Here is a shot of Declan from each month of his first year:
Saturday, March 23, 2013
A Whole Year
From the moment I laid eyes on this baby, I was so in love. Now a year later, a whole year of big toothless smiles, giant bear hugs from such a little guy, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck, that belly laugh, oh that laugh, climbing, climbing, climbing, splashing in any water he can find, and pushing every button he can get his pudgy hands on, I cannot imagine loving Declan more. Declan makes his big sisters, dada and I smile every single day.
Here is a shot of Declan from each month of his first year:
Here is a shot of Declan from each month of his first year:
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Our Ballerinas
Tess and Claire still love ballet. Now that they have started prepping for the recital (mark your calendars -- Saturday, June 8th), they seem to be doing lots more "real" ballet and less playing in class.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
An Art Party
Tess's fourth birthday party with her friends was postponed from its original date, because everyone in our house had the stomach flu. I had to spare my friends and their families from passing on this bug, so Tess' party was in March. She was a good sport about it, mainly because it extended her birthday into a month long celebration. My sister recently asked Tess what her favorite holiday is and her response was, "February." With all the birthdays in our family plus Valentine's Day, February is pretty much a constant party in our house.
Here are some pictures from Tess's art-themed party. The kids painted, made little pizzas, and ate rainbow cake. It was a great success and all the little budding artists had a blast.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Rainbow Cake
Like a crazy (I mean good) mom, I let Tess help me plan her 4th birthday party. We discussed party themes and scoured pinterest for ideas. We decided on an Art Party since she (and most 4 year old girls) love doing crafts and painting. We collaborated on lots of ideas and made some of the decorations together. When it came time for the cake, I showed her a few options online. Well, she fell in love with the very dramatic 6-tier rainbow cake that when you cut into, as Tess says, "a rainbow appears!" As a non-baker, I was nervous. Luckily, the cake was a success and Tess is still talking about it weeks later. That makes it worth it for me!
Friday, March 1, 2013
The Most Magical Day
Disney surprised us. Kate and I went there as kids and we thought we remembered the magic of the place. Returning there as parents of two wonderful girls, it was Magic.
We started the day throwing our girls into the car at 6am without explanation, just that we had a surprise for them. 3 hours later, on the outskirts of Orlando, Kate could not wait any longer and told them where we were headed. I managed not to crash the car during the ensuing screaming and we made it to the Magic Kingdom a few minutes later.
It was a perfect day, high 70s and overcast (the sun would have used up energy and shortened our single day visit to the park). We crossed over to the park on the monorail, hauling our packed double stroller. We met Mimi Mare and Papa Don at the gate, another surprise for the girls. I can handle all 3 kids as a solo parent at the zoo no problem, but it was great to have the extra help (who loved watching the girls enjoy the day as much as we did).
We hit the park with a well-researched but flexible plan. I ran around all day grabbing fast passes between rides. We managed to visit 8 attractions that day, not counting parades, dance shows and random encounters (Gaston! Princesses!) in the park, while waiting less than an hour for each ride (the average was closer to 20 minutes). The kids spotted Mickey everywhere (even the bushes were cut into the shape of Mickey, as Tess pointed out) and soaked in the magic. Tess and Claire were fascinated by everything.
We started the day throwing our girls into the car at 6am without explanation, just that we had a surprise for them. 3 hours later, on the outskirts of Orlando, Kate could not wait any longer and told them where we were headed. I managed not to crash the car during the ensuing screaming and we made it to the Magic Kingdom a few minutes later.
It was a perfect day, high 70s and overcast (the sun would have used up energy and shortened our single day visit to the park). We crossed over to the park on the monorail, hauling our packed double stroller. We met Mimi Mare and Papa Don at the gate, another surprise for the girls. I can handle all 3 kids as a solo parent at the zoo no problem, but it was great to have the extra help (who loved watching the girls enjoy the day as much as we did).
We hit the park with a well-researched but flexible plan. I ran around all day grabbing fast passes between rides. We managed to visit 8 attractions that day, not counting parades, dance shows and random encounters (Gaston! Princesses!) in the park, while waiting less than an hour for each ride (the average was closer to 20 minutes). The kids spotted Mickey everywhere (even the bushes were cut into the shape of Mickey, as Tess pointed out) and soaked in the magic. Tess and Claire were fascinated by everything.
In the months since our trip, we have asked Claire what is her favorite thing to do. She always answers, "go to Disney World." Asked what did she like best there? "Everything. The princesses, rides, castle, and being with Mimi Mare and Papa Don." She looked at me with a serious face and repeated, "everything during that day was my favorite."
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