Happy Birthday, Josh!

On Monday, March 2, Josh turned 3. Of course, if you asked him, he would tell you he is now 3 and a half. It's amazing. He went from 2 to 3 1/2 all over night. Oh how time flies. :)

Most mornings, Josh wakes up and sometimes calls for me from his bed, and sometimes comes to the gate at my bedroom door and calls. He's always soft to make sure he doesn't wake up Emily, thank goodness. Well, on his birthday, when he woke up, he came to the gate and said "Mommy" as loud as he could. I practically hit the ceiling, I was so startled. When I said "What, Josh" in my croaky morning voice, he shouted, "it's my birthday!" It was a fun way to wake up, I must admit.

My mom sent us a cake pan shaped like a train. I did my best to make it into Thomas. Wow! Shaped cakes are soooo hard. But it was worth it.

Josh had been begging all day Sunday to open a present, so we promised him he could open a gift before Daddy went to work. He ended up getting 3, spaced across the time we were getting ready for the day. He finished opening his gifts after dinner that evening. The first gift he wanted was the one int he Lightning McQueen wrapping. It was a clock. Funny. He absolutely loves this thing. He goes to check the time now, but only on this clock.

We had a birthday party for Josh on his birthday. We did it at the park. It was a cool, but beautiful day. He had a lot of friends show up, and we had a great time.

Isn't he such a happy 3 year old?

Emily sure has a thing for cupcakes. They make a perfect oval print on her face every time! :D

Thank you Sandra for helping us out with her. Our hands would have been VERY full otherwise.

Kisses

So, recently, Peter and I haven't been trading date nights with some friends of ours. It has been wonderful. We love our kids, but we love spending time just the two of us.

Last time it was our turn to watch Elizabeth, Josh got super brave. Emily was making kissy faces at me, so I said, "Emily, you want to give mommy kisses?" So, in response, Josh walked up to Elizabeth and said "You want to give me kisses?" It was so funny! She, of course, looked at him for just a moment and turned and walked away. Poor Josh.


I tried to get him to do it again, but this is the best picture I got of the two. Oh well. I guess I just need to live with the camera on my wrist. We'll see if anything exciting happens this Friday!

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Peter is now officially almost old. He turned 29 the other day. Next year, he'll be there. :D So, I thought I'd include a few pictures from his last "young" birthday.


Peter prefers pie for his birthday... not cake. Oh well. Not just any pie either. A blueberry one. So, once a year, I make him one of these. I'd do it more often, but I am soooo not a fan of blueberries. Poor Peter. I think he appreciates at least getting it on his birthday.

Emily walking on Daddy's presents. Good thing the jigsaw wasn't really breakable.

Peter displaying his new jigsaw. He was so happy to get it.


Josh helping Daddy open his new game "Sorry Sliders." It's a blast to play, by the way.

Emily really loves blueberry pie as well. I guess she gets that from her Daddy. She actually finished this whole piece, and then some.

Painting

Last month, I decided it would be fun to get some new crafts for the kids. I found some paints at the store, and let them have at it.


Painting really is a lot of fun.

Apparently, the paint also tastes pretty good. I couldn't keep it out of her mouth. Oh well. At least it's non-toxic, right?

Josh saw Emily painting herself, so he thought he'd get in on the action too. If you look closely, you can see his temporary mustache.

FHE Treats

Last night, for family home evening, we made sugar cookies for refreshments. We had some dough from Friday still in the fridge, so we thought it would be a fun activity for the kids... and yummy, not to mention.


Ready to cut some out?

Working together

Emily

Josh

Fish Tank Stand

So, we began having problems with the location of our fish tank the moment Emily became interested in it. She loved to go and put her hands in the little door at the top... gross! And as you can see, the cords trailing down behind the tank and along the floor also posed a serious problem. It was such a fun area to play in, that it occupied far too much of my time keeping both the kids away... though mostly Emily.


Our fish tank, as shown here, used to be on this cheap, cheap, cheap... actually free... coffee table. Peter had to reinforce the bottom of the table to make sure it wouldn't break under the weight of the fish tank. It was ugly. The cords were a mess. The kids could play in it. And we had to kneel down to enjoy the fish. The green color of the water happened because we thought the new stand, or cabinet, would be ready pretty quick, so we waited. It ended up being an extra two weeks. Oops! Fortunately, all our fish survived this experience.

Peter made the cabinet for the fish tank to sit on. Our back porch became a makeshift woodworking shop for a couple weeks. Here the kids are "helping" with the finishing touches.

Thought I ought to include a picture of the genius wood worker himself. Attaching hinges on the doors... almost ready! Yeah!

The finished product! Notice the lock on the cabinet doors? So essential. We also have the cords and the air tube for the bubble stone pulled into the cabinet from behind. Inside, we have a power strip that everything plugs into. So the only cord coming back out is the power strip cord, which the kids cannot get to, since the outlet is directly behind the stand. Ah! My life is so much easier with this new cabinet. I love it. Peter even designed it himself. He is so creative. He is a wonderful husband and father, and I am so fortunate to have him. I love you, Peter.

Temple Trip

It has been EONS, but we finally made it back to the temple. Thanks to our friends in the ward who asked us to join them to the temple, and take turns watching the kids at the park. It was wonderful to be back. I can't wait to go again. Though we'll have to come up with a new solution for the kids. They ended up being at the park for 6 1/2 hours. (With a 2 hour drive each way.) Talk about a long day.


All of us in front of a fountain in front of the Orlando Temple. Took about 20 shots, and Josh FINALLY smiled for us.