Happy Birthday, MAX!

My little man turned 5 this week and I swear it was just yesterday I was freaking out he was already 4...the time has gone by too fast! He had a great birthday party at a Karate studio where he sparred, broke a board with his hand, and cut a cake with a Samurai sword... the kids all loved the instructor and he played so well with the kids...but the best surprise was Morgan getting a few hours off from his 24 hr shift to come and see it all! That was especially great for Max to have his dad around to see how tough he is:) I just want Max to know how much I love him and am so proud of who he is becoming! Stop growing so fast, though!!

Started the day right with cinnamon rolls and Metro Man!!


Gramma Horse got to come (more on that later!)

Little ninjas!

Getting ready to spar with swords


Cutting his cake with a sword...supervised of course

Prepping and punching a board...he loved that! But when the instructor broke the board with his head, he covered his eyes.


Yummy pizza!

Trying to run and hide while playing "catch the monkey"

His little follower rarely left his side


Because we didn't know Morgan would be able to come to his party, we celebrated the night before with some Earthworm cupcakes and present opening...this kid sure got spoiled!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

After finding the little treasure the Leprechaun left, Max ran around looking for any "tricks" he might have played, too. Apparently treats aren't enough anymore.

Just hanging out...

...at home,

in the kitchen,



at church,

with friends,

at the farmer's market,


at the pool,




outside,



and Orlando.

Some things never change

I will always be grateful to Toy Story and the MANY hours my kids have been entertained by their shows, costumes, and toys.

hApPy MaRDi GrAs!

This weekend we hit a MaRdi GrAs party over in Haile Plantation with the kids. There were live bands, fresh food, bounce houses, and tons of beads...what else could anyone want?? We just strolled up and down the street, letting the kids eat their icee and get down with Bob Marley.
My favorite part was when Max was approached by a little girl in a princess costume (people go ALL out down here for parties) and offered him one of her bead necklaces...what's a mom to do?!?
Such a good time, so glad we went!





ps. Morgan had the camera...he missed most of the crowd, decorations, and excitement...but got what was most important, I guess...London's cute outfit!

Max's Valentine

On Valentine's Day I asked Max who his Valentine was, thinking he'd say me. Nope. Isabella (a girl in his class) because she was always so nice to him. Hmph. Sadly Isabella wasn't at school, but as you can see from the pictures, he had a girl in the wings just in case...(that's Morgan that's got her arm around him. I missed the shot of her resting her head on his shoulder).




Goofy Boys!

There will be cake

For Valentine's Day, Morgan got me the recipe book I've wanted for MONTHS and the kids and I tested out the Velvet Cake recipe this week. As you can see, it was a huge success!

London is a little peeved because I took the mixer she was licking to get her picture. Don't worry, she got it right back...

Max is a little bit healthier than the rest of us, he smothered the batter on an apple to eat it.


I realized as I was uploading the pix that I didn't take any after shots...I guess we ate it too fast. Which is too bad because it was as beautiful as it was delicious!

Happy Birthday, Morgan!

Morgan was lucky enough to work a 24 hr shift on his birthday so we headed up to the hospital to do a little singing and present opening. The kids are always so sad to leave him and today was no exception. We hated leaving him there on his birthday!:(
We sure love you, babe! Happy Birthday!

By the by, those weren't just any ol' cupcakes...those were Paula Deen's Red Velvet cupcakes...need I say more??

Status update

London is sleeping like a champ in her new bed! But oh my gosh, the first two weeks were PAINFUL. Beyond painful. Excruciating. The potty training. The binkie withdrawal. The tantrums. Oh the tantrums. But we are figuring things out and doing good on 2 of the 3 things we set out to accomplish. Give us a few more weeks and I bet we'll be in the clear.

ps. I love this picture...look at how rosy their cheeks are!
Max wanted to help London adjust to her new bed and by the second night, she was like "No, Max, my bed!" She is such a stubborn little girl! But oh my gosh, we all adore her!

Mom, maybe we should build a fort?

This is Max's request pretty much every night. So finally I gave up the fight to have a clean house for a few days and let Max have a fort he could camp out in. Of course he insisted on sleeping in it every night it was up. That was fine with me but after he'd go to sleep I had to uncover him....scared me too much to have him under blankets...is that weird?? Of course, it was a constant battle to keep it up during the day, thanks to Girlzilla London. She is a wrecking ball! Unfortunately for Max, I only let him keep it up a few days. Some fights are worth the battle.

Slow down!

It seems like only yesterday London was wearing diapers, using a binkie, and sleeping in a crib and now she's binkieless, wearing big girl undies, and sleeping in a big girl bed! Oh wait! It WAS yesterday! Well, I guess a week ago at least. Once we started the potty training, it was all downhill from there. She's a trooper and really trying to keep up with all the changes. Wish us luck these next few weeks, we're gonna need it!!