Party Like a Rock Star

Hey friends and family,

The celebrations are frequent and exciting this week.  We are partying like rock stars...  4-year-old style.  Lots of dress up and princess time for Layla, Pirates and trampolines for Easton. She still let's me kiss her without having to "steal" them.  I'm going to ride this train of voluntary kisses as long as the route is still open.

We went to a birthday party even though I thought we would not be included in any of those here in Sacramento since we don't have many close friends here.  I was wrong.  Kendra extended her circle of friends with other mommies.  The daughter had a princess party where one of the fun stations set up was a princess hat assembly table.  Standard party hats with markers, glitter, and stickers.   brilliant.

Layla's circle of friends matches closely with kendra's for obvious reasons.  She had an outstanding time at this backyard bash.

Luckily some princess brothers were present as well.  They were each given a plastic pirate sword where they fought passionately without poking any eyes out.  I call that success especially since they were bouncing around on a trampoline.  At one point the princesses cried "save us!"  Easton bravely defended the princesses against the other two sword-brandishing pirates.

clearly the proudest moment of the day for me because Easton chose to be the hero and he has the right attitude about being a gentleman.  Mission (partly) accomplished. Another trait to be passed on to Easton is sports.  I'm not sure pinata bashing is a sport, but Easton is getting the hang of it really well already.

He wasn't the one to bring down the candy-filled princess castle, but both of them joined in the dog pile of kids who scrapped for the candy.  Easton was a little disappointed because he used the hand with a sword in it to pick up the candy, which wasn't as productive as his free-handed counterparts.  Oh well, it's a learning opportunity!  I bet next time he clears his hands from objects before grasping for the bounty.

The families at the party had children of all ages including infants.  Kendra got her baby fix including the familiar baby smell, cute sounds, and the touch soft baby skin.  No, we are not considering any more children.  Not even one tiny morsel of hope.  She and I both feel this way and I've asked her about it in the past to find out what she really thinks.

Joan's pool is becoming our home away from home away from home (Joan's pool, Ouma's house, our house).  We swim about every other day because she gave us a personal invitation to use her backyard oasis  as much as we like.  Easton and Layla are becoming more courageous every day.  They normally dive off the rock wall and touch the drain 6-feet at the bottom, but for the sake of a picture they held my hands and simply jumped off together.

Our extended vacation is working out great.  Although I would have no problem sharing difficulties and struggles, things are going so well I can't think of anything worth mentioning.  Time to get ready for a fun filled firework fourth of July.

See you soon!