A Blippi Birthday!

We celebrated Aiden's 4th birthday with a Blippi-themed day! He actually couldn't decide what kind of birthday he wanted. It ranged from Pooh Bear or Garbage Trucks to Orange or Zoo Animals, from Wild Kratts or Blippi to Dinosaurs or Dump Trucks. He changed his mind almost every day this month haha. So I just had to pick a theme and run with it, and hope for the best :)

He woke up to Blippi decorations and fun presents from family. Even though he had one theme for his birthday, his presents made up for the rest of his loves = Pooh Bear, garbage trucks, dinosaurs, etc. He's such a ham, and was more than excited about all things Aiden!

Aiden LOVES water and so we knew he would love spending the day at the neighborhood pool. Since everyone else is already in school, we had it {almost} to ourselves. We're thankful to be so close to our pool, and that we can enjoy swimming and a fun pirate ship!

I love when she grabs her brothers' hands to hold...

Hey! Look who's splashing around and enjoying the pool! ;)

Love my crew!

We enjoyed yummy Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and then after rest time, it was time for birthday cake! This is what the kids had been waiting all day for haha. We had a little melting mishap with the cupcakes {even before the candles}, but we were able to salvage enough for a birthday song and photos.

The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys and reading books with Daddy. Aiden had requested nachos for dinner, so we enjoyed those while wrapping up the day with the Pooh Bear Heffalump movie.

I can hardly believe that my baby is FOUR. There is certainly some mourning for the little years, but I am also really excited for this next stage with our cuties. 

Happy Birthday, Aiden!

Aiden :: 4 Years

Happy 4th birthday to our sweet Aiden!

My Sweet Aiden, 

You are not really sticking to our agreement that you will stay tiny, never grow, and be my little baby boy forever... but oh, what a joy this past year has been! I think 3-year-old-Aiden has been the most fun, and we are just constantly smiling at the things you say, the silly and expressive faces you make, and the goofy things you do. You are still obsessed with garbage trucks, and you are the "neighborhood watch"- you know every delivery that's made, what neighbors are doing, who hasn't pulled in their recycling cans yet haha. You are still madly in love with your Pooh Bear, but you have also added Panda, Aiden-Bear, and Dinosaur {to stand guard outside your bedroom door} to the armful of items you carry around with you all day. And of course, we can't forget your blanket and pillow; you don't even use the pillow haha; you just keep it in your bed and carry it with your arsenal of stuffies. You are constantly on-the-go, always ready for adventure, wondering where we are going next; you would live outside if I let you! You love stories, both listening to and telling them, and your expressions when relaying information are priceless. You want to do everything your brother and sister do, and I often forget that you are still a good bit younger. But I love how close you three are, and I pray that you always have a strong bond. Despite how big you are getting, you are still our little snuggle bug, and my heart melts every time you yell from across the room as if you are going to ask for something:

Aiden: Mama?

Me: Yes, Aiden?

Aiden: I love you!

Sweet Boy, Daddy and I are so thankful for you. We cannot wait to see what this next year brings, and we pray that your expressive personality is used to draw people in, love them well, and show them the unimaginable joy that only Jesus can bring. Happy Birthday, Aiden. We love you!

Love,

Mama

Stats :: 44 pounds, 42.75 inches tall

Swim Lessons!

The past couple of weeks, the kids have been going to swim lessons! Yes, I realize it's the end of the summer...but it's the time that worked in our schedule, and I decided it was worth doing anyway. They were all able to be in the same "pod" or class, since they're so close in age and basically on the same skill level. I wasn't quite sure how that would do, because they can often distract and feed off each other...but overall, they did really well, and I am thankful they got to get some more swimming exposure and practice. Definitely not fully swimming yet, but we'll keep working at it!

We usually got to the pool early, so we had some time to practice our patience while we waited for our lesson to start. I took the opportunity {and hopeful distraction} to take photos... :)

I tried to stay out of sight as much as possible during the lesson, so my photos are from a distance and not as good, but I tried to snap a few for the memories! 

Haha...Eli kept a constant death grip on his swim instructor

Progress was slow, but in the end, Eli was doing really well with his kicking {and held a slightly looser death grip on his swim instructor}, Maddie was finally able to jump in the pool with less hesitation, and Aiden was 100% floating on his back. So we celebrated with some frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog!

We are thankful for our patient swim instructor, and the kids have already started asking when they get to start swim lessons again :)

Wrapping Up Summer

Grandma and Papa came in for a visit, and we had a full week of summer fun!

Despite the heat, we spent a lot of time outside, exploring parks and trying to soak up the last bit of summer. We got a good amount of rain too, but thankfully it didn't interfere with any of our plans. We tried to pack in some fun things, without completely overloading our days, since the kiddos started swim lessons in the afternoons {post to come later}.

Waiting to pickup Grandma and Papa at the airport

Playing at the elementary school playground before school starts

Racing Grandma, dripping with sweat :)

There was no shortage of books read

We spent a morning at Jeff Stein Playground. The kids were more than happy to play and run and run wild, and Grandma and Papa were more than happy to enjoy their laughter and joy.

When we weren't out at a park, we were at home reading books, playing games, drawing pictures, and practicing our writing {something Maddie requests to do all the time}. We were also helping Grandma and Papa find a new house via zoom calls!

Aiden wasn't impressed with this house haha

Papa's birthday is coming up, so we celebrated with him early! I made him his favorite German chocolate cake, and the kiddos were excited to sing to him {and eat his cake haha}.

We found a mini golf place nearby; it was literally in the middle of a parking lot haha. But it was reasonably priced and the perfect setup for the kiddos. Watching them putt putt is nothing short of hilarious, as they all make up their own rules and have their own techniques. But they had a blast, and Grandma and Papa weren't complaining :)

We decided to check out Clemyjontri Park, and it was so fun! It is a playground where children of all abilities can play, and it was just a fun setup with lots of play structures and activities. 

We also went on multiple walks, made a trip to Udvar-Hazy, and got to take Grandma and Papa to church with us. It was such a fun week, and we are so thankful for the time we had to play all week. Kind of fun that we got to kick off the summer and now wrap it up with Grandma and Papa!