Lincoln's 6th Birthday Party!

Lincoln's 6th birthday party was super fun!!!  He picked Angry Birds as his theme, and he was so excited to celebrate with Kindergarten friends: from his class, soccer team, basketball team, and baseball team.  The door decoration was a picture of sweet Lincoln!

Nana never disappoints in helping with decorations.  As usual, Lincoln has the cutest party ever! 

Stein's cupcakes were the best.  We added Angry Birds rings for the boys and flower rings for the little sister siblings.  They were definitely a hit! 

Since this is our first party with Kindergarten friends, the parents didn't know about how we roll in the food department.  Once the gym time was over, they helped the kiddos devour the Chick-fil-A and Campisi's pizza! 

The birthday boy had so much fun playing with his friends at the gymnastics place.  He took a quick break to pose for a picture for Katie (the party pic girl for the day - thanks Katie!)  How sweet does he look? 

One minute later . . . Beau, Canon, Griffin, Jonathan, William, Isak, and Preston decided to join Lincoln in his little circle!  So glad they love each other so much! 

The brothers had a few sweet minutes of bounce house time, and Beau was happy to get a little alone time with Lincoln at the party.   

The kids all sat down to learn the rules of the noodle game.  Lincoln got a noodle and had to select a friend to have a noodle too.  The shouts of "Pick Me!" was crazy, but Lincoln couldn't help but pick his best brother Beau.  They had to tag the other kids with their noodles as they ran past on the gym floor.  It was super fun! 

The coaches organized the kids for a group picture.  Lincoln was so proud to have so many friends surrounding him.  Two guys specifically made sure to be by his side, Beau and Nick.  It was such a great group! 

When we were finished in the gym, we hit the party room for nuggets and pizza.  A few sneaky boys had already claimed their seats by the birthday boy.  Beau was on Lincoln's right, and Canon was on Lincoln's left followed closely by Ben.  We passed out cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to Lincoln.  He got a little embarrassed with everyone looking at him, and he snuck Mommy a look with his eyes filling with tears because he was just overwhelmed with joy.  Lincoln is seriously the best!!!

He couldn't wait to hand out the favor boxes that we have worked on all week.  He designed every part of the favor boxes and placed each item in carefully.  The guests were almost as happy to receive them as he was to hand them out! 

It was such a fun party!  The parents had a great time visiting while the boys ran wild and had fun.  Good food, good friends, and good time for all. We headed home with tons of gifts, and Lincoln was blessed with so many fun presents.  Tons of Lego sets, the Gooey Louie game he had been eyeing, a few craft projects, a few sports gifts, and lots of cards and gift cards.   

Lincoln is sure that this was his best birthday EVER!  So glad to share in his joy on this special day.  His happiness was contagious, and everyone there was in the best spirits.  Happy Birthday to the best 6 year old this Mom could ever know!

Beginning of the Weekend

It's the weekend - hooray!!!  Daddy got back in town after some work travel on Friday, and we all met at the club to hang with some friends.  Lincoln and Beau got to meet Hannah for the first time, and they really hit it off.  Hannah loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as much as these guys, and they ran around setting up traps for fake bad guys for hours.  She's super cool!  She also REALLY likes Beau and scooted her chair as close as possible during dinner.  They also share a love of pizza and have a really sweet bond. 

Lincoln's soccer team, the Ninjas, are back in action this spring.  We've had some weather problems (ice then rain another week), but the boys were ready to play on Saturday morning.  Beau and Lucy were happy to be reunited at their big brothers' game.  They did some artwork and smiled sweetly!  These two are so sweet!

 

 

It's crazy how much better the boys are after the winter break.  They are just more mature and aggressive and handle the ball better and work together more.  It was a great game against a good team, and the Y bumped us up a level.  Jonathan shouted at the end of the game, "We won this one for you, Lincoln, because it's your birthday!"  (No parent had the heart to tell them that the other team's goal in the final minute made it 5-5.)  Jonathan and the other boys were so excited about being back together and celebrating Lincoln, and it was too cute! 

The busiest weekend ever continued after the soccer game.  Huge birthday post is next.  Beware:  picture overload is next!

Mid-Week Notes

We had some Mommy time in the library on Wednesday morning, and it is always super fun to see the kids in action in Kindergarten.  Wednesday afternoon was super BIG for Lincoln!  Ms. Harker, the librarian, had recognized his recent AR quizzes and moved him up to the 10 point club!  Lincoln was totally excited, and we took his picture next to his picture on the 10 point group and with his reward for reaching the latest milestone.  He was so excited to get a new slap bracelet!  I am on the Reading AR Committee next year, and I don't know the budget yet for rewards.  I'm going to make a mental note that slap bracelets need to stay on the rewards list because they are cheap but awesomely fun!  Go Lincoln!

We came home on Wednesday to an upgraded security system.  Ours hadn't been updated in a few years, so we went all touch screen and stuff.  We walked in the door to hear a strange voice announce, "Garage Door."  It was unbelievable how funny Lincoln and Beau thought this strange voice coming out of the way could be.  We seriously stood in the hall and (closed then) opened the garage door 17 times so they could hear the lady in the wall say, "Garage Door."  They doubled over in a fit of laughter each time!  (Beau might have been caught knocking on the wall under the security monitor and yelling that she talk to him.  Too funny!)

After dinner on Thursday, we resumed out bike rides, and Beau wanted to wear his new helmet like Linc's.  He made it around the block several times with minimal Mommy pushing, and his little legs are getting better about pushing.  We ran into a sweet friend (Charlie) one street over, and that inspired Beau to pedal better.  The boys wanted to show Charlie how they ride through a large (why won't this dry up) puddle at the end of the street, and Charlie and his mom walked down the street to watch.  Beau also had to try some of Lincoln's "no legs" tricks!  Super fun bikers!  (Beau's helmet is crazy too big, by the way.  I guess he'll grow into it?  But really, how much damage can be done when slowly riding a bike with training wheels with a mom walking along?  Hopefully, none!) 

 

We came back to have dessert (Popsicles, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and bananas) then get cleaned up for bed.  (We had to make an emergency Tom Tom run for Kindergarten lunch ingredients because Beau was sure that he need a turkey and cheese sandwich on a roll with pretzels and a red apple for lunch on Friday.)  Bath time was quick and bedtime was immediate.   

Lincoln came out to investigate what Mommy was up to, and he really wanted to help with the last of the party favor boxes for Saturday.  When we finished those, he managed to climb onto the couch and fall asleep quickly.  It's crazy that these boys don't fall asleep as soon as we put them in their rooms at night, but they appear to be night owls too!  Lincoln woke up while he was being carried to bed after falling asleep on the couch . . . he wanted to clarify that he was still a big kid but it was still ok to be tucked in sometimes.  I'll tuck these little guys in until they won't let me, so each night with "extra" time is precious. 

Wonderful Weather for Bike Riding

Beau suggested that we go for a bike ride on Monday evening after Lincoln's soccer practice.  It was a beautiful evening, so we went for a bike ride around the neighborhood.  Actually, only one of us went on a bike ride . . . Beau abandoned his bike three seconds from our house  Lincoln was super happy to got on a late evening ride around the block.

So Beau was the instigator of the bike ride, but he completely bailed when it was time for him pedal along with his new training wheels bike.  Luckily, he joined Mommy in jogging along with Lincoln pedaling fast down the street.   

After dinner on Tuesday night, we headed out for another bike ride.  Lincoln is looking super cute in his helmet.  He's become the most confident bike-rider lately.  This daily practice is going great. 

So we got Beau's bike out to so he could ride with Lincoln, but he changed his mind to run around the block.  When we got back to the house, Mommy insisted that he pedal himself around the block a few times.  He was pretty good on his own, but he slowed down and needed a push a few times.  It was definitely the longest pedaling he's done, so we'll keep working on that.   

On our third trip around the block, Lincoln got a little fun/creative with his legs!  He discovered that his bike would keep going even though his legs weren't on the pedals.  Super fun! 

Cool biking weather is short and sweet in Texas, so we are taking advantage as much as we can.   It's great that Lincoln is getting so much more confident on his big kid bike (no elbow/knee pads), and Beau needs to keep up his confidence/effort on pedaling his 4 year old bike with training wheels.  We will keep the neighbors entertained with our biking adventures for a while.

What Really Happened During the Week - Appendicitis and Finally No More Rain!!!!

Remember this picture from the post about Beau's birthday?  Bubbles and Minnie had stopped by for a visit when they arrived late on Friday night (3-13) before Beau's birthday party.  We got a call at 9:30 on Saturday morning that Minnie and Bubbles were in the Emergency Room waiting on Bubbles to have an emergency appendectomy!  (Minnie knew Bubbles was in pain that night and made a note of a hospital on their way from our house to their hotel.  Smart Minnie!)  They had already talked with Nana and Pops, and Bubbles was insisting that Beau's birthday party go on without any mention of this problem.  He had offered to bring a tarp in the morning so the kids wouldn't get their feet wet ( in the damp grass after taking off their shoes for the bounce house), and he made sure someone got a tarp to the party ASAP!  Thanks to Aunt Carolyn for that save!  Really, Bubbles shouldn't have worried about such a silly thing while in so much pain, but I guess it was distracting to think of something other than he was sitting in the ER waiting on surgery!  So we had the party, and we made Minnie send us endless text messages about their condition, their surgery time, their transport to a larger and new hospital, and everything else.  Crazy day!! 

Mommy left as soon as the party was over to go to the hospital and arrived at Pre-Op just in time.  We got to meet the surgeon and get the details, and we also had to call several VIPs to keep them updated with information.  Ally was just sick that she hadn't been able to come, but we were calling her a ton to assure her that all would be ok.  The hospital they transported him to was super state of the art and only about a year old.  It was great!  (Stole this picture from Minnie!)

Not gonna lie . . . Saturday was hard!  Hard for Bubbles, hard for Minnie to watch her husband be in so much pain, hard for me to watch them both suffer, hard for Ally, Auntie, and so many friends and family away from us wanting to know more.  I had brought Minnie some Chick-fil-A and Campisi's pizza from Beau's party for her "lunch" (at 2:30), which she ate behind a napkin because Bubbles couldn't eat.  I made her throw it away around 6:00 because it had been sitting out unrefrigerated since 11:00.  When I was leaving around 8:00, the cafeteria had closed and the vending machine just had cookies and candy.  I ran to get her a sandwich and fruit from a nearby convenience store and didn't even realize it was EXPIRED!!!  So sorry Minnie!  After church on Sunday, the kids got to go visit and thought Bubbles had a cool room and really that the whole thing was kind of cool.  Super glad they weren't freaked out about him being in a hospital bed.  Minnie had dropped her iPhone on Saturday night, so went to get it fixed - why we ended up at Firewheel Mall riding trains, eating cookies, and wasting time.  We bought Minnie a cup of cinnamon sugar mini pretzels for a surprise.  I'm pretty sure Beau licked the cinnamon and sugar off a few pretzels, but Minnie didn't care!!!!  Mommy picked the boys up early from school on Monday to go visit again before soccer practice, and we were happy to see them again.  We went back on Tuesday to visit and pick up some laundry to take home to wash, and Daddy joined us.  Wednesday was a little different.  Nana had picked up the boys from school, and the doctor though Bubbles needed a little help getting some fluids out so I went to sit with him and Minnie for the afternoon/evening.  I brought Minnie's laundry back and baked penne for Minnie and I to share in the waiting area . . . poor Bubbles still couldn't have food until all of the fluids were gone.  (He hadn't eaten since Friday night!!!!  But Minnie needed a home cooked meal instead of hospital sandwiches or protein bars.)  I picked the boys up from dinner at Nana and Pops to come home and get ready for bed, and we saw a strange possum walking along Ms. Sally's fence.  (That's important for later!)  We couldn't go visit on Thursday night because we had Open House at Kindergarten.  Lincoln was so proud to show us his Space Journal, Art Book, Rotating Solar System, and Astronaut.  He loves school!!!  We also went to the art room and collected his heart tile and stopped by the book fair to get a new Captain Underpants book (gross!)  Nana and Pops went to visit Minnie and Bubbles on Thursday and reported that he was getting better faster - YAY!

We got a wonderful call on Friday morning that Bubbles was getting his fluid tube out and he was looking great!  So excited!!!  Minnie and Bubbles were so happy they took their first selfie ever!  I stole this from Ally (who stole it from Minnie).  Poor Ally was stuck in Arkansas working, but we kept her super updated each day.  Those are two happy people smiling because Bubbles had "turned the corner"!!! 

Bubbles was in such a picture happy mood, the boys got a picture with him after school on Friday.  They totally think they own that hospital after visiting so much!  The nurses have been so kind and stop to introduce themselves to us and tell us how much they love Bubbles.   

We got a rainy Saturday and a cancelled soccer game, so we just loafed around all day.  A little March Madness, a few video games, a stop at a friend's shop to buy Minnie a birthday gift, and a visit with Bubbles at the hospital.  Hopefully, our last visit at the hospital.  The boys were completely over the novelty of visiting a hospital and had lost their nice behavior, and we were all praying for a Sunday release!  Bubbles got the "all clear" to eat real food FINALLY after 7 days, so I honored his request for a burger with a special delivery from Shady's.  They were so happy!!!  I was only a little sad that I just dropped it off because I kind of wanted to watch them eat it with joy!  We went to dinner and came home to watch the late Razorbacks game, but that ended with a loss.  Daddy went out into the garage around 10:30 and found this guy hanging out . . . OMG!!!  We called Bubbles, Pop Pop, and Eric, and no one really knew how to safely get the possum out of our garage.  Everyone suggested leaving some food out to lure him down, but this Mommy only buys enough fresh food to last until Friday.  On Saturday nights, the fridge is empty.  Daddy took matters into his own hands and hit the garage door button a few times to wake the possum up, and he fell down out into the driveway.  We haven't seen him since, thankfully!!! 

Sunday was a joyous day!  Nana and Pops went to check on Bubbles early in the morning, and he was being discharged!!! For some crazy reason, the doctor agreed that they could drive home to Arkansas!  Everyone was so happy!!!  Minnie drove them by the house so the boys could say good bye and we could all hug.  It was so good to see Bubbles outside of the hospital!  The boys promised that the next time he comes to visit he gets to eat two cupcakes . . . one for Beau's party and one for Lincoln's party.  After they left for home, we had brunch at the club, did some grocery shopping, then went for some tennis on a wonderfully warm spring day.   

Daddy and Pop Pop had played golf in the early afternoon, but Daddy wanted the boys to have a little golf after our tennis fun.  Daddy took Lincoln to the driving range and instructed Mommy to give Beau a putting lesson.  Not sure Mommy is a putting expert, but we had fun!  Beau putted for a while, but he actually only cared about going into the locker room to get goldfish!

We traded after half an hour so Daddy and Beau could have some time at the driving range.  Lincoln sank a putt-in-one!!!!  After that great feat, he insisted that he get a popcorn snack from the clubhouse.  Apparently, it's all about the snacks!! 

The best news of the day is that Minnie and Bubbles made it home to Arkansas safely, and they are so glad to be home.  We loved getting to see them every day, but it was a crazy week.  We are so thankful for the doctors and nurses that took such great care of Bubbles, and I have so much admiration for Minnie for not wanting to leave his side the whole time.  So lucky that we both have parents that still love each other so much.  This wild ride is winding down, and we just hope Bubbles will come back one day . . . at least he won't have to worry about appendicitis ever again!

Life Lately

We had so much going on after Beau's party on Saturday . . . right now I'm choosing to make that a post for a later time.  As for Sunday, we went to church and the club for brunch.  Thank goodness that Chef Joey was back because we super missed his excellent omelets and waffles when he was out unexpectedly last Sunday.  (In reality, this is the most selfish thing EVER that our omelets and waffles are so important.  But they are yummy when he makes them.  We are aware that there are many more things that are WAY MORE uncomfortable than omelets and waffles made by Chef Joey's stand-in.  More on that another day.)  The boys and Mommy ended up at Fire Wheel to get an iPhone screen replaced after several attempts at super shady places that were (thankfully) closed on Sundays.  While the phone was being repaired, we checked out the fountain.  A lot of pennies were thrown in, and a lot of wishes have been granted since then!  The sun was making the boys a little squinty!

While we were tossing our pennies into the fountain, the boys noticed that a train would drive around the block and accept passengers/drop off passengers right where we were standing.  Of course, a train ride was in order.  $9 later, we all piled in a small train car and got ready to chugga chugga choo choo (super slowly) around the square.  We got photo-bombed by a dad standing nearby.  (He totally waited in line with his wife and three kids behind us, and just after he paid for them to all get in a train car next to us he decided it was too small for them all to get in.  Kind of brilliant, right)?  The Moms and kids had tons of fun on our super slow train ride. 

One of the shops we drove by on our train ride was the Cookie Store.  As soon as we got off the train, we walked over to get a cookie and a drink.  Lincoln chose an iced blue cookie and a cheery Icee, and Beau chose an iced cookie on a stick and a lemonade slushee . . . two happy boys for sure!!!!

We had Beau's chosen birthday dinner at Shady's on Sunday evening, and it was delicious as always.  The weekend was super busy and not at all like it was planned, but we all got to bed super tired.  Everyone had to wake a bit earlier than normal, so Mommy took the boys for donut holes before school on Monday morning.  Tired but excited smiles in the parking lot! 

Beau doesn't nap at home, but he sometimes falls asleep at school with the lights out and classical music surrounding him.  Mommy found this mess at an early (ending naptime) pick up.  Apparently only his head was cold?!?!   

Monday afternoon was glorious weather, and we played outside for a while.  Silly swing face by Lincoln! 

We had our first Spring Ninjas soccer practice on Monday evening, and the boys were happy to get the team back together.  They are such fun friends, and everyone got in the grove together super fast. 

Beau and Case (little brothers) played football and soccer until Beau found something in his shoe that needed investigating.  He's a smiley guy! 

Our week has been super busy, and we are doing our best take care of everyone.  More on the way for our Open House and weekend fun.

 

Party Time-Club on Friday, Beau's Birthday on Saturday

We hit up the early St. Patrick's Day Party at the club on Friday night.  The boys loved making s'mores by the fire.  Well, Beau love holding his marshmallow near the fire, and Lincoln loved scorching his marshmallow to make a giant flame.  They only ate the Hershey's part of the s'mores!

The boys watched a movie in the playroom after baths, and Minnie and Bubble stopped by when they got into town around 10:00.  We spent at least an hour having a late fun night!  The boys immediately needed to climb on Bubbles. 

Beau turned 4 on Saturday, and we were hugging at his birth time just after 9:30!!!  Lincoln gave him the sweetest hug!!!  We waited on the bounce house delivery man in our pjs because that seems to be a tradition! 

We have had tons of rain lately, and Bubbles suggested a tarp to put under the entrance to the bounce house so the kids feet wouldn't get muddy climbing in and out.  It turned out that the short kids tables we rented got delivered as tall tables, so the tarp Bubbles suggested became our picnic spot!  Beau was posing with a big "cheese" before the party started.  His little lip was healing so well from his fall and ER visit on Thursday! 

Nana and Mommy coordinated on the dinosaur theme, and Nana made the cutest outdoor décor. 

The dinosaurs were so special to Beau, and Nana did an amazing job as usual!!!   

Our guests arrived and loved the bounce house.  It had a basketball goal inside, so they were playing some weird version of bounce-keep away-basketball, and they had so much fun!!!!  We didn't over-invite, and all the kids were used to playing together.  It was a fun group. 

After lots of jumping, it was time for lunch.  Beau had requested flowers, dinosaur plates, fruit, Chick-fil-A nuggets, and old-old Campisi's pizza.  (The old-old Campisi's that he speaks of is the one on Mockingbird that the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, hung out at.  Daddy took the boys there a couple of times, and Beau thinks it way better than the Campisi's in our neighborhood.) Beau planned a great lunch. 

We were ready for cupcakes with dinosaur rings as decorations after lunch, and we had plenty of dinosaur juice boxes and little waters.   

The kids didn't even know about the wrong sized tables or make-shift tarp; they used the chair seats as their table and ate on their knees.  The Kuhlmans and Saugiers were chowing down!!!  Lincoln and Canon are Kindergarten besties, and Beau and Case are set to be together in 2016 so it's great that they already like each other! 

After lunch, we gave Beau a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday!!  Mommy delivered cupcakes to the kiddos, and they were super yummy.  Nick and Charlie were first up for cupcake delivery! 

Everyone ate their cupcakes happily and went back to playing in the bounce house.  Beau ate the icing off his first cupcake . . . then he ate the icing off his second cupcake . . . then he asked for a third cupcake . . . Mommy wasn't sure until Beau insisted that he wanted to eat the entire cupcake this time . . . and he sat there by himself and ate the whole thing with the biggest smile on his face.  Only on your birthday!!! 

Beau played with his friends for a while then decided to have another chicken snack on the ladder . . . again, only on your birthday!  He was so content to snack and watch everyone have a great time.  Such a sweetie! 

We came inside to open presents, and the kids were happy to watch (and help) Beau.  It was calm yet chaotic, but totally fun.  Beau got tons of great gifts! 

Beau's gift from Mom and Dad was a 4 year old bike with training wheels, and he loved it.  He has to get over his aversion to pedaling his tricycle, so a big bike was in order.  He is excited about his big kid bike and riding with Lincoln!

Beau loved his birthday party, and he was so happy to enjoy watching everyone have fun with what he had planned.  Such a sweet little 4 year old, and he deserved a great party.  Happy Birthday, Beau!