Grandma Visits are the BEST!

We had SO much fun with Mom Omer/Grandma here to visit! The kids loved getting to hang out with her for 5 whole days!! Thanks for making the trip Mom! (I look horrible in this picture, but it's one of the only group shots we took... & everyone else looks fabulous!)

The favorite Grandma activity!

Abby got some dress up for her birthday...she has been in girly-girl heaven! :)

This is her curtsy...cute huh? She thought to do this all by herself.

Happy Birthday to our big 3 year old!

Isn't this castle cake so rad?? My friend Nicole offered to make Abbies bday cake and she did a spectacular job! It was all I could do to keep the kids from touching it and knocking it down the entire time. And I don't think there was a child at the party who did not ask if they could eat one of the towers. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately...they were not edible! :) lol

Here are the makers and bringers of the amazing cake: Nicole & Mike! Thanks a million, you two!!

Abbies dream came true for her birthday...she had her very own jumping castle in her backyard! What a lucky little thing...as more kids come into our family, who knows if we'll be able to pull that one off again. But the kids sure had a blast though and it gave them a place to get their wiggles out, that's for sure!

The party was a Princess & Knight themed party. So the kids were invited to come dressed up. This little guy, David, looked awesome!

Eating cake & ice cream---Yuuuuu-uhm!

We had a full house! Boy did I learn a lot about throwing a toddler bday party! :) I had planned on doing everything out back so there would be plenty of room for everyone...but it was super windy, cold and rainy. So plans changed without a choice! I think it turned out ok, it was just a bit crowded and chaotic at times. Definitely learned some things I will and will not do again! Good thing 3 yrs could care less! lol

Everyone was so kind...and Abby was quite spoiled! Thank you to all who came and brought gifts too. And an ENORMOUS thank you to Mom Omer & Dave who helped SOO much at the party! It was a huge team effort and I couldn't have done it without you!

Silly me, we didn't even get a full shot of the princess jumping castle, except in this little video. So here it is. And you can hear how windy it was that morning too. I have to tell you though, we were really blessed that day. I had reserved the jumping castle months in advance and didn't even think to check the weather almanac or whatever. So...a couple days before, Dave looks at the weather and it says 70% chance of rain on the day of the party!! Or something rediculously high. Friday came and it was beautiful weather...even saturday morning looked clear. So I didn't believe the forecast at all. I kept the hope alive! :) And then about 1 hour before the party it started getting windy. There were gray clouds, but really far away still. Well, yep as soon as the party started the wind hit pretty hard, and it was quite chilly out there. This didn't even phase most of the kids, but the adults (mostly moms) wouldn't stay out side! :) So the party came inside for the most part. Well...our little miracle is, that it did not rain until after the party! It wasn't long after the party, it was literally just after the kids left that it poured...and cats & dogs too! And the rest of the night and the next day too. But for the party...it was clear. We were very grateful for that huge blessing!

Princess Party Prep'en

Good thing we had Grandma there to help Princess Abigail prepare for her bday party!

Showing us her new shoes!

All ready, earings and all! :)

Abigail is in love with the idea of dress up! She has already worn out some of her dress up clothes! I love to hear her in the other room playing pretend!

Dave's Almost 30!

(This is Dave posting.)

So I'm one year older! Yup, happened this year, too. Strange how that works sometimes. Amber really spoils me on these occasions, and I don't resist. So what do you get for a guy who's already got the best wife & kids possible, a good job and a wonderful, busy life?

You get him organized.

Yep, this is a genuine Circa Rolla-bind system to help me get organized in my calling. My old system wasn't working for me.

You know, after witnessing a couple of births, it's amazing to me what a Mother goes through for the child. And that's just in the first couple of minutes of their life! So it continues to astound me that Mothers, after giving so much, give us presents on the anniversaries of our birth. Shouldn't it be the other way around??

Nevertheless, my Mom sent along a metronome/tuner. Subtle hint about my music, or thoughtful gift? I'm going with the latter.

Yes, I'm a closet nerd. No, wait. I'm a public nerd. And to complete my nerd-idity, I must, at some point in my life, play Dungeons & Dragons. Amber found this starter kit on clearance. Perfect for a Birthday present, no?

But what's this?! Joey's taken to the present! Oh no! My Nerdiness has passed on to him!

So it was a happy birthday! Just a quiet, peaceful evening with two quiet, calm kids...

...who can't keep their hands to themselves. Happy Birthday, to me!

(...Shornath, the level-12 elven ranger escapes with his loot...)

Our Little Ballerina

We have our very own Abby Cadaby...minus the screaming voice. :)

She went through a ballerina phase for a while....check her out...not bad!!