Mommy's birthday

I got a very different surprise the afternoon of my birthday this year--Eric ordered a singing monkey telegram for me!  It was funny, because he used Steve, the guy who does all our balloon delivery for the surprise.  He sang to me, gave the girls candy and crowns, posed for photos and then was on his way.

After that, daddy had got a beautiful cake and g'ma and g'pa Jahn came over for cake.

The girls sang happy birthday to me--Cora sang so loud and sweetly--i hope the camcorder captured it.  It was the sweetest thing.  I enjoyed spending the day with my family and all my treats and surprises too.  

Eric and I went out to a movie and dinner later--his gift to me, and we had a great time. It was nice to pick a movie that wasn't a cartoon and actually order what we wanted for dinner :)

Connell's kids club/mommy's birthday flowers

The morning of my birthday happened to be a kids club flower class day.

Eric had planned on taking Amara to Connells without knowing this detail--so the visit was non-traditional :)

We got there and the staff was so kind and got everything ready for us to have our own private class--the girls were thrilled!!  Eric picked out some roses for me for my birthday too, so the visit was a blast and their arrangements were adorable!

The girls made little arranged baskets with all kinds of beautiful flowers.  They also got balloons and even a snack!   They always love coloring at the arrangement tables when they are done. We and they love this event so, SO much.

Seeing them happy and enjoying themselves was such a great start to the day and a fun way to celebrate my birthday with the family too.

Amara gave me her basket of flowers and told me they were for me for my birthday (how sweet) so the house was definitely full of flowers and love all weekend.

Colt's 2nd bday party

Cousin Colt turned 2 in June and had a birthday party at home.  Amara and E went to that one--Cora was throwing up and not really in a party mood--so she and I stayed back.  It worked out though, because Amara and Morgan (also 5) got a chance for some big-girl play time.

Amara had a blast playing with all her family up at Matt and Steph's place.  The day wasn't too hot or sunny, so the kids were able to stay out and play for quite a while.

Colt got a new swingset for his birthday and all the kids had a blast playing on it--or so I heard when E and Amara got home.  Amara even stayed at the party extra long and G'ma and G'pa Young brought her home.  Even THEN she wanted to go back and play more.

The party theme was bubbleguppies and Amara was happy to bring a party bag home for Cora too.  We were sad she couldn't make it, but Eric said he and Amara had a great time with Colt.  I hope he had a super birthday party with all his cousins and family.

Irelyn's 5th birthday party

Irelyn had her party at World of Bounce this summer and Amara was thrilled and excited to go! We went shopping and Amara picked out some horse-themed things for her, her favorite, and we got our gifts wrapped and ready to go.

Amara had fun playing with Irelyn of course and also some other friends from Primrose days like Alex.  Irelyn had a lot of older cousins there, so there were plenty of kids running around to entertain.

At present and food time, the girls all climbed up into the queen chair before the presents began.  They were having a great time and wore themselves out playing for sure! They were all sweaty and in need of cold drinks!

The kids didn't want to stop playing to come in for presents and food, but once they did, I think they realized how much they played. We had a great time at the party and really, really hope Irelyn had a great birthday too!

Father's Day

Father's day this year was special as always, but even more so with all the commotion of the new house around us.  We tried to shower daddy with gifts all day the best we could, and then for dinner, our traditional homemade pizza for he and Grandpa Jim.

We started the day with doughnuts from Lil Donut Factory, followed by presents, and family time together at home.

We headed to G'pa Jahn's house late afternoon for pizza making, and the girls couldn't help but to play outside a little.

When it was time to cook, the girls were right there in the kitchen with me, helping to make our very special and traditional dinner.  Amara and Cora helped with the sauce and toppings--really I only have to do the crust for them anymore!

They loved serving daddy and G'pa on the porch--where we all sat outside and enjoyed the afternoon together.

(Grandpa and his #1 granddaughter)

While the girls played in the garden, Eric, mom and dad and I checked on our apple trees. Looks like we might even have a few apples to make it this year!  All the rain has saved dad watering, but boy is it ever buggy out!  We didn't stay out too long, but we had a blast of a day celebrating our number one daddy :) 

Amara 5th bday zoo trip

We moved the annual birthday zoo trip for Amara's birthday to the Monday after the jam-packed week of fun, and ended up with a bizarre weather day. It was actually chilly enough for sweatshirts on June 3!  The good news is the zoo was empty and we whizzed around wherever we liked!

As predicted, Amara wanted to head for the polar bears first. They weren't super active, but we did spend some time at the snow foxes.

And at the arctic playground, where the girls had fun running back and forth across the snowy climbing obstacles.

In the reptile house, Amara and Cora both petted a Rose Boa without any hesitation at all. I love that they are so interested in all the amazing creatures around us!

We rode the carousel only three times.  We guessed pretty well on the tickets this time. We could have gone more, but as it warmed up, it started to get busier in the park. 

Cora is getting big enough to ride herself--she really didn't need me there, and certainly by next year she won't for sure :(

But the enjoyment she gets--whether i'm holding her or not, is worth every second of our time at the zoo.  The girls picked pets to take home--a giraffe for the bday girl and a pony in a purse for Cora (SMH)  we had a great morning all together and I really cherish this now 5 year old tradition so very much.

Amara's 5th birthday party!

Amara's 5th birthday party was pretty magical and incredible, I must say.  We decided to have the party at the new house--even though we weren't moved in yet, because Amara had asked for a princess party, and we thought the setting was perfect for it!

We surprised her with Princess Jasmine as a special guest, and also had a horse and carriage show up to give rides to all the kids.

A face-painter rounded out the entertainment for the party, and a decorated barn served as the perfect party backdrop.  Rain threatened us all day, so it was a little muggy, but the kids didn't seem to notice.

Megan and Tony helped us decorate the barn--it looked great, and Little Miss Cupcake provided us a wonderful castle cake--another detail Amara handpicked herself.

Cora wasn't quite sure about all the commotion--the people, the characters, etc.  She still had a great time in her princess dress and crown.  She played with some of the friends, grandmas and grandpas, bubbles, and being the life of the party.

Amara loved spending time with Jasmine and so did the other girls. It was a very nice treat and Amara was especially proud of her Jasmine costume and crown!

We didn't overdo it with princess'y' things, but we did try to make it a magical day for her.  Most of the kids dressed up, and between that and the face-painting, there were more than enough costumed royalty.

Toby the horse was a big surprise too--everyone enjoyed getting rides, petting him, and spending time with him on leisurely walks up and down the driveway.

Princess Cora was a heart-breaker too, especially with daddy.

At cake time, everyone gathered around to see if the cake tasted as good as it looked, and boy did it ever!  All her friends and family sang to her and she blushed and got bashfull as usual,  but blew out her candles with no hesitation.

After the party, Amara and Cora had fun setting all the balloons free. A few got caught up in trees, but it was a fun after-party for our two princesses in the making.

We all had an amazing day--even the parents!  We got lucky with weather and all feel so amazing to have spent the time with a great bunch of people. xoxo Amara!