James turns 5!

"If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm."
-Bruce Barton

James turned 5 this weekend, and this was the first year he wanted to have a party with his friends instead of the traditional family gathering.  While Ashlyn helped prepare snacks for the party, James taught himself how to tie his shoes.  He was very excited about it.

James had a great time at his party.  He kept going back and forth on what he wanted the theme of his party to be, so we ended up going with no theme at all.  Instead we filled our backyard with pools, bounce houses, various squirt guns, and spraying water toys.  The kids had fun running around spraying water everywhere, and the adults managed to stay mostly dry.

On James’ actual birthday we told him he could do whatever he wanted.  He chose Captain Underpants, Chuck E. Cheese, and McDonald's.  I feel like I’m not doing something right as a parent if those are the choices he made, but it was his birthday and who am I to question it?

Happy birthday little buddy, you’ve come a long way in 5 years!

Happy Father’s Day!

"Without my dad, I wouldn't be here."
-Maria Sharapova

Ashlyn made her first dish from scratch this week.  From garden to table, a tomato and cucumber salad fully prepared by Chef Ashlyn.  She added a little salad dressing to it for flavor, and that was it.  Simple, tasty, and homemade.  I have no idea what the picture with the flower is about, but it was on the camera right next to the picture with the salad so I’m going to assume it’s there for a reason.

Its Father’s Day weekend and we started it off with a trip to Nina and Papa’s to play with grandparents and cousins.  We spent most of the time in the pool, so we didn’t take many pictures.  But I can say we had a great time and the kids were worn out when we got back home.

PePa came over Sunday morning so we could take him to a Father’s Day breakfast at Old West Café, one of our favorite breakfast spots.  We got there early so we didn’t have to wait, and before we knew it the table was filled with pancakes, eggs, and bacon.  And we didn’t have to do dishes afterwards, which was nice.

Father’s Day came to our house too of course, and the kids were excited to give me some gifts they picked out.  They were all good, although I would have been happy with a few hugs.  When dinner came around, Ashlyn helped make mushrooms while Isla sprayed James in the face as he tried to jump on the trampoline.  James thought it was fun, so no harm done I suppose.

I found this on my phone, and it made me realize that the time for these kinds of pictures won’t last forever.  Before I know it, instead of laughing at my jokes they will roll their eyes and instead of running to say hi when I get home they’ll turn the volume up on the headphones.  But I have the smiles now, and I’m content with that.  To all the Dads whose corny jokes brightened our childhoods, Happy Father’s Day!

Ice, frogs, and watermelon…

"Theories pass. The frog remains."
-Jean Rostand

When the kids said they were going to get a snack, we didn’t know they were going to get bowls and plates of ice water.  It wouldn’t normally be our first choice for a kid snack, but its sugar and fat free so I guess there are worse things to eat.  And the kids seem to enjoy it, so that’s nice.

A friend of ours had a birthday party for her 3 year old out at a park in Southlake.  We took another friend with us and all the kids had a great time.  I think they had waaaay too much sugar, and we may have to go sugar free for a week to get the kids back to normal.

The tadpole grew into a frog, and it was time to take it to its new home at the top of our pond.  Ashlyn cheerfully let it go and watched it hop around before we headed back to the house.  I was surprised it went as easy as it did, maybe it was the promise of replacing the frog with fish that helped.  We did get fish, and as I type this Mommy is cleaning out the fish tank after Isla somehow emptied the entire bottle of fish food into the aquarium.

When she’s not trying to kill fish, Isla’s favorite toy is still the Magna Tiles.  Her new game is to stack them by colors before she knocks them over.

You summer is here when the watermelon starts coming out.  The kids are old enough now to help with the preparation process.  However, they don’t seem to be old enough to help with the cleaning.

Yogurt, naps, and rain…

"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet."
-Roger Miller

Our local Menchie’s has a program where if you read 10 books you get a free small bowl of frozen yogurt.  Ashlyn was excited to finish her 10 books so we packed up the van and headed out for a treat.  The kids enjoyed it, but how could they not?  Who wouldn’t like a few spoonfuls of frozen yogurt covered with M&M’s, gummy worms, and who knows what other toppings they were able to pile on before we could stop them?

If I had to describe Isla in two words, it would be sneaky and stubborn.  For example, when we know she’s tired we’ll ask her if she wants to take a nap.  “No!  I don’t want to nap.” is a typical response, and Isla will run off to play.  After a few minutes, it will get quiet.  When we go investigate, because there are few things in life that invoke fear like a quite house with kids, we’ll find Isla curled up and asleep in any room BUT hers.  Stubborn.

This was a fairly rainy week.  Fortunately, a little rain is not enough to bring the kids down.  Before we knew what was happening the kids had changed into their swimsuits and were outside getting soaked and muddy.  There are worse ways to spend a rainy day I suppose.

On Sunday we decided to take the kids to Hurricane Harbor.  We have seasons passes, so why not?  The water was cold, but the park wasn’t very crowded and we had fun riding around the lazy river and playing in the kid’s area.  Given how convenient it was, I suspect we’ll be making several Sunday morning trips this year.