4 yr olds up in here...

We had some little stinkers turn 4 around here.  They were SOOO happy.  Their birthday fell on a Sunday.  Saturday night we let them open their present from my parents.

 Katie pulled out her sleeping bag from her birthday and they had a little sleepover!

 We have church at 9am but I woke up early (cause I am awesome like that) and made them chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes.  (They wanted a candle in everything the entire week.)

 After church we let them open presents from us, Katie and Mark's parents.  Katie made them each a gift.  She made Marcus a train (which they have used to chug around their my little ponies); and she made Addy a telescope.

After we went to the park to play with the rocket that Marcus got.

 That night, we had cake.

Since they have had family parties, we decided to throw them a friend party this year.  Addy wanted a fairy party and Marcus wanted a pirate party.  I decided I could work with that and planned it for the next Saturday.   Originally, we were going to have the party at our house, but when 17 kids RSVP'd we decided to move it to the park.

 We had a little craft for when the kids first arrived.  The pirates made parrots.

 

Will and Marcus

 

 And the fairies made flower crowns.

 After the crafts, we gave all the girls wings and wands and the boys put on bandanas and eye patches.  Each group was given a treasure map that included four stops.  First, they had to walk the plank (I didn't get a picture, but I had a board with chalk drawings of sharks and fish on either side, and told them not to fall off--they were very careful); second, they drew 'fairy flowers'; 

third, they bombed the evil pirate ship with water balloons;

and last, they did a fairy dance.

After they found the treasure chest full of coins, and jewelry.

Sean enjoying his pirate booty

Then it was time to eat.

The kids had a lot of fun helping me put the food together.  Behind the pirate ship there are fairy wands, we used rod pretzels and melted white chocolate.  I let them help dip in the chocolate and then in sparkly sprinkles.

 When we asked Marcus what he wanted for his birthday he said soda, then he said juice...so we combined the two in what we called pirate juice--it was a big hit.

Finally, it was time for cupcakes.

We sang first to Addy,

 

and next to Marcus.

Addy's bestie, Iria

Katie, Aliana and Addy

  After all the food the kids just ran around and played.  I loved watching them get into character, the fairies kept casting spells on the pirates, and the pirates kept looting the fairies.

 

 

Marcus and Kianoa

Katie, Mara and Dax

Talia

best buds-Marcus and Dax

 After the party we came home, took showers and then let Marcus and Addy open their presents...

My sister Flossie made this bag for Marcus, she also made a super cute one for Addy.

and then their birthday was finally over and I got to relax!  (They did try to keep it going by asking me to put in a candle every time they ate one of their left over cupcakes.)

A day at home with Daddy...

We had the DNC here in Charlotte last week.  Mark was supposed to work from home the whole week (his office was too hard to access), last minute his firm decided to send him to NYC to work for a few days.  I didn't feel like dealing with the kids by myself so we hired Hannah to do it and I joined him!  We flew out Monday and I flew home Wednesday.  It was amazing; hot guy, great food, an amazing hotel right at Times Square and no kids.  We had Monday to play together.  Mark had to work Tues and Wed so I spent Tues with my good friend Heather and her kids (one of these trips I will take a picture).  Wed I laid around and shopped.  Mark was able to meet me for meals both days.

At a great little Japanese place where we cooked our own meat

Hannah was at home with our kids.  I missed Addy and Marcus' first day of preschool (which I think was a good thing for them).  Marcus was very positive about school.  Addy was SO HAPPY to have structure and learning and friends.  

Mark came home Thurs night.  He worked from home on Friday.  I'm not sure how much work he got done.  Marcus and Addy don't have preschool on Friday and they bugged him every few mins to come play, or to read them a book--they didn't understand why he was home and not hanging out with them.

all three of them in Rufio's cage

Don't they just look like little terrors!  

I had to leave them at 3pm to go to leadership training at our church and then met my sisters for dinner.  Poor Mark dealt with them amidst conference calls, etc.  The kids finally got his full attention when they knocked his computer to the floor by spinning in the desk chair and broke it.

New beginnings

Katie started first grade, complete with two missing teeth.  Last year she was feeling pretty down because all of her friends had lost a tooth or two and she didn't even have a loose one, but just in time for school she lost two.

 

 She is loving 1st grade.  I think at the end of the summer she was getting a little bored hanging out with me all day.  She is so excited about doing math and writing everyday.

Marcus and Addy and I had a fun filled last week of summer (during Katie's first week of school).  They had some playdates and lots of art.  One day we joined their closest neighborhood friends at the children's museum.

Iria, Marcus, Sean and Addy. 

 Sadly Sean and Iria started preschool at the Montessori school this year, while Marcus and Addy missed the cutoff by two weeks.

They also started soccer, after last year we were a little nervous about whether they would play or not.  Marcus was even more nervous.  He spent the day saying that he didn't want to go to soccer.  Then he said he didn't want other kids to be there.   But he got ready and when we got to practice there was only one other kid--God must have heard his little prayers.  He made Katie go out with him, and after a few mins he was fine.  He played hard, even after the rest of the team showed up.  Afterwards he was so proud of himself he couldn't stop smiling.  He showed everyone his shin pads and was so excited to call Mark and tell him that he played.  Addy did great as well.

Brag alert:  Katie was moved to the 7 & 8 yr old team this year because they felt she was ready to be at the skill level. 

soccer practice--when Katie had to join them