So far away

Happy Birthday Collin!

Oh dear. Collin's party started out with a tad of drama.

When I called to make reservations at a "fun zone" type place for Collin's birthday, they told me it would be so slow on a Tuesday night, I didn't need to make an official reservation. "Just come on in!" they told me.

We showed up at 5:15 and were informed they were closing early at 6.

I about had a heart-attack.

Thank heavens for Chuck E Cheese down the street. It saved us.

I was a little stressed, so all you get is camera photos. :)

Though I did make some awesome cupcakes.

They were so so yummy.

And who doesn't like cheap-o pizza?

Well, Collin doesn't with his dairy allergy. 

Yay for Mcdonalds next door!

This was a classy party.

With classy entertainment.

We had a very happy 3 year old.

Well, 4 very happy 3 year olds.

And that was the whole idea.

I even mellowed out enough to instagram his big moment.

It was a terrific success. :)

Someone is not napping....

To Mom

Queen of the Jungle!

Lydia is her Kindergarten class "Queen of the Jungle" this week. Shane wrote the little letter that is to be read in front of the class. I thought it was pretty sweet that he wrote it in such "kindergarten voice". 

Lydia Jane  - Kindergarten Queen of the Jungle!

Lydia is a special girl. In fact, in our home, that’s what we call her- our special girl. She’s special for many reasons, but here are a few:

She’s a great big sister: She takes care of her little brother, Collin, and isn’t really mean to him and doesn’t tease him very much. She lets him play with her and her friends when they come over. When he feels sad, she feels sad too and she tries really hard to make him feel better.

Lydia is really funny. She is always making up funny stories and writing us funny letters. She loves to make her brother laugh and makes up jokes for him. She draws pictures and makes up funny things to write about them. Lydia knows how to read and write! 

Lydia used to live all the way across the country in a state called Tennessee. It is really hot there with big bugs. But it is also very beautiful with more trees than you could ever count. Lydia misses her friends that still live there, but she loves her new Idaho friends!

Lydia is allergic to peanuts. That means if she has even a teeny tiny piece of peanut, she could get an itchy rash all over her body, or she could swell up (that means her body could get really big and puffy like a balloon), or she could stop breathing. She carries around a special tool called an Epipen, that’s really medicine she can take if she starts to get sick from peanuts. It sounds scary, but she’s very brave. Before she eats any new food she always asks if it’s safe or if it has peanuts in it. She’s a good girl and always listens to us and trusts us when we tell her she can’t eat something, even if it looks really yummy.

She’s the first grandchild in all her family: Lydia was the first grandchild in her mom’s family and also in her dad’s family. That means that of all her cousins, she’s the oldest. They all love to play with her because she’s nice to them and loves to play. When the family gets together, she’s sort of the leader of all the little kids. 

Lydia is our special girl. She’s a very good girl with a good heart. She always tries to do the right thing and to be nice to others and make friends. We’re sure that if you get to know her well, you’ll think she’s special just like we do.

Almost 3 years old

I make up stories about a starfish named Sammy before bed at night. I thought it would be cool to show Collin what a real starfish looks like. And to just have a little chat.