The Tattooed Ballerina

Addie took a 6 week tap and ballet class at the local dance studio. She LOVED it (hint, hint Grandparents- dance would make a GREAT birthday or Christmas gift!!). Here are 2 snippets of what she accomplished! You can tell she's really concentrating - look for her tongue to be pushing her cheeks out! We are SO proud of her!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Alden!

Today, my "Baby" turns 3. Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday we found out that he was coming. He is such a joy- he makes me laugh every day!

Some things that Alden loves:

Food- he LOVES to eat- we joke that we will enter him in eating contests soon to help cover his portion of the food bill... As the slide show reflects, he is happiest when eating!

Friends- he has several special friends- Daddy & Mommy, Addie, Averys (yes, 2 of them 1 from DE and 1 here in VA), Hannah, Grayson, MarMars and PopPops- he is a little shy when he first meets someone, but given a few minuets, he will be wrestling, laughing, and acting as if he has known the person forever!

Talking- he talks a mile a minuet, and his clarity is increasing with each day. He has loved his speech therapist, Miss Elizabeth, and is excited to meet his new one at the new school in September.

School- he cannot wait to start school in September. He asks at least once a day if it's time to go!

Toys- he loves anything with wheels (Lightening McQueen, fire trucks, race cars, bicycle, etc), or is electronic.

Sports- he loves balls- and is pretty good at belting his T-ball or golf ball across the yard. He is also turning into a fish- he can hold his breath freakishly long. We aren't sure where all this athleticism is coming from, but we are going to do our best to encourage it!

Alden Peter, we love you and can't believe you are three! You are such a perfect addition to our family- you show your family new perspectives every day! We look forward to seeing what this next year reveals about you!!

Alden's 3rd Birthday Party

We celebrated Alden's 3rd Birthday a few day early- so Al could actually be home for an actual birthday party! It was a great day filled with friends and fun. Since food is something special to Alden, we decided to fix his favorite foods- appetizers of chips, salsa and cheese dip; dinner of hot dogs, pasta salad, baked beans, and corn on the cob; cake and ice cream. Yummy!

Thankfully the weather wasn't too hot, so the kiddos played on the swingset and we were even able to eat outside, too! Inside we colored pictures of trains, and then wooden trains with magnets on the back. Back outside, we played Toss the Package in the Train- each person at the party had a personalized bean bag- and they tossed them from various distances- into a train car. The kids loved it- throwing things! And once home, they will double as coasters. And what Train Conductor is complete without a tattoo? We added those as well!

The cake- it was amazing! A friend at church makes these amazing cakes as a hobby, and she was willing to make one for Alden- how awesome is that? He was thrilled when she delivered it- and even more thrilled when he found out it was 1)Blue (his favorite color), 2)Edible, and 3)Chocolate! Thanks, Sarah!!

It was a great day- and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful son (Addie is awesome, too!) and wonderful friends to raise him with. There were too many picture to do without a slide show- enjoy! (More pics to come on Tuesday, his actual birthday)

Sneak Peek

Weekend Fun

We had a blast this weekend doing a LARGE variety of activities. Since it was gorgeous, we made it a point to be outside as much as possible!!

Saturday we headed to Rocketts' Landing to watch Dagon Boat Racing. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was really neat! There were well over 30 teams (each team 22-25 members), several booths set-up with freebies, and a live band. The kids loved it!

Here is a winning team!

Watching a race from their own "Chariot"

We indulged in some face painting- Alden wanted Blue's Clues pawprint- in his favorite color- blue!

Addie has a pink and yellow butterfly- so cute, just like her!

This picture just melts my heart- they loved having their Daddy around!!

Addie decided Daddy needed his back rubbed- she is so thoughtful!!

The Boat Racing wore them out!

He is into being "cool" right now- even in his sleep!

Sunday after church and naps, we headed to a local park to unload the ton of bread heals that I had in the 'fridge. The kids loved it until a Canadian Goose waddled up to Alden (at the same eye level), gave him a "look" and then promptly snatched the entire piece of bread out of Alden's hand- freaking him out! Al went to shoo the bird away, but the bird wasn't scared, so Al actually pushed it off the dock and into the water! I'm not sure who was more shocked- Al or the bird!

Once the bread was gone, we played on the playground. It's kinda scary how even weight-wise, the kids are now! They just love this version of the see-saw!

Swinging with Daddy- he pushes much higher than I do! I actually don't push much anymore since they can both pump...

A tradition in our house is Sunday night dinner is something "fun"- this week, it was banana splits! They were allowed to eat in the playroom (on a beach towel) and watch Dora- what a treat!!

Alden is really into puzzles lately. He did all of these with a little help from me, and was so proud of himself!!

Gramma Jenny and Mr. Jim Visit

Recently, my Mom (aka Gramma Jenny) and her fiance, Mr. Jim, stopped by for a little visit! The kids were happy to see Gramma Jenny and to meet Mr. Jim- whom they loved! We had lots of fun- Al gave them a tour of Richmond, we played at our pool, we swam in their hotel pool, we ate yummy meals home-made and out, toured Carytown, colored, read books, and had lots of fun! Sadly, my camera didn't make any of the outings....

Here the kids are watching Gramma Jenny swim laps during an Adult Swim. They would cheer every time she swam by

Once Adult Swim was over, they had her playing games with them! Their recent favorite is being thrown... Gramma Jenny got a good arm work-out!

This was after our yummy dinner and tour of Carytown!

Gramma Jenny loves to read- and they loved having her read to them. She brought them several books- their favorite was Dr. Seuss ABC's.

Our Swimmer in Action

Addie was back in action today at the pool!

Alden keeping an eye on Addie- so sweet!

Jumping!!

More action! She LOVES it!

There is a great video, but for some reason, I cannot get it to load....