Emmerson is 8!

On May 30th Emmerson turned 8. She was so excited for her birthday this year. And we were excited to actually be able to celebrate it with friends and family this year. Emmerson requested a softball themed birthday. We invited her friends over to play wiffle ball out front, eat hotdogs, and enjoy some Kona Ice. It was a very simple party but it was filled with FUN!

The night before her birthday she was giddy with excitement and kept thanking us so much for making her feel so special. She is such a thoughtful girl. I was so happy to spoil her on her special day. 

Donovan stayed up late with us on her birthday eve to help us decorate with signs and balloons. Her sibling were so excited to have her wake up in the morning and open her first present. Grammie had taken both Taylor and Donovan out separately to shop for their sister. Donovan't gift was first. He got her a unicorn t-shirt, flip flops, and a knead-o fidget. 

We lined up her gifts along the staircase and had her open a new one every hour on the hour. 

She requested our usual birthday tradition of a birthday pancake. 

Lots of fairy garden goodies!

And then came the party. Kona Ice truck did not disappoint. 

She opened all of her gifts from her friends out front. She got lots and lots of fidgets, candy, craft kits and more. 

Emmerson drew this picture to play pin the softball in the catcher's mitt with. 

And then it was time for a game of wiffle ball. 

Tay was so excited to get on base! 

After all of her friends had gone, we set up a little tie-dye station and decorated some shirts. 

For dinner, she requested arancini.

And then a special cake made by Donovan and Grammie.

It was a wonderful day celebrating our girl!

 

Donovan is TEN!

I can't believe this boy is TEN! Wow. That went fast! 

Like his sister, we celebrated our boy a day early so that we could enjoy a weekend day together. On Saturday night, Donovan knowingly retired to bed a bit early so that we could decorate the downstairs for him. He may have sneaked a few peeks... but he was a good sport and pretended to be very surprised as he came downstairs on Sunday morning. 

The morning kicked off with his #10 pancakes that you can barely detect under all of his whipped cream. Decorated with a crown on top to celebrate his first crown year in Dutch tradition. 

They were a hit!

Donovan began opening gifts in the morning. He was excited to receive a pull up bar, some succulent holders, lots of shirts and socks from Grammie, and a big surprise... A Go Pro that he had reallllllly wanted.

One of the best surprises of the day was a visit from his cousins who were in town paying a visit to Oma Oma. It worked out so perfectly that they could swing by and enjoy some cupcakes with the birthday boy. 

His Sunday dinner request was Arancini which I gladly made for my boy.... followed by more presents from Oma and Grampie and more cupcakes too!

He had such a fun day!

His actual birthday was a treat too! While his Dad and I had school and meetings, he played with his friends outside ALL day long! His bestie, Ella surprised him with a milkshake, a bunch of candy, and a Dude Perfect shirt which totally made his day! 

His dinner request that night was lemon chicken and homemade fettuccini alfredo. What I'll remember most about his tenth birthday was how silly and typical ten year old boy he was... but also how sincerely thankful he was for each and every little part of his celebration.  He felt so loved and that is something that I will cherish most of all. Happy Birthday to our favorite boy! 

 

Taylor is FOUR!

We celebrated Taylor Joy's birthday a day early while we were all home on the weekend together. Saturday night I tucked a very tired Taylor into bed and laid with her until I was certain she was asleep. Then her big brother, sister, Dad, Grammie, and I set to work decorating the downstairs, wrapping gifts, blowing up balloons, and baking cupcakes. 

She woke up on Sunday morning so excited to find a brand new Bluey shirt waiting outside her door and presents lining the staircase. 

She loved the cupcakes her brother and sister helped to make. 

Time for her #4 pancake breakfast!

Each hour on the hour, Taylor picked out a gift off the staircase to open. She was pretty patient about it for the first few gifts. She happily played with what she had opened. But pretty soon, she started to request, can I just open onnnnnneeee more???? And then by about noon all of the presents had been opened. 

One of the things that she kept asking for was a kite. She was so excited when she opened it, and Dustin agreed to take it out for a try. 

We spent the cool, cloud afternoon riding our bikes to a local pond that we love. Sadly, this trail closed the day after as it will soon become a new community of homes. Such a loss for our neighborhood. I was grateful we got to enjoy it one last time before they shut it down completely. 

Then a requested visit to the park.

In the evening, Oma and Grampie joined us for dinner and cupcakes. 

And more presents! She had such a FUN day!

Monday was her actual birthday. They celebrated her at school all day. 

And when she got home, the neighbors all greeted her with squeals of excitement and little treats. 

Her dinner request was Chik-fil-A. It was a wonderful birthday for this little four year old.