We are 3!!

Here are a couple of videos and pics from Michael and Emily's bday celebration this past Saturday. We had the Peachtree City Goulds up for dinner, and had a really nice time. Great Grandma Yoko gave Michael a dinosaur that was the hit of the evening. At first he wasn't too sure about it, but pretty much followed it around the rest of the night.









The cupcakes were a big hit, Sophie helped me frost them, and chose the pink(girl), blue(boy) and green (either) colors. She is getting very good at frosting cupcakes, I didn't have to touch hers up at all.




An apology to Nana and Grandpa and Grandma Maier. There are no pcitures of their birthday dinner with the twins from Monday. That is because they decided not to nap (Michael and Emily, that is, not the grandparents) and were in a horrible state by 6pm. They were in bed by 6:45, and never even saw the lovely cake Grandma made and Grandpa decorated. But it does deserve a spot on the blog.


And this also deserves a spot....the rice krispy treats I made for their birthday at school. I did try to dye them orange, but after adding way more than I thought healthy, I gave up. They had a bit of an orange hue, and the kids knew what they were supposed to be, so mission accomplished.


And last, but certainly not least, Emily sleeping with her new Sleepytime Care Bear,courtesy of Grandma Gould.

Pumpkin Time

It's no secret that Fall is my favorite season. Maybe it's because of all the memories associated with growing up in the Northeast, but that first hint of Fall in the air makes me terribly nostalgic. We have had a very pleasant Fall so far, and now the mornings and evenings are chilly, which is so nice.

When you have your own family, you get to make your own traditions. One of ours is going to Mt Zion's pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins. It's really nothing special, no drive up to the mountains, no hay ride or farm animals. Just a 5 minute ride in the car to the kids' preschool, where they Youth Group sells pumpkins every year.
There's something to be said for the familiar. And maybe I am just a creature of habit. It really hit me how long we have been doing this little pumpkin thing when the lady asked us if we needed any help. "Oh no", we said, "we've been coming here since our oldest was a baby, and she just turned 7." 7! How did that happen? Wasn't this her, just yesterday?

No, that's her at age 3, the same age Michael and Emily will be in 2 weeks. That also seems hard to believe. Maybe all our Fall birthdays contribute to my nostalgia as well.

So, we carefully pick our pumpkins and gourds, then go home to arrange them. Not like we used to, with bales of haystraw and a new scarecrow every year. That was easy when Sophie was the only one around. Now with three those big displays don't seem that important. Just a few pumpkins on the front steps is fine with me. They'll get moved and dropped a bunch before Halloween actually arrives anyway.

I really do like the Fall. It seems to scream "Home" to me. And this year,our home is a much better place for all of us. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Birthdays Galore

The fall/winter is birthday season in our family. Grandpa Gould and Nana in September, Sophie, Michael and Emily in October. Grandma Maier in November, Grandma Gould and me in December, and Grandpa Maier and Terry in January. Throw in Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and we are done!

We celebrated Grandpa Gould's birthday a couple of weeks ago in PTC. The golf cart was enjoyed by all, and luckily Jack's parents were visiting and were able to get a Gould family shot.

This past weekend Nana came to visit and got to enjoy her birthday dinner with us. The kids really enjoyed helping her blow out her candles.

On Saturday morning, Sophie had her birthday party (a week before the actual day) at Chuck E. Cheese. Yes, that is correct. One of those places that before you have kids you swear you will never set foot in. One of the greatest lessons I have learned since becoming a mother: never say never.

Here's Michael all confused by the strange phone with a cord attached to it.

Terry and Emily take a spin on the racetrack.

Sophie and her friends Katie and Sarah Kate give it a big thumbs up. Notice who the only one with their two front teeth intact is.....

The horse was a big hit. Pulling on the reins made it go faster, and helped steer it around the video screen track that was the course. Mike was content to ride it token-less.
Noah and Sophie have shared a bday party since they were 4, but this year each had too many of their own school friends to combine. But he was right there next to her, and at one point I heard her telling her other friends that Noah and she have been friends since they were 2. Then I heard Noah ask her friends Lilly and Bella, "So, how long have you known Sophie, when did you meet her?" It's like they were at a cocktail party.

My absolute favorite thing about the party was the cake, provided by Tom Carvel. What's not to love about ice cream with that layer of chocolate crunchies in the middle. Of course, it's a big joke among parents everywhere that even though you might claim to not like it, the pizza at Chuck E. Cheese is actually pretty good. Terry and Rebekah are all smiles eating theirs.

All in all, a very fun morning.