6

Em and Roo turned.... 6! 

We kicked off the morning with their new t-shirts and donuts...

...with candles to blow out.  Plus, they let me sing a very soft birthday song to them.  They still feel a little wiggy having the song sung for them and requested no singing at their party. 

Marmee arrived soon after donuts and we headed to the American Girl store.  

 Welcome to the family, Josefina!  Your new mommy, Em, is super proud to have you.  

Next up, lunch at the American Girl Bistro.  Dad joined us and that made it perfect.  

 Then, Roo's turn!  The Lego store for all the mini-figures she's been wishing for.  She built them all from scratch and couldn't be more pleased.  

 We made the cakes the day before.  Em requested a pink American Girl cake.  Her cake has vintage American Girl pewter game pieces as the cake toppers. 

Roo asked for a blue-green Sesame Street cake.  We found some cool 1970's cake toppers that fit the bill perfectly.  

 They invited all their friends from co-op, plus family and our dear, life long, since the NICU, friends, Abbey and Porter.  First up, cook-out, then cake, finally The Muppets on the screen in the backyard with popcorn.  

Up bright and early the next morning, despite the late party.  They couldn't wait to rehash it and also had the added treat of tons of birthday wishes, blessings and greetings awaiting them on Facebook.  

Happy Birthday to my darling Rowdy Girls.  I can't wait to see what amazing things you do this year!

snapshots and song

Christmas 2010 was lovely.

The best parts were the days with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Those were the memory makers.

Although, the giant lollipop of 2010 will probably go down in history. Thanks, Nannie.

"the lovers, the dreamers, and me"

Last summer we tried attending a theater movie on their kids-go-free day. We left after 15 minutes.

Once again, what a difference a year makes. This morning we hit our awesome local theater that lets you dine in while you watch. The free kid movie was The Muppet Movie!

My mommy friends and I were much more excited than the children. [ehem]

But, when the credits rolled, the girls gasped and whispered,

"Mama! It's Kermit. And a rainbow. Oooh...And a banjo!"

They were hooked.

Since it was a movie packed full of kids, the theater looked a whole lot like this.

Complete with the popcorn throwing, er, spilling.

Roo ate four pieces of pizza.

Em made a hefty dent in a bowl of popcorn. Then, she took a break and exchanged back rubs and "scratchies" with her friend, Porter. I'm pretty sure that was Em's idea.

Roo watched the movie wide eyed, absorbing every detail and had a tiny thrill when Big Bird's cameo came on screen.

All in all, it was a total win and I think we'll go back at try it again in a few weeks when Babe is playing.

Cinema Win

Last summer, I tried to take the girls to a feature length film. On my own. With a friend and her twins. It was a bust. We were too late, it was too crowded, the seats were too close to the front (they were the front), the screen was too high, the kids were too wild... We lasted 10 minutes.

Six months later, I was ready to try again.

We planned a fun morning that started with breakfast at our fav place, Trudy's, and then a movie.

The Princess and the Frog.

The girls entertained everyone in earshot. Em dubbed the girl busing our table a princess. She had a cute head wrap on that must have looked tiara-ish to Em. She called her "Princess Lady" each time the girl came by.

Roo and Em could not wait to get to the theater. They be-bopped in like they owned the place, settled into their booster seats and got to work on the popcorn. After each preview, Roo loudly asked, "What's next?". When the film started, the Disney castle at the beginning got such rave reviews, I thought there might be no where to go but down afterwards! But, they loved it.

Roo made 3 potty trips, took off her shoe and dropped it into the row below us. Em dropped her sippy cup and it joined Roo's shoe. A lot of musical chairs ensued. Em narrated the events to the people behind us several times. And there was much singing and dancing along with all the jazzy musical numbers.

They were adorable and so much fun to share this first with today.

Thanks, Em and Roo for making the movies fun again.