Birthday Party

Though Zach does not turn three until Tuesday, we had his birthday party today. I really had not planned on having a party but was inspired after attending my nephew's party a few weeks ago. We invited family, which meant that we still had 13 adults ad 8 kids and some didn't even make it!

The theme was Thomas & Friends. Thomas is one of Zach's favorite characters right now and he can spend an hour just sliding around on his stomach driving his "frains" around. I got brave and made his cake. It was a Pillsbury Funfetti cake with white icing. I drew the train tracks on and added the chocoate Thomas set I got from Target. Then I added chocolate dirt and icing bushes with green sprinkles grass and flower sprinkles for added color. It was way too much fun!!

After having a build your own taco salad lunch, the kids enjoyed a very quick opening of a pull-string pinata. And, Amy, don't sweat it that Aidan was smart enough to pull the correct ribbon! I think the kids were more excited about all the loot that came pouring out than about pulling a string anyway!! For future parties, we decided we are going to get the traditional "whack-it-to-pieces" kind no matter how long it takes the little guys to break it open. They are just simply more fun. The up side of this kind, though, is that Thomas still looks terrific and is going to have a permanent spot hanging from a corner of Zach's room. Pretty cool momento from his first real birthday party.

All in all, the little guy had an incredibly fun time. He was so tickled that everything was just for him. I never realized just how many things he and Hannah have had to share. He was truly excited that it was all about him. For hours after everyone left, he played with all the toys he had received starting with the trains and cars, of course! He loves his Diego ball and even got to try out his new bubble mower on the parking pad where he raced back and forth. He ended the day with stories from his new Thomas book after playing some more with his new cars, trains, Thomas case, and raceway. We even installed his new light plate covers which match the room beautifully.

And here is one of the highlights of the party. First let me say that it took a long time to teach this boy how to blow. Blowing bubbles was what finally worked. And apparently it worked very well. Check out how accurately he can blow from a distance! I just had to laugh and roll with it. You never know what a kid is going to do. Hey, at least he didn't spit on it!

Look Who's Talking

Zach is finally making some sense these days. He competed 12 weeks of speech therapy on Friday. It was bitter sweet to say good-bye to Mrs. Maria, but we hope to see her again this summer along with her two-year-old daughter at some play days.

Maria was just amazing and Zachary so enjoyed seeing her every Friday. Through her techniques (and our homework), he began to identify objects, then eventually started making simple sentences. It truly is a joy to be able to communicate with him through speech. I will always be so thankful that I finally swallowed my pride and asked for help through Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECI).

Now we are going to take it easy this summer and just work on simple phrases, colors, and such. I will begin his homeschooling this fall as I did last spring with Hannah. He will get a lot more attention when Hannah attends preschool two days a week this fall.

Jumping 7 Months

Can you believe my little Bec Spec is now 7 months old? She is growing so quickly. Much too fast for my taste! We had a beautiful week and were able to go outside some. Rebecca is really enjoying getting to do the fun stuff that older brother and sister are doing. One of the fun experiences is the swing. Check out the big smiles!

She did get a little hesitant for awhile and held on tight to one side.

And check out the guest in the far right corner. That rabbit grew up around the kids and totally doesn't care when they are out playing. In fact, he was right behind the swings before I took this picture. I just LOVE living in the country!!

I started moving the pack-n-play outside when Rebecca is awake. She has the freedom to play while the big kids are nearby. It has come in soooo handy!

And here is one of her favorite things to do right now. She can get some pretty good leaps in there!

Stats on Girls

We finally made it to the doctor today for Hannah's four-year and Rebecca's six-month appointments. My blue-eyed girls were so good at the beginning, but alas, it ended in much crying.

Hannah had a finger prick and three shots. Her mole is looking fine. She is still a pee-mite and will not graduate out of her current car seat as soon as I had hoped. She passed her vision and hearing tests hands down. My big girl even gave them a urine sample! Here are her stats:

Weight: 32 lbs 4 oz (22 %)
Height: 38-1/2 in. (18 %)

Rebecca had one oral and two shots. I thought she was going to break the glass when she screamed after the last shot. Her staph infection appears to be gone, but eczema has remained. She has cradle cap and eczema on her right cheek, right arm, and right leg. I have a topical from a few months ago that will again be applied. She is starting to show the signs of teething, though nothing is evident yet. And even as I type this, I look up to see this over-achiever assuming the pre-crawling stance. Yikes-arama. Here are her stats:

Weight: 17 lbs 10.5 oz (67%)
Height: 27-3/4 in (92%)
Head cir: 16-7/8 in (49%)

Zach's Wish List

This post is for family, so don't sweat it if you aren't kin! This is the wish list I have compiled for Zach's birthday based on his current interests. His favorite characters are Thomas the Tank Engine, Diego, Dora the Explorer, and Handy Manny.

We are giving him a My First Leappad. I picked up three books/cartridges (one claimed) off Ebay if anyone is interested in shopping at the Smith Store since those items are no longer available at regular retail stores. If you purchase something from the list, you can let me know and I will update this post.

Short sleeved PJ’s (pants or shorts), size 3T - one claimed
Fisher-Price Bubble Mower see it here - claimed
John Deere Single and Double Light Switch Plates see it here; and here - claimed
John Deere wall clock see it here
Go Diego Go DVD's - one claimed
Thomas the Tank Engine books & DVD’s - book claimed
Take Along and Wooden Railway Thomas & Friends die casts
Take Along Thomas Carry Case - claimed
Thomas the Tank Engine Backpack (saw a cute one at Target) - claimed

Construction Cake

We have been oh-so-busy lately. Yesterday we went to a birthday party for my nephew. Take a look at this amazingly cute cake my SIL made. The rocks were made of chocolate. Isn't it so darling?

I used to think, um, what do I do with boys? Now I am totally enjoying being the mother of one. They are just so different from girls. Growing up in a mostly female household has made it a challenge for me to understand the male gender. The older my boy gets the more I dig it (pun totally intended). :)

Today we went out to my parents' new house. It is farther away from us than the former abode, but the drive is so gorgeous we really don't mind. As a bonus, we also got to see my sissy and her hubby. To celebrate Mommy's Day, we then went to Sonic and picked up some vanilla cones and chicken nuggets for the kids and an M&M Sonic Blast and a large onion ring for mommy. And yes, that was supper. Sometimes you just gotta live it up.

Graduation Date

I absolutely love to take showers. When we designed our home, the master bath ended up being the size of my childhood bedroom. The shower is an amazing feature for many reasons. For example, did you know that from the beautiful tumble-stoned oasis you cannot hear a child crying? I also love it because it creates some solitude for me that allows the mommy-brain to disappear and remnants of my I-actually-do-have-a-college-degree brain to re-emerge.

So today my thoughts reflected on a conversation I had with Aunt Amy yesterday about her kids being two years apart in school. I thought,wow, Rebecca and Baby Mac will be in the same grade. Then I paused as I realized an error in my thinking for over a year now. I have always thought that Zach and Rebecca will be two grades apart. The way Chad and I think about it, we would have a senior, junior, and freshman all at the same time. Now if you know anything about the ages of all our kids, you know my math ain't right. I missed the fact that Rebecca will start school a whole year later because her birthdate is 7 weeks after the September 1st cut off date. Ouch. So that means that she will start school three years after Zach - not two.

To put it in even greater perspective, our last child will graduate from high school in 2027 and I will be 54. And that doesn't even count college. **THUD**