This is How We Celebrate...

The trio's birthday this year was on a Friday so we decided to postpone and celebrate the next day.  It was a good decision too because Saturday was our first 'fall' day and was BEAUTIFUL.  Friday was 105 degrees.  Yuck.  My parents flew in Friday night so Saturday morning we began our birthday festivities!

The boys played with new trains, tracks, and a Thomas fort from their California grandparents.  If I didn't know any better I would think Zachary and Caleb were actually playing peacefully within a foot of one another!  Henry, Gordon, and Diesel have been welcomed happily into our home.  :)

Of course Leah couldn't go without a friend.  'Baby Doll'  was instantly welcomed as well and fed a delicious lunch of plastic food.  Leah just chatted away with Baby Doll and enjoyed having a girlfriend around.

My parents didn't waste any time after arriving and immediately presented the kids with magnadoodle books!  This seemed to be the solve-all for getting the kids to color/draw without having to deal with the fights over crayons and colored pencils.  They have been deemed our special Sunday toys and entertained the kids for over 30 minutes the next day at church as well as the following Sunday too.  Perfect!

We also busted out a block train that was intended as a Christmas present last year from some friends but was a bit to old for them to play with.  They would've just sucked on the blocks.  So it was great to be able to pull it out from under our bed with no hassle, shopping, or running around!  

Last but not least, the triple-sized present I promised.  Clark and I have been toying with the idea of getting a tramp.  I have great memories growing up jumping on the tramp, having sleepovers, and spending hours out there imagining up the craziest things.  However, we know we have a unique situation with three kids all the same age so we decided the tramp should probably wait until later when they are more coordinated and can understand taking turns a little better.  We still liked the idea of an outside toy that wasn't necessarily a swing set.  That's when we were introduced to the world of bounce houses.  Who knew they weren't just for renting!  I hurried over to craigslist, found an awesome house for a little over $100 (originally close to $350), and bought it immediately.  Considering we didn't get the kids anything for the birthday last year and threw out the party idea this year, we felt ok spending money on something that would be useful for the next couple years and burn energy for the kids that I could never attempt to.

So here it is in all it's glory...

The kids jumped on it for a grand total of three hours the first day!  THREE HOURS!  It was amazing.  They were exhausted and I sat in a lawn chair the whole time.  :)  The excitement when they ran outside and saw it for the first time was priceless.  All caught on camera.  We enjoyed the morning outside in the cool weather while watching the kids bounce away.  It was GREAT.

Of course we had to do a little song with birthday candles.  They each got a giant rice krispie with their letter and don't worry, we did the 'Z' correct this year!  Their friend Addison dropped by to be part of the celebration and get her fair share of rice krispies too!

Then later that day they had a second celebration with a couple of our friends who brought over a special cake and present.  Seriously, so thoughtful.  So we sang again and dipped our fingers in frosting.  Notice how Clark was right up in there....if there is cake around, Clark is bound to be near. 

Their birthday was perfect.  Family in town, close friends around, cool weather, and new gifts for this next year (more sanity for me as a result).  Birthday #2, although completely different than what I originally planned a few months ago, was just right for our three two-year-olds!