Lots to read...

Okay I know I'm a little sporadic at my blogging. I've posted a lot so you may even have to go to the next page to read it all...if you want to :)

Dance, Dance, and more Dance

Madelyn had another dance competition this weekend. This time she performed a solo for the first time ever. Then she did her team routines. She did really well!! I was so proud of her for getting out on that stage despite her fear and performing her little heart out. As nervous as she was I think I was even more so. She'd been working hard for months now with Amber (her teacher that choreographed it) and Jenna. Jenna was a life saver with polishing it up. We didn't know what to expect for placing after the solo...but she placed at the diamond level, won her category and out of all the novice solos for the day in all categories and age groups she placed third. Pretty good for her first time out. She was pretty proud and thought that it was really fun. Her teams also did really well and won overall awards. Here is a photo that we bought from the comp and the other one we took when she was getting her overall award.

Emma's Birthday

And just because we love March birthdays...Emma also had her birthday a week ago. She is so big and miss 2 year old independent. She is talking very well and is a little smartie. Just tonight she surprised me by counting to ten all by herself. She loves all things shoes, water, Dora, and anything she's not supposed to have. She truly is into everything at any given time and does wear us out at times. She is hilarious and full of it constantly. A few of her latest sayings are "peace out dude", "nope mom", "go away", "Emma do it", "help you" (when she needs help), "eeew gross" and "love you mom". She gives hugs freely and really is obsessed with giving kisses and hugs anytime anyone leaves the house. At her latest check up she was right in the middle for everthing. She doesn't sit still for very long but just recenlty became interested in cartoons. She loves to watch Dora on TV. She's not potty training yet. She just likes to sit there once in a while and pretend and then use the "paper toilet" She is fantastic and exhausting all at the same time :) We love her dearly are we are so blessed to have her in our family.

Baby Mack

I took Mack's photos again. Here are a few. Isn't he stinkin' cute!

Chad's Birthday

Chad also had a birthday a few weeks ago. He turned 35 and I think it slightly depressed him since he came home from church that weekend and said that it just hit him that he now can be on the old man's team for church basketball (we have too many guys for one team)! We surprised him a day early with an ipod nano because the kids just couldn't wait to give it to him. He's trying to train for a half marathon so we though this would help him train. We are very lucky to have such a great hard working guy for a husband and dad!

Ethan's Birthday

Ethan is getting so big...literally! He turned six a few weeks ago (I know I'm a slacker for just blogging about it now!) He is growing and learning so much all the time. He is also doing great in kindergarten. He is reading his take home books with ease and is realizing that he can read some of his books on his own bookshelf all by himself. He is full of energy at times but when cartoons are on he will zone out forever if we'd let him. He's a great helper and make friends easily. He likes to sing and listen to his CD's. He also is pretty comical at times, often when he is getting in trouble :) He loves all things boy and can sometimes get a little too rough due to his size and strength. I swear he's grown a foot just in the last little while. He's our klutz and is often running into things, falling down, or knocking over things. He loves playing with friends and he is lucky to have a lot of boys his age right around us. We love our Ethan and we're so glad he's in our family!! Here is a picture from the family birthday party.

Star Wars Party

Warning: major picture overload!

Ethan turned 6 a few weeks ago and he got to have his first friends birthday party. I saw all of these ideas for a Star Wars party on the internet and showed them to Ethan and he decided that is what he wanted. It was fun and crazy all at the same time. Ethan loved his party and I think they all had a great time. Here are some pictures and ideas I used for the party. Here is the invitation I made on the computer.

When the kids first came we gave them their Jedi training attire (just a little smock I cut from cheap material then tied around the waist with some yarn). After that we played pin the lightsaber on Yoda.

Then we went on a Jedi mission. I had clues hidden around the house. They had to work together to figure out where the next clue was hidden. When they got to the last clue it led them downstairs to a pile of foam lightsabers. We made them out of those pool noodles cut in half with some duct tape and electrical tape wrapped around the bottom for handles. We then worked on some lightsaber training and rules. The only person they could hit was if Darth Vader happened to visit. They practiced using thier lightsabers and then we played a game where they had to work in pairs hitting a balloon back and forth with their lightsabers from one end of the room to the other.
After that we had a visit from Darth Vader himself. This was a highlight for the kids. It's a good thing they were there to protect the galaxy because Chad was nowhere to be seen :) Then we had to destroy the Death Star(baseball pinata spray painted gray). The kids started out with blindfolds but the Death Star was so tough to defeat we eventually went without.

After that we had pizza, yoda soda (lime sherbet and lemon lime soda), opened presents, and had lightsaber cupcakes. It was a fun party!! Oh and we can't forget Yoda. Yoda was there right in the middle of it all the whole time!