Birthday at Bobo's

On the boys' birthday on Tuesday, we went to an indoor playground in Nashua to meet up with some friends.  Thanks to Jack, Aidan, Jeff, Tommy, and their moms for sharing the day with us!  Bobo's is a great way to spend a morning.  They have climbing structures, a bounce house, and a giant inflatable slide.  Everything looks very clean and taken care of.  It's small enough that moms of more than one kid can keep an eye on everyone!  The only down side is that you can't bring snacks or drinks.  But, we had a great time!

Mairead was fascinated by the water bubbler.  I don't think she had ever used one before.  I think they are sort of gross, but she was just too curious to resist, so she tried it out.

After opening some presents that Grandma and Grandpa had sent, Dave and I took the kids out for dinner that night and they were great.  They like to order for themselves now, and they even had ice cream for dessert!  It was nice to spend the day just spending time with them.  I didn't work at all that day and did very little around the house so that I could stop and savor their turning three before I blink and they are four! Wow, even just typing that out, I can't believe that they are even heading toward four!  I think of Mairead as being so much older than they are, but she really isn't!  They are not too far behind!

They are THREE!

It's hard to believe that they were ever this small, isn't it?  When they were born, they were 5.3bs (Ben, on the left) and 4.9lbs (Jack).  Now, they are just about three feet tall, weigh about 29lbs each, and are your typical little boys-- into everything, eating constantly, and always running.  We have been so blessed and lucky to have these little guys in our lives.  I stil sometimes marvel at the fact that there are TWO of them.  We love watching them grow and seeing their different personalities, skills, and preferences.  We love to see how sweet they are to each other, how smart and beautiful they are, and how much fun they bring!

Today, we had a party at the house for the kids' friends.  There were 17 kids in total, with Mairead being the oldest at 4 and a half.  Our youngest guests were about 6 months old.  There were 7 families and three sets of twins-- all boys!  Things actually went well for having that much chaos in an confined space.  The kids had fun playing on the slide, coloring, and chasing bubbles.  We are so happy that so many of our friends could make it!  Thanks to some special aunts and uncles, too, who braved the chaos! 

By the end of it all, Ben was spent.  He lay on the hardwood floor basically asking to be put to bed.  He does not do well with crowds, so the day was a bit overwhelming for him.  He did like the presents, though!

Ben had to take a little break from the excitement, so Jack had the role of birthday boy all to himself for a while.  He loved it! 

Audrey made a card herself and was very proud to give it to Jack.  He graciously accepted.

Ian is Ailish's little brother-- he was just a baby last time we saw him!

Liam is the sweetest- our kids all get along really well with him.  Also, he is Batman.

This is Jake and Ben- my friend, Jamie, and I have similar taste in names for twin boys!

Lily LOVES Mike!

 McCabe brought the boys two 'Cranky the Crane' toys... they were a HUGE hit.  Owen took it all in, and he was definitely hoping for a cupcake like the big kids

 Mairead was so excited to see Ailish.  When I told Mairead that Ailish had arrived, she lit up.  She ran over and the two girls shared a hug-- it is SO sweet to see them together.  I hope they are life-long friends!

Abby mixed it up with all of the big kids- with a little help from her dad.

I don't know if this is Jeff or Tommy, but it's one of them, vacuuming!

It was a hectic morning, but we hope the kids all had fun.  I missed getting a picture of Kacey and Maeve, so if anyone has to one share, please let me know!  We didn't get to chat much with the adults, but we appreciate that you all came!  Thanks SO much to everyone for their generous gifts.  The boys were pretty lucky!  Seems like their Thomas obsession is pretty well known, so the train was recurring theme for the day. 

We are celebrating again tomorrow with a smaller (and quieter!) family party.  I told the boys tonight that we are going to have another party after naps tomorrow and they asked, "who can come to our party?"  I started naming relatives and said, "Jimmy and Jessica...".  Jack ran to the window to look for them-- pretty cute!

Thank you, everyone, for a great party!