Addison's 5th Birthday - Edited

(If the video below isn't clickable, go the the link at the bottom of email and click 'Living Minivan Dream' to go directly to blog and watch it there)

After Addison fell asleep on the eve of her birthday, we blew up balloons and put them in her room.  She was so excited to wake up surrounded by balloons!

We had chocolate chip pancakes with sprinkles for her birthday breakfast.

After breakfast, Addison went to school with cupcakes to celebrate her special day.  She had a great party and got to pick a prize from her teacher's birthday prize box.  She even asked the teacher if she could get a prize for Alyssa.  

Addison had her well-visit the day after her birthday.  She weighs 38 pounds and is 42 inches tall (50th percentile for both).  The visit was pretty quick.  The pedi checked her out physically and then talked to her about different things to gauge her speech, listening skills, eye contact, etc.  The girls each got a sticker and then we celebrated with a Happy Meal!

All About Addison:

She's brilliant

She's beautiful

She rarely naps

She barely eats

She's sweet

She's strong-willed

She's very imaginative

I was never told that every year I would be an emotional mess as her birthday approached.  It isn't getting better, it's getting worse.  I could go on and on, but the bottom line is....our baby is FIVE!

Dishes

It's time these two started earning their keep around here!  One day they were bored and I was busy with laundry.  I noticed a few dishes in the sink and thought 'Oh, what the hell.  Give it a shot'!  It kept them busy for a solid 30 minutes and only took 3 minutes to clean up the mess and the bonus was the dishes being clean!  Well, clean enough!

You Are My Sunshine

I've been singing to the girls since they were born.  No, I can't sing.  One of my favorite songs is 'you are my sunshine'.  Alyssa was taking a bath and out of nowhere started singing it.  This was the first time I've ever heard her sing that song!  I was so excited and got the video all setup to capture the moment.  Of course, trying to recreate a moment is NEVER as good as the original, but this is still pretty fabulous!

Buddy

Buddy got his annual teeth cleaning last week.  When I picked him up he was wearing this bandana and wasn't happy about it at all!  I took it off as soon as we got home (after I snapped a picture)!

Bible Study

I've been going to a women's bible study once a week at the same place Addison goes to school.  After I drop her off then I check Alyssa into the nursery and walk over to the chapel.  Alyssa absolutely loves playing with the other kids in the nursery and talks about going all the time.  Last week Alyssa was getting pulled around in a wagon and Addison was at the playground.  When I picked Alyssa up she was telling me all about seeing sissy at school!  They were both excited to see each other.  It was so sweet listening to them talk about it when we picked Addison up that day.

Addison and Jesus

Addison was using the potty and didn't know I was nearby listening to her and Alyssa chat.  I started texting Blake as they were talking, so please ignore the poor grammar and typos!

Pool

I hope the girls will be happy this year with just a little plastic pool!  Last summer we lived in the apartment and had a nice pool that may have spoiled them.  We can still drive to the splash parks in the area, but at home we will have to make do with what we have!  I'm pretty sure between the swing set, pool, bikes, and sprinkler they won't even miss a big pool!

Kindergarten Registration

Well, Addison is officially registered for kindergarten!  I didn't know what to expect or how long it would take, so I planned ahead.  I packed Alyssa a bag with plenty of snacks and her phone.  She sat beside me quietly and ate her snacks while I completed all of the paper work.  Everyone kept commenting on how well-behaved she was and they were very impressed.  I overheard one lady say to another that I didn't set Alyssa up for failure by bringing things to keep her occupied.  I've always tried to plan ahead with snacks and toys to make sure the girls can eat or play if I'm going to be focused on something else.  It probably took 30 minutes to complete all the forms.  I felt like I was buying a house all over again!

Festival

We went to a children's festival last weekend.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.  The girls got to see Dora and join in a dance party.  They also saw Sid the Science Kid.  We rode rides, watched a circus, ate nasty carnival food, visited the petting zoo, and tried to navigate our double stroller through a million people.  The layout of the festival wasn't ideal, but we managed to find all of the attractions that we went for.

After the festival we still had a lot of daylight to burn.  The girls took a little disco nap on the way home, so they were ready to party.  It started out by only taking socks and shoes off to play with the water table.  Luckily, we don't enforce a dress code in our secluded backyard!

More Easter

Addison, Carlie, Alyssa

Yes, I should have wiped Addison's mouth before trying to get a picture.  I don't think a clean mouth would have made her want to take a picture anyway.  She was so over pictures and too busy playing and eating candy!

Picture Impossible

Parker, Addison, Alyssa, Arabella, Logan, Eli

Sleeping Sisters

Alyssa asked to sleep with Addison a few nights ago.  I was hesitant because it's always been a disaster in the past.  When we moved to the apartment last summer they both adjusted very well to sharing a room, but since moving into the house it just hasn't worked.  Well, I'm glad that I gave them a chance to sleep together this week.  It's been great!  They read books, talk, giggle, and then drift off to sleep!

Easter Weekend

The weather didn't cooperate with all of our Easter plans for the weekend, but that didn't stop us from having a great time.  We hunted eggs, ate crawfish, spent time with family and friends!

2013

2012

Alyssa loved the crawfish, but didn't want to touch a whole one or have it on her plate.  So, I peeled a few for her and she ate them along with a ton of catfish.  Addison only ate catfish and wouldn't even entertain the thought of trying the crawfish.