Mairead's Fifth Birthday Party

Mairead's fifth birthday was an exciting day!  We started with a room full of balloons and worked up to a birthday party with a few friends. Mairead had been asking for a pinata, so that was some of the big excitement.  Yet again this year, we had planned on a pool party with just a few girls, and yet again, it rained.  It has rained for every one of Mairead's birthday parties.  Maybe when she is six, we'll get lucky with the weather?

 

We still had a lot of fun.  The girls played and crafted.  The cupcakes were a big hit, and everyone enjoyed the pinata destruction.  Thank you to those who celebrated with us!

 

My Heroes

Although they still love their trains, the boys have a new obsession- superheroes.  Specifically, superheroes from the DC Universe.  Batman and Superman can be seen running around the house at pretty much any time of the day.  The capes go almost anywhere we go, and the boys even sleep in them.  At first, I didn't want to let them wear the capes outside the house, to bed, etc.  But then I thought, you're only three once.  For how long in your life do you get to truly believe you are a superhero?  So, I just go with it.  They can't wear them everywhere-- I draw the line when it's not safe (ie, at a playground) or when it's not appropriate (ie, Jen's wedding), but otherwise, their alter-egos have free reign.

Even members of the Justice League need to have their capes cleaned.

Now that Mairead is in school, the boys and I pick her up every day.  Usually, the boys are wearing their capes.  While we wait, groups of parents congregate outside to chat.  The boys invade the little circles of moms and tell them all about their super powers, the villians that might be around, etc.  The moms think they are the cutest things, and the boys LOVE the extra attention.  I have to agree, they ARE pretty cute!

Pool Days

Because we are lucky enough to live at The Fairmount, where there is a beautiful pool and back yard, we spend most of the hot days out there with family and friends.  We had so many visitors this summer-- I just wish I had pictures of all of them!  It was fun to see so many of our friends and their cute kids.  Thanks to everyone who helped to make it such a fun summer.

 

We enjoyed swimming, water table, chalk drawings, and bubbles.  We barbecued, drank fruity drinks, and ate way too much ice cream.  But when the temperature is 100 degrees, and you don't have air conditioning, ice cream is absolutely a reasonable dinner.  Especially when you are a kid.  Isn't that what summer in childhood is about?  Playing all day and eating ice cream way past your bed time?

At bed time, which came at various times this summer, Dave and the kids always read together.  He got them started on comic books, and they would all gather around one to read together.  Dave grew up a 'comic book geek' and still is, so it's sweet to see the kids enjoying them with their dad.

This is Mairead's chalk drawing of a circus.  Not bad, huh?

This bathing suit was a gift from her aunt, Christin.  Christin swam for LHS and has been coaching there for several years, so it was a perfect gift for Mairead!

Bean was just one of our frequent guests this summer.  Steve, Katie, Lily and Kellan came often and Steve gave piggy back rides in the pool.  Jen and Mike were always there with a dog or with treats, and they could always be counted on to play games in the pool. Brian and Christin stopped by often to play with the kids and throw them around in the pool.  They LOVE when Brian throws them because he can throw the highest.  The kids love encouraging Daddy and Grampy to 'dive swim,' which is to jump into the pool, and Daddy and Grampy obliged even when the water was pretty cold.  We spent so many hours out there-- I hope that when my kids are older, they remember these hours and look back on them fondly.  I think about when we were little and used to go to friends' of the family's place on a lake.  I loved those days and those memories are some of my favorite.  Swimming all day, eating outside, sparklers, ice cream, playing with family.  In all the chaos of raising small children, it's easy to forget that you aren't just making it through each day, you are making a life for them and making memories.  One of the reasons I am taking the time to go back and blog about our summer is because I want them to be able to see these pictures when they are older, and to read about how special their childhood was.  Sometimes, I just love these kids so much it hurts.  And, I know they are loved deeply by so many people.  I hope they always know that!

Salem Willows

On July 10, my mom and I piled my kids in the car,  met up with Katie and her crew and spent the day at Salem Willows.  The kids are a great age for this right now and they had a blast.  My parents used to take us there when we were kids, so it was fun to share the experience with the new generation.  Luckily, my mom had been saving up her quarters so she had plenty to go around for the four kids.  Kellan was just about 4.5 weeks old, so he skipped the rides this time.

They pretended this dance game was a batrope.  The capes were ubiquitous this summer... still are, in fact.

My dad even left work for a bit to join us.  We had lunch at the park across the street and introduced the kids to fried dough.  They weren't interested!  No big deal... more for us.  It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time!