Birthday Time

August is a big Birthday month for us and we had a couple of great parties this month.  Since it's not a milestone birthday for the Dada, it was just a small family gathering, but the twins turned 5 and had a fab party.  Mimi and Poppa got a 100 ft sheet of plastic for a super water slide, we tie dyed t-shirts and had a great time.  My "littles" are getting so big that it's almost hard to call them that somtimes.  I was going through old pics tonight, and could hardly believe how big my tiny little twins have gotten. 

This year, the kids were insane when it came time to open presents.  Seriously, it was a free for all! 

The girls were on the left and the boys on the right, and it was mayhem.  Anna was thrilled with her assortment of art supplies, a ton of clothes, books and 2 bird stuffed animals.  Aunt Nona got her a bathrobe that was a BIG HIT.  Nathan was so excited with all the cars he got, the Cars Wii games, and although he doesn't appreciate them as much as Anna, the clothes.  We had a second party with the Reinhardt clan a few days later, as they were out of town for the party, and my already spolied children got even more spoiled.  We are all so lucky that everyone takes such good care of us!
 

The wild thing loves the tie dyes.  I was shocked at how much fun we all had creating our own masterpieces.  I believe the mamas may have had more fun than the small kids, but this is an activity that I'm SURE we will do again.

Notable

This may be the first posed photo of all of my kids, all looking at the camera at the same time. 

And no one is crying.

Or hitting anyone with anything.

Small miracles.

Let's try this again

OK, so my ass is not that much smaller, but I'm having trouble keeping track of where the time goes, so I'm back in the blogging business again. Hopefully I can fit it in the the booty reduction plan so it won't be a neglected photo posting spot again. I think the MAJOR life changes are over for a while because the last 6 months have been all about making adjustments. Things are more balanced than they have been in quite some time, and we're working hard to make sure we get even more balanced. Evelyn just turned nine and is getting so grown up! She is smart and kind and a LOT of fun to be around. It's wild to watch eher develop into her own identity now. You can still see the influence that Scott and I have on her, but you can see so many others influence on her, as well. The biggest changes have been happening for the little man. He's making so many strides in the right direction. He's come so far from the boy that didn't speak just 2 years ago. It has been a bumpy ride, full of ups and downs and plenty of hazards, but we're so proud of him and his amazing progress. Annabelle is so easy to adentify. She's the slow-moving, creative, artistic, timid, sweetheart of the family. I'm pretty sure that Anna spends al least part of every day in her own little world. I like to tease about it, but I just love that about her. She loves animals and drawing and is nervous around new people. She is Nathan's best friend, and it is so cool that she and Nathan have such a symbiotic relationship. They are yin and yang, and fit together perfectly. Vivian has been full of changes, as well. She is o much person stuffed into such a tiny body. Her muscles are as strong as her will and her mood swings. She is so sweet, but so UTTERLY demanding. She threw a tantrum for 45 minutes the other day when Cindy had to leave, and even scratched the skin off of her face! Seriously. What else is new? Nothing too dramatic, Scott is still working like a madman and has been travelling more often. I'm still working and have been busier than ever. Health has become a priority for me recently, and I've been trying to make adjustments to ensure that I'm a good role madel for the young'ns. I'm been trying to follow a whole food, plant based diet and have given up eating meat, egss and dairy for the most part. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I'm enjoying the change. For tonight, that's enough to tell. Time to hang the laundry and do some sit-ups.

Showcasing our Talents

What a weekend!

We had a fab weekend in Ohio visiting friends and family. It was a huge accomplishment that Aunt Nona and Uncle Todd were able to manage all 4 of our munchkins in addition to their own.

Scott and I got to dress up and act fancy for Bill and Debbie's wedding. It was at the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland and it was such a great time with great friends. It was an amazing event, terrific band and LOTS of drinking and dancing. I even got Scott to dance with me for more than one song, and Kevin taught me how to jitterbug! It was a riot!

We made it back to Nona and Todd's house and met Mom and Dad for pizza and salads. It was a BEAUTIFUL fall day, and the kids all played outside in the sun. Poor MiMi had another very minor spill, nothing big, so we all laughed and teased her about it. Papa beat all of the kids bums, and everyone but Hadles loved it!

My failure this weekend was forgetting the camera, so I don't have evidence of the wonderful weekend, but it was wonderful.

The entire weekend was filled with moments that will be cherished memories!