A Party FULL of characters….

On Saturday we had a birthday party for the girls… it is really nice having their birthdays close so we can have a combined party.   These days Grace is really into cooking and reading while Hannah is into pretend play and Cinderella.  I wasn’t sure how to combine the two to make a fun party…a reading Cinderella party? or a pretend cooking party?  After tossing around a few ideas and hearing what each girl was thinking of asking to eat as their birthday meal (pizza), I knew I had just found my answer….a Make Your Own Pizza Party – complete with COSTUMES! 

So, I got to work brainstorming ideas and looking at Pinterest for some help with the details.  I make a list of things I wanted to make and got working on them.  I made pizza invitations with the girls, aprons for them and our guests, sketched a cake, made chef hats, and worked on what toppings to serve.  It all came together nicely and was A TON of fun!  (Thanks to Tracy for many of these adorable pictures at the party!)

Here are the girls trying on the costumes right after I made them:

With all of the details finished, we were ready for the party!  Here come all of those crazy characters we call friends!

Many of the guest also participated in the fun with hats or these crazy moustaches!

Danny and I had the chef hats and an apron/chefs jacket!  Adorable, right?

Caleb got in on the fun, too! 

Grace and Hannah’s friends…

A riveting game of Pin the Pepperoni on the Pizza!

Getting instructions on how to make a pizza…look at all of those characters!

Decorations upstairs….

I love how this poster has pictures of the girls when they were little and now when they are big!

9 months… and counting

Does any mother really think she has ugly kids?  Doesn’t every mom think her children are beautiful, adorable, cute, and cuddly?  Well, looking at THIS kid, there is no choice but to smile and think that he is cute… you don’t have to be his momma to think that!  Caleb is growing and growing and is now 9 months.  We have his appointment next week, and we are blessed to be going to the doctors for another healthy kid appointment….we haven’t been there with sick kids this winter!  UNBELIEVABLE!! I know we are not out of the woods yet, but I am thankful none-the-less!

He is generally a happy kid unless he is sleepy…. then you KNOW he needs his bed!  He is a good eater and we are trying more and more foods with him.  Just this morning he gobbled up a graham cracker..YUMMO!  It was a BIG hit!  He loves to climb and loves his bath time.  His brother and sisters continue to be big helpers with him and they ADORE him! 

Birthday morning…

I am sorry for all of the birthday blogs, but it is really hard to capture all of the birthday celebration for the grandparents in just a few pictures.  I know that they pour over each one… so bear with us.  This is the last birthday one…. I promise!

The kids on February 16th… ready for presents!

Thanks, Grampa and Nanna, for the $6 dollars (always a BIG hit) and for the puppets!  Wait til they get the stage/curtain that you made that’s in the mail… they will FLIP OUT!! 

Caleb had a blast with the envelope!

Thanks, MomMom, for the cool GO FISH CD!  We all like it and having been dancing around to it in the evenings!  Grace also LOVES the red beanbag chair… another great place to read!  :)

 

We got her this DVD of movies… she LOVES doggie things and this was a set of 8 TV movies!

She was excited to see what this gift was going to be… we told her it was really special and really grown up!

Her very own BIG GIRL BIBLE!! She was thrilled!! Danny picked this out after we had looked at some and talked a lot about it.  It is a great edition for kids with lots of special side notes to read.  She especially loves to take it out at Bible time at school to read right along with me.  We are studying the book of Exodus and I even have her read some of the verses…. she beams!

Showing each other parts of the new Bible… how to find chapters and verses and where the special features are.

Hannah is excited to have her turn on March 1!

That evening we had a Grace dinner… Pizza, chicken wings and fondue for dessert!

What a face… KISS ME!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Even Caleb got to enjoy dessert… he sucked all of the salt off of the pretzel… good times!

A little beauty…cause it shines from within!

It is customary in this house for me to take birthday pictures…. or monthly pictures until our babies are one.  As the months go by and I get a little better with the camera, the photo sessions have been much easier.  I know when to strap them down, where the best natural light is, what the best time of the day is to try for pictures, some poses to try and some colors that look good on the kids.  I have learned a little through the years, but I am NOT my sisters in law…. the professionals!  They are simply amazing!

Well, this six year old is so easy to take pictures of….her beauty shines from within and is captured so easily in pictures. I think she just glows with the love of the LORD! I am amazed by her and humbled that HE has blessed us with her. What a great responsibility!!  Here are her official 6 year old pictures…not perfect, but they are SOOO her!

Happy birthday, Grace!