Buddy's Pool Party

A few months ago, I asked Buddy where he would like to have his birthday party.  It was going to be his first real party with his friends that wasn't at our house.  The kid had the whole city full of fun, exciting birthday party places.  He didn't want any of those.  He wanted Lloyd Pool, which is where his sister has chosen her last 3 parties!!  I can't say it enough - my kids love to swim!

We invited his new pre-k class and friends.  Since it was Labor Day weekend, several people were out of town.  But, we had a great group at the party!  Sugie was so excited we let her take a friend.





The hubby swam with the kids and supervised the wildness.  I couldn't believe how wild the boys were before we got in the pool!  I'm so used to giggly girls, that I wasn't prepared for rambunctious boys!

We did have some very cute girls in our party that played so sweetly with each other.

Buddy and his friends are CRAZY!

Buddy with his pre-k besties!

At one point all of the boys piled on my sweet hubby.  I was to jump in to rescue him, but he was fine with it.

See that scrunchy face just above the water?  That's the sweet hubby barely surviving his attack.

One of the kids decided to try out the diving board.  So, next thing we knew, ALL of the kids wanted to try out the diving board.  It took a very long time for most of them to garner the courage to actually jump.  But, after they saw that one boy survived his jump, their fear was gone.

Sugie's first time ever to jump!

It's Buddy's turn!

After swimming, we headed to the party room for treats.  Buddy insisted on ice cream sundaes loaded with toppings.

We had gummy bears, gummy worms, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, nerds, chewy sweettarts, cheeries, and whipped cream.  Sugie and K ended up being awesome party helpers!

The boy table

The sweet girls

Buddy having a blast at his party!

Time for presents!  Buddy got wrestlers, transformers, walkie talkies, swim toys, and...

a Captain America"n" mask!

Of course, our limber Sugie had to climb the pole.  Believe me, I already know what you're thinking!

Buddy had an awesome time at his party.  Thanks to everyone for celebrating his special day with us and special thanks to Mimi to watching Little E!!

Buddy's Pizza Party

To celebrate Buddy's birthday, we split it up into 3 parties!  Lucky dude! The first party was for the family.  We had everyone over for pizza and breadsticks.

It was so nice to spend the evening with our family without the normal birthday party chaos.  I have such a great family and love how both sides get along so well!!  We missed my godparents, but ate plenty of pizza in their honor!

My birthday boy - almost 5!

My sweet niece, Sugie, and my sweet mom

After dinner, we let Buddy open his presents. He loves his new pillow pet!

My precious trio

Buddy has really liked Captain America, or "American" as he says it, this summer, so he was thrilled with his shooter shield toy.

Time for mint chocolate chip ice cream cake!  Sugie won this cake from a radio promotion, so thanks for sharing so nicely with your brother!!

Mom and Me

OMG - Little E LOVED the cake.  I mean, really, really LOVED it.  He ate his bowl, then I gave his some more, then the sweet hubby gave him another refill.  That still wasn't enough, so he finished off anything left in the bowls on the table.  I can't believe that he didn't get sick from all of that ice cream cake!

Buddy tried on his new Spongebob undies.

Then, Little E had to follow suit...

Sugie's turn to join in on the fun.

What a fun evening to celebrate our oldest boy!!

Is it Contagious?

Poor Litte Sugie has always had dry, itchy skin.  We've been to doctors, dermatogolists, and allergists to help with her itchiness.  Her latest outbreak of little bumps on her elbows, knees, and beautiful face showed up about the second week of school. 

One day, out of the blue, she asked me if her eczema was contagious.

Me:  No, Sugie, it's not contagious. Why do you ask?
Sugie:  Just because...
Me:  Anything you want to tell me?
Sugie:  Well, A (her good friend that she sits next to in class) really wants eczema, too, and rubs my elbows everyday trying to get it.

Dear A - Trust me, you don't want this disease! So, please stop rubbing my daughter's elbows and concentrate on your schoolwork!!

Blizzard Time

The hubby was away and Little E was napping, so it was definitely the perfect time to try out another kid's cooking device.  We have several to choose from:  Cotton Candy Maker, Cupcake Maker, Candy Jewelry Maker, Dippin' Dots, and the one we picked...

Our DQ Blizzard Maker!

Although it took a little while, it was really fun to make!  The kids mixed and poured the ingredients, but I was the main churner.

The ice cream was really good and tasted just like soft serve.  The kids picked sprinkles and nerds as their mix ins.  Little E enjoyed his batch, too, after his nap.  We'll definitely make this again soon!

Which kid got stuck in the chair...twice?

You guessed it! It was my Buddy.  The first time he really was stuck.  The second time he made himself get stuck just for the fun of it, so I made him suffer through a photo op.  Silly boy!



Cleaning Obsession

We've known for awhile that our youngest has an obsession... with cleaning.  It started early on when his favorite toy was his Swiffer mop.  Then, his favorite gift on his 2nd birthday was his cleaning set.

Each Saturday morning, we start out the day with cleaning time.  The older kids groan and grumble when I mention these words.  Our precious Little E truly gets excited and starts cheering, "Cleaning! Cleaning! Cleaning!" and doesn't stop until I get him his cleaning tools. 

His latest tasks are dusting, cleaning bathroom sinks, vacuuming, and his most favorite, cleaning mirrors and windows. I set him loose with the Windex bottle and some paper towels, which just thrills him. Honestly.  Before I know it, I have sparkling glass everywhere in the house. The only drawback is that he's only so high, so just the bottom of the windows get clean. But, that's fine. I'll take it!  I love my cleaning machine!!

The Unpunishable Little E

Just look at this little cutie.  It's hard to believe that he ever gets into trouble, but believe me, he has a fiesty little personality.

When it comes to punishment, threats go a long way with the older kids. Like, correct your behavior or no treat tonight. That one works like a charm.  Timeouts work great, too.  But, we're still trying to find what works for Little E.


Threats don't work at all on Little E. If I even try to use "stop that or you're going to time out", he will just go place himself in time out and laugh the whole time he's there. The other night he was causing problems at the dinner table, so I threatened to move him to another room to finish eating. He then tried to get out of his chair and move his plate to the dining room. He was mad when I didn't follow through on my promise!!

Our favorite is when we try to talk to him about his misbehavior.  "Little E, are you supposed to hit/throw/bite?"  He will smile the cutest smile ever, nod his head, and say "yeah".  One of us usually has to leave the room to laugh because it's just so darn funny.

If you tell the kid, "no", he fires back with "No no, Mama!"  This little cutie is going to keep us on our toes!!