what's that sound?

oh that?!?! its's the sound of me saying

HASTA LA VISTA 2009

at the top of my lungs!!!

i don't know how, but i just busted out all of the rest of the '09 posts. if you're keeping track, that's 10 posts since yesterday! so, if you haven't checked our blog at all this weekend, you will need to scroll all the way down to xmas eve and scroll up from there.

sorry for the overload, but i just HAD to get them done! and i'm not gonna lie...i'm feeling pretty stinkin' good about myself right now, so i'm just going to ignore the fact that i'm actually still a *whole month* behind. for now, i'm just going to revell in the joy of saying HASTA to 2009! :)

New Year's Rockin' Eve '09

Since we had our Pre New Year party with the whole gang earlier this week, we planned a low-key evening with the Bryce’s and the Scheer’s. We went over to Erin and Bobby’s house {so LP could go to bed in a timely fashion} to ring in 2010 – the NEW DECADE! Whoa!

Believe it or not, all of us had enough junk food in the past couple weeks, so we opted to make a yummo spaghetti dinner instead! I can’t remember the last time that “real food” tasted so good! And it was nothing fancy – just Ragu with the fixins! Bobby swears that Italian food just tastes better with Gina, our resident Italian, in the house! :)

The kids played for a bit after dinner while we decided whether or not to let then stay up until midnight. We ended up buckling to the kid-sized pressure and let them stay up! After they played for awhile, we got on jammies and turned on a movie for them, so the grown-up could have some fun of our own! We played Apples to Apples for the first time! We had heard it was a fun game, and were those rumors ever true! It’s definitely one that we’ll play again, many times I’m sure!

After we played Apples to Apples is when things started to get a little nutty. We were a tiny bit goofy to say the least. Gina and Bobby just recently got iPhones, so they were the topic of several convos and they were teaching each other about new apps! Bill even had to get in on the action…he played a few games and took a trademark goofball picture of himself and saved it as Gina’s wallpaper on her phone! I wore Bobby’s most favorite earrings…he thinks that they look like Aztec plates and enjoys making fun of me! So of course, we just had to take some pics to document our randomness AND to document the end of the decade. :)

The kiddos were super tired and ended up not making it to midnight Dallas time. They rang in the New Year with some sparkling grape juice, New York time, and then hit the hay! Gina and the kids headed out a few minutes before midnight so they wouldn’t be out with the crazy people! So we wished them a Happy Early New Year and Erin, Bobby, Bill and I rang in the New Year together! AND, we decided to just spend the night too so we wouldn’t have to wake the kiddos and drive home with the nuts!

SUCH a fun game!

The kiddos snuggled up to Shark Tale before it was time for the ball to drop!

I love this guy. We've celebrated 15 NYEs together now. Love him dearly.

Bobby wanted desperately to pose with the Aztec plates. What would I do without my second hubby to make fun of me? :)

Well...we had to get a pic of Gina and Bobby "bumping" their phones.

Sneaking in some game play on the iPhone!

I'm not exactly sure what BB was recording on the FlipCam. Probably some dorky behavior by the other 4 of us!

I think this cute boy was getting a little tired of the photo op.

But that didn't stop him from snatching the camera out of my hands! I was a big dork and posed for my hubby and Erin to test out the camera settings! YEA 2010! What can I say...I have issues.

We watched a little New Year's Rockin' Eve...

...and we were all nauseated by J.Lo's outfit. Wow.




We had a really fun, relaxing New Year’s Eve and spent it with some of our very people in the world! And, we started off 2010 together too … we all met for breakfast at Corner Bakery this morning! It was the perfect way to say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010! It’s going to be another fantastic year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy NOON Year!

My sweet friend, Cara, hosted a toddler-style New Years celebration yesterday! Cara seriously planned the cutest little NOON Year’s party with yummo food, blowers, hats…not to mention 22 kiddos and 15 mamas! It was a houseful of complete chaos, but it could not have been more fun! We even counted down to the NOON Year and attempted to take a group pic, which included all of us mamas singing Jingle Bells to try to get the kid's attention. There were lots of tears, a few escape attempts, and a room full of moms cracking up!

Macy and Carly were the oldest kiddos at the party, but they didn’t seem to mind! They had a blast hanging with all the littles and enjoyed being the “big kids”! Cara was an awesome hostess…I’m mean seriously...what a darn cute idea!

Carly and Landon had a bowling tournament, and I cracked up when I spotted Macy on this car. How crazy long do those legs look?!?!

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Happy NOON Year!

Here’s to an excellent twenty-ten!

Xmas with the Leonard 9

Tonight we headed over to JJ and Rebecca’s house for our annual holiday celebrating! I snuggled with Baby William … we ate a yummo dinner … I snuggled with Baby William … the girls played dress-up and destroyed the playroom … I snuggled with Baby William … Rebecca and I chatted at our always speedy rate … I snuggled with Baby William … Bill and JJ hung out in the Man Cave and acted manly … I snuggled with Baby William … the kiddos opened their gifts … and I snuggled with Baby William!

Did I mention that I snuggled with Baby William?

The little dude was fast asleep by the time the girls opened presents! Lucky for William, he has two sissies that were willing to bust open his present for him! :)

Wish we would have taken this cousin pic before YumYum was nigh-night, but it sure did turn out CUTIE! Next time all 5 cousins will be in the pic!



We had an absolute ball…and that’s a wrap on present opening ’09! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family! I’m thrilled that these 5 cousins get to grow up together side-by-side! :)

PRE.NYE!

Chris, Kynda, and Bailey Boy are in town again spreading a little holiday cheer! {I could get used to this – they’ve been home 3 times in the last month!} So, in honor of the holidays AND a visit from the Olson’s, Nathan and Jill planned a little pre New Years gathering last night! Unfortunately, Sweet Allie got RSV, so we had to move locations! We headed to Casa de Bryce so Bailey and Landry could go to bed on time. We were missing the Scheers too, because Gina wasn’t feeling so hot either! We sure did have fun, but it would have been even better if all our peeps were there! Our night included wolfing down an obscene amount of delicious junk food, watching the kiddos run wild, and playing our own version of The Newlywed Game!

I did not take many pics at all. In fact, I only took a handful. And they were only of the guys. But, I did steal a pic that Erin snapped of the kiddos in the kitchen during din-din. I will say that the pics I managed to take of the dorks dudes are pretty darn funny! Kinda like the evening as a whole! We had a blast as always…it was the perfect PRE NYE celebration, well minus the sickies of course! :)

Happy PRE.NYE!

MORE Powder!

Yesterday is snowed AGAIN!!! This is record weather in Dallas. I can't remember the last time it snowed one time in December, let alone THREE! Crazy! Bill and Macy ran to the store during Carly's nap and when they got home, Bill took some pics of Macy frolicking in the flakes...

Although this round of powder didn't stick for long, it sure is turning out to be a memorable SNOWY month of December!

Our Annual Holiday Visitor...

Since Greg was in town for a several days, we were able to spend most of Monday with him, in addition to our visit on Christmas night! Whenever Greg’s in town, we always go to Campisi’s for lunch {he doesn’t have it in Cali and it’s a fave of his}. We love Campisi’s, so we’re always happy to oblige! So we headed to lunch, went and walked around the mall, and just hung out for a little while. Then, Carly needed a snooze, I had to work, and Greg had to go and swap cars with his aunt and his sister. BUT, he came back over a couple hours later and we made dinner {steak on the grill and steamed asparagus – yum} and spent the evening playing Scrabble {a BillJodiGreg tradition}. Unfortunately for the boys, I dominated! NICE! And of course, we snapped some pics of our fun!

This goon is not exactly what you would call technology savvy. He asked me to take a picture of him for his Facebook profile and I loaded it for him too! Not too shabby, huh?!

I insisted on taking a pic of Bill, Greg, and me because it's been YEARS since we've taken one. So we self-timered it. This was Bill's test shot. Don't we look into it!

Ahhhhh.....that's better! I for one am glad to have an updated shot with these two dorks!

Jodi + Scrabble =

WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

We did get some help from the little mamas!

Uncle Greg and the girls - these two adore him and always have! He's as goofy as they come, but he's most definitely part of the family!

Greg is one of the good ones...a goofy, loyal, nutty, hysterical, kind, loony, lifelong friend. We had a great time hangin with him! We just wish he'd move his tush back to Dallas already!

30 Degrees, 1 Hour, and 150 Pictures

After Princess and the Frog and a nap, Bill decided to take the kids outside to play so Macy could test out her new scooter and Carly could cruise around on her big wheel! There is still snow on the ground and the temp was in the 30s today, but that didn’t stop them! They played outside for close to an hour and had a complete blast in spite of the cold, Bill took 150 pictures, and by the time they got back, the girls were rosy-cheeked with ice cold little hands! Now that’s what I call a great afternoon! So without further ado, here are my faves out of the 150…

30 . 1 . 150

23 faves.

Silence is Golden...

Today was a special treat {especially for Carly Anne} … we went to see The Princess and the Frog at the movie theater – Carly’s very first time ever! :) We fed the girls a light lunch {so they’d have plenty of room for popcorn and a few Skittles} and squeezed the movie in before nap! And as if popcorn and Skittles weren’t enough, we got them each some fruit punch, which is an extremely rare treat!

The Princess and the Frog was a really cute movie – a definite must-see! The girls thoroughly enjoyed it … and we did too! Carly thought her first trip to the movies was FANtastic and she just loved every minute! I really think that as much as our girls love the movies, they would have sat there for an entire second movie if we’d let them! :) They come by it naturally. Bill and I are huge movie lovers and used to go all.the.time before we had these two nutty kiddos! Knowing that the girls share our love for the cinema makes it that much more special a family time!

Waiting patiently for Daddy to buy the tickets.

Is it just me or does standing by this sign make Macy look way big and Carly look way little?!?!

These girls got their snack ON! Macy finished the entire bag of popcorn all by herself, and Carly ate almost all of hers too! And they both had red grins from the fruit punch! :)

Can't wait until next time...

HO, HO, HO...Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning was particularly exciting this year – for two reasons. The first being that we had a WHITE Christmas, and the second being that the girls were totally OVER THE MOON thrilled! They woke us up just before 7:30am, with their little eyes twinkling! Bill and I could feel their excitement as they opened their gifts from Santa! And of course, Santa did not disappoint…he brought Macy a pink scooter and he brought Carly a pony for Mulan! AND…he also brought the girls two little dwarf frogs in their very own habitat. They are the cutest things you ever did see, and the perfect addition to our family! {That Santa knows how to pick a good pet – they eat twice a week and their house only has to be cleaned twice a year! NICE!} The girls decided to name them Nick and Holly – holiday names! :) After Santa’s goodies were taken care of, the girls opened all of their presents from us! Once again, their joy was totally contagious and we were loving every minute of watching them open their gifts! Tons of pics were snapped of their happy faces! My favorite part of Christmas is stockings, and this year the girls really seemed to enjoy them as well! They loved all the goodies! AND in the middle of the destruction, they each took turns jumping in all the wrapping paper! It was a really fun morning for all 4 of us.

Once we were all showered and ready, we headed over to Bill’s mom for brunch at noon and more presents! It’s always a fun and relaxing part of the day … all 20+ of us in Grandma’s house! We were missing Emily and Spencer this year – they were in Hawaii since SMU made it to the Hawaii Bowl for football, and they flew back on Christmas morning! What an awesome reason to be gone, but we sure missed them! Anyway…after our bellies were full and presents were opened, the kiddos braved the cold and watched the boys play a little basketball {a Xmas tradition...even when it's 30 degrees!} and the women-folk stayed inside by the fire and drank hot cider and gabbed! Fun, fun, FUN! We did have some unfortunate camera malfunctions when we were trying to get our annual group pic, so the one we ended up that wasn’t totally blurry has Kevin’s head cut off! We’ll have to try again at Easter! HA!

For the rest of the day we just let the kiddos hang out and play with all their new stuff! As always, Greg was in town for the holidays, so he came over and spent the evening with us! We had junk food appetizers for dinner and just hung out! Uncle Greg started a tradition for Macy’s first Christmas and got her an ornament. It’s something the girls look so forward to, and are always thrilled with what he picks out for them! We chatted and laughed, played with the kids, and snuggled the doggies…it was the perfect way to end a FUN and WHITE Christmas!!!

Evidence...cookie and carrot crumbs...Santa WAS here!

Santa left the girls loot in plain sight - right in front of the ottoman!

SCORE!

And the newest members of the fam ... our froggies, Nick and Holly!

Macy took a peek out the window at the snow...

...and Carly headed right back to the gifts! HA!

Let the opening begin!

Carly was loving everything that she opened! Her jewelry box was a hit and she LOVED her Barbie cruise ship and Corvette! And another fave was a Groovy Girl doll with her very own bed!

Macy's most favorite gift of the day was an iPod! The girl is IN LOVE! She hasn't put it down since! Macy loved all her stuff too! She got a bed and a salon chair {with styling stuff} for Reagan, her American Girl. She definitely hit the jackpot!

Stocking time!

{A survey of the damage.}

I mean seriously. This is actually SNOW. On CHRISTMAS! I still can't believe it!

Oh, and our tree has finally turned red. In December. Finally. Living in Texas can be an oxymoron at times. :)

Did.not.put.it.down.

This is how we left things when it was time to head to Grandma's...an explosion, except for the dollies tucked into their beds!

Present time at Grandma's house!

Cute cousins, MG and Paige!

Yep. This is the best we managed! Poor Kevin...we gotta have a redo!

And the very best gifts of all ... Goose and Peanut. Oh how I adore these two little girls. Really, *love* is an understatement. We are crazy blessed and hope that you enjoyed the holiday as much as we did! HO, HO, HO!

12.24.09

We had an extremely relaxing and fun Christmas Eve this year. First and foremost, Daddy started his ELEVEN DAY vacation, which is nothing short of pure bliss and the perfect way to spend the holidays! Having Daddy home with us all day every day is FANtastic.

So, Christmas Eve was a little special this year because it was SNOWING! Yep, snowing in Dallas on Christmas Eve! A shocking and wonderful surprise! I’ve lived here for almost 19 years now and never have we had a WHITE Christmas! We spent the day vegging in our comfy clothes and looking out the window marveling at the snow. Then, after Carly’s nap, we headed out to play in it! After only a few hours there was actually snow on the ground!

Wanna know how long we lasted outside playing in the snow? 3.5 minutes. I’m totally serious. It was the fastest snow experience ever! The wind was brutal! It was the kind that just shoots right through you and takes your breath away. In fact, Carly was so “told” that she was out there with us for approximately 50 seconds. Again, I’m totally serious. She burst into tears and ran back into the house because it was “way too told!”. We couldn’t help but laugh! Macy managed to make it the full 3.5 minutes though – just long enough to taste a few snowflakes and throw a few snowballs at her Daddy!

After we came inside, we immediately started our tradition of making gingerbread houses. The girls sampled a few several pieces of candy while Bill and I put the houses together. Then, while the frosting was hardening, we headed to the kitchen to make pizza {I think this might just become a new Xmas Eve tradition}. By the time we stuck the pizzas in the oven, the frosting was hard enough to begin the decorating! The girls each had their own little house to decorate this year and they turned out adorable! I love to see their imaginative sides shining through – Carly’s house was very organized and orderly, and Macy’s was colorful and creative – which completely reflects their personalities! The girls were giggly and giddy while they were decorating…and they got done just as the pizzas were coming out of the oven!

Once we gobbled up our yummy dinner, Macy baked some cookies for Santa. While the cookies were baking, it was time to open the traditional Christmas Eve presents. This year, I started a new tradition that I’ve always loved…Christmas JAMMIES! The girls were DEEEElighted! Then, my 3 favorite people opened their ornaments, which were also a hit! The girls put on their new nightgowns, wrote a letter to Santa, and put out the treats for Santa and his reindeer! Macy was in charge of the cookies and Carly was in charge of the carrots!

Since the girls were sporting their cutie new nightgowns and fuzzy boots, we decided to have a quick sissy photo shoot before we moved onto our next tradition – looking at Christmas lights! It was a little questionable this year if we were actually going to be able to go and look at Christmas lights because the roads were totally icy! Luckily, our traditional spot is just around the corner, so we risked it and headed out! Can’t spoil a tradition after all! And, this neighborhood we go to is literally “known” for the light displays and is always crazy crowded. It usually takes about an hour and a half to get through the whole neighborhood. This year, there was almost no one crazy enough to be out looking at lights with us, so it only took about 50 minutes from start to finish! AND…this year, Carly actually enjoyed herself! She didn’t ask to go home until we were almost done (lots better than the 2 minutes it took last year!). We loved the twinkling lights surrounded by SNOW! It was awesome!

To wrap up our relaxing and fun day, Bill read the girls The Night Before Christmas, our final Xmas Eve tradition. It was a really great day from beginning to end! I love that our day is full of traditions that the girls remember from year to year….and I love that we are creating lasting memories for them.

The day started off like this.

And slowly we had more and more sticking.

And before long, everything was covered in a blanket of white.

Annnd...done. "Way too told!"

A few snowballs and we were all back inside!

A most excellent 3.5 minutes. HA!

Time to get our decorating on!

The girls sampled while Bill and I assembled...before we headed off to make PIZZA!

YUM!

Back to decorating!

Cutest little gingerbread village EVER!

Chef Macy made some cookies for St. Nick!

Christmas Eve presents for my favorite 3!

A special treat for Santa and his reindeer!

Time to go look at lights!

I don't think that they could be more polka dotty OR adorable! Love them to bits!

I still can't believe we had this much snow on the ground on Christmas Eve! WOW!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

BLS Holiday Cookies and Gift Exchange!

Last night we went to the Bryce’s house for a little holiday gathering … Bryce.Leonard.Scheer style! For years now, we have been decorating holiday cookies and exchanging gifts with our peeps, and this year we added a sleepover into the mix! Such a great way to kick off our holiday break!

After the kids played for awhile…and the mamas chatted…and the daddies left to go to hang with their buddies…it was time for a little dinner! A PICNIC dinner in the family room! The kiddos dined on some mac-n-cheese, while the mamas devoured some Chili's JUNK FOOD!!! Yum! Annnnd, the kiddos got to watch the adorable new Disney Christmas show, Prep and Landing, while they ate! What a treat!

Once they were done with all that picnic/movie fun, it was time for some COOKIE DECORATING! This is a tradition that all the kids look forward to, and this time Landry was old enough to get in on the action! Erin and I made the decision to leave the icing white this time {we usually dye it, but to save time opted to skip they dying process}. At first the kids were a tad annoyed at the white frosting, but quickly got creative with the colored Christmas sprinkles and busted out some cookie masterpieces!

Now as I mentioned, this year LP was old enough to participate in all the cookie decorating lovin’! This of course resulted in her being covered in icing {not to mention the mac-n-cheese she had for dinner}! So, Erin dumped her in the tub, and Gina and I had the big kiddos clean up and get on their jammies! When all that was taken care of, it was time for the gift exchange!!! The kids were giddy with anticipation over the gifts…hootin’ and hollerin’!

Well…us mommies decided that before we started unwrapping, we’d take a group pic of the kiddos. So they all sat down and got ready to cheeze for the camera! Somehow in the shuffle, Carly didn’t get to sit by Macy {which is the EVER-COVETED position for just about any given thing}, which of course caused her to break down in tears. I asked her to sit by Anna and this is what unfolded…

"Yes Carly, this position DOES make the perfect picture! Thank you for cooperating!"

"Carly Anne...if you do not stop pouting, you will not get to open a present!"


"Quite possibly the most devilish smile ever, but I'll take it...better than nothing!"

"Ahhhh...there's my girl and her killer smile! But a bit too late - Landry already decided to copy your little fit!"

Alllll-righty then. This is the best one we got. Don't you just love cooperative toddlers!!! Oh well...moving on to PRESENTS!

Like the doorbell ringing at Halloween, we opened presents from youngest to oldest!

Up first...LANDRY PAIGE!

Grayson drew her name this year and gave her some "color wonder-like" stamps and a bath tub for her baby dolls full of all the necessary bathing essentials!

Next up...CARLY ANNE!

Ashton drew Carly's name and gave her some of those stamps like Landry's AND a set of Cinderella figurines!

ANNA ELIZABETH'S turn!

Landry drew Anna's name and gave her an adorable Princess and the Frog nightgown!

Present time for MACY GWYNNE!

Anna drew Macy's name and gave her the Girl's Rock CD {full of all the latest hits}!!!

Next in line...GRAYSON THOMAS!

Macy drew Grayson's name and got him a football book written by the Manning boys!

And last but not least...ASHTON RALEY!

Carly drew Ashton's name and got her the new Selena Gomez CD! Just look at that excitement!


The kids had a ball opening their gifts! These kiddos have the most special bond! It's a joy to see just how much they love each other!

After Landry was in bed, the big kids played games for awhile before it was their turn to hit the sack! Miss Gina and the kids headed home. Bill and I stuck around until the girls fell asleep {which didn't end up happening until 11pm} because I needed to get some presents wrapped!

The next morning, I went to pick the girls up and we headed to Einstein's to meet Miss Gina and the kiddos for breakfast! The breakfast was YUMMY as always, but the company was even better! These six kids have my heart and just when I think I couldn't love them anymore, I do! I mean just look at those cheezeballs...how can I resist!




This was one FUN cookie decorating, gift exchanging, sleepover extravaganza! Now...let the holidays begin!!! :)

He's Makin' a List...Checkin' It Twice!

Since Carly’s birthday celebrating had come to a close, we decided it was time to pay the big guy in red a visit! Today, we headed to the North Pole on the Polar Express to see Santa Clause himself!

For the first time, BOTH girls were super duper excited to go and chat with Santa! He arrived at noon, so we got there a bit early to get in line and were surprised to discover that several other people had the same plan that we did! We were a ways back {not too far, but far enough}, so we decided to let the girls have a picnic in line while we waited! Daddy packed Carly a yummy lunch, and Macy chose Sonic to eat! It was kind of fun to have a “walking picnic”…shortly after they started eating, the line started to move! :) They finished just as we got to the front of the line, so it worked out perfectly!

Once again, the Polar Express display did not disappoint! The snow globes were awesome and the girls were happy to “drive” the train again! The only thing missing this year was the snow … the snow machine was broken! But, the girls didn’t seem to mind! They were so enamored by the rest of the experience, that I don’t even think they missed the snow!

When it was our turn, Macy and Carly both hopped up onto Santa’s lap! Macy asked for a pink scooter and Carly asked for Mulan’s purple horse! Santa asked if they had been good this year and told then that they are very pretty girls, which just made their day! After they chatted for a minute, we got an adorable picture on the FIRST TRY! What a difference a year makes! The girls were nothing short of totally thrilled with the entire visit with the big guy! Man oh man…there is just nothing better than magic!

For a special treat, we went to the candy story to grab some dessert for our little girlies! Bill and I didn’t participate in the walking picnic, so we grabbed a quick bite and the girls ate their dessert! They were literally glowing with excitement over their chat with Santa! It was the perfect way to wrap up a really fun weekend!

If you look closely at this ornament, you'll see Carly Anne!

One last pic before it was our turn!

Can you believe we got this cute shot on the FIRST try??? :) HO, HO, HO!

The girls and their Polar Express train tickets ... all you have to do is believe.
I love this magical time of year!

And the Birthday Fun Continues...

Carly’s day was jam-packed full of birthday fun! After all her guests left, it was time for a 4 year old photo shoot with our sweet girl! She put on her Cinderella dress from Aunt Rebecca, Uncle JJ, and the kiddos, as well as her Ariel jewelry from Daphne, the minute everyone was out the door and didn’t take it off until it was time to leave for dinner! Seemed like the perfect ensemble for a photo shoot!

Daddy had a top secret birthday mission to take care of, so while he did that, the girls and I put together the GIANT 5’ jungle puzzle that Mason gave her at her party. Seriously…it’s the biggest puzzle I’ve ever seen! Daddy finished his mission just in time to snap a picture of Carly and me with the gigantor puzzle!

THEN…it was present time AGAIN! Carly was super excited to open more gifts – this time from Mommy, Daddy, and Sissy! She was full of awesome facial expressions again, and loved everything! I think that her favorite gift was the laundry room for her doll house that Macy gave her! That doll house is her most prized possession after all!

Once Carly finished opening her gifts, we told her that we had one more surprise for her {which was the top secret mission that Daddy had been working on}! It was in her room and was it ever a huge surprise…her very own PINK CASTLE! Carly squealed with delight when she opened the door and found it! The castle got bumped in to first place for Carly’s favorite present this year! It’s perfect for snuggling up to read stories or to play pretend! It really is just the cutest thing ever! Later yesterday afternoon, Carly came up to Bill, gave him a big hug, and said, “Thank you for my tastle, Daddy…I love it!”

After lunch and a little playtime, Bill read the girls a story in her castle and it was naptime all around. Well, sort of anyway. Everyone in the house took a nap EXCEPT the birthday girl! She was too excited to sleep and actually woke us up just in time for some more birthday fun – dinner with Mimi, Paps, and Uncle Dude {Grandma couldn’t make it because she has a nasty cold}!

We headed to Chili’s for din-din {the bday girl’s choice}! While we were waiting for our food, Carly opened MORE presents and was as excited as ever! In between gobbling chips and salsa, grilled chicken, and french fries…Carly was full of smiles and giggles, and was having a ball at her birthday dinner!

And who says you have to have cake on your birthday? Since Carly’s still not a huge fan, we went to Pacuigo for ice cream, which seems to be becoming a birthday tradition in our house! We sang to our littlest girl, she made a birthday wish, and chowed down on her ice cream! It was so nice to see her having such fun…our little Bixie could not stop smiling! And to top off the night, my parents and brother came back to our house for a bit to take a peek at Carly’s castle and hang a little longer! She could hardly wait to show everyone her royal quarters! :)

Unfortunately, I spaced and forgot to get any pics of my parents and bro with the bday girl! BUGGER! We did remember to take a couple pictures of us with Carly before she went to bed, but I’m still disappointed that I forgot to take some of her with Mimi, Paps, and Uncle Dude!

Overall, I think that Carly had a 4th birthday to remember! She definitely had a busy day that was full of fun from beginning to end! I’m literally blown away that she is already FOUR, but I’m so glad that I got to see all that joy in her eyes! Carly was definitely more excited about this birthday than any other so far, so it was really fantastic to live it through her!

Oh how I adore this 4 year old face.



Isn't it HUGE?


Time for presents...

So stinkin' cute!

WOW!!! My very own totally awesome pink castle!!!

FOUR YEARS OLD!!!

Onto a special birthday dinner at Chili's...

...with MORE presents!

Carly loved all her goodies!

Singing, a birthday wish, and ICE CREAM! Yes!

Big sis, MGL, was loving her ice cream, too!

We couldn't wipe that smile off her widdle face if we tried!

At the risk of sounding redundant, I just cannot believe that I have a 4 year old! It seems almost impossible that she is that old. Wasn't she just born??? But at the same time, I can't even remember what our life was like without her! She definitely completed our family 4 years ago, but it just blows my mind how quickly time passes with your second kiddo! WHOA!

Happy, Happy 4th Birthday,

Carly Anne!

We adore you from head to toe, you sweet little love!

Polka Dots and Donut Holes!

Yesterday was a big day for Carly Anne! Not only was it her 4th birthday, it was her PARTY, as well! Sometimes it's just more fun to have your party on your actual birthday right?! Last spring I saw a post in blogland about a donut party for a toddler. Well, right then I decided that was going to be the theme of Carly's party this year - for two reasons. First, Carly LOVES her some donut holes. I mean loves them. AND she can put them away like it's nobody's business. Second, due to her dairy allergy, our little Peanut is not a huge fan of cake. I've made her one every year and every year, it doesn't get eaten. It's not that I mind making it and it getting wasted...I just want her to have something on her birthday that she really enjoys. SO...a donut party was the perfect solution. {And of course, like so many other times in our life, Paige and I had the same idea...she wanted to do a donut party for Jagger this year too! So our little punkins had the same kind of party 3 weeks apart! HA! It worked out perfectly for me because she went first so I could pick her brain about how many donuts to order, etc! :)}

So, we planned Carly's party for 9:30am on her birthday and there were two rules...come in your jammies and be ready to eat breakfast! :) And that's just what everyone did! We surprised Carly when she woke up with some special "4" jammies and she was SO excited! She couldn't wait to show them off to her guests and to gobble up some donuts with her friends!

Once {almost} everyone had arrived, we kicked things off by singing to our favorite 4 year old! Then everyone had some donuts and fruit! AND...we served the kids hot chocolate, which was a big hit! Bill even made coffee for the grown-ups {something he said that he wanted to go through his whole life and never do...somehow exceptions get made for your 4 year old!}

After breakfast, I had the "little kids" decorate a chef hat while the "big kids" played, and then they traded! The hats were adorable and the kids had fun being creative...especially with markers! And then, when the kiddos were done being crafty, it was time for Carly to open her presents. And as always, Carly busted out her signature "SUPER EXCITED" present opening faces, which we completely adore! She was having a ball and was tickled with all of her goodies!

The party seemed to go by quickly and I think that Carly had a ball with her friends! I sure enjoyed planning this one...even with Paige's donut ordering suggestions, we still ended up with a TON of donuts left over! It was hard to judge just how many the adults and kiddos would eat, but oh well...Bill looked like boss of the year the next day when he rolled in with donuts for his staff! :) Since the party ended at 11:30am, we had the whole day ahead of us with our birthday girl! More to come on her day full of fun...

Yep...you're, once again, looking at the INSANE handiwork of my sweet friend, Cara! I swear she has more talent in her pinky than I have in my WHOLE body! Check out her website to see all of her adorable personalized stuff!

I can't believe that this is a FOURTH birthday cake!

Bill asked Carly how old she was when she woke up and she said she was 3. He said, "You're not 4?" and she said, "No, I not 4 until my friends sing to me!" HA! I love that little brain! So according to the bday girl, she turned 4 at this moment...when we were all singing to her!

How cute is this dude? Forget the donuts...I wanted to gobble William up!

I sure love this little cutie in her special birthday jammies!

Present time!

See that shy smile...Carly Anne was saying "thank you" to all her friends for all her fun gifts!

All that was left of the cake.

So. I totally flaked and didn't take a group pic before a few people had left! DING DONG! I didn't think about it until Carly's 3 friends from school had already slipped out! Carly was tickled to pass out her donut hole party favors! I just wish that I would have remember to take a group shot before she started passing them out! So this was the best one I got of the kids rockin' their chef hats...





Carly had a sweet time at her donut birthday party! She was excited about it for months beforehand, and I think that it lived up to her expectations!