All 'Tangled' Up

Abby had been anticipating her birthday party for weeks, even months. I would be hear the frequent phrase, "Is my party today mommy?" She couldn't wait. A current obsession of hers is Rapunzel, from Tangled, so we made our best attempt at a Tangled Birthday Party. The day before her party, we were running around making cupcakes and errands. Abby kept asking with wide eyes and open mouth, "Is this for my party?! Wow! It's my birthday mommy, I'm 3." This phrase was repeated so many times, we lost track and it sounded like a broken record stuck on the same phrase. It made the time and effort worth it to see how excited this little 3 yr. old was to have a party. She couldn't wait for her big day.

The long awaited day arrived, and thanks to the awesome help from my sister, Brett, neighbors and friends, it was a success. I think the kids had a great time. It was fun to watch the chaos.

The part Abby loved the most was having her friends there to celebrate with her. She loves friends.

Pin the nose on Flynn Ryder.

Pascal Blowers

Coloring

The cake.

My sister and Brett did an AWESOME job with the cake! I must admit I was a little nervous when I left Brett to do it and saw it literally looked like a rocket. Since he is color blind, a good portion of the cake was grey and looked like it was ready to 'lift off.' What can I say, I married a very 'engineer-minded' husband. It had great potential and he really did a good job, it just needed a little 'make-up'. He had Laura do some decorating and a princess tower emerged from the rocket-ship. Brett did the structure and Laura made it look pretty. Abby loved it.

A party is not complete without FOOD.

It was a party for sure.

(We took this picture as fast as possible because they were all trying to escape. )

Some faces from the Party...

Tasty Snow White

The picture basically sums it up. Snow White had an encounter with Dobbs the Dog. We had my brother and sister in-law here for the 4th and they brought their cute dog, Dobbs. Abby had been reminded many times not to leave her toys out, but obviously she didn't translate the message. Poor Snow White.

America the Beautiful

'Sweet Land of Liberty'

We had a wonderful 4th of July celebrating America's birthday. It was fun to have family in town, which made it even better. We are blessed to live in this free country and are grateful to all those who have sacrificed their lives to defend our freedom.

Abby riding in the parade.

DC Fireworks

The Flaming Sword

How can you not just kiss this face?

Summer of Blueberries

Ah, Summer!

Sunkissed freckles, lemonade, and fresh picked blueberries. We had heard a lot about the awesome blueberries you can get in Virginia, but we had never ventured out to pick them until this year. After our experience, we want to make this a tradition. It was hot, but very worth the sweat. There is nothing like a fresh juicy blueberry right off the bush. What made the summer day complete was a cute little boy with his shirt off and a summer tan, selling lemonade on the side of the road. He was too cute to pass up so we bought a glass and he poured us each some lemonade in his reused glasses from home. Who knows how many people had used the cup.

Doctor

The girls are starting to get to the point where they play together and I love it. It may only last for a few minutes or even seconds at a time, but it does happen and it's really cute to watch. Nothing is sweeter than to see Abby come up to Kate and give her a big hug and kiss saying, "Love you Kate." Melts my heart.

A current favorite activity is to play 'peek-a-boo' together. They giggle pretty hard as Abby throws the blanket back and forth. I even caught them playing 'doctor' the other day. Apparently Kate was the patient and Abby was the doctor. As long as she had something in her mouth, she was very willing to play the part.

Sharing, on the other hand, is a whole other story...that area involves a lot of drama.

"Country Road, Take Me Home"

We just spent a weekend in our own little 'Paradise'.

Back in February, we booked an inexpensive weekend getaway in the mountains. We have been counting down the days to our fun adventure in the Shenandoah's with our friends Jordan and Sara. The Shenandoah River was literally right in front of the cabin where we were staying. It is a beautiful river and the waters were so calm you could see the trees reflecting perfectly. It was great for kids to throw and skip rocks to their hearts content. I loved watching Abby gather her rocks and splash them into the water until sunset. Then, at sunset, the fireflies would come out and sparkle against the water. It was honestly magical. The morning would bring another full day of chasing frogs and kayaking around the river. Bliss, I tell you. I'm glad we got the chance to get away from the big city and just relax as a family. We are definitely going back.

Meet Pete, the Frog. Brett caught him and Abby insisted we call him 'Pete.' We had a good time with Pete and then let him go back by the river. I am not quite sure if Pete felt as thrilled about the event as Abby did, as you can tell from the picture.

Laura kept comparing the river to the movie "Princess and the Frog". She decided to test out and see if Pete would turn into Prince Charming.

Daddy Totem Pole. He hiked like this for a while.

Sara and AJ kayaking on the river

Jordan and Brett caught seven Bass Fish in a matter of 2 hours. We ate them in the morning and they were really good.

Laura got a video of what it is like driving in our car. She didn't get the screaming part, but I'm glad she caught the giggles.

6 Months

Look who's already 6 months?!

Baby Kate is growing up way too fast. She is now sitting up with adorable 'thunder thighs'. This baby loves to be outside and part of the crowd. We will occasionally catch her and Abby playing 'peek-a-boo' on the floor and Kate will giggle as Abby hides her face and pops out to surprise her. It's fun to see the girls starting to play together, even though many times it ends with crying. Abby will either maul her too much or Kate will pull her hair.

Kate also loves to cuddle and will give the best wet kisses. These kisses often lead to her sucking on your cheek. My sister is now sporting an awesome hickey, thanks to Kate.

We just love this sweet baby.

Cute thighs

Baby blue eyes

Eating Solids. Never leave a baby alone with a dirty bib. It will come off and the food will get smeared everywhere.