfee's is Disney World. They LOVE to go and play with all of Sam and Jake's toys.
Gabriel enjoyed the train table with Darbi.
Sam wanted pizza and milk for his party.
Grace LOVES Alicia because Alicia always seems to have a yummy snack for her. Notice the cookies here.
Gabriel sat next to his buddy Lucas from tee-ball. We can't wait for tee-ball season to start!
Sam and Jake have a roller coaster in their basement that the kids LOVE to ride.
This was the first time that Grace was able to do the roller coaster all by herself.
She rode it a dozen times, at least. Though she was still pretty good about taking turns.
Look at that grin!
The McAfee's also had a bounce house in their basement. Grace was the first of my kiddos inside.

Sam ended up naked. Hey . . . it's his party. He can streak if he wants to.
Action bouncing shots . . .
Notice that Grace bounced out of her dress and her hair bow fell out.

Next, Alicia did tattoos for all of the kids.
Ooooh . . . Spiderman!
Janelle put Gabriel's tattoo on while Alicia and Daniel set up the pinata.
Gabriel and birthday boy, Sam
All of the little party goers over the age of two
Grace was one of the first to take a whack at the pinata.
Sam got a turn.
Gabriel let us see an aggressive side when he knocked on the pinata.
Finally, the candy came out and the kids dove in!
Grace, who gave you that sucker?
This was one of Sam's birthday gifts. Gabriel, of course, was quick to sit down and play with the CARS racetrack.

Thanks, McAfee's, for having us over! We had a great time! Happy Birthday, Sam!