Party's Over

Ellie, due to a combination of late party, early bedtime and a slight personality disorder, had to miss most of Chloe's party. She awoke to half-deflated balloons and a LOT of new toys to investigate. This scooter was on the top of her list. And Hayden's list. And Chloe's. Which is why said scooter ended up at the top of my closet later that afternoon.

Build a Bear

Chloe had her birthday party at Build-a-Bear, and it was a beary good time. (I couldn't pass up that one!) She had Maya, Luca, Emily and Hayden at her party, and they had a blast. Having never been to a build-a-bear place I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out great. Chloe's bear was aptly named "Party" and she has a new friend to love.

Birthday Girl!!!!

Look who turned 4 yesterday! I can't believe my little sweetheart is 4 already. Time flies when you are really cute. We had a great birthday party at Build-a-Bear, then a really nice family dinner. Chloe got WAY too many presents, mostly from Grandma, and really enjoyed being spoiled rotten. More pictures to come from the parties. Happy Birthday, sweet sweet Chloe!

Gurt! Gurt!

Is this a girl who loves her yogurt, or what? All three of my kids are huge yogurt fans. The girls have it almost every day for lunch. There are worse snacks, although I wish I could find a yogurt that doesn't have sugar or artificial sweeteners AND the kids actually liked. The quest continues.

The Cat Piano

This cat piano was the big hit this year. It sings songs, has a microphone, and is actually kind of cute. The kids all three fight over it until kitty has to go night night. It has about 6 songs that can be played with music, or meowing. Here, Ellie is channeling a lounge singer with her fancy dress and piano to lounge over.

Christmas is finally over!

With us being gone at Christmas, we got to drag it out a bit when we got home. We finally did a Deatsch family Christmas on the 3rd of January, and the gifts that we had to ship home from South Carolina finally arrived on the 7th. I think the kids enjoyed having Christmas presents every few days for 3 weeks straight. As of this moment, every Christmas item is finally put away, and we can move on. Here, Hayden is enjoying his spring loaded light-saber from Grandma.

Mmmm.... Juice and Cookies

A staple while at Nana and Papa's house. Anytime the kids wanted a drink, juice it was, and why not throw in a cookie! No wonder they love it there! Now that we are home, Mom's got to go and ruin all their fun. Ellie's been asking for "jut! jut!" and waving her cup in the air everyday since we've been back.

Ft. Sumter

While in Charleston, we took the kids to their first historical site, Ft. Sumter. Of course, you all know that Ft. Sumter was the place where the first shots of the Civil War took place. Union forces held the fort, then were forced out by the Confederates. April 1861. ANyway, it was very interesting, and a beautiful day to boot! The kids have many, many, many more historical visits in their futures! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

May 2008 Bring . . .

...more hugs

...less screeching

...more cleaned toilets

...less clutter

...more yoga

...less 25 lbs

...more vacations

...less 70 hour workweeks

...more games

...less t.v.

and, of course, more laughter!

Happy New Year!