Macy's Princess "Tea" Party

I don't know how it is possible, but Macy has been with us for seven years already!!! Her birth was my first experience with being induced, and I was terrified. Little did I know that 2 and a half hours later, she would make her presence known in a drama-filled delivery (her flair for the dramatic hasn't ceased since). She was a darling, happy, content baby. I can honestly say that Macy has brought a smile to our faces every single day of her life (this girl is hilarious)!

For Macy's birthday, she wanted to have a Princess Tea Party (with hot chocolate). We invited a few friends and had a very girlie day. When the girls arrived, I had little bags and pink princess crowns for them to decorate. Austin wanted to get in on the action:

For "tea" we served peanut butter and jam sandwiches and turkey and cheese sandwiches cut into flowers and butterflies. We also had blueberries, strawberries, and carrots and dip. Our tea was actually *warm* chocolate with marshmallows.

After lunch, the girls made necklaces and hair bows.

When it came time for presents, Macy was spoiled!!! She loved all of her gifts, but the first thing she opened was a much desired Pillow Pet. (When Paige and Abby got Pillow Pets for Christmas, Macy was beside herself. I had to take her into the other room to calm her down and explain that she was being really ungrateful. Over the past three months, she has connived and manipulated Paige every which way to "borrow" her Pillow Pet. Honestly!) Thankfully, she received 2 Pillow Pet's for her birthday so the whining has officially stopped!

We enjoyed a crown cake and ice cream:

Then, the clean-up crew arrived:

Spencer and Kade just sat right up to the table and made themselves comfortable. They finished off Claire's ice cream and cookies and Paige's cake. They were in heaven!!!

Macy is ALL GIRL! She likes everything to do with sparkles and glitter and shimmer. She says the funniest things (even her teacher and school principal comment on how hilarious she is). She also dishes out endless compliments ("Oh Mom, I really like your dress today."). She has a gift, a natural ability, for getting out of work that she doesn't want to do (which is pretty much anything that requires effort of any kind). She can get Austin and Paige to do just about anything she wants, and she has a way of getting them to believe that it was their idea and they do it happily. Amazing! This child has no fear! She likes anything thrill seeking. She is Greg's best companion when it comes to indoor skydiving or rides at Lagoon. This girl is full of SPICE, and our lives are definitely richer because she's alive. I love her!

Happy Leprechaun's Day

That's what Macy calls it anyway. She brought this note home today. I love it so much. I figure that Greg and I are either Leperkon's (Macy's spelling) or Amish. Either way, this picture is awesome!

Paige Turns 4

My sweet little Paigie-Pipes turned 4 this week.

This little girl spends most of her day wishing that she could be as big as her older brother and sister, so being a number higher made her so excited! She's been practicing holding up 4 fingers instead of 3 for a couple of weeks. We decided to go with a Yo Gabba Gabba theme this year. She is crazy for Yo Gabba and will frequently break out in song (I occasionally find myself singing "Party in My Tummy" or "I'm So Sorry" in my dreams). This was her invite: Muno. On the back, it read: "My name is Paige, and I like to bounce." We invited a few friends and a cousin or two and took them all to the Bounce-N-Jump in the middle of a March snowstorm. They had a blast! Paige especially loved going down the steep slide. She would literally fly through the air and crash into the pads at the bottom. She could hardly open her eyes, she was going so fast, but she had a HUGE smile on her face the entire time!

When we got home, I made a scrumptious dinner (fit for any 4-year-old) of chicken nuggets, grapes, and cottage cheese. Afterward, we opened gifts and had our Yo Gabba Gabba cupcakes.

Why yes, that is Macy's blurry head as she encroached on her sister's big moment of blowing out the candles. Poor girl really struggled with allowing her little sister to have all of the attention for an entire day. Good thing Paige is such a good sport.

The guests:

Max had a great time (this is about 3 feet into the entry way of the house):

Presents included: Coloring books, princess barbie dolls and dresses, Leapster, clay, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, paint book, bubble gun, zhuzhu pet, Pinkalicious coloring set. When we saw the volume of the loot, Greg and I decided to save the baby doll that we got her for Christmas. I think all that stuff was plenty for a 4-year-old.

Classy:

For all of you aspiring photographers out there, I thought I would share some of my wisdom with you. I find that the best time to take a picture of all of your children together is 10 minutes after bedtime. For maximum results, make sure you load them up with cupcakes (include tons of frosting and additional candy as decorations) and ice cream right before (not to mention hours of chaos, extra people, and presents). Finally, ensure that they wear really annoying hats with tight elastic bands around their chin and hope that they won't notice how uncomfortable they are. Make sure that you put them close together and force them to touch each other, because I have found that siblings love to be in close proximity with one another, especially when they are tired. Put 12 people behind the camera in an attempt to get them to smile. Oh, and don't forget to dress them in completely different colors and make sure everybody has a different, but equally busy pattern to their clothing. Just look at some of the beauties this process produced:

My sweet Paige has a passion for coloring. She always has. Our kitchen table has officially turned into an art studio, thanks to Grandma and Nana and Lisa. She has had a blast with her creative outlet the past few days and enjoyed all of her birthday gifts!

Paige has such an enormous personality that sometimes it seems impossible that she's only been with us for 4 years! This child redefines with word "determined." If there is a will, there's a way, and this child has the biggest "will" of anyone I've ever met. She definitely lives by my creed: "It is better to ask forgiveness than permission." If she wants something, she will simply figure out a way to get it. It's a trait that will serve her beautifully in 20 years; and it's a trait that forces me to keep a constant eye on her and produces a lot of funny situations and independent conversations. Her favorite phrase is still "I can do it."

Paige is the tallest child that I've had. She is long and lean, and at any given moment you can catch just the slightest crack of her cute little bum peeking out of her pants or skirt. She has cut her hair twice, and her favorite color is purple. She speaks with a Queens/Brooklyn accent (with a hint of Jersey in there). She thinks it is hilarious to "fluff."

Paige has the most adorable smile. When she does smile, it radiates from her gorgeous brown eyes and it makes all of your troubles melt away. She isn't gentle or cuddly (no time for such nonsense), but she will tell you she loves you often and she will talk your ear off for hours. She likes to be included and doesn't like to go to bed. She loves to watch "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," take bubble baths, play with "Polly's," and try to tell jokes and rhyme.

I adore her.

Courage

We have had some sick kids the past week or so. Not terribly sick, just nasty coughs, runny noses, and Austin has "lost his lunch" a few times. As we discussed what to do about church today, we decided that none of the other parents want our boys in class with their kids just to pass on the ickiness. We decided that we would all go to Sacrament Meeting, and afterward I would bring the sickies home while the rest of the bunch stays at church. Our church starts at 1 o'clock. Normally, I put the twins down for a nap in the morning because otherwise they don't get one and they are definitely not old enough to not "get one" yet. But because I was going to bring them home after the first hour, I just kept them up throughout the morning.

As I was getting the twins into their church clothes and we were piling into the car with everyone, I wondered what I was doing. Why was I torturing these boys by taking them out of their comfy pajamas and into button-up shirts? Why was I purposely taking them to a place that requires reverence at the exact hour that they are normally just falling asleep? Why was I ushering our crew out the door only to return in an hour? My answer: To take the Sacrament. I was fasting (for a very good cause), and I felt I really needed to take the Sacrament today and renew my covenants with the Lord. So, with a smile on my face, we packed up the minivan and attended church together...as a family...so I could be obedient. (When church ran over by 15 minutes, and I had beyond-ornery babies all over me, each whine just begging, "For the love! Put me to bed!" I admit that I had a brief lapse of faith.)

When we sang the Sacrament hymn, I was very touched by the last verse:

As now we praise thy name with song,

The blessings of this day

Will linger in our thankful hearts,

And silently we pray

For courage to accept thy will,

To listen and obey.

We love thee, Lord; our hearts are full.

We'll walk they chosen way.

When we talk about trials and the "will of the Lord," so often we discuss the faith we need and the trust in "The Plan." While faith and trust are so important, even essential, I think sometimes we forget about the courage that it takes to truly accept the Lord's will and even more important when it comes to living it. So often, this life doesn't make sense and life definitely isn't always "fair." We live in a world where good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. We want answers; we want explanations; we want reasons. Sometimes, we get them. More often than not, we don't.

Regardless, I believe that the Lord has a plan for all of us, and I believe that if we seek that path (or the "will" of the Divine), we will always find great love and peace. Once we discover that path, I think that is where the courage kicks in. Just believing is not enough. We have to find the strength and the courage to get up every morning and live the best life that we can. That is easier said than done. Some days, I give up before I even roll out of bed (and I have the blessing of having a strong, healthy body and mind). I think I will start praying for that courage. Courage to completely accept the Lord's will. Courage to do it with a grateful heart and a smile on my face.