Just what I've always wanted...

The birthday party of THEIR MY dreams.

When KJ found out it was going to be my birthday, he was over-the-top excited.  The kid LOVES birthday parties, has been planning his May27th birthday since approximately May28th of last year, and loves celebrating with his friends.  When Ricky asked KJ what he thought we should do for "Mommy's Birthday" he had big plans...Batman plans.  Batman cake, Batman coloring pages, you know...a Batman theme.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that he wanted Batman because he was trying to "steal" the party.  It was just that in his sweet little four-year-old brain a Batman party was the very best thing he could think to give me.  I loved it.  So thats exactly how we celebrated. 

Step One- Batman pictures for presents.

 

The kids loved picking out pictures online to print and then coloring them.  And I loved how much they enjoyed it! 

Next the real fun began.  Can you believe how excited these two were about baking a cake?

We learned a few things along the way.  I definitely helped A LOT, but let the boys help measure and add ingredients...

   ... and mix it all together.

Then all that is left, is to lick the beaters and watch it bake!

 

Well, that, and the icing and a Batman logo, of course.

 and then, Voila... Batman cake!

Next step to the perfect party... making Kool-Aid.  Funny story here, about how this got included in KJ's my perfect party.  He's been talking for a couple of weeks about "red stuff to drink" then last week saw the little kool-aid individual serving packets I sometimes add to my waterbottles in the pantry.  When he discovered them he exclaimed, "MOM, this is it...kids at school bring this red drink in their lunches".  At that moment I had a combination of amusement and guilt.  I can't BELIEVE I've never made kool-aid for the poor kid.  What 4-year-old has never had kool-aid? So of course, red kool-aid (despite every ounce of me that wanted to avoid it) had to be part of the perfect party.

 

It was just the kids and me until RRL came home for lunch (thanks, Babe), and (obviously) not something I put a lot of preparation into ahead of time, but seriously it was perfect.  I'll never forget it!  Well, maybe I'll forget the part where Cbug stained his shirt red, the boys licked the beaters and put them back in the bowl, KJ arguing about how to make the cake, Cbug nearly chopping his fingers off with the mixer, digging eggshell out of the mix, Cbug unpeeling crayons while making my picture, and the part where I got to clean up the mess after it was all over.  But other than that....  Perfect.

In case you were wondering-  As if anything could top a Batman party for your 30(something)th birthday, I did also get to have an amazing night out planned by my super sweet husband where there were no children, no messes to clean up, and a dinner that I didn't have to prepare.  That was pretty perfect, too!

ABL



These three "punkins" are spoken for...

 

I mean, really... 

Have you seen three more adorable pumpkins in any patch YOU have visited this fall?

So thankful they are mine!

ABL

(and also thankful to have such a fun tradition with Cindi and Cass...whose patience in capturing my children in pictures truly amazes me.  Sure love you two!)

School visit to the Zoo/Petshop

KJ's teacher this year is so creative.  I love hearing the ways she teaches the kids different concepts.  One of my favorite activities of the fall was a family field trip to the zoo.  It was a great way to meet some of the kids in KJ's class as well as their parents and siblings.  Ms. A was so kind to include Cbug and other younger siblings just like they were members of the class, too. 

 

We didn't just "visit" the zoo, though.  Ms A had the fun idea of turning it into a "pet store" where the kids each got $10 play money and could decide which animals they would buy.  Some animals were $2 or $3, some as much as $7 or $8 so you really had to decide which you wanted, count out your money and consequently learn a little about "budgeting".  This accountant momma, of course, LOVED the idea.   And apparently the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.  My sweet oldest child decided the second he saw the "catalog" that he wanted to buy penguins...and he held all of his money until the end of the day when we finally got to the penguins and "bought" 5.  While other kids had money burning holes in their pockets ad jumped at the chance to buy a lion, elephant, or white tiger, KJ quietly just said "No, thank you, I'm waiting for the penguins"...for THREE HOURS.  Even though the penguins were only $2, so he could have "afforded" something else, too, he had decided how he wanted to spend his money and could not be deterred.  It made my heart swell :) 

 KJ with his ticket, our kids with KJ's teacher and KJ the map reader.

The boys from the class learning about an animal they could purchase and then taking a break to examine a matchbox car.

The amazing Mrs A- teaching the kids about the animals at the zoo, giving KJ his money, and telling us about "Polly"

Cbug loving the turtles in the new MOLA and KJ explaining why it was so important to WAIT for penguins.

 

And Lou doing what she does best...helping herself to some snacks.  Gotta love that girl!

What a great day!!

ABL

Three good reasons why I haven't been blogging...

Three wonderfully adorable, sometimes disobedient, positively crazy-fun-loving,  destructor style mess-making, hands-full-of-blessings, often ornery and argumentative, make you giggle until your mouth hurts, head-over-heels for their siblings, team of mischeif-making, blonde-headed reasons.

Hopefully someday I'll tell you about some of the adventures these three have been up to.  Until then this picture of their adorable craziness pretty well sums it up.

ABL