Twincraft

This year for the twins bday we did Twincraft.
(They are obsessed with Minecraft and I have to admit that it makes me insane.  I hate having to monitor their screen time and I never really had to until Minecraft.  But for all intensive purposes, it is the perfect gender neutral theme for a bday and they are obsessed with it, so that does help.)
I tried to make a portal (but they didnt have pink streamers) and made it look pixelated with plates.



I was not on the ball and barely sent out an invites (ok, not any.  I sent them to school with the kids and few texts with a pic of the invite, but no actual invites went out.  Even to my brothers.  So, thankfully their class showed up and everyone who had gotten a picture text :)
Christopher and Tiffany spent their entire week making this cake that was as incredible to the taste as it is perfection in looks.  My kids could not get over it. They showed everyone who walked in the door the incredible cake their cousins had made.  Truly made the whole party.  (If you have been around awhile, you remember the incredible Noah's Ark cake they made for their second bday)




Thanks so much to everyone who came and celebrated and sang and stayed late and cleaned up!
Happy birthday to my twins.
I cant believe you guys are 7.  To say that I am proud of you is an understatement.  I could not be more thankful to have you both as middle children.  You handle the job of big, little and twin sibling with such class and patience.  Thank you for your forgiveness as I am trying to juggle all of this.  Thank you for your hard work Sass and your constant determination.  You never need any push or encouragement to do anything.   You are always ready and on the ball and I am so so thankful for that sweet side of you.  Ben, thank you for the kindness that just overflows out of you.  I have never met someone so sweet and kind and just a joy to be around.  You always put other people first and it is such an incredible joy to watch you.  You guys are total opposites and it makes my heart melt to see you compliment and help each other with your differences.  I hope you are always close and always encourage and love each other.

First Day of School

I should start this post off by bragging on my parenting skills.
The night before school, (or the last day of summer as I like to call it) we had One Direction tickets. Like any good parent would do, we stayed up late partying the night away and put our kids to bed tired and without a bath.

We are lucky we all made it out the door at all.

But thankfully, everything is just so much easier the second time around.

We are so so excited to be going back to the same school for the first time.  We loved it last year and the kids already feel at home and excited for this year (and obviously more prepared because sass has her glasses on.  Everything is just more clear this year all around).





They do this fantastic thing on the first day when the kids arrive where they have a blue and red carpet that the kids walk down to go inside.  While they are walking into the building, the principal says their name into a microphone as a few other teachers stand along the carpet and cheer.  For every single kid in the whole school. It seems like a small thing, but every time it just makes me cry.



Ben and Sass are in the same class again (Yea!) and they have lockers this year.  We saw them the at meet the teacher and then Ben possibly wore that shirt again under his first day of school shirt.  Maybe never took it off...


My mom gave the kids some money for back to school and instead of spending it on clothes (like we should have), the kids got build a bears and legos. We got Shea a build a bear with a recording of the kids saying that they love her inside of it.  I know she loves hearing their voices and misses them when they are gone.
I am praying so much for this year.  For all their teachers and for the school.  I am just so thankful that God has led us to this place with these amazing families and kids.  I am so thankful for the effort that all the teachers and principals put into their learning and just their overall school experience.  They push the kids to do their best, but they also love them and encourage them and listen to them.  I cant wait to see what this year holds!

Six year old twins

How did that happen?

Pretty perfect morning.
We made pancakes and sang happy birthday.  We got to use our table top truths that we just love- more on that later, but they were a hit.
I dont think I could love two people more.  They are so different- like polar opposite- and then they are so much alike in the same breath.  Ben's love for others and desire to make everyone happy is contagious.  He seems to know what people need before they need it and makes it happen. If he got a cookie, he makes sure everyone around him has one too.  And if that means giving up his, he will do it and not bat an eye.  He also can not get enough of "what if" questions.  He probably asks at least 200 a day.  He wonders about things constantly and it is hilarious and exhausting.  He is always always curious and reminds everyone around him to ask questions.
Sawyer is such a kind and gentle person.  She is so sweet and also knows what people need in a different way- she is very quick to be happy with you if you are happy and sad with you if you are sad.  She is very self aware and very sensitive to others.  She also really loves to pick up and clean and take care of others.  And her brain never stops.  She always wants to learn and create.
They are both always up for a good time, and I just love that about them.  They want to be with our friends or on a trip or at the park- all the time.  They love to be outside and with each other.  They truly are the biggest blessing to us and I dont know what I did before them (besides sleep).
And on a side note, Avery set her alarm so she could wake up at 6 and decorate with us before the twins woke up.  Jeff and I actually stayed up late doing it the night before, so when she woke us up, we were so tired we didnt really realize what was going on.  So, she stayed downstairs by herself while jeff and I slept a little longer and made more decorations (like the award on their presents and the balloons with faces on them) all by herself.  And when sass went downstairs I heard the faint sound of "SURPRISE!" when she hid by herself and popped out for sass first, and then again for ben when he got up.
I just cant get over them.
Happiest birthday to my 6 year olds.  I love you more than I can ever say.  To the moon.

They "stick together" (twins 5 year old bday)

yall.  I dont even know where to start.  This post is so outdated its laughable.  SO much has happened since these pics that I cant even wrap my brain around it. But I want to go in order, so get ready for some old old posts coming atcha.  This ended up being the most relaxing and most non party party we have ever had.  There was hardly any planning, tons of friends were out of town on summer vacation and there were really no decorations. Oh, and avery had a fever that she had had for like 4 days and she had to miss her last days of school.  It was just so sad. So, I called everyone and told them that the party would go on bc it was our last weekend in town, but that aves was sick and they did not have to risk it.  The brave ones came out and risked their lives.  And we could not be more thankful for them.  And, despite the roadblocks, we all loved it.  We just hung out, let the kids eat more popsicles then anyone thought possible and rented a waterslide for them to go down over and over.  

Allison made her mini apples on a stick, we had fruit kabobs, suckers, dum dums, blow pops, rice krispie treats that julie shaped into popsicles and tons of every kind of popsicle imaginable.

oh and some glasses, lips and mustaches on a stick too.  (I regret that there were not corn dogs so bad, but I didn't shower until the party started so I was a little behind.  I should have rethought my priorities. Moral of the story, there should have been corn dogs.  Corn dogs over showering next time.)



I made this popsicle garland by cutting out popsicle shapes and then glueing them to sticks and then glueing those to fishing wire.  I had so many left over that I put them all over the freezer that we pulled out from our garage, too.






oh, and there were giant pixie sticks.  And kenna LOVED them.  She kept having to get more because they would get clogged.  So, she always had a new flavor.  By the end of the party she had a pretty nice stash of half eaten pixie sticks.  Smart girl.



















They got some pretty great presents at the party and ben was careful to make sure that they were used immediately.
As the party started wrapping up, the kids got out their scooters and started scooting around hilltop.



Avery's scooter makes a little bit of a flame when the brake is on and when the dads and uncles discovered that, they jumped on it one pretty fast.  You could see the wheels turning in their brains. There was gas brought out from the garage and a little experiment quickly ensued.

Luckily, everyone came out unsingged.

And it wouldnt be a party if julie and her crew didnt stay the night.  We wound down with more pool fun and then they stayed and packed me up the entire weekend.  It was full of manual labor for everyone within a 100 yards of us.  My poor neighbor allie never got to sit down and enjoy her weekend bc she was also always packing a box and hauling it to the trailer.  Could not have moved without the incredible help we got this weekend and the week to follow.  So, thank yall so much for coming and celebrating and for braving the sick.  We are so thankful for our last party on hilltop and for the incredible memories it already brings.
And happy birthday to my favorite twins in the world.  Could not love you guys more!