Elijah's Birthday Party

Waterslides, a baby pool, a sandbox, a play structure, pizza, cake, ice cream, presents, and smiles all around were all we needed to make Eli's first "kid" birthday party a success. In the past, we've invited just family and had small, quick parties at a local park. Instead, this year, we decided with our amazing new house and backyard we should go all out. It went amazingly well -- I think Scott could get a second job as a party planner. The key to this party was that we had out all sorts of things for the kids -- enough so that the kids could all do what they wanted and yet not let one thing get too crowded.

The overwhelming favorite of the afternoon were the water slides. Over six months ago, when we first watched our backyard taking shape, Scott was excited about the potential of the hill. To begin with, I was hoping for a level backyard. But, Scott knew that the hill would make the backyard so much more fun for the kids, and it has been. Eli rides different vehicles down the hill, and Scott knew the potential for water slides in the summer would be awesome. We had imagined that a Slip 'n Slide set up on the side of the hill would do the trick, but we discovered in our test run that the gravity didn't work with the Slip 'n Slide. Instead, Scott researched on the internet and found out all we needed was painter's plastic, dish soap and a sprinkler to make a successful slide. It worked wonders and the slides were the overwhelming hit of the party. I think the kids would have played for many more hours if we would've let them. Eli did most of his sliding at the beginning of the party. Later on, Keira and even Scottie got in on the fun.







While the waterslides were popular, Keira's overwhelming favorite was the baby pool. Who knew? It was probably the best thirty dollars we've ever spent. Somehow the addition of the little slide made our water baby infinitely happier with the baby pool. I spent most of the first half of the party holding Keira's hand while she went down the slide over and over again. Eli even got in on the fun.





Another big hit with Eli and some of the kids was the sandbox. I'm so glad we decided to fill up the giant one again. It's perfect for a party and Keira and Eli have spent many happy hours playing in it since the party.



Eating was another favorite activity of the party. Both of my kids are now pizza lovers and of course cake and ice cream are always popular. Dendi was incredibly sweet in offering to bake and decorate Eli's cake. She made a rocket themed cake that was actually a collection of decorated cupcakes. It was adorable. Thanks Dendi! Eating also provided some good photo ops including the four of us singing "Happy Birthday" together and some shots with the grandmas.










Finally, as you can tell from my drenched shirt in the previous pictures, I spent most of the first half of the party guarding Keira in the pool. Auntie Andrea offered her services for the second half of the party, which was incredibly sweet. She watched Keira which allowed me to branch out a little, and most importantly, gave me time to help Eli open presents. Thanks Andrea!





All in all, it was an incredibly successful party in our new beautiful backyard.

Kindergarten Connections

Eli will be graduating high school in 2024. Everything about that statement feels surreal! I can't believe it's almost time for our baby boy to start Kindergarten! On April 29th, I took Eli to his Kindergarten Connections which was a little orientation at his Elementary School. Turned out it was geared mostly towards the parents and therefore a little long and drawn out for the pre-schoolers, but it was still definitely worth the time. Just recently, Keira's voluntarily stayed with Dendi for a few hours at a time once a week. It's usually so that I can vacuum -- she detests the vacuum and will happily go where it isn't. Now, we've expanded our Dendi visits to include haircuts, appointments and a few pre-Kindergarten activities for Eli. The few hours that I've had completely childless make me feel like a real grown up again. It's amazing. But, I digress, back to the Kindergarten Connections...

When we first arrived, I saw the Class of 2024 sign and asked Eli to pose for me. Unfortunately, the first picture with a decent expression didn't turn out and you can see how excited he was to pose for the second picture. ;)


Eli's expression for the camera was much improved when Daddy showed up. Scott had said he'd try to meet us, but he wasn't sure if it would be possible. That's one of the first of many perks of Daddy working at his school -- Scott will be able to attend Eli's special events without taking a day off.


After going over a bit of basic info for the parents, one of the Kindergarten teachers called all the future Kindergartners up to the floor and spoke directly to them. She went over a few things they should work on over the summer like: tying their shoes, opening bananas and milk cartons and learning their address and phone number. Eli turned around at the mention of his phone number to proudly tell me and Scottie that he knew both of our cell phone numbers.



After the talk, we all headed around the school for a tour. Eli will proudly tell you that he already knows his way around the school. But, it was still nice to look at everything with fresh eyes and to tour the Kindergarten hall with actual Kindergartners working inside. As we walked through the halls, I felt like I was walking with a celebrity. Scores of adults (many of whom I didn't even know) came up and talked to Eli, telling him about how excited they were that he would be starting Kindergarten etc. It was amazing. I guess you reach celebrity status when your Dad is the only male teacher at school. :)

Uncle Jason and Auntie Andrea's Wedding

On April 16th, Uncle Jason and Auntie Andrea got married in an intimate ceremony on a local boardwalk through the trees. It was a beautiful ceremony in a gorgeous spot and we were blessed to take part in their special day.



Eli served as the ringbearer and he was extremely excited about his important job.




Keeping the kids still and quiet during the service was a little challenging as you can tell from Keira's laid back posture. I figured if laying down kept her happy and quiet it was worth it. After the service, we took a few quick pictures and headed to Dendi and Bapa's for the small reception.





At Dendi's, Uncle Jason and Andrea did a few of the traditional wedding things like the first toast. Eli was excited to do his first toast with milk. And, Keira was trying to share my glass of champagne.



All in all, it was a beautiful, low-key and intimate event. Congratulations Uncle Jason and Auntie Andrea!

Tracey, Ron and Ella Visit

As I've said, these posts will be a little (or a lot!) out of order. Here goes... On April 1st our old friends Tracey, Ron and Ella came to visit. Tracey and I met through a prenatal exercise class, when we were pregnant with Eli and Ella. They drove all the way from Texas to spend the weekend and were fortunately able to squeeze in a few hours with us on Friday. It was wonderful to see them, and we always hope they might move back to Georgia someday :). Unfortunately, Eli and Keira were on their worst behavior in memory. Ugh! They had both missed their naps and alternated between being fragile and grumpy. As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, they were not being very cooperative. (I took this photo from Tracey's blog -- thanks Tracey!)

Tracey is a professional photographer and despite their moods, she was able to snap some great photos of Eli and Keira. Here are some of my favorites.

Elijah's Fifth Birthday

This year, Eli's birthday was the most exciting yet. He was old enough to anticipate it and enjoy all the accompanying activities. His birthday week included: special grandma days, celebrating at school, birthday dinner at IHOP, and his first birthday party with kids. One of my favorite parts of the week was making chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cupcakes with him to bring to school. He carefully iced each cupcake while occassionally sampling some of the yumminess for himself. After finishing the cupcakes, he performed a chocolate-covered celebratory birthday dance.