Happy Birthday B!

We gathered some friends and family at a local bowling alley to celebrate B's big day. With LOTS of help from parents and grandparents, the kids all seemed to enjoy their time bowling and playing in the arcade.

I tried to get B to pose with all of his friends who joined us.

B recently declared that "F" (in pink) is his girlfriend. Since the declaration came out of the blue and was accompanied by an extra pink glow in his cheeks, I think he meant he likes her more than just being a girl who is his friend. I am not sure she knows that she is his girlfriend. She is very sweet to him, but I don't know that those kinds of feelings are mutual. Oh well. As long as she continues to treat him with such kindness, it is hard to complain about the arrangement!

I am not sure what these two ladies were up to, but they were having a great time!

In all of the rush to celebrate, we didn't stop and take any photos of the four of us together. The closest we got was when T & I delivered treats to B's class the following day.

Winter Olympics Here We Come...not so much

For play group last week, our hostess thought it would be fun to try a trip to the ice rink. One of her friends with 2 children younger than all of ours, said her two loved it. We are all pretty much willing to try anything once. So, baby sitters were called for the smallest of the small ones and we headed to a local rink.

No complaints about the boots. No complaints about the helmets. A few complaints about the mittens, but those who wouldn't keep them on soon learned why they were there in the first place.

Then they realized that ice is a bit, well, slippery. G was TERRIFIED. B was fine, but if he moved at all, he typically landed right on his, well, rear end.

Because of our 1 parent to 2 kid ratio, we started taking turns leaving a group on a bench just outside the rink with one mom, while the rest of us took our kids, one at a time, for a spin around the ice.

G, after moving about 20 feet with me, decided she was done. "Too scary, Mom." The promise of Pirate Booty and trail mix and spending some time with her buddies was way more appealing. B was a good sport, for about 10 minutes. His contemporaries who stuck with it really seemed to enjoy themselves. He also chose snacking over skating.

Most exciting TWENTY MINUTES of our week.

Silent Night

Well, for about two minutes....

We celebrated our fifth Christmas with our play group this week. The first year, we had dinner at our house and had a lovely time. As the kids got older, we celebrated in different ways. Daytime celebrations. Moms' night out. The idea of trying to feed a bunch of toddlers dinner, and keep them out of trouble, coupled with new babies, etc. was a bit overwhelming. This year, with the help of one very nice Dad in the group, we got together for dinner and presents in the evening. The kids did a nice job of playing together with little or no drama. They waited nearly 2 hours to open gifts with few complaints. The kids drew names and got to help pick out gifts for their friends. It was nice to see them wait patiently while their friends opened their gifts one at a time. What a blessing to be surrounded by such a fun and supportive group for so many years!

Weekend Warriors

I realize that I have spent many blog posts raving about our play group. But they are really worth the time and effort to praise. Not just the kids, not just the moms, but the dads, too. This fall, instead of planning a Moms' weekend away, we tried to pick a weekend when all of the families could take a trip together. Unfortunately, only 4 of the 7 families could make it. We missed the other 3 families. However, I think it was ambitious to have 8 kids 4 and under in one house for one weekend. No major fights. No trips to the ER. Only a few bandages needed.

No backyard, unless you count the Par 4 golf hole behind the house. Lucky for us, the course was all but deserted the entire weekend.

Lots of downtime just chilling with our friends.

Even though the forecast called for rain, our daylight hours were dry. The kiddos spent a majority of the weekend in the large driveway riding bikes, trikes and scooters.

Lots of doorbell ringing

Balloon rockets were flying

As we prepared to leave on Sunday, the dads played 18 holes while the moms entertained the troops. Here the kiddos are running an obstacle course designed by one of the very creative moms.

Where did October go?

I think I have determined the reason for my few blog posts during October - I haven't been home!!! I just went through some photos and found SEVEN times I took photos and have yet to post them. So, while the big 2 year old naps, I will see how many I can get posted.

Play Group Gymnastics Outing

As the kids age, we have been trying to find more creative ways to spend our weekly play group gatherings. Many of the play group kiddos attend gymnastics classes, so a trip to the gym has a pretty regular spot in the rotation.

B started the day saying, "I don't like gymnastics and I just don't want to go!" I explained that he was going and it was his choice to participate. I am not sure, but looking at this photo, I think maybe he changed his mind once we got there.

G is still a bit small to really get into all of the different types of equipment. Her favorite activity of the day was getting into line and holding onto her brother as they moved from one play space to another.

Here, all of the 2s decided that holding on was the cool way to line up!

Pump Up the Birthday

The Big B turns 4 this coming weekend. We had a great time at play group today - an outing to Pump it Up (indoor inflatable bounce house park). 

The kids were literally silent as they watched the instructional video. Can you tell they are learning to listen and follow directions at preschool?

Mommy gets into the action on the big slide.

The two B's share a friendly game of air hockey.

Then the girls get into the action. 

Here we are - our "little" play group. 6 families. 7 olders (3-4 years old). 5 youngers (18 mo - 2 years). 2 more on the way. 

The Beautiful B. 

And yes, the shirt is true, but that is another post all by itself! 

Happy Halloween

We had our 4th annual play group Halloween party today. I love Halloween - the silly decorations, the costumes, etc. All of our kids are still young enough to look cute and happy instead of scary or gory. Soon enough we will be working with fake blood & guts. So for now I will be happy to see cuddly animals, fairy princesses and sweet literary characters. 

I found some photos from 2006 that I thought were hilarious by comparison. 

B (18 mo old) as Donald posing with a mini Donald

Thing 1 & Thing 2 posing with the Cat in the Hat

Thing 1 & Donald posing

Now fast forward 3 years. We have another Disney themed costume in our house. Thing 1 & Thing 2 have jumped from the literary world of Dr. Suess to Broadway. Here we find Mickey with his best buddy, Anne & her dog, Sandy. (Notice it's the same fire place).

G is a member of the younger siblings group - our subset of play group. They range in age from 19 to 11 months. Notice she is the only girl amongst this gathering of cuties. Today they were sweet enough to pose for photos, as their older siblings have done for the past several years. The older kids got to work on crafts and we didn't even attempt to get them all to pose. Maybe next year the 4 year olds can get the toddlers to hang out long enough to get a group shot, but I doubt it. 

Ode to play group moms

Before I had children, I had this notion that when B was born, I would instantly reconnect with all of my friends who had children of their own. But a funny thing happens when you become a parent, as the baby grows, you grow with them. The mother of a newborn is a different animal than the mother of a 6 month old, 12 month old, toddler, school-age child, etc. So the beautiful thing about my play group mommy friends is that they GET IT. Their babies are the same age as B, give or take a couple of months. We were sleepless together, teething together and now potty-training together. We discuss vacation plans, minivans and pre-schools. It's not that my other friends can't help, but we are all so caught up in being parents and all that it entails that it's hard to make time more than a 5 minute phone call or the occasional summer BBQ, typically spent feeding the kids, etc. So, with the play group moms, we get the continuity of our weekly chats, even if interrupted several times, that really makes these new friendships a solid foundation for a happy-mommy life.  

We have been meeting weekly for 3 years. During that time, we have shared so much. Birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and occasional evening or the rare weekend away from the kids and the addition of many babies. T & I were the last couple to go from 1 to 2 kids when we brought G home from Ethiopia. This great group of ladies even planned a unique kind of baby shower for me -  they surprised me with a day of wine tasting, including a limo so we could all taste as much as we wanted. Here we are - shy one member - posing outside a little winery. It was a day well spent and I really appreciate the time. It actually took place months ago (March 8). 

Thanks ladies. Your friendship really means the world to me. 

They grow up so fast...

Today our play group met at a local park to play in the fountain, have lunch, and just do our weekly routine. The photo above doesn't seem that exceptional, until you really understand what is happening. Most of the kids had been getting wet in the fountain. B opted to stay dry. Here, 5 of the 6 kids have decided to take off for the swings, which are pretty far from where the moms had set up camp. B is apparently sharing his two cents about something. When you look a bit closer, you see that they really are developing their own relationships, own dynamics, their own little play group. 

You see, we have called it play group from day 1. The kids, at that time, were just babies. We had our first meeting in late summer and the kids were all born between March and July, so they weren't even crawling yet. We have met each week since, without fail. THAT WAS 3 YEARS AGO. Now, we all have to miss the gatherings from time to time and the group has shrunk from 12 to 7 moms, but this core group has been very dedicated. At times we call it by its true name, Moms' group, but mostly we call it play group. The babies didn't really start to play together until the last year. But here, for the first time, they are off, totally on their own, talking about who knows what. 

I should say that the group is really growing, too. Of the 7 families, we all now have 2 kids. So, when we get together, we have 7 moms & 14 kids. It's great!