Happy Birthday Momma!

Continuing on with our summer birthdays, we celebrated mom's this weekend. Dad invited us down for dinner and cake, so we headed to Lake Jackson after church on Sunday. After some fun playtime, which they love, we had some yummy hamburgers Grandpa grilled, and of course plenty of his homemade salsa and chips!

Always plenty of popsicles when Grandpa is around!

Then it was time to have some cake. This was Sam and I's contribution to the party.

But it was taking too long to get the candles, so someone started early.

Ok, I was going for red, white, and blue since Memorial Day was the next morning. But have you ever tried to get that food coloring to a deep red... it just wasn't happening. So here it is, pink, white, and blue! :-)

All Tanged Up

Disney's movie Tangled has been an obsession in our house this spring, so when it was time for Sydnee's party, of course she wanted... a Tangled one! Which I didn't mind because I actually think the movie is pretty cute myself.

So what to do with a few 3 and 4 year olds that has anything to do with Rapunzel? You know how some people are so creative and can come up with so many ideas after a few minutes of brainstorming, well... I am not one of those! But thankfully we have this mastermind called the internet, and you can hook up with all sorts of people who are just dying to share their creativity! I thought the party turned out so cute, and I owe all the credit to supermom. Yes, anybody who can call their blog "Supermom Moments" has my vote. So I borrowed a few of her ideas and this is what we came up with. Sydnee loved it, and I think it was fun for all!

As the kids arrived, they colored some pictures while we waited for everyone.

Then on to our craft, making Pascal blowers.

And a fun game of hit Flynn Rider with the frying pan.

I gave them a little time to just play.

Then it was on to lunch. These boats were inspired by the movie, when Rapunzel and Flynn ride out onto the lake to see the lanterns. They were a big hit. My kids never eat jello, but Sydnee had a few of these.

Rapunzel's Tower Cake. I'm definitely not a cake decorator, but I thought it turned out pretty cute. FYI - this is made of cake donuts!

Then lots of fun presents!

Syd Turns 3

Where does the time go? Yesterday, the 22nd, my little Syd turned 3 years old! Here she is now, and at 1 month. Sometimes it takes looking back at pictures to remind me how quickly it is passing by.

Some things about my big 3 year old:

- She is so spunky! Full of faces and attitude that are both adorable and rotten. She is so very entertaining!

- She loves her family! She always says "momma, I love you" and "I love my baby!" -referring to Paige of course.

- Though she is third in line, she has lots of mothering skills, just like Shaye. She takes over the roll during the day when it is just her and Paige. She loves to help with "her baby."

- I can't believe she is only 3. She is smart, and has communicated so well for so long. There's nothing she can't say or do. She keeps right in line with the big kids.

- She has added to the collection of things she wants to sleep with. It's not just her monkey any more, it's 2 monkeys, a pillow pet, and her pink blankie!

- Lately she has been in a "scared" phase. I can't get her to sleep at night because every since she watch Hansel and Gretel she is convinced there's a witch in her room. She is also scared of a parrot that we recently saw on the movie Rio. Anything spooky has her worried for days.

- She loves living close to her grandparents. She ask me every week if she can go spend the night with one of them!

And so she was glad they came for her birthday. Poppa, Emmy, Grandpa, and GG all came up Sunday afternoon. We had dinner, cake and ice cream, opened presents, and played. Sydnee loved a celebration just for her!!

Mother's Day

"Motherhood is the one thing in all the world which most truly exemplifies the God-given virtues of creating and sacrificing. The mother who, in compliance with eternal law, brings into the world an immortal spirit occupies first rank in the realm of creation."

- President David O. McKay

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. My sweet babies had lots of cute goodies for me this year.

I was spoiled with some beautiful books, an adorable card from Shaye that came with lots of coupon cards that I'll have to use to put her to work, a candle holder from Jaxson, and a piece of notebook paper he wrote that says, "I love mom mor then enethg." It was a touching morning. I love their homemade gifts their sweet writings. I am so grateful to have such wonderful kids!

Inside one of the books, Sam had placed a voucher for us to go here:

To see this:

I was So surprised! He and I will be heading to New York next month for a weekend trip. His favorite musical is Phantom, and he has wanted to take me to see it for a while. I suppose waiting for it to come to Houston was getting too long! I am really excited... what a trip!

Both of our parents came up in the afternoon, and all 3 dads cooked dinner. It was an awesome meal! Sam cooked a beef tenderloin, which is always delicious, Chic made some wonderful potatoes and corn on the cob, and my dad did appetizers and desserts. We had a nice evening, and it was really great to be with our own moms on Mother's Day!

Egg Hunt

Our playgroup had an Easter egg hunt the Monday before Easter. Anything involving candy gets Sydnee's full attention. She had a ball! And at the end, after all the kids had been sitting together eating the candies, she said "wasn't that nice of me to share. I let her (referring to a friend) give me her candy!"