Birthday parties, tonsils and a swim meet

Millie blowing out the candles at her family party

It's been a busy two weeks. I started celebrating Amelia's birthday a day early by hosting a small party for her friends. What was I thinking? I never did this with the older two kids but somehow having 6 two year olds over for a party sounded like a good idea. When it was all said and done I think Millie and all the kids had fun it was just two hours of pure chaos. I do enjoy the time visiting with other moms and it's always reassuring for us all to see that our kids aren't the only ones declaring ownership over all property.

Saturday we celebrated with the family and it was such a fun time with all the cousins, aunties and uncles and grandma and grandpa. We missed grandma and grandpa Poulin. Grandpa Poulin had surgery a week earlier and still wasn't up to the drive over from Yakima. We're looking forward to time with them soon! For once I felt prepared and relaxed when guests arrived so it was so nice to sit and visit and just soak up all the family time. Amelia loved her fishy party and absolutely tore through the presents. I think having Christmas in the not so distant past she felt like a pro at unwrapping. She really didn't care much for what was in the bags and boxes...it was all about the thrill! The big ticket item of the day was a car or as Millie likes to call it a "beep beep" from Grandma and Papa. She thought she was pretty hot stuff riding around like the Flinstones.

We then followed our fun weekend with outpatient surgery for Maggie. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears. She was such a trooper and we're so proud of how brave she was. After surgery the doctor informed us that her adenoids were so large they were almost completely obstructing her breathing. No wonder she couldn't chew with her mouth closed and she snored so loud at night...poor girl! She is feeling great and was so happy to be back at school on Monday.

Maggie on Valentine's Day

Last Sunday Sam had a swim meet at our home pool. He had such a great meet! I have to be a bragging mom for just a moment and say he swam five events and took first in four of them and second in the other. It was a dual meet so the field of competitors was small but he had some great times and it's always good for the self-confidence to get a few victories under your belt! It was a great way to end a week of vacation!

Future Michael Phelps in the making?

Happy Birthday sweet Millie!

I can't believe it's been two years since our sweet girl joined our family. The time just flies and the changes happen so fast! I wish I could just keep her right where she is. Since the moment she was born she has brought nothing but fun and joy to our lives. I love that even with her limited vocabulary she can tell a story like no other. I love the way she squeals with joy when I walk in the door....if I've been gone ten minutes or six hours, it doesn't matter the excitement is the same. I love that she copies EVERYTHING her big brother and sister do. It's pretty entertaining to watch a two year old attempt push ups. I love that even when she's using that favorite word of all two year olds it's not just "NO" but "no, okay"? More of a question than a firm statement. I love her because she is our Amelia Mae and a beautiful, perfect gift from God.