Birthday Celebration #1

Emily and I celebrated our 36th birthday this past Tuesday. 

We had two different family celebrations that were very different but equally fun! We started on Sunday with dinner at Joe T Garcia's.  In order to get seated immediately (which is very important when feeding six hungry kids under six), we could only have our table for an hour due to them needing the table for a later reservation.  It ended up being great because we got served quickly and there was very little down time to have to entertain six squirmy kids.

 Our loves!

 

 

After dinner, we let the kids throw pennies into the wishing fountain.  Parker's wish was for a pet of his very own.  I told him that as soon as my wish of winning the lottery came true, I'd let him get a pet- ha!

After dinner, we headed over to Central Market for cake, presents, and playing on the playground.  As always, the kids had a great time playing together, except for the kid who slugged Ryan for no reason and taught my kids the new word "butthead".  (Gotta love parents who don't watch their kids on public playscapes!)

 The cake balls were a hit, especially with Lily who ended up wearing more than she ate!

 The ice cream was also a favorite.  Do you think Ryan liked his ice cream?!?!?

I was so excited to get a Kindle from Cory and the kids.  I've been wanting one for a while and can't wait to take it on our cruise next week.

Spending my birthday with my family was all I wanted.  Everything else was icing on the cake.  And I'm so thankful that I get to share my birthday with Emily- my womb mate, sister, and friend! 

It's Reward Time for Eden!

A few months ago, Eden went through a rough period where she cried everywhere we went (church, preschool, gymnastics, speech, AWANAs... you get the picture!). We were at a loss on how to help her and believe me, we tried everything we could think of.  Then one Sunday, her Sunday School teacher brought a necklace and told Eden that if she didn't cry, she could have the necklace.  For the first time in weeks, Eden made it though class without a tear!  When we got home, I decided to pull out the tried and trusted sticker reward chart.  We told Eden that every time she went to an activity and didn't cry, she could earn a sticker for her chart. 

 

It didn't take Eden long to fill up her chart.  I'm happy to report that she went four weeks without crying once!  It has completely changed our lives and she is feeling so much more confident everywhere she goes.  She tells me all the time how brave she is and I am so proud of her accomplishment.

I gave several choices about what she wanted for her reward (ice cream, pedicure, etc.) and she chose to go with me and Lily to the salon to have her toes painted.  I asked her if she wanted to go alone with just me but she insisted that we wait until Lily woke up from her nap so she could go too.  Sweet sisters!

 

Eden picked out purple polish and Lily chose blue.  Eden wanted Lily to go first and although she was a little hesitant, Lily loved it! She sat so still for the man and was excited to choose a flower to go on her big toe.  Eden went next and after asking for a giraffe to be painted on her toe, finally settled on a flower too!

 

I am so thankful that God gave me two beautiful little girls to enjoy these fun things with!  And I'm so proud of Eden for filling up her reward chart so quickly!  What a fun way to start our summer together!

Play Day

Last Friday was Play Day at Gerard, one of the most fun days of the entire school year.  I still have fond memories of Play Day when I was a 4th and 5th grader at Gerard so I knew this would be a day that Parker would never forget.  I was in charge of the concession stand all day, but my coworkers were sweet enough to let me slip away for a few minutes to watch Parker compete in all of his events. 

 

Kindergartners were allowed to participate in as many events as they wanted, which meant that some of them did just a couple and some did them all.  When I asked Parker that morning what events he chose, he said "All of them!" which didn't surprise me at all!  He is so competitive and we spent a few days leading up to Play Day talking about how he might not win every event and instead of getting upset and crying (which he's been known to do), he needed to cheer on his classmates who won.   

 

First up was the 50 yard dash which he easily won, even after getting a late start.  He also placed first in the 75 yard dash.  He was so excited about his blue ribbons!

He also placed first in the sack race, three legged race with Creed, and ball hop race. 

Up next were the hula hoop contest and jump rope contest which have never been strong activities for him, but I was proud of him for at least trying.

The final race was the 880 relay race, which included the four fastest boys and four fastest girls in each kindergarten class.  The four boys in Mrs. Pritchard's class were Parker, Matthew, Creed, and Joaquin.  Parker won his leg of the race but his class came in third overall. 



Parker had such a fun morning with his friends.  Little did he know that the fun wasn't over yet!



After a pizza party for lunch, Parker and his class changed into their swimsuits and headed outside to play on some water slides.

I had to go back to the concession stand so I didn't get to watch, but Parker said he had a great time on the slides!

Parker was exhausted by the end of the day but I know it is a day he will never forget!

Last Day of School

Today was finally our last day of school!  It seemed like it would never get here!  It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone and that we now have a first grader in our house!  Parker had a wonderful year with his teacher, Mrs. Pritchard, and has learned so much more than I could have ever imagined.  He is now a fluent reader and can read anything he picks up (including texts on my phone!). 



"I'm a first grader!"

Not only was today exciting because it was the last day of school, but Parker lost his second tooth this morning before we left for school.  His tooth had been loose for almost a week and it was barely hanging on.  I could hardly stand to look at it so I made Cory try to pull it and it popped right out.  Parker was so excited to get to sign the "I Lost a Tooth" chart at school one more time!

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone and I know that I'm going to turn around and he's going to be wearing a cap and gown.  I am looking forward to spending the next two months with him before he is off to first grade!

AWANA Awards

Last week, Parker and Eden received their AWANA awards for completing their Sparks/Cubbies books.  Eden was not thrilled about walking across the stage to get her award so I had to carry her while she dug her head into my shoulder and cried. 

She quickly found her happy heart and was excited about her certificate.

Parker completed his first Sparks book and started the second book this year.  He did a great job not only memorizing scriptures but remembering them from week to week. 

Parker also earned one of the Merit Awards given to three Sparkies who worked hard, completed their books, and were kind to others in class.  I am so proud of him for all of his hard work this year!

An All Star Weekend

Parker just finished up his regular season of tball and was asked to be on Cleburne's All Star team this summer.  Cory and I went back and forth on whether or not we wanted to make such a huge commitment during the summer, but finally decided to let Parker give it a try.

Parker and his teammates participated in their first tournament this weekend and ended up placing 2nd!  We are so proud of his team and how well they played, especially in the championship game this evening.  They are a very young team (they've only practiced together twice) and they played against teams that have been playing together for a long time.  It was a long and busy weekend (they played five games) but Parker had so much fun and can't wait to do it again next weekend. 

After the championship game

Coach Tony accepting their trophy

Parker accepting his 2nd place ring

Proud Daddy

Parker was so excited that his best buddy Cole came to watch him play this afternoon

These two didn't make watching the games very easy!  We are definitely going to have to figure out a new plan for the next tournament!