In addition to being close together on the calendar, the kids birthdays are also really close to the holidays and it becomes difficult (or impossible) for our families to join us for a celebration here in Wisconsin around the actual birthdays, so we usually celebrate with them when we see them for Christmas.
So, by the time the kids' party rolled around on Saturday, Lydia was quite the seasoned veteran of the singing and candle-blowing routine. I'm continually amazed by how rapidly connections are forming for her these days and usually amused in the process. For instance, whenever she sees cake or cupcakes (or objects that resemble them) she's coined her own "baby sign" and quickly starts making a blowing noise she used to put out her candle!
Joshua, of course, fully understands all that birthdays entail a bit more, so each day since Christmas he's been asking us how many days until his birthday. He was SO excited to have a party with all of his friends, and talked about it for days before it actually happened. He helped pick out items to put into treat bags and also helped me assemble them. He had imput on the food served and dreamed about what might come in his presents. Before having kids I had no idea that three year olds were such interactive, aware, and opinionated little people!
Saturday, the big day FINALLY rolled around and we were joined by quite a few of our closest friends to celebrate with the kids.
Snowmen were the theme and I was quite pleased with how their cake turned out. I always see these great (and supposedly easy to re-create) cakes on parenting magazine websites, etc. and yet when I've tried them in the past, they've turned out poorly. So, I was pleasantly surprised at how true-to-plan this one went together. :)
Also a bonus, this close to Christmast time you can get a great deal on snowman themed partywear, too! I could write more, but I have a feeling that most of my readership was either at one of the family celebrations or at the party itself, so I'll just go ahead and post some pictures of my favorite new 1 and 3 year olds!
Busy little artists creating snowman masterpieces
Joshua and some friends in the 'snowcave'
So Excited!
Apparently the idea that the cradle is for the baby-doll is lost on her
Getting ready to frosting coat Aunt Laura
Blowing out the candles at Gigi and Poppas
Getting ready to frosting coat Aunt Angie
Helping Uncle Matt decorate the cake at Marmie and Gramps'
We've been able to view them not once, but twice this week, so he's considering it a succesful one. Tuesday night's show was viewable from our deck (another of the perks of living in the heart of a small town) so we put Lydia to bed before they got started. Last night was following Concert in the Park, an annual outdoor orchestra concert, and not near the convenience of her bed. So, I was a bit tentative about how she'd do well-past her bedtime with extremely loud booms, but snuggled in Daddy's lap she didn't even flinch at the noises (past the first one, of course) and even seemed to enjoy watching the colors and lights.
We've continued to make daily visits to the local parks and it's more and more fun to watch Lydia. She starts bouncing and squealing when she sees the swings! Joshua is a little monkey and can't get enough of jumping and climbing on everything, though he scares me sometimes, because when it comes to park structures, he has no fear. We took a detour on our walk to the park this morning and swung by the fire station. Several of my friends with little boys have mentioned that our local fire station is happy to give tours pretty much anytime assuming there aren't any emergencies. We haven't taken advantage of it as of yet, so our completely unscheduled morning seemed like a good opportunity. Joshua was definitely in awe of the trucks, although a bit hesitant lest touching something should cause the sirens to start sounding. He got to climb into the jump-seat on one of the older trucks and probably could have spent the rest of the day climbing in and out. He also got to try on our friend Paul's helmet. It was way too cute! Alas, the sponteneity of the trip did prevent me from capturing any of it on film, but it was fun. I have a feeling we'll be returning at some point not too far in the future, so maybe next time.
We've also been trying to get some projects done around the house. The most recent is re-paining our deck as time allows. Joshua has insisted on "helping" James paint, and really for a two year old, he does a great job. The brush, however, is a bit worse for the wear. ;-) 