Happy 5th Birthday, Lincoln

Sunday was a day of celebration of Lincoln's actual 5th birthday.  He was so excited!  Anytime we told him Happy Birthday, he responded with the sweetest thanks.  The weather was perfect so we spent a lot of time outside.  He had T-Ball practice and worked hard on his skills.  The boys played outside for a few hours in the afternoon and had so much fun.

We got cleaned up and cooked a delicious birthday dinner for Lincoln.  What other kid requests grilled pork chops, roasted potatoes, and steamed broccoli?!?!  He squealed with delight that his birthday dinner could be a picnic outside! 

Nana and Pops joined for our picnic, and everyone had a great dinner.   

After we cleaned our plates, Lincoln got to blow out his candle of his special cake.  He was so proud of the cake he picked out!  He's keeping his wish a secret, of course! 

Chocolate cake with chocolate icing is a favorite at our house, and Beau never misses a chance to savor each bite.  He was a chocolatey mess but so cute while eating his piece of cake. 

This 5 year old melts my heart with his sweetness!  His joy is always contagious, and he lights up every single moment. 

Beau gently and excitedly helped Lincoln open his family presents then they got down to business playing with Lincoln's new stuff.  Minion Operation was an early favorite! 

Lincoln had a great birthday!  He's such a wonderful big brother and the most amazing first born son.  He always looks out for Beau, always tells his Mommy that she is so beautiful, loves school and his teachers so much, plans so many new crafts to try, remembers to say his prayers each night, and has the best imagination ever.  He constantly surprises us with how smart and silly he can be, and his new dance moves have us laughing all night long.  There is no one else like Lincoln Kevin Kuhlman, and we are just glad to be his family.  Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

Fun End of the Week

The boys went to school and had lots of fun on Thursday, and they begged to play with the hose in the evening.  We had an early dinner of chicken spaghetti, salad (not for Beau), strawberries, and toast, and then we spent a LONG time spraying down the backyard.  They filled up every bucket and planter, they washed all of the chairs, and they sprayed the swings and slide.  At some point they figured out that spraying water into a bucket filled with bubble mixture would make the best bubble soup, and that kept their attention forever!  They were super wet and grimy and happy to show it off!

Shame on Mommy for trying to take a picture of them mid-spray!  When I got in really close and said, "Hey guys, look at Mommy" I got a face full of direct spray thanks to Beau!  Not my best look!

We got all cleaned up, and Lincoln wanted to open the birthday gift that Jack left for him at school.  It was a super fun Lego project that he got super serious about right away.  He spent about an hour getting the pieces out, checking out the instructions, and beginning to build his project.  Linc has completed a few small Lego projects, but this is his first larger one.   

We had to pause the Lego building for baths and bedtime, but Lincoln was ready to pick it up first thing Friday morning.  He couldn't even finish his super yummy donut because he was so focused!  Pops texted me this picture of him completing his project still in his pjs and donut barely touched, but Lincoln was determined little guy!   

It was a Nana and Pops Friday, so they went to gymnastics, to Whataburger, and worked on a super important recycle bin for Lincoln's class at school.  We all met up for chicken tacos for dinner!  The boys were looking super happy while getting all cleaned up in the tub, and they were talking about how they had a super fun day! 

Our normal bedtime routine is bath, book, hugs, and prayer . . . Linc had the idea to have a Pajama Party instead of a book.  What a great idea!  They watched a video of Jump Up Wiggle Wiggle and danced like crazy, then we watched a video of the Frozen song Let It Go and sang our little hearts out.  It was a fun and silly change from reading a book!   

Lincoln was glad that his idea of a Pajama Party was so fun and that we got two great songs.  He did lots of singing and dancing! 

Beau wasn't sure what to think of this spontaneous Pajama Party, but he got into it after a bit.  He said we should take turns reading books and having a party . . . sounds like a good idea! 

Two little boys all cleaned up and smelling great in their pjs is the best way to end the day, and the dance party was super fun.  This really is the good stuff in life . . . maybe everyone should have a dance party in their pjs once in a while!

Learning games: Sink or Float plus Baseball Drills

We had a little sunshine to enjoy in the afternoon, so we headed outside!  Lincoln has been asking to play Sink or Float because he loves that game at school.  The boys rounded up several object that they wanted to test out in the sink or float game, and Lincoln gave me explicit instructions about creating our chart to record the predictions/results.  They chose ice cubes, rocks, race cars, a dinosaur, acorns, batman, a flower, and coins (among other random things) to test in the sink or float game.  We documented our findings, and they had so much fun!!!! 

Daddy cooked us the yummiest fajitas EVER while we played our game, then we headed back outside for a little baseball skills practice.  Daddy and Lincoln worked on "point step throw" for a while, and Beau confiscated the sink/float bowl and had a blast stirring the items around and "cooking" soup!   

Our evening was filled with fun family time, and there is no better time than that!  They are already planning the next group of items to test in the Sink or Float game, and Lincoln is still talking about not doing the "windmill" throw!  No down time around here . . . always moving onward and having fun!

Other Weekend Activities

 

We did have other things going on this weekend besides our awesome birthday party . . . lots of fun playing and visitors from Arkansas.  Bubbles and Minnie came on Friday afternoon, and the boys were so excited.  They made Bubbles work on his balloon animal making skills, and he's getting better.  (I still am not sure why I bought them the balloon animal set for Christmas because it's definitely a toy that requires adult participation.)  Beau was proud of his rabbit!  Lincoln asked for a snake, bee, and dog. 

Bubbles is always game for any activity, and the boys loved him being a horsey.  Minnie shouted for me to capture this silly moment, and I love Beau's face!!  While Bubbles and Lincoln tend to stick together, Beau and Minnie usually find their own stuff to do.   

Sarah and Cheryl came to help celebrate the birthday weekend too, but I didn't manage to take any pictures with them.  Maybe Sarah will send me some!  The boys had so much fun playing with the birthday gifts they received.  The dress up costumes from the Robison's were great!  They took their jobs seriously and kept our house super safe!  We went to Mia's for dinner for the best brisket tacos in town so fireman and policeman had to take a break from their duties.  Saturday was Minnie's birthday, and Bubbles birthday is next Saturday.  So we honored them with a special delicious birthday dinner!

Lincoln's Sunday School lesson was the Lord's Supper, and that seemed like a very important lesson.  Was this Mommy really qualified to teach the 4 year olds about this special event?  We loaded up with craft supplies, grape juice, and a loaf of artisan bread and gave it our best!  The kids did pay attention to the story, and they had fun saying "Drink this in rememberance of me" and "Eat this in rememberance of me."  We had a bit of leftover grape juice at home, and Lincoln told Beau that "you have to think about Jesus when you have grape juice."  So perhaps some of my lesson stuck!!!  Minnie and Bubbles offered to keep the boys after church so we could have a brunch date, and it was lovely!  We sat at the first two available seats at the bar (at Cindi's), and one of my Sunday School boys was sitting next to us with his Dad.  Great to chat with them!  Lincoln's spring T-Ball team had their first practice in the afternoon, and it began to warm up after a chilly start to the day.  The boys on our team will all go to Bowie Elementary, but most not until 2015.  And this is a team made of mostly first timers, so just Lincoln and a couple other boys played in the fall.  I'm not sure if they are expecting baseball excellence since Linc was in Fall T-Ball, but they might not need to expect such things.  Enthusiastic he is, but sometimes the excitement takes over the execution!!!  Daddy has been working with him on some control and focus points.  Two of the boys are in our Sunday School class, so they are familiar faces for Linc.  The coach is excellent and very excited and leads a very well organized practice.  The boys had fun getting to know each other and there were lots of chants of "White Sox! White Sox! White Sox!"  We are glad that we aren't cheering for the Yankees this season! 

It was a really great weekend with lots of birthday fun and lots of non-birthday fun playing with our Arkansas visitors and our church and T-Ball friends.  Life is busy and full of excitement for Lincoln and Beau.  It seems that each day brings new adventures and experiences, and they really live it to the fullest.  I'm glad to be along for the ride with them!

Lincoln's 5th and Beau's 3rd Birthday Party

For the first time, Lincoln and Beau had a joint birthday party!  They were so excited to share their special celebration together!  They really love their Friday WOGA gymnastics lessons, so they picked a gymnastics party.  We've never had a party away from our house, but it seemed like a much easier (clean-up wise) way to go!  Because they are obsessed with all things Super Hero, our theme was obvious.  Nana and Mommy came up with lots of cute decorations and favors!  The boys posed by their pictures on the door.  They were allowed to choose their attire for the party, and they thoughtfully selected their favorite Super Hero shirts. Super Cuties!

We usually have so much food, but we decided to keep it simple and just pick a couple of easy favorites.  Chick-fil-A nuggets and fruit were a must!  We added a selection of sandwiches from Jersey Mike's, and that was a real winner for the grown-ups.  Beau was the most excited about the cupcakes! 

The party room was all set up and ready for our friends! 

Lincoln and Beau couldn't wait for their friends to arrive.  They were so ready to party! 

Beau had so much fun running and playing, especially when his school bestie showed up.  He squealed so hard!  They had lots of fun together, but I didn't get a pic! 

Everyone was thrilled when the parachute came out!  What fun! 

The kiddos all lined up to listen to the teachers explain the next activity.  So intent! 

Two birthday boys running wild! 

After so much playing, we had our snacks.  The boys carefully chose their places and enjoyed their treats.  Erin had to sit by Linc, and Violet (not pictured) had to sit by Beau.  These boys and their sweet girls! 

Some of our party friends enjoying the snacks too. 

When it was time for singing, they boys were mesmerized by the candle on their cupcakes.  Everyone sang Happy Birthday, and they loved it!

The boys blew out their candles with gusto!!

It was such a fun party for two special birthday boys!  They had a great time playing at gymnastics, we had sweet friends that came to celebrate with us, the snacks were definitely delicious, and everyone had a great time.  Oh, and we didn't even have anything to clean up!  We took home a few extra cupcakes and lots of presents to open.  This was the easiest party ever and every bit as fun as a party at home.  Happy Birthday Party Day to Lincoln and Beau!

Thursday and Friday - Home Days!

We are so glad to have a few extra days off this week to hang together!  Thursday was a Home Day!  We dropped off Lincoln's official registration packet at Bowie, and he loved being there.  I think he misunderstood the registration process because he was sad to leave . . . he thought he could just start Kindergarten right then!  We shopped a bit then hit up Big Lou's Car Wash, and they loved that!  Seriously, the car was is one of their favorite activities. 

Daddy took us to Goodfriends for dinner, and it was delicious.  We spent the first day of spring on a sweet patio with perfect weather and yummy burgers!  Friday morning was gymnastics, and that is always a winner.  After lunch and a little rest, we met up with about 15 incoming Bowie Kindergarteners at the park in our neighborhood.  It was great for me to meet the Moms, and we really hit it off!  I wouldn't say that Lincoln really got to know any of the other kids very well at the play date, but he and Beau had a blast!!!  The kiddos kind of paired off with who they knew from pre-school or with siblings, but we have more events planned to get them more acquainted.  It was a wonderful afternoon to be outside, and everyone had so much fun! 

Not much is better than an afternoon at the park, and it was good for all of us to "sniff this fresh warm air" according to Beau!  After this crazy winter, sniffing fresh warm air is super!  We have some Arkansas visitors in town to celebrate the joint birthday party for Lincoln and Beau on Saturday, so many pictures and lots of fun are in store!

 

Bubbles

Warm weather on Tuesday evening made us want to get ready for spring:  grilled burgers, sweet potato fries, and then lots of bubbles!!!  We had several bubble instruments going, and the bubble solution was fruit scented!   

Beau put down his own bubble blower to chase the crazy bubbles that Linc was making.  So many bubbles! 

Beau got back to his instrument, and Lincoln took a turn to chase the bubbles.  This is the most fun ever!! 

The above pictures were taken on my real camera, but I decided to take a couple with my phone before we went in.  This one of Lincoln is priceless . . . kind of blurry, but showing the reality of chasing bubbles!   

The weather is warming up, and we will spend lots of time this spring blowing and chasing bubbles.  It's really one of life's most simple pleasures, right?  The magic that a little special solution creates a bubble that can expand and float in the wind, and that catching one to pop is a reward for the chaser.  We will go through lots of bubble blowers in the next few months for sure - the manufacturers don't make them with high quality parts - but it is money well spent to watch two little boys experience such joy!

A Day in the Life . . . Sunday!

Let's do a "Day in the Life" for this Sunday!  Lincoln and Beau were hand in hand on the way to Sunday School this morning, and the wind was blowing their (too long) hair like crazy.  It was so sweet to see them loving to hold hands.  The lesson today was about Zacchaeus, and everyone loved the story.  Beau got to crash the 4 year old class because Mommy was teaching.  We taught the other kids the song, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man," and everyone loved it!

We needed omelets (Mommy and Daddy) and waffles (Lincoln and Beau) from Cindi's after church, and it was delicious.  The boys played so well together in the afternoon.  They really liked listening to the stories from their new Disney reader.  It is always cute when they enjoy the same activity and actually get along! 

Lincoln and Beau love the daffodils they see along our running trail, and they always admire how sunny and yellow they are.  Nana brought them their own batch of sunny and yellow daffodils, and it made their day!!!  Actually, it made Mommy's day too! 

After an afternoon movie rest (Daddy and Beau watched a movie on the couch in the office, and Mommy and Linc watched Clifford on the iPad in the living room), they created a spectacular castle!  Lincoln was so proud to pose with the castle, and Beau was being a bit of a feisty 3 year old and refused to cooperate!  He was happy to show me the superhero figures that were well guarded deep inside the castle.  They actually built in several layers of protection for their figures, and they kept telling me it was super awesome!  Agreed! 

We had a wonderful Sunday dinner of baked salmon and roasted potatoes/peppers/onions.  The boys actually liked the wild Coho salmon, and that was a great dinner for all.  While we were cooking, we heard Lincoln yelling from the playroom that he was making it rain money . . . so it's not like we listen to rap music these days, but we are pretty sure that is there is a rap video reference about "making it rain" with lots of dollar bills floating down.  They definitely made it rain with their play dollars, and the didn't even know they were participating in a pop culture moment!  Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually make it rain money?!?! 

We made whoopee pies for dessert out of a sprinkle cake mix, chocolate icing, and spring colored sprinkles.  Lincoln ate his whoopee pie in just a few minutes, but Beau really took his time and savored his treat for over 30 minutes!!!  He always said he was still working on it when asked it he was ready to be done.  So glad they enjoyed their dessert! 

This Sunday was super fun for all!  To recap:  church, brunch, playing, rest, playing, dinner, playing, dessert, playing, and finally clean-up and bedtime.  They definitely liked clean up the playroom part the least, and we might need new money to make it rain (Daddy got a little carried away with throwing away stuff!), but it was a great day indeed.  Monday, here we come!

Beau is 3!

Beau is 3 years old!!!  We began the celebration on Friday morning with a stop at the Donut Shop for a delicious breakfast.  Beau picked a blue sprinkle donut, two donut holes, and a "hot dog" for his special treat.  (Lincoln chose a chocolate sprinkle donut and donut holes.)  It seemed like a lot compared to a usual breakfast (like a cereal bar and banana), but they had eaten every single bite by the time we got to school.  Fun way to start the day!

After school we gathered in Daddy's office to open a few presents for the birthday boy.  Lincoln had been very insistent that he needed to shop for a present without Beau being there, so Nana, Pops, and Aunt Carolyn came to hang with Beau while we shopped on Thursday evening.  He also helped with the wrapping and name tags.  Of course, the gift from Lincoln was opened first, and Beau loved his Captain America guy.  He also opened gifts from Mom and Dad, Patsy, and Auntie, and he got some really great stuff.  He modeled his new Spiderman sunglasses right away and looked too cool! 

I think every single thing was Superhero related: glasses, clothes, bubble stuff, action figures, and much more.  Beau was "cheesing" with his Captain America! 

We celebrated in the evening at Anamia's, and it was delicious as usual.  Everyone (Nana, Pops, Carolyn, sang Happy Birthday to Beau before we enjoyed our cupcakes.  Beau really savors each bite and takes cupcake eating very seriously.  Linc was happy with his choice of chocolate as well.  Baby Jackson (do we need to stop calling him Baby?) had fun at our little dinner party, and he looked cute in his hat.  Beau was insistent that he would not wear a party hat, but most of us were happy to.  He got to take a few gifts home from Nana, Pops and Carolyn that they had lots of fun with. We played with the Robisons until bedtime, and it was a great evening. 

What all can be said about Beau Thomas Kuhlman as he turns 3?  He is completely amazing in every way, of course!  He is very sweet and gives the squishiest hugs.  He absolutely adores his big brother and keeps up with everything Lincoln comes up with.  They have so much fun playing together, and Beau's wild imagination is mostly thanks to Lincoln.  He loves to make a stand/store of any kind . . . he can cook the best pretend burgers and fries (but he charges $50!), he can make the best pretend pizza at his station, and his pretend snow cones come in many flavors.  He is super smart and loves to learn new things.  It's sometimes unbelievable that his vocabulary is so large, and people everywhere are shocked when they learn his age.  He is even able to think of a word that begins with any given letter.  We play this game a lot to support Lincoln's classroom lessons, and Beau has really learned to take the letter's sound and come up with a word that begins with that same sound.  Beau can be the silliest little guy, and he knows when to turn it on.  I love his silly voices and crazy made-up knock knock jokes.  He is VERY into Superhero stuff right now, as his birthday gifts showed.  He also loves to watch movies in his rest time (on the weekends), and his favorites are Despicable Me and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  This is the only time of the day that he is still!  Since day 1, Beau has been a great eater, and that hasn't changed.  He's always up for a snack (like 5 times a day!), and it seems that crackers with slices of cheddar, Oreos, and pretzels are his top snacks these days.  He and his Daddy love to hit up the candy dish, and any season Reese's cup is the winner!  (We currently have Reese's eggs.)  Beau's favorite dinners are spaghetti, grilled pork chops, chicken and cheese quesadillas, grilled chicken, and little hamburger sliders, and he loves to pick a different fruit to go along with dinner each night.  He always eats his veggies without a fight:  steamed broccoli, green beans, or carrots!   Beau has really become a great swimmer lately, and he's quite the gymnast too.  He moved up to the 3 year old room at school last week, and he loves it!  Those new 2 year olds in his old room were just too young for him to play with.  He has been reunited with his bestie (that moved up earlier this year) and that's been exciting!  He already loves his teachers (Lincoln's old one from that class) and playing with kids that are more on his level.  Beau can definitely be feisty, and he is very sure of his opinions.  Daddy says they share the same personality, and that seems pretty correct.  He doesn't get bullied or pushed aside, and his confidence is through the roof.  Sometimes that makes it hard for him to be told what to do because he has his own ideas!  Overall, he is still the sweetest, smartest, sassiest, super-est guy I know!  Happy Birthday to the best Beau ever!

Shadows

Shadows are a funny thing!  Lincoln and Beau were extremely entertained by their shadows this afternoon.  This is priceless stuff!

We went for a stroller run after school, and they noticed their shadows about halfway through.  We talked about shadows for at least two miles, and they were so intrigued that the shadow was always there.  "Our shadow is going exactly the same way as we are," exclaimed Lincoln.  "Yeah, our shadow does the same thing we do," agreed Beau in astonishment.  They did lots of waving and kicking to confirm that their shadows were indeed doing the same thing, and it was too funny!  To Marian and Larry:  Yes, Lincoln is reading his Highlights magazine while on the stroller run.  They both received their magazines in the mail this afternoon and insisted on taking them.  Beau finished his first at about mile 1 (right before he discovered his shadow) and stashed it in the basket, but Lincoln took way longer to investigate the "what's silly in this picture" page.  It is really true that no moment with these guys is boring, and a simple stroller run is a fun event for all.  We love our little exercise buddies!