Snow morning

 

 With the beautiful weather that rolled in right on its tail, I'd almost forgotten that we finally got a nice little snowfall a couple weeks ago.  I don't call it a snow day because it was pretty much gone by the time E got home from school, but it did make for a fun winterish morning. 

Building the perfect celebration

One huge thing I've failed to mention was that E turned 5 at the beginning of the month--- an event that in and of itself is slightly miraculous.  I mean there were times over the last 5 years that were iffy (if I would strangle him or not, if we should have called poison control but didn't when he put random things in his mouth if his impulse to run into parking lots would have finally caught up with him, if he would ever be let out in public again after an eventful outing, etc.)  In all seriousness, it's been a very exciting and enjoyable 5 years.

E's current OBSESSION is building with Legos.  We flirted with a few different party ideas but settled on a Lego party at our house.  Essentially EVERYONE is his best friend, so (despite my offer to take him and a few friends to the Legoland Discovery Center in Dallas to avoid a big party at my house) we ended up with 20 of his closest friends (ages 2-6) gathered in our living room (never say I don't love you kid).

   

We invited our guests with little individual homemade building sets.  

E's favorite part of the invite was the little Minifigure we made of him.  He insisted on holding a little bomb so our catchphrase ended up being "Come to my party. It's going to be a blast!". 

 I had visions of turning everyone into one of the characters from E's favorite Lego video games and coming up with a real-life adventure with elements from each of the games.  I think I'd decided that after the kids completed their adventure to find the Lego Arc of the Covenant they would board the Lego Black Pearl and sail to Lego Hogwarts to play a quick round of quidditch in our Lego stadium, but when I found out that the working Lego Nimbus 2000's I was planning on getting were on backorder, I decided to ditch that whole idea and go with a more traditional birthday party approach.  We went with a red, yellow, and blue Minifigure theme.  E requested "BIG" legos and some "Lego guys", so a couple rolls of wrapping paper, a bunch of boxes, cups and plates and lots of cans of spray paint later, we had our decor.

  Once our guests arrived we tried to keep the chaos to a minimum with some classic party games.

We created our own minifigure (on paper as well as with all the Lego body parts I've collected after stepping on them in various parts of the house).

 

I made a little Lego toss game.  My fatal error was that I used clear cups on a white board and placed it on my white tile, so it really just ended up being a Lego step on.  I think the kids had fun with it anyway.

What's a kid's party without a little pin the head on the minifigure? (the tilt of E's head indicates he found the weakness in the "blindfold")

 

We also played a little game I decided to call "punch and build".  The game is sort of self-explanatory.  They took turns punching out the pegs of our giant lego block and then used the pieces they found inside to add on to the group's creation. 

 

The kids had a little time to just play with Legos before they all got a bag of the edible Legos that fell from the feet of our minifigure pinata (please overlook the fact that the proportions of his facial features are a little off).  

Next was present opening (quick side note- Miss A was so sweet and decided that she wanted me to use the money that was earmarked for a "dolly" to buy E a present. When I asked her what she wanted to get him all on her own she decided "Lego Batman.  He will like that", and he did.)

 

We ended the festivities with a little cake and ice cream cupcakes and Lego Pizza slices. One of these days my kids are going to get a real cake for their party (and no, I didn't figure out the correct facial feature proportions for the "cake" either, but I did fix the order of "Birthday Happy" before we lit the candles).

After we got the kids all hopped up on sugar we sent them back home with a little bag of Lego goodies (coloring book, homemade minifigure crayons --not to be confused with the chocolate minifigures on top of the cupcakes-- and a small party pack building set). 

 

A big thanks to my mom for all her help in putting my vision together.  Without her help, I wouldn't have had the energy left to sit down lay on the floor after the party and help E put together all the Lego sets he got from his generous friend. Thank you to Br for just going with it. Thanks to all the parents who stuck around during the party to help keep Lego Lord of the Flies from making its debut.  And thanks to the birthday boy himself for all his good ideas. Thanks for letting us celebrate with you!

Miss A right now

Miss A is also very energetic.  When she is happy, she is SUPER happy (when she's mad, watch out world!).  We aren't really sure how that much personality fits into such a small body. Her personality can only be outmatched by her opinions.  It makes reasoning with her very interesting. Sometimes I say that she a little diva, to which she responds "I'm not a diva, I'm A___ Melton".  A very divaesk response if you ask me. 

She loves moobies (movies), fairies, princesses, dollies, pirates, ghosts and zombies (I think the latter 3 might be influenced by big brother).

Miss A loves primping and makes many wardrobe changes during the day. 

She loves her teacher at school "Miss Waurwa" and you can tell Miss Laura appreciated her spunkiness and the fact that she keeps the day interesting. 

The things that come out of her mouth surprise me every day.

She is amazing at remembering people's names.

Miss A love to dance, color, play outside, swim in the bathtub, and sing. 

Unlike her brother, she can't wait until she can play sports, but she's going to have to be content with mommy and me gymnastics until she gets a little older. 

When you ask her how old she is the conversation usually goes something like this:
"I'm 3"
"You're not 3"
"Okay, I'm 4"
"You're not 4 either"
"Alright, I'm 14"
This little girl often acts like she's 14.  Sometimes when I tell her I love her she says, "I don't love you, I love my friends" She's also been known to let us know how S-T-U-P-I-D she thinks Mommy and Daddy are when they make her do something she doesn't want to.  I'm really really looking forward to her pre-teen years.

Her facial expressions crack me up. Her smile lights up a room. Her laugh brings me unmeasurable joy.  Despite the very interesting stages she's going through right now, we are so happy she's part of the Melton pot.
  
By the way, I love the picture I used for this post, but I have to admit that I'm not sure if she is giving me a warm embrace or trying to pop my head off.

E right now

E is still a very energetic and fun-loving kid.  He's as animated as he's ever been and hasn't lost that twinkle in his eye.  He loves pirates, boats, ghosts, zombies, haunted mansions, angry birds, Scooby-Doo, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and lights up when he dances to and/or sings any of the aforementioned movie theme songs.  He is obsessed with Legos right now which means I spend a lot of time bending over and picking up little pieces scattered all over the house.  Although he's always had a knack for knowing what to do in video games, he's recently figured out how to actually play the games.  Not surprisingly his favorite games are Lego Harry Potter, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Lego Indiana Jones, and Lego Batman. You've never seen a kid so enthusiastic about the things he loves, (or as revolted by the things he doesn't love).

E may not ever remember where he left his shoes or jacket, but the kid has a photographic memory.  He may struggle with the letters of the alphabet, but he can remember the tiniest detail of most things he's seen or done. To be honest, it weirds me out.

His favorite colors are "shiny" (gold or yellow) and green.  I think that it's because they are the color of money.  He is always looking for ways he can work hard to earn money.

He loves sleeping-- once he's asleep-- and recounts many amusing dreams.  He has an amazing imagination.

He's always talking about how he wants to be bigger like a daddy.

Although he has been known to pick a fight with his sister once in a while-- E has a huge heart for such a little kid.  He automatically assumes everyone is his "best friend".  He is a great friend to the friendless and is very conscious of how people are feeling.

He periodically urgently yells "MOM! MOM!" and when I finally answer he says in a sweet voice "I love you".

When he gets frustrated he gets silly or angry.

His favorite insult word is "popcorn" (don't ask because I don't know).

He lives off hotdogs, bread, cheese, popcorn and instant breakfast (don't judge) and LOVES sugar.

We've tried out a variety of sports, most recently Br coached him in his first season of basketball, but E hasn't really gotten into any of them with the exception of his karate and gymnastic class.

When I asked him what he wanted to remember about himself right now he responded: "Just have fun".

Ketchup

Am I the only one out there that immediately thinks of this

upon hearing the words catch up?

In any event, I need to do a lot of it... catching up that is... not ketchuping (I guess that isn't even really a thing).

When I last checked in we were in CA pre-Christmas.  Well I'm pleased to inform you that we did, in fact, make it back from our trip in one piece. I'm guessing you already figured that out.  After our trip, we had a wonderful visit from Jojo and Beth, caught a free boat tour of Bricktown with some friends (the Pehrsons),
 

and had a very relaxing Christmas Eve and exciting Christmas morning.

We finished off the break with our annual New Year's Eve Eve (the second "eve" is not a typo) game night.

After that, we pretty much just settled back into the same old same old.  I guess you are wondering, "If you were just doing the same old same old, why has it taken you a month and a half to ketchup catch up on the blog?"  I'd like to blame it on my new efforts to stay on top of keeping my house clean (yes at times it has completely taken over my life)

or being distracted by the sudden influx of cake orders at the beginning of the year, 

but I guess I'll admit that time has just flown by super fast for me lately and I kind of forgot to blog.  Sorry all.

Taking a break-part 2.2 E's moment of a lifetime

My favorite part of Disneyland (and this is taking into consideration that huge plate of desserts at the princess lunch) was the Jedi training academy.  Even before I had kids I've wanted to have one of my kids be selected to do the training (no I'm not going to deny it, since they don't let adults do it, I was wanting to live vicariously through my kid-- I've become that kind of parent).  On our last day at Disneyland, we dressed him in his only Star Wars shirt, got there early to stand at the front of the crowd, made him stand up and look excited even though he was tired and the Jedi masters had arrived yet (just in case there were cameras watching- I already admitted to being that kind of parent so you can't judge me).  I could hear all the other parents giving their kids pep talks and coming up with a game plan to get them on stage, but I was convinced my kid was the only one with the Force strong enough to be worthy of becoming a Padawan learner.  Then the Jedi master arrived with his dramatic entrance, did his fancy lightsaber performance, and then motioned with his hand and carefully selected the participants.  I almost screamed when he picked two brothers that had shown up at the last minute and squeezed their way to the front of the crowd.  But then the moment I waited for all his life finally arrived--E WAS SELECTED!  (I may or may not have cried.) I nearly had a panic attack when I turned on the video camera and saw the "card full" message flashing at me.  My only option was to hastily delete videos as if my life depended on it (because nothing I could have possibly recorded in the past was as monumental as this moment).  E got robed in his official Jedi cloak and was given loaned a lightsaber. 

He then stood on his designated circle and watched attentively as he was being instructed in the ways of the Force and light sabering.

Of course, that was about the time that Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and the Storm Troopers arrived. (Maybe I got choked up a bit).

 One by one the kids battled them.

 

The Force was especially strong with E (a mother's intuition is never wrong) so the Storm Troopers went after him after he challenged Vader (yup only him-- I guess I'm not the only one who recognized him as the chosen one).

  

Luckily E was able to use the Force to push them back and flee to safety. (I can neither confirm nor deny tears at this point).

With the other kids, E rejected the dark side

and was accepted as an official Padawan Learner.

(Okay, I'll just say it, I was verklempt.)

And what made me giggle a little bit was after we left the training I looked down in the stroller and saw him trying to Force push things as we strolled past them.  Then in line at Space Mountain, he asked me if he still had his powers.  I told him that he probably didn't have them without his Jedi clothes on. (I only told him that so he didn't try to use his newfound abilities on his poor little sister). 

I was so happy I E got selected to have this experience.  I hope he remembers it. 

By the way, if my overly dramatic play by play and abundance of photos wasn't enough for you, feel free to watch the video.

Taking a break-Part 2.1 Miss A's big moment

About a week before we left on our trip I told Miss A we would be going to Disneyland.  She was super excited about going to the castle and meeting the princesses.  Then a light went off in my head.  I told my sweet little girl, who'd been wearing pull-ups since March and only pretending that she didn't know how to use the bathroom, that the princesses only met big girls and she could still wear baby diapers if she wanted but she would have to wear panties if she wanted to meet the princesses.  (It's okay to stretch the truth a little to get a stubborn child out of diapers right?)  I was testing fate trying to potty train a child right before traveling (that's what did our progress in last time), but my hopes that her motivation would pull us through the potentially soggy times.  She did, in fact, take the bait (which led us having to take her into an airplane bathroom more times on one flight then I think I've ever been in one my whole life) and by the end of the trip we still had all the extra clean changes of clothes still in her suitcase. 

When we finally made it to CA, She (and I) lucked out when daddy spotted a princess lunch and got the two of us a reservation.  

I had such a fun time watching my little princess's face light up when she saw the other princesses.  

I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed myself (especially because Miss A was distracted enough to allow me to eat my DELICIOUS meal)

No more diaper changing, A met her idols, I got one tasty meal. 

One satisfied mommy.  One promise fulfilled. One over-the-moon girl.

Definitely the happiest place on earth

Taking a break-part 2

I guess when you label a post "part 1" you have to follow it up with at least a part 2.  So let me pick up before I interjected with my crazy self assured daughter. (by the way, this is her as a barbie doll-- I was in the picture too until she informed me that I was not welcome to pose with her and essentially kicked me out of the box)

 

After leaving St. George we headed to Sunny California. I felt like my kids needed a more well rounded Disney theme park experience so I've been begging Br to let us go to Disneyland (I'll come up with an argument for Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo later).  I was able to work a little magic and we managed to spend a couple days with our good friend Mickey.  It was fun to see the kids experience some of their favorites from Florida (and point out the differences) -- Pirates of the Carribean went something like this "I not seen that before, I not seen that before, Look another bones, I not seen that before..." There were also tons of things new to them.  E finally got to ride Space Mountain and riding in a bobsled with my two-year-old thrill-seeker with arms raised as we zipped through the Matterhorn was priceless. Another thing CA has that FL doesn't is this--

and

For the purposes of this post we shall call it a pirate ship-- since of course any boat with a mast in the Melton house is a pirate ship. E had the time of his life exploring the ship--above and below deck.

 

For the first time we let the kids get autographs from their favorite friends. 

I'm glad I found the books at the dollar store because Miss A lost hers by the second day.  Oh and I swear E was more excited to see the characters than he looks in the pictures.   

Of course, we did a lot of walking in the street

But also took some breaks to dance in the street

We played make-believe inside and outside, night and day.

 We explored and made our own adventures

and of course, we rode rides.

 

Before leaving the coast we took a quick trip out to Santa Monica to visit cousin Cici and let Miss A see the ocean for the first time. 

 

This may seem cliche, but in the end, the best part of our trip was just spending time together. Thanks Br for finally giving in.