LUCAS | DIG & DUMP 2nd BIRTHDAY PARTY

We decided to have Luc's birthday party a few weeks early while we were at the beach, and we all had so much fun! Luc is well into the "construction phase" --  diggers, dump trucks, cement mixers, tractors, and the whole shebang, so it was a pretty easy to throw a very simple party that we knew he would love...

Of course, I had the best party planner around to help me decorate and prepare everything for her baby brother. She was so excited to help, and insisted on doing most of the work.

 Thanks again, Publix! 

   A very proud big sister.

 She just couldn't wait for him to see it all, 

so we let her "announce" that the party was ready for the birthday boy's arrival!

His reaction was just about as perfect as you could imagine.

 A few weeks ago, he got a crash course in the art of blowing out the candles... He saw Sissy do it, and he was sold! He was just so excited to tackle this milestone. It happened almost too quickly. It can be so hard watching our baby boy be so eager to grow up. *cue waves of tears from Mommy's eyes

 I used to love throwing big parties for everyone, but that just doesn't happen anymore. I do love that our small, intimate birthday parties allow them to really taste their cake in their own way... They stick their fingers wherever they please, and their reactions always give us a great giggle.

FROSTING FIGHT!

 Yep, she's definitely mine... The girl loves her buttercream.

We all loved watching him open all of his birthday gifts... He was so excited for his new dump truck and helicopter from Grammy and PawPaw.

And when we brought out his new balance bike, he was so thrilled! He has been begging for rides on his sister's bike for weeks, so we decided to go ahead and get a bike for him too... He loves his "ike-ikle" so much. We also invested in a top-rated helmet to protect that fragile noggin. No more head injuries, if Mommy can help it!

 Thanks for partying with us, Bamba & PawPaw!

Happy, happy 2nd Birthday, Luc!!

We love you very much, and we are so proud of you.

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LUCAS | DIG & DUMP 2nd BIRTHDAY PARTY

Brynn Roslyn | A Sleeping Beauty 5th Birthday

Our girl is officially a five year-old-- I just cannot believe that we can say that now. Honestly, the age of five has hit me a little harder than expected. It just seems like such a huge milestone in life, something that not very long ago seemed so far away from our reality. Alas, here we are...

Soon, it will bring your first day of Kindergarten... your first sleepover.... your first experiences without us within an arm's reach. A little piece of my heart is sad, but a huge part of it has butterflies of excitement for you.

Brynnie Ballerina, your daddy and I both know - without a shed of a doubt - that you are capable of so much than you can even imagine right at this moment. Your extreme independence, your strong spirit, and your determination to master any and all challenges placed in front of you are all something that is very special. Oh, the places that you will go, should you only dream of going... We are just so proud of you.

This year, we waited an extra week to celebrate your birthday with Grammy and PawPaw. Brynn was also very involved in the planning of her party. She wanted a castle, so we built this one together, and she even helped pick out "Maleficent's thorns" to go with her Sleeping Beauty theme.
She recruited Grammy to help her decorate the table with her dolls. It was quite a meticulous task... So, thank you, Grammy!

I really, really wanted to spring for a professional cake this year, but while I think that fondant cakes are absolutely stunning, I often find that they aren't always as tasty... Since Brynn and I are both big "cake" people, I decided to order a fairly plain whipped cake from Publix, and I made Aurora's crown from fondant myself. I am obviously no professional, but it turned out much better than I expected... and at a fraction of the price, which made Daddy happy! The cake was also delicious, which made us girls happy too. Win, win.

Like I said, she was happy with the cake-- and even enjoyed an icing fight with PawPaw!

Happy, happy 5th birthday, sweet Brynn.

We all love you so much!

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Brynn Roslyn | A Sleeping Beauty 5th Birthday

LUCAS | Mickey Mouse 1st Birthday

It's official! Our sweet, little boy is no longer a baby... And he certainly has made no secret of his transformation into a toddler. Bumps, bruises, and reckless bravery are all alive and well in this house! But that constant smile cannot be denied--- it's what makes him our Lucas.

I wish I could say that this "small, simple" party went off without a hitch, but, well... It didn't.

With all of the hustle and bustle trying to get everything ready, Lucas wasn't as closely supervised around the furniture as he usually is (not that it matters, most of the time)... So, we ended up with a face-plant into the coffee table. And then, five minutes later... Another face-plant into the coffee table. The complimentary bruise and swelling on his nose told us that it would probably be a good idea to get a few photos of the birthday boy before blood was drawn.

There's just never a dull moment with our rough and rowdy guy!

 Big Sis was on hand to offer some hugs and love.
My favorite thing in the world is watching them together. :)

 We were lucky enough to get some photos with Dad & Mom too. Our little man doesn't like to stay in one place for very long-- the classic symptom of toddlerhood.

Lucas' Mickey Mouse Highchair Banner | LaLaLolaShop on Etsy
Lucas' Personalized Mickey Mouse Birthday Shirt | SewingByGrace on Etsy
All other decor by Mom.

Unfortunately, this is the only photo of the cake. ;) 

After working for hours on it, I completely forgot to snap a photo 

before turning it over for the smashing!

 Big Sis helps.

 Big Sis smooches.

After cleaning up a bit, it was time to bring out his birthday gift.
This was his reaction when he saw it...

 I think he might have been a little excited. ;)

In true Lucas-fashion, he found the most dangerous way out...

He also tried to sneak out of the bottom a couple of times! Crazy boy.

happy 1st birthday, lucas!

you have brought so much joy into our lives, and also a little fear, but we couldn't imagine our life without you in it. you will forever be our sweet and fearless baby boy.

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LUCAS | Mickey Mouse 1st Birthday

BRYNN | Swan Lake 4th Birthday

Oh, Brynn...
How is it possible that our sweet little baby girl is now four years old?! It seems like only yesterday that we were anxiously awaiting your debut into our world. You brought the drama with you on that day, and you obviously still don't disappoint us in that department... While we have faced many challenges this year, we could not be more proud of you. You are the most affectionate little girl that we know, which can be a little interesting some of the time, like when you hug the UPS man and tell him that you love him. You are such an amazing big sister- I very seldom have to worry about Lucas' newly discovered toddler activities, or his safety, when you are on guard.

My heart melts when I hear you say those very few words that you haven't quite worked out, like "meed" instead of "need" and "whoot crean" instead of "whipped cream" and "aclariun" instead of "aquarium"-- They remind me that though you might sound and act quite grown up, you are still such a little girl.

Brynn has completely fallen in love with the story of Swan Lake. There isn't much that goes on around our house anymore that doesn't involve the characters or music of Swan Lake. Obviously, when I asked her what she wanted for her very small, very last-minute birthday party-- I should have expected the answer. So, I threw some decorations together, and we pulled off "Brynn's Swan Lake"...

 our little odette.

 

 sugar swan via this tutorial.

 grammy and pawpaw wanted to help sing "happy birthday" via facetime.

 blowing out her candles!

 odette's performance.

crown headband via this tutorial.

 odette/odile banner by mommy.

 always the lady when frosting is involved-- 100% Mommy genes.

happy, happy 4th birthday

brynnie ballerina!

we could not be more proud of you. 

keep dreaming those big dreams & reaching for the stars!

******************************

 My ultimate goal was to make a video of Brynn's favorite things at this age from her own perspective. Of course, it wasn't easy to get a 4 year-old to sit in one place and answer questions for more than a few minutes at a time. There were more than a couple of attempts before we finally scrapped that idea, but this is a little bit of what we came up with. All of these answers are 100% from Brynn's little imagination, and I think that is what I love the most about it.

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BRYNN | Swan Lake 4th Birthday