A Baker's Birthday!

Lorelai wanted a Baking Party so that's what she got!

The kids had to go through Bakers Training to make sure they were ready to be real bakers!

They had to practice rolling and cutting...

Eric didn't quite get the shot, but at this station the kids measured and stirred.

After picking the baker's theme Lorelai had just ONE other request. Pinata!!! I figured this fit in with Baker's Training because you have to be strong to be a baker! (Have you ever tried kneading dough by hand?)

Eric loves to tease the kids...

Here it goes!!! Good job Nora!

The last station was just a bit silly! The kids had a cup full of confetti. They held it over their head and poured it into an empty cup. They got to look in the mirror to help them do it.

Their was a lot of giggling and a lot of confetti everywhere when it was over!

(See me in the back with the salt? I was making MORE frosting.

 I was so worried we were going to run out!)

Next came the aprons! Lorelai picked all the fabric and "helped" me make them!

They needed the aprons so they could decorate their cakes! Notice the fun cake stands!

Everyone had fun decorating...

And we had plenty of frosting! I don't know why I was so concerned! 

The finished products! They all did so great!

Happy Birthday to you!

Daddy and Lorelai decorated the birthday cake! Didn't they do a fantastic job?!

 Presents! Hooray! Lorelai got spoiled!

Everyone watching "patiently". 

Such a fun group of kids! Happy Birthday Lorelai!

My Perfect Patrick

I just love that little scrunchy nose! 

I did a post about Patrick's birthday, but it was really all about the events rather than being about the awesome kid that we call Trick. Patrick's name originally came from mashing Patricia and Eric together and it couldn't fit him more perfectly. He is a great blend of Mom and Dad. A wrestler that likes to be silly like Daddy, but a sweet boy that loves hugs and laughing like Mommy. As the fifth child Patrick doesn't get a lot of alone time and he likes it that way! He loves being right in the middle of everything and the kids love pampering him with love (sometimes too much). The only time he has been truly grumpy was when he was teething, which is completely justifiable. Trick used to be very easy going about strangers. He would go to ANYONE until he was 10 months old. THEN we ruined him by going away for a weekend (just Eric and me!). When we got back we thought everything was business as usual, but then we went to church! Oops! No more easy going kid! Trick was terrified that we were going to leave him and wouldn't go to anyone else. He has slowly gotten better over the last couple months, but I don't know if he'll ever be the same. Ah well.

Okay, so here are just a few fun facts about my little Trick:

• Walking- almost running. 
• Talking- favorite word is Da Da, but he has quite the vocabulary! He still prefers silly sounds to real words though. 
• Favorite Person- Daddy. Hands down. No question.
• Favorite Toy- Cell Phone. He likes his play phone, but he'll take a real one if he can get his hands on one.
• Favorite Activity- Anything with water. Bathtime, swimming, and water table are his favorite time of day!
• Naptime- Down to one a day. He is a pacer. When he gets tired he doesn't just lay down and fall asleep, he paces back and forth. When he was crawling, he would crawl all over on the couch until he wore himself out. When he is out, he is OUT!

Case in point.

He is such a blessing in my life! People often ask me how I handle all these kids and I sometimes contemplate what life would be like with a few less kids in tow. The truth is my life would be much more empty. Every new child has brought a richness to my life that is hard to describe. Every little angel sent from Heaven has a purpose and I'm so glad Heavenly Father sent us Patrick. What would we do without him?! 

Hogle Zoo

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here are 15,000! No words necessary.