Birthday Girl

Our sweet Leah turned 6 on January 4!  Leah insisted that she didn't want a "Friend Party" this year, and confided to me that she didn't like being the center of attention in a big crowd.  Instead, she wanted to celebrate with our family and we had the perfect plan this year.  Leah kicked off her birthday celebrations in Williamsburg on January 2, on the last morning of our Cousins' Christmas weekend.  Bean and Poppy provided decorations, a balloon and birthday donuts, and Leah opened presents from her cousins, aunts & uncles, and grandparents:   

We got home that evening and the next day (January 3) was our final day of Winter Break.  We told Leah that this would be her day, and she could pick special things to do to celebrate turning 6.  Her first request was Chuck E. Cheese's, and the kids and I had a fun morning playing arcade games before meeting Daddy for lunch at Newk's (Leah's restaurant of choice).  Leah also chose to redeem a gift card that she received for Build-A-Bear, and picked out a cute soccer-themed bear, uniform, and cleats:

Luke reaped the benefits of being the brother of the birthday girl, and chose a Kylo Ren Star Wars bear, whose light saber plays the "Imperial March":

As I put Leah down that night, I whispered to her that it was the last time I'd do our bedtime routine with my five year-old girl.  My sweet baby hugged me and exclaimed, "Mommy, I'm so excited that I have tears of joy!".  I held that precious child until she fell asleep, and then decorated her door with crepe paper streamers and laid out her presents so she'd wake up to see all things birthday! 

Sure enough, our darling daughter woke up a brand new six year-old!  She had a festive birthday breakfast and opened one present (she chose the largest, of course!) before school:

Every birthday should begin with footie pajamas and such overwhelming cuteness!

We took mini-cupcakes to school, and I delivered lunch to the birthday girl (her favorite: Chick-Fil-A!).  In the afternoon, we had a family party and Leah opened her presents:

Slime Science kit for our not-so girly girl!

Luke checks out Leah's Pokemon action figures...

I don't have a picture of it, but Luke gave Leah a Mega Pokemon pack, and she threw her arms around her brother and exclaimed, "Thank you, Luke!  This is my favorite present EVER!"   Seriously, that child has a way of making everyone feel so special and loved!  She has such a kind heart and is thoughtful and generous.  Mark and I marvel to each other every single day at how blessed we are to have been given this sweet child of God to raise.  Leah is easy and sweet, loving and affectionate, and is emotionally and socially mature well beyond her years.  Her vocabulary is amazing, and the  intelligent way in which she articulates her thoughts often makes our jaws drop.  

Leah asked for a coconut cake for her birthday, and we had a pizza party dinner in the evening.  Leah chose her party decorations ("I'd like a rainbow theme, please", she declared), and her birthday was all about making Leah feel special, and letting her know how much she is treasured:

Peanut also got her fish on the weekend after her birthday!  She named him "Lightning", as he speedily zips around his tank.  As far as fish go, he really is a beauty.  He's turquoise (Leah's current favorite color) with red coloring on his fins and tail.  Leah talks to him, blows kisses at his tank, and refers to him as her "very own son".  If the kids put their pinky fingers in the top of the tank, Lightning will immediately swim up to rub his fins against them and give them "kisses".  Who knew a fish could be so entertaining?  

I am also happy to report that Lightning loves his "fish hammock" and will lounge above it, nestled among the leaves.  It still makes us giggle to think that this is probably the only betta hammock that the elves at the North Pole ever made, or that Petsmart ever sold...  Poor, snookered Mommy. 

Part of me can't believe that my little girl is officially 6.  It's easy to feel twinges of nostalgia for the adorable baby and delicious toddler that she was.  However, Leah brings us so much joy every single day, that our hearts become more and more full as she grows... and life with Peanut exceeds our wildest dreams!  We rejoice in the gift of six years of the incredible blessing of Leah in our lives, whom we love so very, very much!

Snow Days

We had our first winter snowfall of the year this weekend,  and it really was the "perfect storm".  The entire student body at L&L's school did a snow dance on Friday in anticipation of the winter weather, and it worked!  When we went to bed on Friday night, it was just beginning to snow, and we woke up on Saturday morning to discover a winter wonderland!  

9 inches of snow = No school for days!

We were safe and snug with no weekend plans, and having Daddy at home on snow days is my favorite thing ever.  We went sledding down the hill beside our house (which is also a road, but since neighborhoods don't get plowed in the south, it's a great sledding hill!):

This photo series of Leah sledding perfectly captures our fearless Snow Baby:



We made snow angels, tasted the freshly fallen snow, and made "snow cream":

We came inside to warm up, drank hot chocolate, played board games, and it wasn't long before we heard, "Can we go back outside again?"

Leah and Daddy built a cute "snow mountain" (because the snow wasn't great for rolling into balls for a snowman body)... 

... and the kids built a snow fort to protect themselves during our family snowball fight.  Leah took advantage of our neighborhood's snowbound status to hike through the snow selling Girl Scout cookies door to door, and our neighbors were impressed with her dedication (and she sold almost 100 boxes!).

So far, school has been called off for Monday and Tuesday, and we're hunkered down as we wait for the snow to melt so that we can resume our normal routine (It's supposed to be 66 degrees by the end of the week!).  In the meantime, we're enjoying our southern snow days with these two cuties!   

Cousins' Christmas 2016

Part Two of our holiday travels consisted of "Cousins' Christmas" in Williamsburg.  For many years, we called this "Brothers' Christmas", as Bean and Poppy hosted their sons and families over Winter Break.  But somehow, the grandchildren changed the name of this celebration to "Cousins' Christmas", which is quite fitting for the 6 human and 3 doggie cousins that run the show these days.  Bean and Poppy displayed this sign on their table this year, which is absolutely perfect for our crew!

There are so many exciting parts of Cousins' Christmas, which are now traditions that the children anticipate with joy.  There are the Cousin Presents that they give each other, which often elicit adorable reactions:

Gabe's presents for his cousins.

L&L's gift for Gabe.  

"Back to Back" presents have been a tradition since Mark and his brothers were young, and are fun for cousins who open similar presents at the same time! 

Pokemon and Lego Back-to-Back presents.

Comparing their Pokemon cards.

Love these boys!

Alexis and Lauren's Back-to-Back, with Scout's help!

4th grade chefs with their monogrammed aprons!

A 3-person Back-to-Back present with dogs closely "supervising"!

 This year, Cousins' Christmas = Legos and Pokemon for the three youngest cousins:

Cousins' Christmas also means playing games together, reading books, and even chess with willing uncles!

Cousins' Christmas is a houseful of joyful chaos, with the Christmas tree up high on a table out of the reach of wagging tails and inquisitive paws...

(Of course, there are presents for the furry cousins, too!)

 Cousins' Christmas means time to bond and snuggle, too.  After years of Winnie being "loved" by her cousins, the tables have turned, and our children smothered their doggie (and human) cousins just a little bit...

Hailey was very patient and sweet with Leah.

Never enough hugs.

Giving Bean & Poppy their presents.

 Cousins' Christmas fell on New Year's Eve this year, and we went out for dinner to celebrate (Who says we aren't fun?  5:00 p.m. is the new midnight!).  I marveled at the institution of the completely independent "Kids Table" this year.  They ordered for themselves and wanted nothing to do with us boring grown ups at the Adult Table! 

The next morning, we had our annual birthday party for Baby Jesus, with church at home, complete with special readings and music.   

And there were even more cousins that afternoon at the Offutt Family Christmas party, with Great Grammy as the guest of honor:  

There were 28 people at this family party, and the children have so much fun together.  Some of these cousins only see each other at the beach and at Christmas time, and they pick up right where they left off, playing as if no time at all has passed. 

I had to take a picture of these boys playing with the pink princess castle!

"Big Tall Mark" is Everett's special buddy.

This kid sat down right away to read his book from Great Grammy.

When you're the oldest cousin (and a teenager!), you will always have little fans!

Another Kids' Table full of first and second cousins!  

These cousins may grow older and taller every year (Maya is now the tallest Winterhoff girl/woman!).  But no matter how big they get, we treasure these children and the gift of Cousins' Christmas together each December.  Thank you, Bean and Poppy!