We’ve had some fantastic weather lately. I’ve meant to take the sleds off the porch (where they live for the winter), but have not gotten to that. Yesterday, the girls decided that they didn’t need snow to sled. They climbed in one and tried to slide, but of course went nowhere. Then they discovered that if one of them pulled down the hill, they could move pretty well.
They naturally took turns pulling/riding. Here Leah has adopted a more aerodynamic pose in order to speed things along.
On our third attempt to do some bike riding this Spring, we finally got a perfect day. Leah took advantage of it and was riding her bike without training wheels in no time. Great job, Leah!
Here she is in action. This video shows a bit of her progression after she started to get it.
In the beginning, I would run alongside her in case she started to fall, but it didn’t take her long to decide she wanted to do it on her own. She was happy to get a little help to start (which Jen gave her here), but then the parent had to stay put while she zoomed around.
It was a great day of bike riding. We can’t wait to do it again.
The day after Molly’s birthday, Molly and Leah headed out to their first sleepover with friends away from home. They went to the home of their long time (their entirelives) friends Allison and Rachel. They did great - so well that we didn’t even hear from them until Jen picked them up the next morning. They can’t wait to do it again.
By the time Molly’s actual birthday rolled around, most of the celebrations had ended. But she still had a couple presents to open from Leah, including the one she’d been hoping for - a stuffed Olaf.
For dinner on her birthday, Molly requested hot dogs. Afterward, we broke out the leftover cake and ice cream from a couple nights ago and sang to her one more time.
Molly is now officially 8 years old. Happy Birthday, Molly!
Our church had an Easter Egg-stravaganza the week before Easter, including lots of fun. There were a couple of moon bounces, face painting, a lot of crafts, cookie decorating, and more.
Upon arrival, the girls went straight to the face painting. Leah opted to have an egg painted on her arm rather than her face.
And Molly chose to have a bunny painted on her cheek.
And here are the results (for a bit).
Then Molly decided she wanted her other cheek done as well, so she headed back for another round. This time - a butterfly.
Of course, there was an Easter Egg Hunt. Leah was in the preschool area, while Molly went to the second/third grade area.
Full baskets and bunny ear crafts on their heads serve as evidence of a fun afternoon.
We got together for dinner with my side of the family to celebrate Molly’s birthday at a different restaurant this year. Usually, Molly wants to go to Red Robin since they sing. At the urging of some of the older attendees, she said she decided this year we’d go some place with tacos. Jen called around and found that they would sing on weekends at La Palapa, a local Mexican restaurant. It was awesome - good food and great singing (including the sombrero she was hoping for).
Here’s a taste of the birthday singing. I obviously had trouble recording this. I'm not sure I should even bother posting it, but it's short and gives you an idea of how great it was.
After dinner out, we headed back to our house for cake, ice cream, and of course presents.
This was a gift we hadn’t heard of, but the girls have really enjoyed it since opening it up and starting to build.
The newly 8-year-old in her new birthday dress. It's the Evie dress by Izzy & Ivy Designs. Molly and I collaborated on the fabrics and we love the result.
The sleeveless top to this dress shows off Molly’s muscles well. She’s pretty tough (well, no she isn’t, but she can fake it).
The party was over, but the fun was not. Once the guests left, there was still more celebrating to do.
All of Molly’s guests signed this shirt for her. So, once they left she had to try it on.
As usual, we didn’t have time to open all the presents from her friends during the party. After the party, though, she dove into all the great gifts. This giant stuffed cat got a serious reaction.
Molly’s big birthday present is a new bike from Grams, G’Mom and Grampa, and us. This Trek MT 220 will be great for her for a long time.
Later that evening, it was time to open even more presents - this time from G’Mom and Grampa.
To go along with her new bike, G’Mom and Grampa got her this giant (and extremely loud) bell. It’s awesome.
G’Mom also made her this new pillowcase. It's a good thing she finished this before she came, as she might have a bit of trouble with sewing for a little while.
Thus ended a very busy day. Happy birthday, Molly!
Today is Molly’s 8th birthday, but we’ve been celebrating for a week already. We’ve discovered that when her birthday falls over spring break, guests are often unavailable. So, we had the party a week early to ensure everyone could come.
Molly’s party this year was a Bricks 4 Girlz party - fun with Lego bricks and no boys allowed (though Grampa and I were not kicked out of the house). While the girls arrived, there was free play with a bunch of Lego bricks on the floor, as well as building your own minifig to take home.
Jen made the cake to resemble a Lego brick. The Lego man was made of chocolate, thanks to a friend loaning Jen the candy mold. Molly requested a chocolate and vanilla swirl cake which was a very tasty choice.
The birthday banner was also inspired by different sized Lego bricks.
Molly and Jen worked on creating the party door hanger. Molly had fun adding a bit (or 8 bits) of 8-year-old flare to it.
After free play, the girls colored and filled out a sheet on their newly created minifig.
Next, it was time for the main event - partnering up and building Mia’s Beach Buggy. This vehicle included a motor and battery pack, as well as a place for their minifies to go for a ride. Since we had an odd number of girls, Jen partnered with Leah.
Molly and Jordan focus to make sure their gears and wheels are connected properly.
After Molly and Jordan finished their buggy (which was the easier version), Molly helped Ms. Eva finish her buggy (the harder version).
After completing her buggy, Leah spent most of the time with it switched on and running into me, but I managed to get her to stop it for a second to get a picture.
Here’s Molly’s second buggy after she finished it, ready to be switched on and race around the house.
Then it was time for cake and ice cream. But first, one of Molly’s favorite parts - singing to the birthday girl.
After we finished eating cake and ice cream, it was time for some spin art and paper crinkling. These used the same motors that had been in the vehicles a few minutes before to power the Lego devices.
Here are all the girls and their minifigs at the end of a very fun party.
And before leaving with their goody bags filled with chocolate Lego bricks and minifigs, the girls all got their chance to pose in the Wylde Style cutout. Make sure to watch with the audio turned on, as the accompaniment is provided by Molly, Leah, and me.
It was a great party. We wholeheartedly recommend Bricks 4 Kidz for the Lego lovers out there. Thanks to them and to all who came and had fun with us.
Saturday, the girls broke out Twister and insisted that G’Mom and Grampa join in the fun. Moments after this picture, Molly took a tumble.
That afternoon, we decided to head to the rink for a little roller skating. Molly’s an old pro at this point.
Leah’s doing pretty well skating as well. She especially loves skating holding both of our hands. She had such a good time, she lasted much longer than Molly.
Not sure how long it’s been since Grampa was on skates, but he was happy to get out there and roll around.
G’Mom was doing great skating as well. Well, at least until she decided to go around one more time before we left…
On G’Mom’s final lap, a young girl darted in front of her, causing her to fall on her wrist. This led to an ER visit, revealing a very bad break. In order to line up the bones before putting on a cast, they hung her hand from this odd contraption.
They put her arm in a cast and a sling, as you can see here. This was just a temporary measure, though, as she had to head to the orthopedic surgeon when she got back home for surgery to insert a plate and screws to hold everything together.
She’s home recovering from surgery now. We hope you feel better soon!
