Lizzie is FIVE!!

My sweet little angel turned 5! I can hardly believe she is that old! She is my most tender little one, and she remains the most giving little person I know. I always thought that once she got a little older she would not be so generous. You know how kids figure out that when they give away one of their candies, that means there is one less for them to eat? Yeah, well, that realization set it, and my Bizzie girl still shares just as she always had! She amazes me every day with her tender spirit, her generosity, and her desire for good!

My girl decided (with a little help from her Mom who was a little sick of character parties) to have a splash party for her birthday this year. I think we ought to do this every year! Best party ever to plan and execute! First step was picking the cake she wanted...flip flops, to match the invitations.

Next step was planning the games! First we played a little water relay race where they had to fill their sponges with water from the baby pool then they had to race back and fill the bowl. It was HILARIOUS to see how little water actually made it into the bowls!

The next game was the over the head bowl fill...even less water made it into the bowls, but they were nice and wet!

No splash party is complete without a water balloon toss/fight. They were awesome to watch! They all started off in pairs and ended up in a free for all. So funny!

A little duck racing was next in line...

Followed by some cake and presents!

And the grand finale? A combination of pool/buckets of water/water hopscotch (yeah, I didn't know it existed either), and a good old slip and slide. I am pretty sure we wore them out. At the very least, Mom and Dad were tired!

Happy birthday my princess! You are my JOY!

Father's and Sons

Owen finally got to go on a Father's and Sons campout, and he was PUMPED! Dirt, fire, outdoors, sticks...what more could a boy ask for, right? Mommy was super nervous about my boy coming home in one piece, but Daddy didnt' seem concerned. I didn't hear a lot in the way of details, and the pics don't tell much of a story, but this is what I got...

He likes marshmallows...

He likes fire...

He's a total nut!

Reader's Theather

Tori's class didn't do a little program this year, and after seeing the ones that they have done in the past, I must admit, I was disappointed. They did do a reader's theater though. It was fun to see my little reader in action. I can't believe how much she has learned in the last year! My princess played Donkey in The Animal Band! They made their own "costumes" (aka headbands) and backdrops. It was a fun way to finish the year!

Owen's injury

Well, since I had absolutely nothing to do the day before our BIG preschool program, Owen decided to fill my hours with an ER visit. He is always so thoughtful!

As I have said before, this boy has no regard for his own welfare. He runs full out and is an absolute juggernaut! While running around the main floor of our house he took a header into the corner of a wall. Those pesky walls are always getting in the way! We raced over to the urgent care where they took one look at him and sent him to the Children's Hospital ER. By that point he was more upset about the fact that we were holding a towel on his head and wouldn't just put on a "Ka-Chow Band-Aid" than the fact that he was bleeding profusely from his head.

(For those of you that don't speak 3 year old boy, Ka-Chow would be Lightening McQueen. Thankfully the urgent care bandaged his head to get us to the hospital.

When we finally got to the hospital (and realized that poor Lizzie didn't even have shoes on, and Mom had barely enough time to get clothes on after hopping out of the shower) and the boy was the least upset member of our pathetic little clan.

He was calm, other than being slightly annoyed. The most traumatic part was the irrigating of the wound.

The boy actually slept through the stitches. After seven stitches, life was grand! Add a green popsicle on there for good measure and all is well!

*******UPDATE*******

Less than two months later, my handsome prince decided to liven up my day yet again. As a special treat for my birthday, he decided that the back of his head needed some love and attention. After hanging off the arm of the recliner upside down and backward, then FALLING off the recliner, he split open the back of his head on the hearth. Gee...who could have possibly seen that one coming? (Forgive the iPod pictures...in my rush I didn't grab the regular camera.)

This is his "brave face." Notice the bandage on his forehead from ripping open the previous wound. I had to keep him occupied while we waiting for the doctors, so he took pictures of everything.

This time we just needed three staples. Note to self...next time, go with stitches! Less traumatic putting them in and definitely less traumatic getting them out (since they were the kinds that dissolve).

Then I got to spend my afternoon cleaning the carpets...