It Began with a BBFT: 2014

The annual fall birthday bash. Year 6

Posted on 7:33 AM - by Heather

Halloween is in 3 days so I figured I should squeeze in my post on the twins birthday before Thanksgiving rolls around. We had our annual fall birthday bonanza for Grace and Lydia who turned 6 this year. It is hard to believe they are 6. The age of 6 launches you full on into the school years which definitely have a different feel. Hopefully we can leave the tantrums about opening doors or pushing elevator buttons behind us but I am a little sad about the little years behind. Good thing we have Jack and Ben who are full on wallowing in them so I guess I am good.

We had a fun and crazy party with the girls friends and a bunch of our friends (it's still about us a little right?) and a giant chaotic bounce house. As always it was a great time and the weather was perfect (September has to be the most glorious month).

Lydia was told she wasn't allowed to go on the bounce house (and that was my plan--to follow the doctor's rules) so we got her a piñata to bash in all on her own as a consolation prize. She was pretty determined to bust that thing open on her own using only a broom handle but in the end Ryan had to help out a little before the cascade of candy rained down. I ended up letting Lydia bounce on the bounce house anyhow (what was she going to do? break her arm and have to have it set? done and done) when there were minimal kids on it so she wouldn't kill anyone with her rock of a cast but we did have to drag her out a few times when it was packed so I was happy she had the piñata for some bonus fun.

At age 6 present time is still a frenzy of ripping and squealing while I frantically try to write down who gave what and make sure they send a thank you in the right direction. They love it but it stresses me out.

One of my favorite things about this year were the cards from their friends. We are in the learning to write stage and loving to draw and color so the cards are pretty awesome. I had to capture them in pics of course because they are just so adorable.

They had a "Frozen" themed cake of course since this year is just Frozen insanity for any girl (or child for that matter--the only song Jack knows how to sing is "Let it Go") from the age of 1-12. Their presents had a definite essence of Frozen as well with Elsa being the clear favorite.

All in all it was a success and a good time had by all.

The Birthday girls

Present Frenzy!

AuntYaya checking out G's first loose tooth

Waiting to nail the pinata--we let her keep her eyes open since she already was at a disadvantage.

The candy scramble

The Awesome cards

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The second break (Lydia again)

Posted on 8:45 AM - by Heather

Last year Lydia celebrated her 5th birthday with her right arm in a cast. It was disappointing for multiple obvious reasons but also we had arranged to rent a bounce house for the party that she didn't really get to enjoy. So this year we decided to rent a bounce house again for their party to make it up to her. We were in the 2 week count down and then it happened. The dreaded monkey bars.

I totally respect the monkey bars. I always have. The girls started attempting the monkey bars about a year ago and I have done my fair share of hovering (and I am not typically a hoverer) and have hollered at Ryan many times to do the same because when I see a school aged kid at work with a bad break, 9 times out of 10 it is from those darn monkey bars. It totally snuck up on me though--they were doing so well so I kind of got lazy and then bam! broken arm. We were enjoying one of the last warm days of summer and rode up to the neighborhood park for a family bike ride. We saw our neighbors and stopped to say hi. The kids made a beeline for the playground and not 5 minutes later Lydia was laying flat on her back and screaming "I broke my arm again!" So I ran home in flip flops to get the van and made our way to the urgent care. She was taken care of quickly and was soon in narcotic la-la land which for Lydia meant comfort as well as extreme chattiness (even more than normal). She felt much better in a splint and chirped loudly as we were exiting the urgent care via the very full waiting room"good thing you work here mom or we would still be waiting here with all these people!"

The adventure was not yet over though because her fracture was out of place and needed to be set while under sedation by an orthopedic specialist. So the next morning I loaded up a bag with books and electronics and set off for the emergency room. Prior to leaving the house she said, "don't forget your wallet mom, this is going to be expensive." Yes, Lyds, I imagine so. I tried to be thoughtful and I bought her a couple of much sought after frozen toys as her reward for surviving her IV without a fit and realized that little mini dolls with clip on dresses aren't the best present for a kid who has one arm in a splint and an IV in the other. Regardless the day went pretty smoothly. She happily talked with anyone who darkened our door including telling the orthopedic specialists she was disappointed that they did not have purple and "you really need to have more than one girl color here." She also coined a new Lydia phrase for the day which was "well that would really be 'WAH-wuh' and made a noise much like losing a video game. I have no idea where she came up with that but it was pretty entertaining.

Although she was annoyed at the situation she handled it pretty well. She was showered with love and attention and even a few cast gifts for her misfortune (my mom sent her a copy of the book "Alexander and the terrible, horrible no good very bad day").

So, all that to say, Lydia spent her 6th birthday and birthday party with a cast on her left arm this time. Yes, we still got the bounce house (I already had a deposit down) and she even bounced in it a little when mainly her sibs and cousins were in it so as not to maim a non relative with her rock hard cast
.

So it begs the question for next year. Bounce house or not? I might just leave that one up to Lydia.

Lydia with her ER entertainment--ipad, dolls she could only look at and of course her Sneetch

Post sedation Lydia

Proudly displaying her cast at her birthday party.

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A year of Battles Birthdays--my birthday catch up

Posted on 8:47 AM - by Heather

I sat down to write a post about the twins 6th birthday but as I looked back at my list of posts I realized that I never wrote one about their 5th birthday or Jack's 1st birthday (really?, forgot to do that one?) or Ben's third birthday. Since this blog is basically for future Heather to relive these little years I need to include those to have a sense of completion.

So here it is, a year in birthdays.

Grace and Lydia's 5th birthday

We had their annual backyard birthday bash (and let me put a plug in here for September birthdays or weddings for that matter--we have never had anything but perfect weather) and this year we rented a bounce house. I don't really want to be that parent with an over the top birthday but I have my reasons for the bounce house. Hear me out. The girls are still at the age that we can have a kid/parent party and since their friends' parents are also our close friends the party is just a big bash for kids and adults alike. So, the bounce house A. keeps the kids happy and out of the parents hair B. keeps me from having to plan and implement party games and C. Is truly a blast for the kids and the adults. win-win-win. This was our first bound house experience and we rented the most tacky one possible. A giant pink and purple castle. Sadly I never got a good shot of it but you can imagine. Lydia had her first broken arm so we tried to cover her cast with water wings to protect the other kids from her rock arm. It didn't go over all that well but no one was hurt so no harm no foul. The theme was princess-superhero party and the kids were supposed to come dressed as your favorite princess or superhero (the girls are the theme masters; I am typically anti-theme). Yes, I made those capes--a very atypical heather move there that I did not repeat for year 6.

We are 5! (notice the water wings)

Lydia demonstrating her cape

A little glimpse of the bounce house behind super Ben

Cake time!

Heading out for breakfast for their actual birthday.

Hit present was the toy bow and arrows

Lydia mastered it even with her broken arm

Jack's First Birthday

My feelings on the first birthday party is this--it is a celebration of survival. It is a party that involves all your friends and family that have helped you survive this first year (although that should mean a gala should be thrown after year 2 since that can surely be a year of losing your mind). So, it is really about the parents celebrating this milestone and a little bit about a toddler getting cake all over themselves. So I have trito make it a big party for each of our kids despite the birth order. I don't do a theme or anything. Just lots of people that love us and love our little one --and lots of food of course. So I have tried to make it a big party for each of our kids despite the birth order. Jack's first birthday was no different--and we have pictures to prove it.

Traditional birthday breakfast at Northstar.

The birthday boy waiting for his cloud nine pancakes

A cake practice round on his actual birthday

Getting ready for the cake

Love the crying pic. Can't remember what he's crying about.

He sort of liked the cake. That big chunk out of it was compliments of his sisters (see pic below). He didn't obliterate it like his big brother did but definitely showed more gusto about it than the twins did on their first birthday.

I don't think we have had a picture with just him since the delivery room :)

Benson's Third Birthday

Three is when you really start to care about birthdays. He was looking forward to it for weeks before it and was crazy with joy and excitement on the day of his party. Since he is a winter birthday we had a cozy indoor party with his favorite food as a feature--mac n cheese and a giant cake from costco. He loves everything John Deere thanks to my Dad and his tractor so we surprised him with a kids sized tractor which he loved. His reaction was priceless and the video is pretty hilarious.

Ben's birthday breakfast

My cake boy

checking out his new tractor, right before his sisters knocked him off of it.

For completeness sake, Ryan and I both turned 35 this year--but we don't have any crazy fun pictures from our birthdays so I will leave it at that.

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Battles School Kickoff 2014

Posted on 3:09 PM - by Heather

You may have heard me say this before . . .

change is not my strong suit.

I can rattle off a list of changes that triggered tears and emotions--

transition to college
transition out of college
transition to marriage
transition to parenthood (I literally stood in the garage crying the day I went into labor with the twins, telling Ryan that I wasn't ready to do this yet)

At these times, it is not that I am not excited for what is to come--clearly they are all very positive changes--it's just that it involves new territory and leaving behind times filled with amazing memories and nostalgia.

Today is no different. It is our official start of Kindergarten (we are part of a homeschool co-op community that has 'school' once a week) for the girls and preschool for Ben. I can hear the hinges creaking mightily as Grace and Lydia close the door on the preschool years and turn the page to school years chapter. I know, I know--we are homeschooling so why the drama? Well, regardless of whether they are going to an official building every day or working at home with mom, the same principle holds true--we are launching into a new era which merit's some sappy pictures and a dedicated post.

At the time that I am writing this, Grace and Lydia are still snoozing but soon they will be up, scrambling into their new outfits which they carefully laid out last night, putting on their backpacks and starting the day as shiny new kindergartners. It is surreal that we have passed the very long yet very full younger years with them. I am proud of the young girls they have become and excited to see what God has for them in the upcoming years.

It is equally surreal that my little man Benson is forging ahead into the preschool years. He is looking forward to it and is rockin' a very cool batman backpack.

We are prayerful and excited about this next step for our family. I know they will love it and I will too--since I get to be a big part of it via the homeschooling process. Stay tuned for more on that front.

Cliche yet adorable school pics below. Artwork compliments of Ryan.