It has finally hit me that my sweet little boy is going to be 6 in a very short time. Not really sure why this age has been so much harder to handle than 5, but wow am I a mess! Riley is such a funny, sweet, and bright boy that it is sometimes hard for me to realize that he is quickly becoming a little man. I can remember holding him in my arms at night rocking him to sleep.  It was our special time to just be the two of us. There were plenty of nights that he would fall asleep in my arms and I would choose to hold him just a little bit longer. I never realized that it would go by so fast.

As I watched him get ready the other morning it hit me like a ton of bricks. He has recently started wanting to do his hair himself. While he was putting the "finishing touches" on his hair he looked exactly like Danny does each morning getting ready. In that instant my baby was a little man!

I feel so incredibly blessed to be his mother and I look forward to watching him grow and change even more.....just maybe not quite this fast.

Since Thanksgiving is officially past us I think it is only fair that we start sharing our holiday wish lists. My birthday and Christmas are fairly close together so luckily I only have to come up with this list once a year. I don't know about you but I hate the question, "What do you want for your birthday/Christmas?" When I was younger this wasn't nearly as hard to come up with....but the older you get the harder it becomes.

So, for my husband who is hopefully reading here is the coveted list you are always asking for
(wink! wink!)

It has been pirates, maps, and treats galore around our house.  We recently celebrated our little man's 4th birthday pirate style.  The past few weeks I have been scouring the lovely world of pinterest trying to come up with the perfect ideas. So, we ended up with water balloon cannon balls, pirate treasure hunt, and the ever popular pinata. It was such a fun night filled with family and friends.  It was definitely one to put down in the memory books.

I have received so many questions about the play kitchen we built for Hannah's birthday.  I must give the credit to the wonderful Ana White.  If you have not visited her site you need to run over there and check all the amazing plans she has.  I am serious.....run, don't walk!  Ana White Play Kitchen

Danny and I worked on this project together......meaning he did all the cutting and building and I did all the painting and accessorizing.  I am sure he would tell you there was a little direction giving in there as well, but it was more just friendly tips. =) Starting out we pretty much followed the instructions from Ana's site.  The only thing we really wanted to change was the fridge.  I wanted it to be a top and bottom fridge instead of a side by side.  Many people out there in blog-land have built this fridge so if you get stuck or want other ideas just Google play kitchen and you will be amazed.

The time has seriously just flown by. My sweet little girl is growing up so quickly that I almost don't believe it sometimes. She is so funny and full of life. I am amazed at how quickly she picks things up and repeats everything you do or say. She is my little daredevil and is not afraid of much.....except bugs. She definitely DOES NOT LIKE BUGS!!!

For her birthday we were able to celebrate with friends and family and have a fun day at our house. We went with the Owl theme this year because she fell in love with the Owl pillows at Target one day while shopping. It was such a fun theme to work around and definitely tested my cake and cupcake making skills. Daddy was busy at work building our little chef a play kitchen. It turned out FAB-U-LOUS and was a huge hit! I even was able to help contribute a little by picking out the accessories and sewing the curtains and towels. Danny worked so hard at making sure everything was just right and it definitely shows the love that he poured into it. The kids play with this almost everyday still. I am guessing that this will be a hard one to top next year.

Actually, the birthday has past by a few weeks but I am just now able to share all about the special day.  I cannot believe the difference a year makes.  Last year Riley's party was fun and we were surrounded by friends and family, but he didn't really understand what was going on yet.  This year.....he TOTALLY knew what was happening.  For about a month before his party he would get up and ask, "Is it my birthday party today?" He knew his birthday was May 10th but he wasn't clear on when exactly that was.  The day before the party I baked cookies, cakes, and cupcakes that were so tempting to eat that we had a heck of a time keeping both kiddos out of them.  I crafted banners, sewed/ironed matching shirts, made door signs, bought all sorts of concession foods, and I am sure I slept in there somewhere. 

The day was so fun and I really can't believe just how much that year makes.  Riley was so excited to finally have some boys at his party. Since most of my friends only have girls his past few birthdays he has been quite the ladies man.  Having the playset built outside for the kids to play on definitely was a huge hit.  I think Hannah was quite content to just sit in her swing and let Aunt Jenny push her while she sipped on some ice.  We were surrounded by great friends and family and the day was full of many laughs. 


Since his party was on Saturday, I still wanted to do something special for Riley on his actual birthday.  So, I took off work and we dropped off Hannah at Nana's house and we had a whole day of Riley and Momma time.  We started the day with doughnuts at Krispy Kreme (healthy I know).  He had so much fun sitting in the booth and was shocked that I let him get a chocolate frosted sprinkle loaded doughnut.  It's just one day right?!?!?  Next it was off to the park.  We played for almost 2 hours going up and down the slides, swinging, and suprisingly enough spinning on the merry go round.  After we were all good and worn out we picked up Danny and went to lunch.  I think Riley's face says it all......what ice cream too?


With all that excitement, not to mention sugar, it was time for a nap.  As soon as nap time was over we went and picked up Hannah and the four of us all met for a movie date.  I am not sure that Riley was completely awake from his nap, because for the first half of the movie he sat on my lap with his ears covered. But by the end he was totally into "Rio".  Leaving the movie he told me, "Good movie momma!" I think the day was a huge success and he will remember his birthday for quite some time.  Now only 60 days until Hannah's special day.  I guess I better get started.

Here are just a few of our favorite pictures from the trip.