Hiking & Happy Easter! ok, a little early...

We've had a great weekend, have you guys?! Even though it's been crummy weather outside, we've spent time with the neighbors, at the toy store, spending time as a family, & today we had our first Easter Egg Decorating Day. But before we get to those fun pictures, let's talk hiking. Last weekend, the boys & Ben went hiking in our backyard. Lincoln thinks he has to wear camoflauge clothes whenever he goes hiking, so Ben had to wear them, too. Levi doesn't have any camo yet, so he opted out. Here are some cute shots of them. And, might I add, that Ben created an entire treasure hunt for all the kids in the neighborhood where the treasure was a pot of candy at the top of the hill. Can I just say how joyful those kids were when they laid their eyes on that candy? Oh, it's the simple things.







And then here are some pictures from decorating the easter eggs. I don't know how many of you do this every year, but it is stressful with small children! Definitely use a dropcloth of some sort, & be prepared for big messes. But lots of fun! Levi was so sad that he couldn't fully participate because he is just still too small. He wanted to do everything by himself, & we had to help him with everything. He was not a happy camper! But towards the end, he started to have a really good time.





Levi was looking up at Ben here. What a heartbreaker huh?


I told Levi to "smile & say cheese!" This is what I got:


"Gimme some eggs, woman!"





Me trying to explain to Levi why he can't crawl on top of the island & dip his egg into every single bowl of dye. Reasoning with a 2-year old. It's so fun.


And I gotta tell you, I probably had the most fun of all because I got to decorate some eggs all girly & frilly! I went a little crazy with the flowers, the lettering, etc. But don't they look cute!??




I'm not sure what I'm saying to Levi here, but I sure do look excited to be saying it.



Look at Levi's face in this picture. Hilarious. Can you see the stressed look on my face, as I'm trying to corral Lincoln's egg into the bowl? I swear, those bowls must have come close to falling off the island at least a dozen times. There's gotta be an easier way. Someone invent something already.


And here are the finished products!



We had a fantastic weekend. Talk to y'all soon.
until next time,

Happy Birthday Linc...the Big Number 5!

Well, it has been a whirlwind of a week! Lincoln turned 5 years old on Tuesday, and yesterday was his big blow-out birthday party. This will be a post that is very heavy-laden with pictures. I hope you enjoy them!
He woke up on his birthday morning & the first thing we did was open a present, of course. He had been wanting a pillow pet for months. He had seen the infomercial so many times that when he opened up the pillow pet, he said to me, "Look Mom! It's simple. You just take the velcro off...and wow! It changes into a full-size pillow!" Thank you, Pillow Pet Representative.

Here are the photos of the birthday morning:






The previous night, Lincoln & I had a special afternoon of making cupcakes together. I didn't get any shots of that, but I wish I had. It was a really sweet time.
So on his birthday, we took the cupcakes into school so he could celebrate his special day with all of his classmates. He had a really fun day. That night, we had a Family Fun Night, per Lincoln's request. We had pizza, & then we all went upstairs to cuddle & watch "Where the Wild Things Are". It was so great.
Here are some photos of the boys enjoying the cupcakes:



My parents came into town on Thursday for the birthday weekend. Here are some shots of the visit, Lincoln opening up their presents, & Levi opening up one of his own, too.




My poor dad ended up putting Transformers together and putting Legos together a good part of the day. He got a crash course in toy assembly! Here he is with one of Lincoln's new Transformers:




Here my dad is reading to Levi. He must have read 10 books to him that afternoon. Levi absolutely loved it.


Yesterday we had his party at Glow Galaxy. We invited all of his great buddies & we all had a big time. Lincoln got his very own tye-dye shirt, his own crown, & a big Transformers cake that was the highlight of the afternoon!



Me and Ben before the festivities:


And Levi was all smiles too. He was super excited for brother's party:



Here is Papa & Levi playing basketball together.



Mimi & Levi:


If this isn't a man on a mission, I don't know what is!



The whole party gang:



one more...



The birthday boy walking into his party room:



Eating cake, enjoying friends...












Of course, the biggest & most important part of the party was Lincoln opening up his presents. Isn't 5 years old the most perfect age for this? They're just so excited to give, & for the recipient to receive their gift, & to show their like & affection. I loved watching the sweet kids give their presents to Lincoln, being so proud of what they had picked out for him, & sit & watch Linc open it up. They wanted to show him everything about the present. It was almost like they were receiving it too. It was precious.




This is after Lincoln opened up Sydney's present. They gave each other a big bear hug. So cute.







Levi wanted to know what it felt like to sit in the king's chair.



One of Linc's best friends, sweet Emmachelle.



Mom & I. I swear I'm not pregnant. It's just a bad angle from the shirt. Promise.



We had an awesome weekend celebrating Lincoln. I teared up when we were singing Happy Birthday to him. I can't believe it's been 5 years. Our time with him has been matchless & full of joy. Each year brings with it more happiness, more laughter, & more of his sweet personality shining through. At the party, he leaned over & whispered in my ear, "Mom, you're the prettiest girl in the world." My cup runneth over, little buddy.

Happy Birthday with many more to come...
xoxo