Then we moved everyone to the home portion of the sleepover. And what is a boys’ sleepover without a little photobombing thrown in? We pretty much let the boys decide the order of events once we got everyone inside.  So that’s how it was decided that present opening should come next.  Loved this name card made by friend J. It was continuous talking while unwrapping.  That’s my boy.  Still in his VBS shirt, too. They all got him stuff he loves- Calvin & Hobbes, and Lego sets.  So sweet to see how well these friends know each other.  🙂 Then they moved into Mikey’s room to build all the Lego…

So Mikey’s birthday was back in May.  Right in the midst of Spring performances, Preschool Mother’s Day celebrations, and other looming end-of-year busyness.  It was a crazy time for us and we just couldn’t fit one more thing in at the time. Because, y’all.  It’s our NOT A PARTY YEAR.  So we got him a happy birthday cake to share with our small group the week of his birthday and asked if he’d be okay if we postponed his celebration (NOT A PARTY) until the summer.  When I *thought* I’d have more time to breathe. All he wanted was a sleepover with three of his best buddies. Doable, I thought.…

Tonight’s dinner ended up being a big hit with all of us, although the kids each ate a different version of the same meal.  We’ve always done the “one bite” rule with the kids, meaning they’ve always had to try one bite of something new and if they didn’t like it then they didn’t have to eat any more of it (for that meal, the same rule applies again the next time).  It’s been surprising how many different foods they actually enjoy now and we’ve been okay with their different food preferences.  At most mealtimes, everyone will find at least something they enjoy eating and we’re also okay letting them…

A few months back, Allie asked me when I got my ears pierced.  I told her I was nine.  After considering my answer for a little while, she asked when she could get her ears pierced.  I told her it’s kind of a big responsibility so she had to be old enough to be able to take care of her ears and not let them get infected.  We talked a little about the process and the ear care that followed.  She asked if she could do it when she turned nine.  I said sure. Fast forward another month or two and she asked if she could do it when she…

I haven’t bought any deals from sites like Groupon or Living Social in a long time.  Mostly because I got tired of buying the deal only to completely forget all about it until it was long expired.  Actually, I think it was Phil who got tired of my doing that. But this past summer, a deal came to our attention that was right up our alley.  A yearlong family membership to the LA Natural History Museum for two adults and get this, up to four kids!  A deal that includes all of us at a place we’d been meaning to visit anyway?  Well, sure! And happily, mostly because Phil made…