A Monster Good Time!

On April 1st the triplets turned 5! They had the most fun birthday, ever! 

All three of them love the Hotel Transylvania movies and so they had a monster dress up party at a hotel! How awesome is that?!?

Even the grown-ups (well most of them) dressed up! 

Natalia was a werewolf, Charli was a monster bride, and Adrik was a vampire. So CUTE!

There were pillows on the floor, popcorn to eat and the movie projected on a wall. 

And I can't forget the donuts! Talk about a "sweet tooth"!

The hotel also had swans, and so they had packages of swan food for all the kids to feed them. 

I found out it was a costume party the Thursday before the party - and we were leaving to go down the next day! Our invitation didn't get delivered for some reason. So Thursday afternoon I ran to our costume trunk and started digging. Luckily we had things that would work with a few little adjustments! 

Here are my little monsters: 

Faith made the sassiest little pink monster ever. This was a full body suit that was about 3 sizes too small, but I cut off the arms and legs and made them into cuffs and leg warmers.

Gabe was a pirate skeleton. He was Jack Sparrow for Halloween this year, so I just made a skeleton mask from felt to make it into a monster-ish costume. 

Selah was a ghost. She already had all of this costume in her box thanks to hand-me downs from a sweet friend!

Mig was the Grimm Reaper. He actually wears this costume around the house on a pretty regular basis, so he was excited to wear it out of the house! 

We had a cape and a mask for Byron from when he played the villain at Gabe's 4th birthday party. I had an angel of death dress. I added a black cape and a witches hat and it made a great witch costume. 

Here are all of the kids:

We arrived at Mom's house the night before the party and were greeted by surprise visitors! Aunt Jackie and Uncle Ernest came up from Florida and my sister Amanda came up from Houston! They were really there for Dad G's 60th birthday, but came prepared for the Monster Party, too! SO FUN! 

Here is our monster family. Amanda has the puffy blue monster hat, Jackie has the green monster hat, Ernest is in the back with the furry horn hat, Barb has the crazy rainbow mask (I LOVE IT) and the Cookie Monster in front is the triplets' other aunt, Lizzie. Rachel is a werewolf and Mom and I are witches. What a group!

It is not often you can get a group of grownups to dress up like this: 

It really was a super fun party for kids and grownups alike! 

Easter 2016

We had a fun and exciting Easter this year! 

On Friday we went to our Homeschool Prepare and Share gathering where the kids all shared a project from the month. Then they performed an Easter Reader's Theater and had a picnic. We ended the gathering with an Easter Egg Hunt!

Faith found one egg and was happy. She thought the hunt was over once you found one! 

Finally she understood that she was supposed to find as many eggs as she could! 

 Here is our Prepare and Share group:

And one with the Mommys, too!

These ladies have become such close friends over the 3 years that we have been homeschooling together. I couldn't ask for a lovelier circle of friends (both inside and out)!

On Saturday we died eggs.

Byron is such a trooper. Arts and Crafts are one of his least favorite things to do. But he participates with a smile - every time. :)

On Sunday morning we got up VERY early for the sunrise service at the park. Here is our quick but cute and festive breakfast: 

The Sunrise Service was COLD and very windy! We have started an MBF Drama group and our first performance was at the service, so we had to be there. I'm glad it was a short drama! And I am quite sure the congregation that showed up was glad it was short, too. It was such a powerful message, though, that I linked an iPhone video of it here for you to watch as well. 

After the Service we met some sweet friends for coffee and hot cocoa at Starbucks and then headed to regular service. After church we had barbecue lunch and our own Easter Egg Hunt. Luckily, the weather warmed up and the wind stopped by then! 

Faith found the PRIZE EGG!!

Each kiddo received a small kite in their Easter Basket and so that afternoon we took them to go fly them! 

It was a relaxing and fun way to spend Resurrection Sunday!! 

The Big Bubble Building

On the Friday of Spring Break we picked out some fancy clothes for the kids and told them we were going out for dinner someplace fancy, but it was a surprise. 

Every time we drive to or through Dallas, the kids point out the Reunion Tower. When Selah was a toddler she liked a show on Nickelodeon called Bubble Guppies. In one episode, the students go on a field trip to a Reunion Tower like building in the city called "The Big Bubble Building". So that is what they have always called the Reunion Tower. When they noticed it this trip Byron said, "We should go there sometime. Like - TODAY!" Squeals erupted from the back of the van! 

The restaurant is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant called Five Sixty and it makes a full revolution every hour.

The food was so good! 

It was pretty cloudy, but the views were still pretty cool!

Sibling secrets. :)

It was a fun and memorable night!! 

The servers and waitstaff all complimented the kids' behavior. Let me tell you, we are completely blessed with some awesome children!! 

We had such a good time! Maybe we will do the Tower of Americas in San Antonio next! 

St. Patrick's Day Fun!

We usually celebrate St. Patrick's Day in some way. Usually with Shepherd's Pie and Irish Soda Bread - which we did again this year. But, this year we were on Spring Break over St. Patrick's Day - so we had a full party! 

We had our normal dinner and then we did an Amazing Race-ish Scavenger Hunt I found on The Dating Divas Blog. They had to perform a task to earn their next clue. 

It was so easy to print out and get ready! AND SO MUCH FUN!! 

One clue led them to the mail box. 

Their first task was finding their Leprechaun names. Faith was Rainbow O'Blarney.

Mig was Patrick McGrump:

And meet Tricks O'Blarney

They also had to do a word scramble, a color green hunt, a love note and a candy game called, Don't Eat Pete! 

Their last clue led them to their St. Patrick's Day treats. 

Faith can't have chocolate so they had rainbow twirlers with marshmallow clouds. 

Baylor had fun dressing as the Leprechaun. 

I hope our next St. Patrick's Day is this much fun!!