ethan's birthday

ethan's birthday morning (last friday) started off as it has ever since he can remember... with this flaming muffin coming into his room as he is serenaded with "happy birthday". i love this tradition we've established. i think i have just as much fun as the kids do. :) and can you see how caroline is looking with joy and admiration at the birthday boy?


that picture reminded me of the same shot from last year... funny how it is so similar! (including ethan's pajamas!)


ethan went straight to the table to open his presents. he is very very proud to be 5!


i happened upon this shirt when i was in kohl's last week... it was incredibly fitting considering ethan's gifts mostly revolved around soccer this year. (if you can't see the details... there are soccer graphics inside the "5".)


ethan made me laugh later that morning when he looked down at his shirt and exclaimed, "oh!! the whole thing is a 5!" i guess he was a little confused about why we were making such a big deal about the shirt when he opened it. apparently he just looked at it upside down and didn't recognize the 5. :) he and i had a good laugh about that when he figured it out.

this is one of my favorites of ethan from his birthday. i just wanna squeeze him.


he was so surprised when he opened up his very own walkie talkies!


ethan is pretty into soccer right now, especially with the world cup going on. it was the perfect time to give him his own soccer ball, cones for backyard practice, a trainer (see below), and a duffle bag to store everything.


and what do you give a boy who has a ton of legos?! more legos! he was thrilled to open this castle set, and his sister was thrilled that it included a princess!


here is my birthday boy with his birthday muffin.


ethan is saying, "mommy, you make the best muffins in the whole wide world." (he loves to tell me this when i've made his favorite foods.) thanks, sweetie. i'll pass the word on to betty crocker.


next, it was time to work off all those muffins! while the kids ate, daddy demonstrated the soccer trainer.


it's great because ethan can play with it inside and not hurt his sisters or break anything it kind of minimizes the damage. the boys were having a lot of fun with this thing...


and caroline was not to be left out! good thing that ball is attached!


after brian left for work, i looked in the living room and saw our little copy-cat...


the rest of the morning was spent at the kitchen table building this castle. it's pretty cool. it has a moving gate, a catapult, and flaming oil. and a princess, of course... and "a horse with clothes", which is caroline's favorite part.


my mom brought chickfila to us for lunch, and she surprised ethan by telling him that he would soon be on his very own soccer team! i think he liked the idea of that...


she gave him a really cute soccer photo book, and this is what she put in the place of the first photo.


ethan's just waiting for that call from his coach to tell him what team he is on! we should find out by the end of the month. he cannot wait. gram gave him some shinguards which seemed SO TINY but fit him perfectly. now we just have to get this boy some cleats and he is ready to play!


ethan chose tgifriday's for his birthday dinner... brian's parents, grandmother, and karina joined us to celebrate. i love this picture of nana and pappy hanging out with the older grands.


the birthday boy picked tgif's because he wanted their dirt cake. i don't know if i've ever seen someone happier about gummy worms swimming in pudding with some oreo crumbs on top. :)


we woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunny day, which was perfect for his pool party!!!!! be back soon with a big splash! happy birthday ethan!

celebrating our independence!

since we've been studying our country's journey to independence this past week, this year's fireworks were extra special to me. yes, i knew the gist of the history from 1776, but i've been living and breathing it with the kids lately... so the determination and sacrifices of our founding fathers and the brave colonial soldiers were especially on my mind as the night sky was illuminated with such vibrant colors last night.

we did the same thing we've done most years on the fourth. we met up with friends and family down by the marina and hung out until the show started. it was a rainy evening right up until it was time to head down to our spot, so it actually ended up being a not-so-sweltering-almost-cool night. besides trying to keep the kids from getting too close to the edge of the water or burning each other with the sparklers, it was a relaxing evening!

here are the kiddos at home waiting for the rain to stop...


as soon as we got to the marina, the kids fired up the sparklers.




the kids (and my husband) always love these shots after they've twirled their sparklers 'round and 'round...


ethan and aunt kristie weren't gonna let the girls be the only ones to match on the 4th!


brian had all the kids in awe of his all-powerful green laser. i cracked up when i saw a line forming to get a 5 second turn with that thing.


tricia and i tried to contain our toddlin' girls since our "compound" was right next to the water. we tried the back of their pick up truck, which only lasted until they got tired of playing with the water bottles...


and then we tried the back of jonathan's crv. that didn't last that long either, though olivia is looking quite happy about it at the moment.


the baby girls ended up on our hips or in daddy's lap for the rest of the evening... and before we knew it, it was time for the show to start! the kids excitedly hopped in their chairs....

ethan and his buddy, joseph


caroline and "the other caroline"


oh, say can you see!



after a few minutes, the kids hopped up in mr. art's truck for a better view.


as you can see, caroline was very into the music that was broadcasted to go with the fireworks. it was loaded with country, much to brian's dismay. :)


the fireworks were still a little too loud for ethan sometimes...


and joseph felt the same way!


this is one of my very favorites from this year. i love that you can see both the kids and the fireworks...


after the big finale, we visited a little more before packing up and heading back to our car. ethan and caroline both sucked down capri suns on the way back, which is a huge treat to those water-drinking kids. :)


it was another enjoyable 4th of july! here's the whole star-spangled family.


i will close with this quote from john adams... he wrote the following words to his wife after the second continental congress approved the resolution of independence on july 2. the declaration of independence was of course not adopted until two days later, and the document bore the date of july 4, 1776. john adams was just off by a couple of days in his prediction of our country's celebration of independence (though july 2 is a day we celebrate at our house because it's ethan's birthday!).

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means... (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard University Press, 1975, 142).
may our celebration of independence be indeed solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty! praise God we are free!

happy 4th of july!

happy independence day from caroline and her twinky cousin, karina! thanks to nana, they were all stars and stripes today at church as we praised God for our freedoms as americans and our freedoms in Christ.


after naptime, we will be gearing up for fun firework festivities!!! it should be a "blast"! :) happy 4th!

five

my boy is five today. just last week we were talking about how i could not believe he was going to be five, and ethan said, "i know! how did i grow up so fast!?" i was wondering the very same thing, son.






as i carried ethan to bed last night for the last time as a 4 year old (not something i do very often!), i commented, "wow, you're heavy!" ethan excitedly hopped into bed and said, "i'm gonna be heavier tomorrow!"

praising God for our heavy birthday boy...

dependence

we're doing a little unit this week and next about america's independence. my little history buff is eating it up, and caroline is having fun with it too. today, we talked about the declaration of independence. we reviewed what the word "independence" means, and i asked the kids to draw a picture of something they can do all by themselves. ethan drew himself carrying a big box, and caroline.... drew herself carrying a big box. :) (she loves her brother.) i took a quick potty break, and when i came back, this is what my son had added to his picture....


ethan told me, "that's God." (he hadn't written it yet.)
"cause i can't do anything without God."