A Third Birthday

As promised, the jumpy castle we picked up at the neighborhood garage sale has provided hours of entertainment already.  We're hoping the novelty will wear off so we can put it away and just bring it out on 'special occasions' like rainy or snowy days!  It takes up all of the open space in our basement!

Taking a break from jumping to play with Ellis!

Mutual smiles

Ellis, just waiting for his turn to jump

On my last day of maternity leave, I caught a few smiles with the camera.  Such a happy boy!  Ellis is doing well at daycare, but they can't get him to take a decent nap either.  It's good to know it's not just me!  His nightime sleep habits couldn't be better though, to bed around 8:30 and doesn't wake up  to eat until 5 or 6 a.m.!  Nora was 7 months old before she slept that long...

Sunday was Nora's third birthday, where has the time gone?  To celebrate, we invited some neighbors over for cupcakes.  All she wanted to do for her birthday was sing and eat cake...from the moment she woke up.  Literally.  When I got her out of bed, I had to sing Happy Birthday and she cried because she couldn't have cake for breakfast. 

Some diversions like playing at the pool did keep her mind off of it most of the day.

A budding makeup artist like Aunt Emily?

Almost perfect

A new 'Nanny Dress'!  Made by Nanny Barb

 Incidentally, Nora insisted upon wearing this new dress to daycare today.  She was dressed in something else, took it off and just had to wear the dress.  I wasn't too keen on it, for fear she'd get paint on it or BBQ sauce at lunch.  I never imagined she would CUT A HOLE IN IT with scissors.  Yes, for real, the first time she wore it.  I'm so sad :(

A sweet book from Nanny Carol and Papa Rich

 So back to the birthday party...

Trying to catch a glimpse of the cake

There it is...so excited!

I didn't realize almost all the kids were little boys!

And big boys, 'Doug Buggie' the neighbor and surrogate grandpa. (He and his
 wife took care of  Nora when we went to the hospital to have Ellis.)

So that's what is new in Westminster.  We'll be spending the next weekend at home, then Father's Day weekend we are 'roughing it' at the Ritz Carleton in Vail.  Can you believe they even let us, and our friends with young boys, in such a place?