Grandmum and Pop Pop's Arrival and Lily's 8th Birthday

Ben's parents came to visit us and are still here.  We told the kids that they would be arriving on Friday the 17th, but of course they were actually coming on Thursday.  So when they drove up in our driveway it took them a second to register what was going on, but then they were so excited and didn't calm down for the rest of the night.

The kiddos picked some of our roses and gladiolas, stuck them in a bowl of water, and made this pretty flower arrangement.  I really liked it!

Playing in the water before Ella's swim lesson.

Skyler (in his swimsuit) playing in a cardboard box.  We received some huge shipments full of food storage and it came in 4 big boxes.  Each kid decorated his/her own.  They've been playing with them for days.

This year I have refused to plan any birthday parties.  Lily and Skyler are celebrating their birthdays this year by going to a water park with Ben and me one day this summer.  But I told them they could choose one restaurant to go to and one fun activity on their actual birthday.  Lily chose Krispy Kreme for breakfast and then we went to Pullen Park.

How is she 8?????

How is she 8????

This little cutie loves both of his grandpas.  

I will have you know that this was the first time at Pullen Park where we didn't have a single child freak out over riding the carousel or train.  It was also our first time without a stroller.  It was a perfect day.

HOW IS SHE 8????????

She's. 8. Years. Old.

A very Ella-ish pose.

It's sort of magical how lilies are always in bloom for Lily's birthday.  Almost the entire train ride looked like this.

"Lily!  Lily!  Look!  I'm riding with one hand!  On a tiger!!!!"

3 generations of handsomeness.

Some pretty Chinese purses from Grandmum and Pop Pop.

While we were at Costco looking adult coloring books, Lily asked if she could get one for her birthday.  She chose a Harry Potter one.  Ben and I felt so much pride it was almost tangible.  Although, I have to say this:  Lily is old enough to read Harry Potter now, but I'm holding her back.  I'm not going to let her read it for a couple more years so that she can fully understand everything that happens in the books.  I plan on letting her live in her room for a solid month while she reads away.

She chose this chocolate mousse cake.  2 pounds of chocolate mousse on it.  It's going to take us forever to eat this sucker.  

May all your birthday dreams come true, Miss Lil!

We are so proud of Lily.  She is the perfect child to have been born first.  I'm so thankful she eased me into parenthood and has made it easy ever since.  She is gifted academically and spiritually.  I am so grateful to be her mom.  We are looking forward to her baptism on July 2nd.

Cisco Family Day

Cisco just had a family day with lots of fun and games and food.  Ben had the great idea of getting there before it was supposed to start and so the kids got to start the games while everybody was just sitting there waiting for it to start.  Before most people even arrived the kids scored a bunch of stuffed animals and other prizes.

Love Lily's hair.

The mist fan was just as much fun to them as other games and bouncy houses.

These pictures never get old.  And yes, Ben's sporting his annual beard.  He grows it out once a year to get his "beard fix" and calls it good for the rest of the year.  It's been over a month since he started and he's been maintaining it really well this year instead of letting it get long and bushy.

The kiddos had their faces painted.  The face painters weren't nearly as good as what my friend Jandy can do, but meh, it was fun for them.

A butterfly, shark, lion, and princess.

We waited in line and saw person after person failing this game.  Lily and Skyler went up and gave it their best shot and still walked away with nothing.  Then Ben went up, scored 5 out of 6 shots, and we walked away with a prize.  We were so excited!  The perks of having a huge husband!

We made catapults out of popsickle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons and shot marshmallows across the room.  Lily's hit me all the way against the back wall.

Lego's are a big deal in this family.  So when the kids saw the table full of them, they went running.  And when I say "kids" I mean the kids and Ben.

(I got Ben this lego Millenium Falcon for Father's Day and he finished it in 2 days.  It has 1300 pieces.  Crazy man).

We ended the day with ice cream and lunch (in that order) and then went home to await Grandmum and Pop Pop's arrival.

Lily's Ballet Recital

I love this time of year.  It means I get to see Lily dance in her recital.  And if there's something I never get tired of, it's watching my kids perform whether it's ballet or soccer.  

Once you turn 7, you no longer perform on the little stage in the Holly Springs Cultural Center, you start performing at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium -- which if I was her age, I would be completely wowed and blown away.  Needless to say, when I told her she'd be dancing where we went to see the NC Symphony and the Carolina Ballet, she was thrilled.

Her class danced to the song "Strong" from the new Cinderella movie.  I love that song so much now that I've listened to it a hundred million times.  I don't always listen to the words when I hear music, but this one really speaks to me.

I snapped all these pictures at dress rehearsal.  All the moms in the crowd just melted when Lily's class of little Cinderellas walked out.  I have to say how connected I feel with other dance moms.  Whether your daughter is 7 or 17, we all get it.  We all just beam with pride as we watch our girls doing what they love.  It's a special camaraderie we all share. 

Lily's recital was fantastic.  Her classed performed second in an over 2 hour recital.  Surprisingly enough, the kids behaved great and Thad was especially intrigued the whole time.  

While Lily was performing I glanced over at Ben and totally caught him crying.  Let it be known that watching little girls dancing does wonders to anyone's emotions.  There was another performance that made my mom and I completely break down as well.  We wished my dad could have been there but he was sick.  We also wished Ben's parents could have been there but they'll get their own private performance when they visit this month.

After the recital was done we went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner.  Lily was still in her costume and she was more than pleased with all the strangers who would come up to her to ask about her castle or would call her "Your Highness."  

Do they have to grow????

Memorial Day Weekend

We decided to devote Memorial Day weekend to camping in the backyard.  With that comes a dinner cooked over the fire.  We invited Lily and Skyler's best friend, Aanya, to come over and participate since she was soon going to be staying with her mom in India for a month.

After we sent Aanya across the street to go home, we settled in our 10 man tent which perfectly holds our 6 cots.  We read A Light in the Attic by lantern and then turned out the light.  Our tent is so cool.  The entire roof is made out of the same material as the windows so we all watched the stars as we fell asleep.  I even saw a shooting star!  It was pretty fabulous.  Although if we're going to be honest, Thad kept us all up and was the last to fall asleep because he was so enthralled with everything.

"I see a star!"

"I see a firefly!"

"I see another star!"

"I see a plane!"

"I see another star!!!!!!!!"

I was very grateful that I brought earplugs.

Then the girls and I woke up before 6 shivering because it was freezing cold.  Ben didn't even have his upper body covered and was as happy as a clam.  Lily, Ella, and I went inside to warm up with huge blankets while I checked the temperature.  Sure enough, it had gotten dangerously cold -- 60 degrees.  I'm not lying when I say I get cold easily.  Despite the cold and the very talkative Thad, I'm grateful we did it.  The kids had a blast.  We're planning a few more camping experiences this summer, one of which will be at the Outer Banks right on the beach.