4isms

Now that the birthdays are over and school is beginning, I'm reminded how much the girls have grown so quickly. Not just in size, but in their thoughts, their sayings and their actions. I have to remind myself to slow down and thoughtfully answer the 55 'whys?" that come in a day or to help them put the pieces together of something they don't quite understand..."Well I have 6 gaga's (grandparents) and yours lives far away, can you just share mine?"

Addy was getting dressed the other day and told me I needed to close my eyes so I couldn't see her "privacy parts". Lilly asks about boobs and boyfriends, but still says she wants to marry her sister or her dad. They play board games and 'let each other cheat' so the game doesn't end. They swap food and Addy tells Lilly that she can't eat all her cucumbers because then Addy will be the only one that grows big and strong. They look out for each other.

They started playing soccer and are experiencing their first 'real' lessons in teamwork. Jeremy's coaching, so they are also learning about 'sharing' their dad. They are pretty routine oriented and know the days I work and they go to school, they know the days we head to the gym and the days we usually see their friends. Yesterday, was one of those important days when I threw routine out the window and packed the car for a different kind of day. Nothing planned, just me and the girls.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

I love birthdays and birthday parties. Sure, they are stressful and 4 year old parties are total chaos, but they are fun and the girls LOVED the day! They had strong opinions of who "needed" to be there, what we would do, where we'd have it and all. I loved the ice cream theme and hosting it at a venue other than our home was an added bonus. We rented a room at "Recreation Unlimited" , a giant warehouse of 15 swing-set structures, trampolines and playhouses. I bought their cute t-shirts, through I Spot You then stocked up on ice cream and all the toppings! Thanks to everyone who made the day special for our girls.

Invites designed by a friend

The only family picture of the day!


Addy, showing off her t-shirt.


I'll huff....and I'll puff....

Addy's choice-strawberry with whipped cream, sprinkes & a couple cherries on top!
Lilly's choice: Chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and mini M&M's on top

At the bar :-)

Opening presents--so blessed--Barbies, coloring books, craft supplies, books and more.

A few of our favorite friends!

4th Birthday

We are a week post-birthday around here and this mama is still recovering! It was a fun-filled 4 day extravaganza, as we know we don't do much on a small scale. The girls were SO excited for their birthday this year and I felt like they really 'got it'. They were anxious to tell everyone about it and the first thing Addy said when she came in our room that morning, "I got bigger in the night!". We have done the 4-year old check-up at the doctor and they continue to ROCK the charts--94th percentile in height--can we say Butler Basketball scholarships anyone? They are big enough to ride in booster seats, but we'll use the 5-pt harness seats as long as we can. We got their haircut at 'the spa' and they felt so special. We wrapped up our appointments with the dentist today and they didn't even need to hold my hand-such big girls. They had no cavities and told the dentist and doctor about all their good habits (we left out the obsession with the self-serve frozen yogurt places around us).

I wanted to do something on their birthday we hadn't done before, so we headed to a local waterpark. They had a blast with friends and met Daddy for lunch and birthday ice cream. They were exhausted and behavior showed...I was hoping the transition out of the tantrum wielding 3-year old stage would be instantaneous! But, overall it was a fun day I hope they'll remember, if they don't, I have the pictures to prove the fun! I'll do taped interviews with them again sometime soon, they have so much to say. I'll also post birthday party pics this weekend, but for now, here are pictures from the actual birthday-enjoy!

What's a birthday morning without some awesome presents!?
Lilly at the waterpark--always the supermodel! Seriously, if we lived in a bigger city, I'd get this girl an agent!

Addy--harder to catch on camera--I have a lot of pictures of the back of her head

Rainbow Sherbert--best ice cream in town!
Yum! Birthday princesses in their new Disney outfits--loved the dresses--hated the glitter trail they left in my house!

Dance Camp-Take 2

We were scheduled for a Back to Nature camp through the Y last week, but it got cancelled, so I scrambled around to find a different camp for the girls since I worked most of the week. A friend was scheduled to attend a different dance studio's "Intro to Dance" camp, so we jumped on board! The girls did tap, ballet, hip-hop and poms everyday and seemed to really like it. They had quite the stage fright during the final performance in the park, but were proud of each other regardless of the outcome. If you have a hard time spotting them in the different numbers, they are typically the farthest away from the other as they can be. It's a long video, so I'm impressed if you make it through and aren't one of the grandmas :-)