Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated Grant and JT's 3rd birthday with all of our friends and family.  We had a "Disney Cars" theme, which included the menu: Chick Hicks Chicken Nuggets from Chick-fil-a, Mater's Mac and Cheese, Doc's Dipping Sauces, Fillmore's Veggie Patch, and Sally's Fruit Stand.  I also made a Car's theme birthday cake for the boys, served with ice cream.  The boys loved seeing their friends from our play group, including: Samuel, Jackson and Benjamin, and Claire as well as Noah and Alex and Charlie.  Of course, many of our good friends and close family were also there to help us celebrate.  Here's a few shots from the day.

 

 

 The boys and their buddy Jackson

 

Cami was one of the few kids allowed to play with the boys' new toy (per their rules)

 This is what too much sugar and way past your bed time looks like

Party pooper!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

I can't believe that today the boys are THREE!  Time has just flown by, but we've enjoyed every minute of watching the boys grow! They are developing their very own personalities and ideas and they are learning so much. 

Today we celebrated Grant and JT!  We started our day off with the boys' very first dental appointment at Dr. Joe's office.  Peter and I each have been seeing Dr. Crowley since we were the boys' age so it is really very special that they are also going to the same dentist.  They did great, allowing the hygienist to clean their teeth and having patience while Dr. Joe took a look.  Early ruling: they both will need braces...no surprise there!  Of course the highlight was the treasure chest where the boys picked...you guessed it, cars!

 

 

This is what we found when we came out of the dentist's office, courtesy of Nana!

Being the awesome parents that we are, after the dentist we went to Dunkin Donuts! Hey, you only turn 3 once!!!

After Dunkin we went on to visit Pilgrim Preschool, where the boys will attend in the fall.  They LOVED it and I have no doubt that they will love school.  After our visit, we went home for lunch and presents.  We got the boys some of the diecast cars from the movie, Cars.  They were thrilled!  We also got them cute Cars shirts to wear at their birthday party on Saturday.

Following a much needed nap, we took the boys bowling at Western Bowl.  They had so much fun on New Year's Eve that we knew it would be a big hit.  Of course they looked adorable in their little bowling shoes and they did a great job.  Grant even wanted to bowl without the ramp.  But, the highlight of the day was going to dinner at Cracker Barrel, which is their favorite restaurant.  They love to order and then go play with the toys.  We love that they are entertained and don't cause much trouble while waiting.

We ended the day with a bath and a cupcake for snack.  We even sang "Happy Birthday" to them in their own special serenade.  It was a great day!!!

COSI with the Spielers

We were lucky enough to be able to meet the Spieler family in Columbus today.  Marty had a football conference there and we drove the two short hours to spend some time with them at COSI.  I haven't been to COSI in at least 15 years so it was nice to see all of the new features.  We spent several hours at the museum and then went to Polaris Mall and had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.  It was great to see them again and let the boys play together.  Wish they were closer!

 Trying to figure out a model of an engine

In a real submarine

Air Force Museum

On this snowy day we headed to Dayton to check out the Air Force Museum.  We were certain the boys would love it and since it's free, we knew we could see a little and come back again.  The boys loved all of the planes, they really didn't know where to go first.  Their favorite part seemed to be getting into the cockpit of one of the jets. 

New Year's Eve with the Spielers

How do we entertain 3 toddlers during New Year's Eve?  Take them bowling, of course.  This was a huge hit, and something we will continue to do in future years.  The boys LOVED it.  And we'll have to remember to go early because the place filled up fast.  The boys did a great job following directions and taking turns.  It was a memorable NYE!

              

Holiday Trains at the Krohn Conservatory

For the second year in a row we took all of the boys to the holiday train display at the Krohn Conservatory. This time little Riley joined us, although I can't say she enjoyed it as much as Grant, JT, and Bryce. Thomas and Percy were there along with a lot of other trains.

Mickey the Elf

Well this was the year to introduce the boys to "Elf on the Shelf."  We read the book on November 30th and magically on December first our elf arrived.  The boys wanted to name him Mickey (other names included Brother and Grant).  So started the mischief and mayhem of the little guy.  Here's what he was up to this holiday season!