My girl

My girl had her 3rd!!!! birthday last month. May 26th. It feels so strange to have entered this place where all I have are "big kids" running around now. Alyssa ask for a ladybug party and a ladybug party is what she got! I love birthdays! Its your very own special day to celebrate the very simple fact that today you were born, the day you were blessed with life. And life is beautiful! The day my babies were born are some of my most favorite days.



I have so many favorite pictures from this day. I tried my very best to narrow it down to my favorites, and I'm afraid I failed miserably!



*a note to the grandparents........you can click on these pictures to see the bigger version*








I adore this one. She has her eyes squished closed waiting for her presents.

I never thought that I would have more fun planning a birthday if I was making most everything myself. I didn't know I had it in me! Thatcher even had a hand in making her shirt!

The cake was so amazing. I loved it! I wish I could say I made the cake too, but I learned my lesson along time ago, I cannot make cakes! I actually attempted to make Jacob's first birthday cake and oh my goodness, it was not pretty!

One of her presents was a sprinkler. Oh how they love that sprinkler! They are slow to warm up but when they do, they go all out. Jacob and Alex spent most of the time "flying" over it on the zip line. Alyssa would only get just close enough to feel a tiny sprinkle, at first anyway.

*No one is allowed to make fun of my cookies!* So stop laughing :)

I'm kidding!

And at the end of her special day, she was riding off into the sunset!

Happy 3rd Birthday Alyssa!!!

Randomness....

I'm on a roll, 2 blog post in one day! I'm trying my very best to get caught up before our big Alabama trip Monday. We'll be gone for almost 3 weeks, so its now or never. I have a feeling it's gonna be a long night. Tomorrow is devoted to packing and Sunday is devoted to Father's Day.

We have been on lots of bike rides since summer has come to Iowa. My poor little girl cannot get through one without falling asleep. It doesn't matter if we go for a quick 20 minute ride or if we're gone for an hour.

Close to the end of the school year Jacob's class had a famous people day and we went all out! Jacob wanted to be Micheal Jackson. I spent that night gluing sparkles to his glove and hat, and pinning up his black jeans.

This is how I found the boys one afternoon on the front porch. They said they were playing "dirty pirates". Gotta love that imagination.

I think that's about all. Hopefully I can squeeze in Alyssa's birthday pictures before the nights over. Its getting pretty late though!

Bye-bye pre-school!

Alex recently finished pre-school!
Ok-ok so it was exactly a month ago today, but that's recent right?
He was so excited about his spring program, he wanted to go dressed up like Daddy does for work, and so he did. Alex even checked with Thatcher the night before, to make sure his outfit looked like Daddy's!
I was so proud of him. He is usually very shy about singing in front of anyone, but he put on a big show this time, hand movements and all.
He is excited and nervous to start kindergarten next fall, and he talks about missing his pre-school teachers and sending them hearts in the mail. I think I'm just as excited and nervous as he is. I cannot believe I have to send him off to school in just a few short months.