Random Photos from Late August/Early September 2012

It's funny, the things kids do when they are sick.  While she would ordinarily be content watching a movie from the counter, Mollie insisted on pulling up a stool to the TV in the kitchen to finish the rest of her viewing.

Of course, movies aren't any fun without company, so she pulled up a seat for her brother and me while she was at it.  (And one for her head ... poor girl was wiped out!)

We went to my parents' house to hang out with them before they went to football game a couple weeks ago, and though our little cheerleader was under-the-weather, she still brought the spirit.

Baylor, for his part, was excited for another reason; his lady love was in attendance at the party!  Katie, my cousin's girlfriend, is amazingly sweet and wonderful, so it's no surprise that he likes her ... it's just amazing that he expresses that so clearly.  Steve and Katie stayed at my parents' house beforehand, and we arrived while Katie was downstairs in the shower.  Steve walked into the room to say hi to Baylor, and after a quick greeting, Baylor inquired where Katie was.  He wants her to sit next to him if we eat together, to play with him whenever she's around.

Mollie, though sick with croup, was in rare form.  What a funny little girl!

Soon, she started feeling better and, as Charlotte Jane the Hearty would say, she got her oomph back!

She and Bryson even got some cheerleading time in on Baylor's birthday!  Give me an "A"!

We built a really tall tower ... she was very proud of it before she knocked it over.

When we visited California when I was in high school, we ate at a restaurant called Dive!  It was owned by Steven Spielberg and while the main meal was largely forgettable, the dessert was beyond delicious.  Years later, I looked up the recipe for the dessert we'd eaten online and printed it out to make at a later date.  Fast forward five years or so, and my sister followed through for me.  Open-faced s'mores, anyone?

Yes, they were that good.

I'll try to post the recipe at some point.  Until then, have a wonderful day!

Baylor's 4th Birthday ... Part One

Both sets of grandparents and Aunt Christine like to give the kids their birthday gifts a little early (i.e. before their party) so they don't feel overwhelmed with too many gifts.  It's a pretty awesome problem to have; my kids are insanely lucky to have such wonderful friends and family surrounding them.

We did throw everyone a bit of a curveball this year, though ... we asked that this be a "battery-free" birthday; meaning that we were hoping that all his gifts would not require any batteries.  So many times we see him getting distracted by the lights and sounds toys make, so we thought this might be a good way to get around that.  It worked out really well, and I think we're hoping to make this a running trend for birthdays and Christmas for our kiddos.

My parents gave Baylor an atlas, globe, and the book The Travel Game, by John Grandits.

My in-laws gave him an awesome Hot Wheels Trio set.  Of course, as has been the case lately, I didn't have my camera out.  More photos will come later as he loves the set and plays with it often.

His 4th birthday was supposed to be jam-packed: his first day of school in the morning (!!!), lunch at Robinette's (and jumping and the corn maze, weather permitting), and his birthday party in the late afternoon/evening.  Then, the Monday of the week of his birthday (which fell on a Friday this year) he came down with the fever Mollie had had the week prior.  Though I got him as much rest as I could during the week, he ended up missing school and having his party postponed.  I was heartbroken, but in typical kid fashion, where the smallest things warrant the biggest reactions and vice versa, he couldn't have cared less.  Amazing.

Of course, we still celebrated him on his actual birthday.  Bryson and I had purchased a set of educational books for him earlier in the summer with the intent that they would be his birthday gift come September.  Thing is, I couldn't just give him books for his birthday (no matter how much he does love books ...).

So I ordered him a Lego calendar as well.

We set to work right away to put it together ...

... and it came out great!  I can't wait to take the time with him at the beginning of every month to deconstruct it and switch months.

While we were putting the calendar together, I took his temperature to see how he was doing, and we got the best birthday gift of all!  First time since Monday!  A woo hoo!

We still managed to go to Robinette's for his birthday lunch, just like we did last year, but because the frost wiped out their apple crop, they weren't toiling away making cider for the season.  No matter ... the donuts were still awesome!

Nothing went quite as planned on Baylor's birthday, and lunch was no different.  I had hoped he would be able to go on the jumping pillow or take a walk through the corn maze, but the weather was so ominous that the jump wasn't even open and I didn't want to risk getting stuck in the maze in inclement weather.  Luckily, my kiddo is awesome and settled on playing on the cart/slide instead.

Once the mail arrived, he got to open a few more birthday cards from family far away.  He got a five dollar bill from Aunt Sharon, to which he exclaimed, "Money?!  I LOVE money!"  Oh boy.

Aunt Christine got him Mack's Team Truck, courtesy of Lego.  He was beyond excited and they ended up putting it together after dinner.

Oma and Grandpa E got him some new John Deere trucks to drive around the living room.

After enjoying some pizza and breadsticks, Aunt Christine prepared the cake she and Oma had made earlier in the day.  Baylor requested strawberry cake, and though it wasn't her birthday, Mollie requested a pink cake.  Both got their wish.

As per usual, we didn't sing "Happy Birthday" to him, but he got to blow out his candles and make a wish.

And, as he was still not feeling well, my sweet-loving boy asked to have the frosting scraped off before he ate it.  Such a thing has never happened before, and I doubt it will happen again.

But Oma obliged and the cake was enjoyed thoroughly.

My in-laws got him the book Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss, one of the few popular Seuss books we didn't have, and a big boy puzzle!  He hasn't tried the puzzle yet (his concentration for new things has been quite low - likely because of the transition to school and getting over a cold), but he and Mollie ADORE the book!  Since we've gotten it, I've probably read it thirty times or so.

While his birthday wasn't quite how we had planned, or how I had hoped it would go, he seemed to have a good day and he certainly wasn't upset that things were postponed.

Happy birthday to you, my sweet boy!  These last four years have been some of the best of my life, and I am so incredibly lucky to call you my son.  I love you to the moon and back, Baylor!

Evening Stroll with an Exclamation Point

On a lovely August night a few weeks ago, we actually had time to take a stroll after dinner with the kiddos.  It was a wonderful evening, not too hot, not too cold, and the sun was starting to dip behind the trees in our neighborhood so it wouldn't be in our eyes for most of the walk.

Mollie, however, felt it was very important to bring two pairs of sunglasses for our walk, so she did.  The girl is all about accessories.

I should really note that the term "stroll" should be taken lightly; both kids have been all about running full tilt during our walks and expect us to do the same.  Ahhh, so relaxing!

Along the way, we heard the ice cream truck nearby, so we stayed on the main part of our street in hopes of catching it as it drove by.  There were some tense moments at the end of our walk when we realized we might miss it altogether, but it finally rounded the corner and we met up with it right in front of our next door neighbor's house.  Whew!

Baylor chose a firecracker popsicle, as did I, and Mollie and Bryson both chose ice cream sandwiches.

And all was right with the world.

Once Baylor finished his, he offered to help Mollie finish hers.  She gladly took him up on it ... she's just not a huge fan of sweets, you know?

So glad we were able to catch the ice cream truck at least once this summer!