Miss Grace is 4

Happy Birthday to Miss Grace.

Her balloons have a sad tale.  We went to the dollar store to get her 2 green star balloons for her birthday, then stopped at Sonic to get slushies during happy hour.  On the way home we stopped at the fruit stand to pick up a watermelon (the watermelon caused Grace to get a rash on her face).  Pulling out of the fruit stand, Merry some how squashed the slushy cup in the cup holder on the door, so slushy was running down the door.  I told Merry to roll down the window to dump the rest of the slushy out and out flew Grace's 2 star balloons.  Needless to say everyone in the car was crying .  Brian took Grace to Tampa to run some errands in the evening and stopped to get some more balloons unfortunately the dollar store had run out of helium.  So he had to drive back to the original dollar store to get some more balloons, this time 4 balloons for all the running around.  So Grace had her balloons after all.

Grace is obsessed with owls and the color green.  She asked for a green owl birthday.  

Luckily 9 inch rounds turn into an owl pretty easily.  

She asked for an owl suitcase.  I asked her if she had ever seen one before, but she had not.

Thank goodness for Target, they have everything.

The fancy cake innards copied from BH&G.

Grace modeling her birthday shirt and owl print bows.  

What a cutie.

Happy Easter/birthday

Happy Easter and happy birthday to me.  This is the last year my birthday will fall on Easter, unless I live until 113 or something like that.

Decorated Easter eggs, always a good time.

Me in my Easter finery with my birthday cake.  I think the candles lie.

The eggs ready to be eaten.  I actually asked for chickens for my birthday, Brian being much older and wiser said we had to have a chicken coop first.  Instead he got me a kindle, which I have spent the entire month of April reading every Georgette Heyer book.  I know, sick obsession, but now I am done and I can finally get around to building my chicken coop.  

If you are wondering where the pictures of the kids are, I was on holiday from taking pictures as it was my birthday so there are none.   Maybe next year.

I heart spring

I love spring- the phlox is in bloom.

What better way to celebrate spring than with pictures of Grace.

Honeymoon Island

What better way to spend St. Patty's Day than at the beach.

Adam showing off the collection of shells.

A tiny bucket full of water can keep one occupied for hours.

Adding some shrubbery to the sand structures.

I think he is jumping or maybe this is how he normally walks.

Racing to the buckets.

Look how busy every one looks. All the shells must be collected and the sand castle must be built. Loving Merry's goggles.

Adam would dump out a castle and then promptly stomp on it.

Merry made a nice grass tree.

I love living in Florida.

St. Patty's day finery

The kids in their greenery.

Grace's baby "Max" even made the photo shoot.

What our life is really like.

Too bad Brian had already left.

Odyssey of the Mind

Jacob and Merry recently participated in the Odyssey of the Mind tournament.
The problem they had to solve was to raise 3 objects from 5ft, 8ft and 10ft away.
I was surprised how creative this group was. They used pvc pipes and 2 liter soda bottles with rockets attached to raise the objects. I was impressed and so were the judges. They received an Omer award from the judges for their creativity.

Adam is 2

It is hard to believe our little Adam is already 2.

He has turned into a little spit-fire. I usually find him outside chasing the geese around or riding his scooter full speed down the hill.

Jacob, Merry and Grace all worship him. I am pretty sure he knows that and uses it to his advantage.

He is a lover of trains, trucks, airplanes and boats. Anything that moves faster than he does.

He has turned Grace's pink stroller into a demolition derby car. He races around the house crashing it into everything and everybody.

He loves to read any book about animals.

The "Wheels on the Bus" is his favorite song. He randomly belts it out at earsplitting levels.

Usually only the wheel verse and the baby verse are alternated.

He is a happy boy and we are glad he is our Adam.

Adam and his birthday cake.

His cake had a sad tale. I have a muffin pan that bakes train cars and 1 engine. While it was cooling a certain 3 year old climbed up and ate the only engine. So the coal car had to be converted to the engine. I don't think Adam really cared, but the 3 year old was in tears.

Adam and his "truck." Fortunately someone spilled bubbles on it the same day that he opened it so the noises and lights quit working.

Cake is always best when eaten alfresco.