My Little Two-Twos

Marin and Silje turned 2 on Monday. We had their party on Sunday with family and a few friends. They had a ladybug cake and wore their two-twos -- I mean tu-tus, boas, and ladybug antenae. This year they enjoyed opening their presents and singing along with "Happy Birthday".

Enjoy the slide show!

"Happy To Luuuuuuuke!"

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, LUKE!

About 45 seconds into the first video I got Ailey to sing "Happy Birthday" to Luke, who turns 1-year-old today. The second video is Silje and Marin wishing Luke a Happy Birthday too!

"Happy To Papa"

Silje started singing "Happy Birthday" to Andy ... a couple days after his birthday. Now she's singing it all the time. In fact, she started singing it in the middle of Baby Story Time at the library yesterday. The other adults could even tell what she was singing - not bad!

I believe her exact version of "Happy Birthday" goes something like "Happy Do Papa" complete with clapping and cheering at the end!

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Today is Andy's birthday and he is spending half of it in beautiful Leavenworth, where he said it was almost 70 degrees yesterday and it's supposed to be warmer today. I've spent the last couple days on round-the-clock kid duty. Normally I would say he sucks. But since today is his birthday I'll just add it to his gift list.

Hope you enjoyed the nice warm weather in lovely Leavenworth, Honey! I ordered that up for you. That and the dinner and drinks out with buddies last night, and the quiet night's sleep, and the peaceful shower you had this morning without anyone knocking on the door. You're welcome!

Andy turns 33 today, that took me a moment to remember. Aren't I already in my upper-30s? Did I really marry such a young-un? A baby? And before you think that I think I'm insulting him in any way, know that I know I'm just insulting myself. I'm used to it, what with all this gray hair my age is definitely the one that gets insulted around here.

Happy Early-30s Birthday, Dear. Live it up! Order something special at the Spaghetti Factory tonight! Happy HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Groovin' at a 4-Year-Old's Birthday Party

We had a birthday party for Ailey today. She got to wear her "party dress", which she was very excited about. It was a gift from Aunt Vicki for Christmas this past year. She wore it outside while Andy BBQ'd the brats, and he apparently made her his cup-holder.

I think it's too bad my Aunt Vicki lives too far away to attend our kids' birthday parties, because she doesn't get to see first hand how her gifts bring life to the party. Not that our parties are lifeless!, but nothing else quite provides the kind of entertainment that a musical skirt can bring.

Vicki sent Ailey an early birthday present at Marin and Silje's birthday party in January. You might remember the Chicken Dance skirt from this post. It remains a hit with Ailey.

Apparently Vicki decided (and I thank her for her thoughtfulness here) that Ailey should have two such skirts so that when they are ready to be handed down there are two for Marin and Silje to share.

So Ailey opened and immediately put on Vicki's birthday gift to her (over her party dress). A Marcarena-singing skirt complete with a flower in her hair!

It's hard not to dance to that song. Marin and Silje and Lucy got in on the dancing with Ailey. They were all quite groovy!

You continue to out-do yourself, Vicki! (But if you get random calls from a woman singing The Marcarena loudly and obnoxiously, she might just be paying you back for getting that song stuck in her head day after day!)

Four Years in the Life of Ailey

I think it sounds crazy that I have a 4-year-old. It doesn't seem like 4 years since Ailey was born, and yet I can hardly remember life before her. The old cliche, right?

Four years ago I was 32. Working. Sleeping through the night. Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of snack, leftover and nibble. Grocery shopping at normal hours of the day. Remembering things.

Wow, that life must have sucked! Though I wouldn't know, I don't really remember it. Here's what I do remember....

Happy Birthday, Ailey!

Lately Ailey's been waking up well before Marin and Silje and coming to wake me up. This morning as I opened my eyes she said "It's my birthday today!" before she even got to my side. It was fun watching her throughout the day. She knew it was a special day. She got what she wanted for meals, got phone calls and emails, she was sung to, got to paint her toenails, go out for dinner. Here are some birthday memories....

I don't know exactly when Ailey will share her birthday with Easter, but I'm sure it's coming. This year she got to color Easter eggs on her birthday.

She also got to color her toenails!
Our Ailey/Parker birthday tradition for the past three years has been Chuck E Cheese, this year on Ailey's birthday. They have more fun every year. They sure get cuter every year!
Ailey went to bed tonight with a birthday present. She got a soccer set, but we figured the net would be less comfy to cozy up to.I think I'll put some Ailey pictures up tomorrow, so stay tuned....

36

Happy Birthday, no, Super Bowl, no, Birthday to ME! Yes, I got to turn 36 (otherwise known as entering my upper 30s) right along-side the Super Bowl today. Not my choice for a celebration, but I can't complain too much as I've had two birthday parties already ... intentionally planned for non-football days. Today I had a spread of good food to eat from. There were scrumptious brownies for dessert. Ailey has been yelling "Happy Birthday, Mom!" at me all day - gotta love that! Bruce Springsteen serenaded me for 12 minutes. There was almost constant cheering in the background for a few hours, for me no doubt (I ignored the booing and referee heckling).

Before the football started, Andy had a gift and a mocha waiting for me when Ailey and I got home from church. Does anyone else remember the 1938 Micky Mouse cartoon called "Mickey's Trailer"? I don't know if I saw it just once or a bunch of times, but it stuck in my memory as a good one and I've had a watch out for it for a long time. That's what Andy got me, a set of 27 original Mickey Mouse cartoons - classic Disney. I am going to enjoy watching them many times over.

So it's been a good birthday all around. The football team I was supposed to be rooting for lost - I think they were the ones wearing red? - but that obviously doesn't matter. Here's to another good year of family, friends, fun times ... and the beginning of football next fall leading to yet another Super Bowl, er, birthday next February!

Birthday! Birthday!

I was baking the couple days before the "big party", then didn't bother to get a picture of all my hard work spread out on the table the day of. I at least got this one the night before. I suppose I took it so I would have a reminder - just for myself - of the time-consuming choice I made for Marin and Silje's birthday "cake". A cupcake cake. The picture in the book was, of course, prettier than my own completed masterpiece (and it appeared to be the easiest creation of them all, oi!). By the time I finished the cupcake cake I was calling it the "pile of cupcakes"! Oh well. I make no apologies. I don't claim to be good at creative decorating. I just enjoy it! Here it is sitting amongst the mess that helped me assemble it:

They were really good cupcakes, if I may say so myself. Not just because of the yummy boxed mix by Pillsbury ... ah-hem ... but the frosting was amazing. My neighbor made this frosting for her daughter's 1st birthday party two weeks ago (yes, Marin and Silje have the perfect playmate right across the street!), and, though I'm not usually one for the frosting part of a cake, I devoured her cupcakes just for this frosting! YUM! I will wince every time I put store-bought frosting on a pastry again!

Anyway, on to the main event. Here are Marin and Silje in their Birthday Girl shirts. Too cute!

Both girls dug into their cake right away. They seemed to like the frosting too. Marin seems to have liked the feel of it....

... While Silje sucked it off her fingers.Andy's Grandma Elsie enjoyed a front row seat. I didn't even think about it at the time, but she is lucky Marin liked her cake, because she's the one who throws her food when she's done, right where Elsie was sitting!

Marin and Silje always love cheering and clapping. Who knows if they knew all the attention was actually for them.

Marin the Birthday Girl:

Silje the Birthday Girl:

Parker and Ailey enjoyed cupcakes as well. Actually, I think Ailey enjoyed two. Aahh well.

And now we're done....

Marin and Silje seemed to enjoy turning 1. They got into the present opening a little too, and definitely enjoyed what came out of the gift bags and boxes - you know, the tissue paper and ribbons and all!

Now we're on to our second year with twins. Have I mentioned Marin and Silje fight over toys? That Marin grabs toys from Silje and runs? And Silje pulls Marin's hair? That they like to do what they've been told not to? Yeah, we're on to our second year with twins....