Summer + Playdates = 4 years!

Today we had a play date with Mrs.Cassi, Brook & little Luke.  I am honored to say that this is the 4th summer we have gotten our kiddos together to have some fun, the first one was really about us feeling cooped up in the house and craving interaction.  We had big plans to go to the pool today but we got some much needed rain instead, so we just camped out at our house.

We got Tilda and Piper ready for a day of fun and they were waiting to get played with when Brook rang the doorbell at 10:30 this morning with a Dairy Queen Blizzard in her hand (ha).  Emma's babies might be a little sad because they did not get played with or acknowledged all day.  Brook and Emma had other plans and they had BIG fun!

The morning started out with them playing dollhouse and screaming, "No boys allowed over here".  Luke and Gavin just kind of walked around and played, but they really wanted to be right beside their big sisters.  We broke out the moon sand and the girls made all sorts of things and pretended to eat it.

Every little girl should have some fishing worms to play with on a rainy day, don't you think?   Emma dug  the worms out of the dirt and Brook ended up joining in until Emma pulled the "big fat one out" and she took off. 

Emma decided to give one of the worms a kiss and announced, "I am married to him now because I kissed him".  It was HILARIOUS, just praying she continues to think that you can only kiss if you are married.

There were many rides shared on Gavin's tricycle and lots of laughter as they got faster and faster by the end of  the day.  I was so PROUD of these two today because they did a great job sharing, playing and being sweet to one another (Brooke even lets Emma hug her now). 

Gavin  and Luke joined in by chasing their Big Sisters around the dining room table and squealing as loud as they could in hopes of catching them.

Every good day  must come to an end, but not without a group hug.   We walked them out to the car and Emma was yelling, "see you tomorrow Brook we are coming to your house for a play date" and the truth is WE just might! 

I am so glad that we have made efforts to keep in touch with the Locascio family.  Our kids love each other and there is no doubt in my mind they will be forever friends. 

Fishing with Uncle Robert

We love summer time around our house because it is filled with play dates, vacations, snow cones, movies, road trips, swimming, cook outs, slip n slides, bike rides, long walks, driveway play and today we went fishing for the FIRST time.

Our neighborhood is filled with exciting things for kids and adults to do.  My oldest brother has been promising to take my kiddos fishing, so today we took advantage of the catch and release program. Emma was a little disappointed we were not going to get to keep em and eat em, which really surprised me. Especially after we got to the lake early and she had the worms tucked up under her arm and started crying saying she loved them when Uncle Robert told her it was time to thread the worm on the hook.

Emma and Gavin were so excited to go fishing this morning and could hardly wait to get down to the lake to see who could catch the first fish. Gavin woke up this morning telling us he was going to catch a turtle.  My brother has been looking forward to taking his niece and nephew on their first fishing trip. I think Daddy was a little sad he could not be a part of it all, but we kept him up to date through text messages and pictures.

Emma caught the first little sun perch and reeled it in all by herself with Uncle Robert cheering her on the whole time.  She was so super excited but got a little nervous when it started flopping around. 

Gavin was not as patient as Emma waiting on the fish to bite. As soon as his cork started dancing around in the water he started reeling it back in.  He would drop the line back in all by himself and sweetly say, "here fishy fishy, where are you?"  He was so darn cute fishing and really did a great job understanding his fishing pole and what he had to do in order to drop his line back in the water (for the most part he did it all by himself).  Unfortunately he was on Mom's team and we did not catch a fish, but we almost caught a squirrel.

Oh how I love these 4 little chubby hands and 40 little fingers.  I can not wait for Daddy to see these two in action, he is going to be so proud!  I can't help but wonder what impact these hands will have on the world one day?

Sure wish this little boy could have caught his first fish today, but I think it might have worked out perfect so Daddy could be there to see the big catch.  We might just have to head back to the lake tonight and see if we can't make that happen.   I love the picture of Gavin in the middle running down the pier with his pole when we first arrived.  The other two just might be him sitting in time out for running off and refusing to stop.

By the end Emma was a real trooper and was picking up the worms, trying to put them on her hook and fishing like a champ.  She ended up catching the second and last fish of the day.  Look at that smile, she is one happy girl.

I can't believe this is the only picture I got of Uncle Robert. Since I was a little girl I remember my brother having a fishing pole in his hand and loving animals deeply, just like my Emma Lou!  My brother can usually be found on the water 2 to 3 days a week catching shark, fish or anything else he can reel in and take home. 

My Daddy was quite the fisherman too, so it did my heart good to spend the day after Father's day fishing with my brother and my two kiddos.  No doubt in my mind my Daddy was smiling down on us today and probably wishing he could have been there to tell us how it is really suppose to be done.

After we fished we sat around the lake and watched Uncle Robert try to catch the sunscreen Emma accidentally dropped in the water. Gavin and Emma ran after squirrels and that little boy of mine treed one better than any huntin' dog Papa ever owned.  

We are so glad we got to spend the day with Uncle Robert and hope to fish with him again soon, we'll handle our own worms next time.  What better way to say THANK YOU and end a great day?  Snow cone time Uncle Robert, we LOVE you!

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated a great Father's Day today with the best Daddy I know. Thank you Curtis for being YOU and for loving our children unconditionally.  You are an amazing Father and our kids are so blessed to call you Daddy. 

This year Emma gave you a coffee cup from Starbucks along with a $5.00 gift card that she picked out on her own. She begged Starbucks to sell her a $4.00 gift card because she is four years old (she was so upset when they told her no).  She insisted on buying you a coffee cup and not a mug because a mug has a lid on it and she refused one with a lid. Gavin gave you a gift card to the movies, so you can take us on a date Friday night to see Cars 2.  We made you 3 cards through Tiny Prints that were covered with the kids pictures and we gave you a new pair of Maui Jims for our upcoming vacation.  We took to you lunch, ordered pizza, went swimming, got a snow cone and gave you lots of hugs (all the kids ideas).

Today is always a very bittersweet day for me, one that I wish would go by so quickly that I might not even realize it has occurred.  For the sake of my own children, I dig up the biggest smile I can find and I always make it through the day.

This year is the 4th year I have had to find my way through Father's Day without my sweet Daddy here on earth. To this day, I still miss that man so much that my heart hurts. I will always be grateful for the relationship we shared and the lessons he has taught me that continue to impact my life daily.

All in all, it was a great Father's Day and my kiddos gave their Daddy kisses and hugs from sun up till sun down.

i DON'T want to be FOUR anymore!

Yesterday she SCREAMED, "Mom, I don't want to be FOUR anymore."  Emma had her FOUR year old check up yesterday and she was angry that she had to get FOUR shots.  It was a pretty rough appointment for both of us and I forgot my camera (thank goodness for my phone).

She woke up asking if Ally could go with us and hold her hand, so we called RaRa to see if she could get her ready to go with us.  Emma is in the 90th percentile on weight and the 50th percentile on height.   Our pediatrician was not concerned at all because this is where her statistics have hovered for the last couple years. She is convinced she should start stretching out soon, not sure when since she is still wearing between a size 8 to 8.5 shoe.

She passed her hearing and vision screening with flying colors. I was super proud when the nurse asked Emma to identify all her shapes and letters on the eye chart and she knew every last one of them. The nurse even said, "You did way better than most FOUR year olds."

It was so funny because Emma was extremely detailed in her responses, for example there was a picture of  a boat and the nurse was just wanting her to call it a boat. Not our WITTY ITTY BITTY, she told the nurse it was a blue sailboat and the nurse just chuckled.

After FOUR shots and a clean bill of health Emma chose pink ice cream along with having her toenails painted. It was pretty well deserved since she worried about this visit 2 days before it even occurred. Now that the yucky stuff is behind us, FOUR is pretty grand BUT yesterday it was "no fun being FOUR!"

Vintage Strawberry Shortcake Party Galore

Finally got around to posting pictures of Emma Caroline's 4th Birthday party that was jam packed with sweets, friends, family and fun.

This dessert table that was capable of satisfying any ones sweet tooth for the day.  I loved all the pink and green.

This might be the cutest cake I have ever laid eyes on and something that you would certainly find in Berry Town.

Close up of all the sweets and all our little vintage friends.  Just look at sweet little Huckleberry Finn sitting there barefooted, he reminded me of the good ole days.

Our infamous candy bar and the number FOUR could be seen plastered everywhere.  We were able to locate some super YUMMY strawberry candy too.

I have wanted this big Strawberry party cake forever, so I finally broke down and bought it for our celebration.

Berry picking baskets filled with all sorts of goodies for our favorite friends (candy, lip gloss, crayons, coloring books, rice krispie treats, strawberry cookies and so much more).

I found the perfect book for Emma, Freckleface Strawberry that went right along with our party theme.   Cutest little story about a red headed girl with freckles, just like mine.

The mantle all decked out with a re purposed Happy Birthday sign and lots of vintage SS decor.

We fed our guest pizza, hot dogs, cheese, fruit, vegetables, nachos, chips and all the sweets one could desire.

These little crates were filled with strawberry and grapes topped with a birthday sign for all to enjoy.

We are ready to sing Happy Birthday and cut into the yummy cake, even though I did not want it to get all messed up.

I will never forget that Emma got so embarrassed during the birthday song that she started spitting on the cake to get the candles to go out.  At one point she started crying and buried her head in my chest.  I think this is the first and only time I have ever seen her be shy or embarrassed.

Emma and her two best friends from school, Gracie and Hannah Claire.  She was so super excited that they came to the party that she was super silly.

Opening all her gifts and enjoying the party guest.  It was so super hot outside that the kids could barely endure the heat.

Who does not love a cupcake, especially when they are pink and green?  They were so good, Sam's has the best cupcakes ever and they are so cheap.

Pink milk can make any little girl smile and mine was smiling from ear to ear all day long.

My two very best friends as in shock as I am that the little girl I longed for all my life is already turning FOUR!

Outside was decorated like a strawberry garden and the number four signs everywhere.  We also had a tent set up for the kiddos to paint and decorate a flower pot.  After they decorated their pot they were able to plant their very own strawberry seeds.

Cassi was sweet enough to let us borrow her jump house for the day.  The little kids loved it and had so much fun.

I loved this sweet hat that our photographer/grandmother by choice made for Emma.  It matched her outfit and party them perfectly.

Of course it would not have been complete without our very own miniature Strawberry pies made by Mommy.

Our little girl loves a pinata and she insist on having one at every party (ha ha).  The only problem is, she gets upset if anyone bust it besides her.  Silly girl!

Finally time for Piper to meet her new Mommy and come out of that silly Bamboletta box she has been living in for the last couple weeks.  How cute are their matching outfits, thanks to my favorite little sewing friend that lives far away.

All in all it was one of the SWEETEST little celebrations I have been a part of and I am so happy my FOUR year old had a great day.  I just wonder what she will pick for next year?

4th Birthday Photo Shoot

I love parties, I love pink, I have always loved Strawberry Shortcake BUT I was shocked when my soon to be FOUR year old requested this as her party theme.   You see, I grew up on Strawberry Shortcake and all her Berry Town friends.  Yep, I even had the one that you squeeze her belly and she blows you a strawberry scented kiss (sure wish I would have kept that thing).

When you have an amazing photographer, a cute little girl and lots of pink stuff you can pull off a photo shoot like this and it can be fun for everyone involved.

Yes sweet girl, you are almost FOUR and you are super excited about it too.  Matter of fact you have been talking about being FOUR for months.

We thought it would be fun to drag all the things it took to make real strawberry shortcake desserts out to a dry creek bed and let this little girl get to work.

I searched high and low for all the vintage SS stuff I could find and ended up with almost all of the little freckled faced jewels.

Yummy, yummy, yummy ~ oh to be young again.  We could not wait to eat one of these desserts created by the cutest FOUR year old we know.

I love this little girl with all of my heart and soul, she makes it super easy to love her too.  She is everything a Mommy could dream of having in a little girl. 

Who knows, maybe she will open up her own little couture bakery one day and we can hang some of these pictures in there for decor.



Hard at work and having a blast dreaming about the perfect little Strawberry Shortcake party.

She had a very difficult time keeping her fingers, the strawberry's and the cool whip out of her mouth.  It was indeed a super sweet time for us.

Proof again that she loved this photo shoot as much as we did and did a great job making the perfect little sweet treats.

After we loaded her up in the car, our photographer captured a few pictures of her big birthday surprise...PIPER (our newest Bamboletta doll).  When she opened the box and saw this sweet doll, her face was priceless and worth all the trouble it took to get her. 

Emma Caroline, you know how to have a good time girl and that makes my Mommy heart so super happy!  I love everything about your FOUR year old soul!