Yum!

I am always very slow to start my babies on solid foods. I don't like the mess, I worry about them getting allergies, and let's face it...it's one more thing to put on my daily to-do list. But at 8 months old, I thought it was time for Ryan to start eating like a man. :) At first he pushed his lips together and I couldn't even get the spoon in. But over a few weeks he has figured out how to swallow it and he is a big eater now. Yay!

(8 1/2 Months Old)

And what is that all over his face? His favorite food so far...sweet potatoes. He goes crazy for the stuff. I must admit that I have tried it and I would agree with Ryan. It's pretty good, but I don't love it enough to wear it like he does. In other exciting news...Ryan sleeps through the night, finally. In his 8 months of life he had never slept longer than 4 hours. We decided it was time to make him cry it out. It only took one night and he woke up 3 times crying, but he's been sleeping at least 10 hours a night for three weeks now! I love my little extra energy. I no longer feel like I'm going to fall asleep at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Happy "Green Milk" Day!!

I don't understand my kids sometimes. They are picky eaters on a normal basis, but once a year I make green eggs, green pancakes, and green milk and they all sit down to the table and yell "YUM!" I don't get it. You'd think they wouldn't touch it. I love that my kids are still amazed at how Mommy can change milk into different colors. Derek has caught on, but it's still magic to the others.

After dinner I put together a treasure hunt for the kids. At the end was a "pot o' gold" with a treat for each child. They love the clues and the prize at the end, and I love that all the running up and down stairs gets them tired for bedtime.

Hope you had fun "Green Milk" day!

Teething

Taylor lost his first tooth! Well, actually I pulled it out and it was nasty. I think this was the first time I pulled another human's tooth out of their mouth. Just a gross feeling. But I was tired of hearing Taylor complain about it and now he's happy to move on to something else to complain about. :) Ryan has been dealing with his own tooth drama for a while now. He has six teeth coming in all at once. The poor little guy has been a sad thing for about a month. First his surgery (which has healed nicely), then a horrible cold, then ear infections, and now teething. 2011 has not been a good year for him so far.

Even though he's not feeling well, he shows signs that our sweet little guy is still in there somewhere.

I had to add this picture because it makes me laugh. :)

Happy "Pink Milk" Day!!

Valentine's Day started as usual. I decorated the kids' doors with hearts and laid a trail of hearts for each child that led to a bag of hidden goodies. Um...yeah Derek, there is a big bag of candy under the oven. Keep looking, Dude.

Ryan (7 months old) enjoying his brother's candy.

For dinner we had our 2nd annual "Restaurant at Home". Dave was the waiter and I was the cook with the annoying accent. (Dave gave me those pretty flowers and my Mom and Dad sent me candy. I was one lucky girl!) They have gone crazy over this tradition both years. :) Dave hung sheets to create a cozy dining room and to hide the kitchen. They order from a menu and we serve them. I'm not sure how that's much different than normal though. :)

It was fun spending time with our kids on Valentine's Day...sure beats the long wait at a real restaurant.

Good Things Come...To Birthday Girls

Later in the evening we had our family party for McKenna. Poor Dave had to work late, but that gave me time to bake more layers for her cake. Apparently this ballerina Barbie is taller than the one I had measured with earlier. It was 6:00 when I discovered that the cake only came up to her thigh. A few pictures to kill some time... Finally, Daddy arrived at 9:00 PM with a ladybug Snuggle Pet (knock off Pillow Pet from Macey's...the kids can't tell the difference), McDonald's, and flowers for the birthday girl. What a sweet Daddy.

I'd like to think that I am a genius. McKenna loves combing my wet hair after a shower, so I bought her a hair tool play kit (blow dryer, brush, curling iron, etc.). And with no sisters to use it on that means I get more hair-playing time on me!! Whahoo!

We love our sweet McKenna. She is still a little Mommy to her brothers, so good with little Ryan, but she can definitely be heard when they bug her. She loves to dress up, dance, sing, and play with her princess polly pockets, but loves a good wrestle or pillow fight with her brothers and Daddy.

Happy Birthday, McKenna! We love you!!

Princess McKenna's Party

McKenna's 3rd birthday was a princess theme. I've never thrown a friend's party for such a young age...but then again, this is really only the second real friend party I've ever done. The invitations asked the guests to wear their "princess best". I gave each girl a tiara when they arrived. Four girls were invited which is plenty with a group this age.

Alena, McKenna, Abbie, Kalista, and Chloe

The girls all danced to songs from princess movies while I finished lunch.

They loved the pretty decorations!

If only these pictures had sound! Girls are loud on a whole different level than boys.

My friend heard I was running out of time and volunteered to draw this Cinderella for a "Pin the Tiara on The Princess" game. McKenna cheated. :)

Then it was time for presents. The girls got so excited over each one. McKenna got some really fun things. The hour and a half went by quickly. I gave the girls a goodie bag full of princess stickers, bracelets, snacks, etc. and took them home.

The aftermath.

Oh how quiet my house felt went I returned home. They sure left a wake of disaster. It was a lot of fun and I would do it again. It made McKenna so happy.

My Inner Princess

Don't get me wrong, I have loved making birthdays for my boys...but making a princess party was heavenly! I spent many shopping trips in the wedding aisle and even drew sketches of my ideas. Fancy Nancy books were actually a great inspiration too! At one point Dave asked me if this party was for McKenna or for me. I had to admit that it was mostly for me. But really, is there anything wrong with that?

I cut up a plastic table cloth and added tulle to decorate the chairs.

I downloaded the Disney font and made these place cards for each princess guest. And yes, I added plastic gems to the spoons. The dollar store was a great place for the doilies, plates, and cups.

I found these crowns in the dollar section at JoAnns and they were half off! They were just unfinished wood so McKenna and I painted and glittered them. I loved how they turned out.