Hayden is 5!

I'm not sure where the time went. My sweet boy is five. He has turned into such a sweet and caring boy. He is the best helper and big brother and so so smart. He picks up on things almost instantly and never misses a thing. He is an actual sponge. 

We got him a new big boy bike since we were enjoying 60 degree weather in November! He picked it out himself and went for an Army bike with a dinosaur helmet. Classic. Still have the training wheels but maybe this spring when it gets a little more street time we will be able to take them off. 

His birthday fell on a Friday so he had a cake for his friends at school. He requested Ironman so that's what he got! For his special dinner he picked the "chips and sauce place", La Fiesta. He ate all his dinner and was so excited when they brought his birthday ice cream and a sombrero to sing to him. He came home to open a couple of presents, new big boy shoes with laces and his Snake Eyes mask. Happy kid!

On Sunday we had friends over for cake and ice cream and presents. After we partied hard, Hayden opened every present but had to "find the note" and read it first. Cake and singing and then we packed up and headed to Safari Nation! The kids loved playing and jumping and bouncing. It was a great weekend of celebration for my big guy! 

Happy birthday Ryan!

Yesterday we went to my brother's house to celebrate Ryan's ninth birthday. I can't believe my oldest nephew is nine years old! I remember him as a fun, spunky baby boy with big eyes, round cheeks and red hair. He was a drooly, loving little guy and now he's well on his way to being taller than me. Now he can read big words and play football and build awesome stuff out of Legos. Happy birthday big guy. 

Happy 2nd Birthday Emily!

While the boys were off camping, the girls were off celebrating baby Emily's second birthday! We headed to the new house and Lila walked right in and started eating. Who would have thought?

Emily was excited about her party dress, and to show off her dancing moves! She had a lot of room in the new house to twirl and jam out. We didn't get a lot of pictures, since I was keeping Lila fed and off the stairs. But once presents started, Lila was super excited about Emily's tricycle! While we were all eating cake, she hopped on it to try!

She was also happy to be fed cake (and any other food) by Uncle Eric. She shared a plate with me, had cake, and then took a handful of macaroni off of Jeni's plate too! Silly hungry baby!

Happy birthday sweet girl!

Happy 2nd Birthday Lindsey!

We took a quick trip to the other side of Winston-Salem for a sweet little girl's 2nd birthday party! Hayden loves new friends and has never met a stranger, so he was WAY excited to go to a party.

Lindsey was a shy little birthday princess but once we were there a bit she started to warm up. It warmed up outside and once the toys were out, everyone had a good time!

Lindsey really liked handing me Lila's cup, which Lila kept throwing down so it gave us a lot of time to bond :-) Lila liked driving the car so she spent most of the time in there.

The birthday girl was extra sassy in her "invisible" sunglasses and princess hat! She is too cute.

She was super good at opening presents! You can tell she's had some practice. Once they were all opened, the bubble machine was filled and open for business!

The kids all had a great time, and the mommies got to catch up a little too!

Family birthday

Our family tends towards the larger side, so we decided to do two parties for Lila. We held her family party at Aunt Carrie's this past Sunday. What a good time!

We were able to use the decorations from her first party, and we had plenty of plates, cups and napkins. A few appetizers and this lovely cake from Costco and it was a party!

Lila had a blast walking around and playing, and opening her presents! She is getting good at the tissue paper, that's for sure. Hayden helped and Zoe tried to keep Lila interested, but one-year-olds have a short attention span.

No matter at all, she was plenty interested when it was time for cake!

Emily and Lila sat in dueling high chairs, enjoying their cake, while Zoe held puppy Josie most of the time and the boys rough housed around with Eric and Jay. All in all, we had a great time and were grateful for the ones that could come. Weather cut out a few people from the guest list but we'll hopefully see you in Feb!

Chuck E Cheese

For Lila's actual birthday, we took our first trip to Chuck E. Cheese. I hadn't been since I was a kid, but the rest of my family was there for the first time. Truthfully, it was more for Hayden than Lila, since she can't really play any games. But we figured everyone would be happy with it.

We ordered pizza while the boys played a few games. Lila turns out not to be a big fan of pizza, but we brought her food just in case. Hayden had a blast with the games and getting prizes with his tickets.

And the birthday girl seemed to have a good time too.

We love you sweet girl!

Lila's birthday party

For Lila's birthday we had a "Winter Onederland" set up for her and her baby friends! I did a little bit from Pinterest, but honestly the first year flew by so fast that it left me a little rushed trying to put it all together. My motto is "we'll be better next year!".

I made a tulle wreath for the door that matched the colors of her invitations. We went minimal with decor, since she's one. No need to pull out all the stops for something she won't remember. What she does love right now are the things they hang from the ceiling at daycare, so I picked up a few foam snowflakes (on sale after Christmas!) and sprayed some glitter on them. She loved it!

We added some snowman garland, a few snowflake lights and we were ready to go! Our birthday girl slept right up until after guests started arriving, so she was nice and rested for her first birthday party.

I ordered her dress late (I'll be better next year, right?) and could not believe that it got here in time. She had a great time walking around with friends and playing. After awhile, it was time for some food! We kept it simple with goldfish and cupcakes, turkey pinwheels and macaroni salad. My favorite was the hot chocolate bar, with peppermint and chocolate dipped marshmallows, chocolate pretzels and whipped cream. Yum!

Lila opened her presents with some help from Hayden and mom and dad, and Hayden was super excited to have presents, too. We tried to make quick work of the presents so we could let Lila get down to the cake.

She got lots of sweet baby dolls and toys to play with, and some super cute clothes. Hayden was immediately distracted by the cool Playmobil Pirate toys from the Bakers, and made our guests get to work putting them together (Thanks Lizard!).

After a quick birthday song, Lila got to work on her cake. She didn't like it as much as the one the day before, for her pictures, but she ate a little bit. After that, it was a quick bath, outfit change and time to play with friends! I think she had a great birthday, and we are so grateful to all the friends that came to celebrate with us!

Hayden's birthday party

What a great set of events we had to celebrate this little guy's birthday! On his actual birthday, we took cupcakes and juice to school so his class could celebrate his birthday. They had a sign on the door for him and he was super excited about it! When he got home, he and dad went to Target to pick out a special toy, and then onto the Coliseum for Disney on Ice. It was a great line-up: Cars, Toy Story, Little Mermaid and the fairies. Jay sent me a few pics from the event, and Hayden brought home popcorn and a fun light-up toy!

On Friday some of our dearest friends from the Army came to stay with us for the weekend. Addie was Hayden's first girlfriend (at under year old) and this was the third birthday she was here for. We caught up with them for a few minutes before heading to Monkey Joe's to party!

Hayden was really excited to have his birthday at a "bouncy place". When we got there we dropped the presents and cake off in the room and headed out to play. He was happy to see his cousins, other family, school friends and my friends there to help him celebrate!

He was super excited for cake and presents, and when Monkey Joe himself came in to wish him a happy birthday and bring his "first present". He still reminds me that Monkey Joe gave him the first present, before he opened any others. So cute! After lots of jumping and games and cake, we headed back home with the King girls in tow!

Once we settled in, we had pajamas and pizza and movies and were ready for a sleepover! The kids played, the moms talked and we all went to bed exhausted but happy! Our friends left the next afternoon and we were sad to see them go, but glad they made it out to see us!

I hope Hayden remembers this birthday as one of the best ever!

Happy birthday Hayden!

I find it extremely hard to believe that my sweet boy is four years old. Everyone tells you how time flies when your kids are young, but you never really believe it until you have them. Here's to more years of dirt, noise, sports, bruises, questions, funnies and the biggest hugs you'll ever receive. Happy birthday, my sweet lovable boy!

Happy 2nd birthday Reid!

We went to Charlotte for Reid's 2nd birthday and her Minnie's Bowtique party!

The weather was so nice, so we spent most of the day outside. The kids had a blast! Hayden made some new friends with the girls that were there, and Lila practiced her gnawing skills on the furniture.

Reid and Lily were both dressed as Minnie Mouse, and Reid was so excited about cake that we did it a little early. Whatever the birthday girl wants!!

Make a wish!

Hayden enjoyed his cake and ice cream at the table with his new lady friends, while Lila enjoyed sitting on the sidewalk and playing in the pine needles. Win-win!

Happy Birthday Jay!

My sweet, hardworking husband turns 28 today! The first birthday we celebrated together was in 2004, at Ft. Stewart, with a half-sized chocolate cake with chocolate icing in his barracks room. And it was a week late, because he was in the field on his birthday. Funny to think how much has changed since that first year. Love you sir!

Happy 6th birthday Zoe!

Seems like just yesterday this sweet little girl came into the world, and now she's six!

We went to her luau party and had a blast. The kids made sand art while the rain came and went, and then we headed outside for fun in the pool and on the trampoline. Hayden, ever the ladies' man, stayed in the pool with all the girls and "protected" them from the other boys trying to shoot them with Nerf darts. Lila was unusually social, letting lots of people hold her before passing out on me for a quick nap late in the afternoon.

After the party, we had a small cookout with a few of the guests, and played until the kids were just exhausted. It's nice to be back in the states to enjoy stuff like this after all the parties and holidays we missed while overseas!

Big birthdays!

April is definitely a big month for birthdays around us! This year we celebrated Emily's first birthday at her Nana's house. So strange, this is the first family baby (other than my own!) I've been around to see grow up. I visited Whitney in the hospital just a day after baby Emily was born, and got to hold her. I saw her at all the in-between stages, of laying and doing nothing, of sitting up and crawling, of pulling up and finally deciding to walk.

Happy first birthday Emily!

Last weekend we traveled to Charlotte for Lily's 3rd birthday. She had a Princesses & Pirates theme, and Hayden had a blast! We watched the kids color and play in the castle and pirate ship, eat yummy food, sing and eat cake. I was most amazed at how much baby Reid had changed in a year! At Lily's party last year Reid was on her monitor in the baby bouncer, and still so small. One year later, she was sitting up in the high chair, eating cake and walking around and exploring. What a difference time makes!

Lily had a blast with all her friends! She opened presents and thanked everyone for her gifts. She played and was the perfect princess!

At the end of the party, she was excited to hand out her princess & pirate favors. The hat, sword, eye patch and gold coins made for a fun ride home. Hayden didn't want to leave, and on the way home kept asking, "Can we go to Charlotte to Lily's party?" Those two got along great!

Thoughts on 30

Remember when 30 sounded so impossibly ancient you could never imagine being that old? Well here it is...or was, I should say. This time last year I thought about a trip for my 30th birthday...Vegas, or a cruise, somewhere fun and exciting and youthful and NOT 30. Shortly after some preliminary plans, I found out I was expecting, and realized I'd either spend my 30th birthday pregnant, in labor or nursing. And really, it didn't sound so bad. What's so scary about turning 30? I honestly can't remember. I wonder what my 20-year-old self thought I'd have accomplished at 30? If I think back, I vaguely remember the idea of having my Masters and living somewhere near my fabulous friends, working and certainly not being married. 30-year-old me is pretty proud to have accomplished my Bachelor's degree, having lived in Germany for almost five years, being a wife, mother of two and a homeowner by 30.

The day passed with little fanfare, as I was nearing the end of my maternity leave. I had phone calls and texts and cards, my parents came by with lunch, but mostly I spent the day in my own house with my sweet family. I didn't look for new gray hairs or wrinkles, or lament about the wild things I forgot to do before I turned 30. Maybe it's 30, or motherhood, or five + years of marriage, or my awesome friends and family, but there's a contentment that comes with knowing how to love, and in being loved. In the end, that's what it all comes down to. Because when I pictured a big trip for my birthday, the destination mattered not as much as who was with me. The Class of '04 said it best in our Fall Fest '03 sister song..."In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you."

So here's to 30. I still want to go to Vegas. But what a great early birthday present I received in my sweet little Lila.

Hayden's birthday party

Three is an important age! We decided to have Hayden's birthday party at our new house this year, as we could probably get away with at least one more low-key party before we have to go all Bumper Jumpers and Safari Nation and Chuck E. Cheese. This was our extra motivation to get as much of our house done as possible before November 19th!

Hayden is interested in a lot of things, but none so much as Toy Story 3 and balloons! We had no problem finding decor for his party. In fact, the hard part is not buying all of it! But we figured the kids don't pay much attention anyway, and the adults were more excited about seeing our house!

After our quick lunch of 3-year-old friendly foods (Chick Fil A nuggets, chips, sliced cheese, pasta salad) we got down to business. Hayden has gotten much better at opening presents, and even stopped to "read" some cards!

He had a great time seeing his family, especially his cousins Ryan and Zoe, and loved all his toys! He is especially partial to a construction zone with a remote-controlled dump truck, and he sleeps with his new pillow pet. Hard to believe he's 3!

About four hours after the party ended, he decided it was time for cake and he finally dug into his Buzz and Woody cake! What a great day for our sweet little wild man.

Happy Birthday, Hayden!

My little man is three years old today. How time flies! This time three years ago, I had no idea that I'd be holding a little boy in my arms by midnight. What a wonderful gift he is!

We will celebrate tonight with a new movie and some brownies that I'm sure he'll be excited to help me make. His family and a few friends will be over Saturday afternoon to help him blow out his three candles!

Happy 7th Birthday, Ryan!

I can't believe he's 7! Ryan celebrated his birthday at Safari Nation with friends, family, a zip line, tons of presents and a basketball cake & cupcakes. Hayden had an absolute blast and it was hard to tear him away from the guns that shot the Nerf balls. The grown ups had a pretty good time, too!

This cake was awesome!

He had the best time gathering and shooting.

Make a wish!

I was really surprised at this, because it involved getting his hands dirty but he really enjoyed it!

He was a champ at opening the presents.

What was great about Safari Nation was that after the party, we could still stay and jump. Hayden jumped and played forever, and we only convinced him to leave by telling him we'd go play at Ryan and Zoe's house. He loves his cousins :-)