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.

Athlete in the Family??

So Terry and I are not the most athletic people in the world. He played soccer in high school, and I played (or sat on the bench) for basketball, softball and tennis. Actually, I had the most success at tennis, and before the kids came along, was on a successful ALTA team that I really enjoyed. But, look what our kid can do!!

Miss Sharon assures me that Gabriella wasn't really hurt, that it only looks like Michael is clobbering her in the head. This happened during Movement, the teacher wanted to see who had mastered jumping with two feet, which is a 3 year old skill. I would say Mike has it down pat.

Their Movment teacher is great. Her own children play lacrosse, and she introduced the preschool kids to it. She dressed in all her protective gear, and had them running around the gym picking up the balls with their sticks. Emily is the second child from the right in this shot. Kel, what do you think? Maybe you can give them some pointers next time we see you.

And, of course, a fun (and carefully cropped) bath shot. They are almost getting too big for me to bathe together. Each of them like to swim, and there's just not enough room in the tub for that!

Photo Op

Michael and Emily had their photos taken at school on Wednesday. Their teacher sent me these "outakes" of Emily posing, and the class practicing nice smiles, then their silly smiles. Notice my two, Mike with his trademark scary face, and Emily with her tongue stuck out.

It will be interesting to see how the real photos turn out!

In other news, Sophie has acheived full Maier crazy reader status. Last night I found her reading by the light of her night light and a flashlight in her room about 10 minutes after I had tucked her in. She had made a little nest with her extra blanket and was quite comfy. Brought back many memories of staying up waaay too late reading the Little House on the Prarie books. And in more recent memory, Harry Potter. Good times!

Brownies at the Braves

Sunday was Girl Scout Day at the Braves Game. Sophie and I went, while Terry took Michael and Emily on a fun trip to Office Max and Wal-Mart. Here she is wearing her troop shirt.



Before the game, all the Scouts got to walk the track around the field. The parade probably lasted about 30 minutes, there must have been 1000 or so girls and their leaders. Sophie didn't really get the significance of being down on the field, as she told me later, "That was a long walk, Mom!" Rosie was her buddy, and as you can see, they listened well and held hands around the entire track.


Our seats were General Admission, so we were waaayyy up there. But it was nice since we were in the shade, and had a lovely breeze. Sophie's favorite parts of the day: the large screen TV (jumbotron) and the cotton candy. We made it all the way to the end of the 5th inning, not bad for her first time at a ballgame.

Unbelievable

Here's what we do on a rainy morning with no place to go. Sophie gave me this card for Mother's Day, and it's been a hit ever since. It's kind of dark, but I think you can get the general idea. And we are not complaining about the rain, even if it rains the rest of the week, and it's supposed to thanks to Fay, it still won't dent our 2 year old drought.