I cheated a little, and bought her cake this year. One less preparation to think about-- all I had to do was put on the candles.
Caleb was a wonderful helper-- probably because of all the girls that were there from school. He not only served up the ice-cream but he also served up the drinks.
Julia enjoyed opening her presents! She got a really cool hat and a potato. Hmm, don't even want to know what that is all about. Thank goodness I am way past my teen years!
John had fun giving Julia her presents-- he bugged her by doing it in a particular order. ;)
The next morning after a delicious breakfast of french toast and strawberries ( I didn't know a group of girls could polish off 30 pieces of french toast faster than I could make them) the kids headed outside for some fresh air.
Dennis and Alex were doted on by all the girls. They were very sad when it was time for the girls to go home. Alex cried.
It was nice to finally relax in the afternoon.
John listened attentively to Andrew talk about what he wanted to do for his birthday coming up.
When the little boys were down for their nap, I went out with the girls to buy a dry-erase board... and a bookcase. When we got back, Grandma and Grandpa were there so John and his Dad hung up the board and put the bookcase together. I love our new work area.
After a cold cereal dinner we hung out in the kitchen and had math problem contests.
Dennis made sure the candy didn't get lost.
When Alex saw that I was about to take a picture of Dennis, he hurried over to put his arm around Dennis and say cheese. Honest, he did it without any prompting from me-- that little ham!
16 inspiring thoughts:
I love the picture where Alex hurried over to jump into the photo with Dennis. And I just have to comment that I cannot believe the stunning change in Dennis' appearance now. Of course I'm mature enough to realize that outer appearances are practically irrelevant to the worth of a person..... but considering all of the procedures Dennis has endured to "correct" and enhance his looks, I have to comment that it all has been a resounding success! His outer-appearance has changed so dramatically from when he first came home to America! He's soooooooooo handsome now and looks so much more "typical!" I'm sure this will go a long way toward protecting his self-esteem, when he becomes old enough to care about his own appearance. I'm sooo happy for Dennis. So handsome!
Happy Birthday, Julia!!!!!!
First and most important...happy birthday to Julia!!
And that last picture. Oh my goodness. I could just eat them up. Both of the boys cheeks. Scrumptious!! How can you not want to just eat them up, give them nothing but strawberry or puppy kisses all day long!!
They are both getting to be BIG BOYS. both boys seem to be loosing their 'baby' face and turning into such little boys...partners in crime I'm sure!!
:) Love Ya.
I should make my children read your blog. From Maxim they got the phrase "too many children" - us!!!??
Maxim had the idea that being the only one was best because you get everything for yourself, and somehow for a variety of reasons both Sergei and Zhen have taken up this idea. I HATE it!
Once again Caleb impresses the heck out of me. My teen boys (and Aidan when he was a teen) would have hidden in the farthest recesses of the bedroom - IF they couldn't get out of the house altogether.
FELIZ, FELIZ EN TU DIA
AMIGUITA QUE DIOS TE BENDIGA,
QUE REINE LA PAZ EN TU DIA
Y QUE CUMPLAS MUCHOS MAS...
FELICIDADES JULIA, MUCHOS BESOS .
CARMENCITA Y OLGA TE DESEAN MUY FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS.
Happy Birthday to my sweet niece! Lots of love and hugs from us all. Looks like a wonderful party :) We miss you guys!
I like your dry erase board and bookcase. We need to go furniture shopping. We have plenty of floor space, and super tall closets (I don't like having to use a ladder all the time though, seriously) but NO linen closets! No shelves or drawers in the bathrooms either. Right now, all our linens and things are in cardboard boxes taped together like shelves... we need a Home Depot or Ikea ;D
Happy Birthday to Julia!
Sounds like a wonderful birthday...and I can't believe you don't buy ALL the birthday cakes. That's a lot of cakes to bake!
what a wonderful party! we have had many squashed store bought cakes... your's looks wonderful!
(and i love your humongous table.)
That is so funny about the potato because Lauren just decorated one with pipe cleaners and gave it to her friend as a joke for her birthday. I would prefer my made into french fries with lots of ketchup!!!
Wow - that almost looks like the triple layer chocolate cake from Costco -- my husband's absolute favorite!
Loved all the pics of the family.
Happy birthday wishes to Julia!
~Laura :)
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Julia, happy birthday to you. Glad you got to have so much fun with your friends and family.
Just wanted to add that Dennis looks fabulous!!! and Happy B-day to julia! Are either of the little boys going with you to Ukraine this summer. I just think that you would love to show-off their progress!!!
Awh your birthday bashes are so fun! Happy Birthday Julia!
You inspired me with the idea about a dry erase board for chores. I found one at Staples that has magnetic stars for the kids to put on. After an initial grumpiness, the kids found they actually liked it!
What a fun birthday party! I am so amazed at how well Dennis' eye is doing. What a sweet and beautiful little boy. (((HUGS)))
Post a Comment