Getting Ready for the Girl's Beach Party!

 We were getting very excited for the girls' birthday party! We had to do most of the preparations/decorating a day or two ahead of time with a few last minute touches on the day. It was a little hard having a beach party...INSIDE....in February, but we made it work. In fact, it was the perfect year to do it because we didn't really have any furniture so we used beach chairs for people to sit (or towels) just like at the real beach.

 I made cookies shaped like "3"s, "1"s and feet (like flip flops). 

 We had to let Gabby taste the cookies to see if they were any good...I think she approved.

I have a LOT of sunglasses so I used them as decoration. I was going to make everyone wear some and they could pick some out but I forgot.

The blue tarp serves two purposes...it is supposed to keep the sand from getting everything completely messy, and also look like water.

Silly Gabster

What a silly girl. I was washing some dishes and she just climbed into this drawer all by herself. 

Daddy's Home!

Sometimes when the girls know Josh is home they go to the top of the stairs and wait for him to come up. It's really cute; they are just so excited for him to be home after working all day.

I'm THREE

I was really excited for Brooklynn to turn 3, thinking that maybe she'd grow out of the "twos"....it turns out that the "threes" have been a lot harder on me. She's so cute and we love when she is happy. But we never know when that is going to happen.
I've realized that the tantrums really start around 18 months...hit the peak around 2-2 1/2....and then start to taper off after that. But REALLY, it's partly that I'm used to them happening, and although they are much less frequent, when they happen they are much more extreme...sometimes just lasting weeks at a time. I'm not really an expert, but that is just my generalization. HOPEFULLY...it will get better soon.

 Here is Brooklynn, ripping to shreds her beloved Barbie house I made her. 

Sunday

We decided to spend the night in Muskegon after Andrew's party. 

 The kids kept playing "firefighter" with their hats from the party. 

 Check out Andrew in his new Michigan hat. (Well, in ALL his Michigan gear.) His outfit is now complete. 

 Snuggly Gabby. 

 Brooklynn slept pretty hard on the way home. Not before she played a little Barbies, though.

Our Play Room

Baked Potato Explosion

Do you know what happens to a baked potato if you don't poke holes in it? Yeah...it explodes.

Andrew's Potato Head Birthday Party

Andrew had a Potato Head party. There were Mr. Potato Heads everywhere, and we had french fries and tater tots (cause they're potatoes). It was super cute. My favorite was the Potato Head cake. I thought it was super cute.

 I think we need to get Brooklynn some legos...ya know, so JOSH can play with them. :)

James and Charity's friend Jeff made a surprise fire truck stop so all the kids could see it. It was pretty nice of him. The kids were all so excited.

  Another cute shot of both girls...I'm so excited this is a more normal thing now.

 
 

Brooklynn carried this purse of Adeline's around all day.

 

Time for cake! Brooklynn kept trying to steal the show...or maybe just the cake.