Vanessa helping me remember what Eli said about storms

Vanessa was eating breakfast and randomly remembered something Eli said a few weeks ago.  She said, "Mom, remember when it was storming and Eli said, 'why did you turn on the storm?' and you said, 'I didn't turn on the storm.' and Eli said, 'God did!'"

I love this!

Rummikub

Just noticed I posted this and never wrote about it.  And I just noticed Calvin is in his underwear in this pic. 

I think Calvin is showing me his empty board which means he played all his tiles and won the game.  Calvin can't seem to get enough of this game, asking anybody who will play with him to play.  His brain must like it.  Violet says she tires easily of it.  

Eli's 3rd Birthday

I knew I should have blogged about this the DAY OF.  Now it is 2 days later and I don't have the details in my memory to write about but I'll try remember (with Violet and Calvin's help!) what we did that day.  I'm glad I take lots of pictures.  Violet made him a sign on the white board.

He chose oatmeal with raisins for his breakfast then later decided he did not want the raisins.  Hence the reason they are pushed aside.

Trying to make three fingers.  His little face cracks me up.

It was the last day of the first week of swimming lessons at UNI.  He got to put in the four quarters in the parking meter.  Violet helped lift him up.

Why yes, you may have a cheese stick.

When we got home I think he ate lunch...then went to bed for a nap.  He took awhile to fall asleep.  I waited and waited for him to fall asleep so I could make a run to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner.  It was a really hot day.  I planned some chopped salads for the adults and mac n cheese and carrots for the kids.  He finally slept, the older kids watched Netflix, and I made a run to a couple stores to mail some letters and get food.

When I got back we made cupcakes.

Violet cut out some "Dusty" airplanes and we put them on toothpicks for decoration.  Blue cupcakes, white frosting, and a #3 on each one.

Eli woke up from his nap and finished watching Octonauts with the older kids.  I do remember Calvin being incredibly sweet and saying, "Oh Eli, would you like to sit here in front?" and backing up so Eli could sit in front of him on the couch so he could see better.  We blew up the pool on the deck (in the outer section of the deck this time for a change), and filled it up with water.  It was a hot day so swimming was a great activity!  I think the entire afternoon the kids swam.  I cooked salad ingredients and prepped for dinner.

When Dave got done work with he took a little trip with Eli to go buy 3 balloons for his birthday.  He picked out a spiderman, a yellow smiley face, and a cupcake balloon.  And a pair of spiderman googles that broke a couple days later.

Rachel arrived about 6pm, and Grandma Jo and Grandpa Jon all made the trip to Cedar Falls two days later to celebrate with us and have fun enjoying Eli turn THREE. :D

We sat down to eat dinner as soon as everyone arrived.  Dark greens topped with chopped chicken, bacon, corn, tomatoes, feta cheese, and avocados drizzled with a honey balsamic dressing took us awhile to eat.  Kids enjoyed shells n' cheese and carrots.  We ate cupcakes and sang his birthday song and he knew immediately what to do with his number 3 candle.

"Mom, can I have a cupcake?"

Eli opened gifts and his favorite was a Lightning McQueen car from Rachel.  She also got him his own pack of mints, MEGA M&Ms, Wanted to sleep with his car that night.  We got him a Dusty airplane, kid "tablet" toy, and mom and dad got him a play outfit (gray shorts and orange/gray stripe tank), a Thomas the Train hat, and some magna-tiles.  He said, "Oh, its my Dusty!" and played with the airplane off and on with the car.

Mom and dad had driven separate cars (mom was staying over with Rachel to help her with some things) and dad was planning to drive back home, so he wanted to "stay awake".  We all took a walk/run around the block so he could "rev his system".  Calvin tried racing Grandpa Jon and took off like a rocket but still needs a few years of length to beat his grandpa.

Eli's personality is pretty joyful and sweet.  He loves to be silly (and wow is he loud in the mornings when he wakes up), has a developing sense of humor, and gets along with all his siblings (except when Vanessa bothers him, he hits her), and splashes like a crazy boy in the pool.  We love his happy personality, crazy curly hair, and bouncy little self.  He talks a lot and is understandable, except when he prays.  He mumbles all weird when he prays. 

Vanessa's 5th Birthday

The much anticipated day has arrived!  Vanessa has grown more than 2 inches since her last birthday.  Her hair is longer and curlier, and her personality has grown as well.  She started the day out walking through pink streamers (which Eli ripped down! grr!), enjoyed Apple Jacks for her birthday breakfast, was excited to tell her swimming instructor that it was her birthday, and helped me shop for the perfect balloons for her party. Rachel had visited me during the time the kids had swimming lessons at the UNI Rec center so she was able to stay with the other 3 kids in the van while Vanessa and I got the birthday balloons.

She got to put the four quarters in the parking meter at UNI when we go to swimming lessons.

 A Frozen balloon from Hy-Vee ($13 for a balloon, seriously!), and 4 more from the dollar store.  4+1=5!  A golden star, pink flower, princesses, and a crown.  The man from the dollar store let her unroll the string attached to each one.  She liked that part.

Normally I make a pancake in the shape of their new age but we couldn't get that accomplished until lunch.  But we still did it!

The day was spent playing around.  She got to play Kindle and watch a movie (probably Sofia the First).  I made spaghetti sauce for dinner and made/decorated the cake.  She wanted pink cake, purple frosting, and a red/green "5".  Ok. I can do that!

(pics to come...they are on my camera which aren't loaded on the computer yet)

Grandma Jo, Grandpa Jon, and Aunt Rachel all joined us to celebrate Vanessa's birthday.  We had "mermaid noodles" which are bowtie pasta (she thinks the shape of the bowties look like mermaid tails), spaghetti sauce, lots of parmesan cheese, and an Olive Garden inspired salad.  Rachel cooked up her famous garlic croutons.  We ate on the deck.

 Gotta tear down that birthday chain!

She was gifted lots of wonderful things. Rachel dolled her up in a birthday girl skirt/wand/headband.

Some adorable dresses, coloring books, glittery crayons, a princess fishing pole, mermaid t-shirt/leggings, Frozen sticker book, M&Ms, mints from Rachel, and some other candies.

I told her she can climb the tree in the backyard now!

One really random thing she loves to do is put eyedrops in my eyes.  She notices I use a lot of them and I showed her how they work.  She says she likes to put them in my eyes but not her own.

Other pics from her birthday:

And the next day on June 3rd modeling her new dress: