Happy Birthday, a tad early!

I remember when I got pregnant with the twins being a tad sad that they were going to probably be born in the summer- I think my actual due date was in September which would have been REALLY cool- I love fall and do NOT have any fall babies! You may be asking why I cared about what season my babies were born in- well, I know its weird, but I thought it woud be sad to not be able to celebrate your birthday at school. I remember with fondness all the homemade treats my mom would make and let me bring in to school to share with my friends for my birthday! I would get to pick a special person to help me pass them out and I usually chose Karly or Valarie, although once I chose Mark, a boy I liked:) 

(and yes, I married a Mark, but not the same one)

We would pass out the cupcakes to friends and I always asked mom to make more than enough so I could go around to all the teachers and give them out.Aahh! Memories! 

And now, I have 3 SUMMER babies!!!!

Thankfully, I talked to the teacher and was able to let the girls celebrate their birthday this last week of school- a bit early! But who's counting:)
 I made these cupcakes inside ice cream cones with mint buttercream frosting- they were pretty tasty- but one note of caution- I made them the night before and the next morning, the cones were not as crisp as when they first popped out of the oven.
RECIPE:
Make a cake mix according to directions.
Spoon batter into ice cream cone and place in cupcake baking tins.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Let cool and frost with a piping bag to get that ice cream look
Top with sprinkles and a sour cherry candy.

They got soggy- I bet the kids didnt notice though! 

And the best part of sharing your birthday with a twin is...

you have a built in best friend to pass out your birthday treats with!

End of the Year

 End of the school year for us, means field trips and lots of them! The twins went on 2 field trips in 2 weeks and I was able to tag along!  JJ was in our group and was quite the ladies man:) He cracked me up! The first trip was to the zoo and it was a gorgeous day to walk around and look at animals. 

The Denver zoo isn't much to brag about but it is nice to be outside and walk around.

The second trip was to The Denver Museum of Nature and Science. That was pretty cool for me but the first graders didn't have the patience or desire to read all the explanations and plaques, so we got through it pretty quickly! 

Of course, Ella and Elijah could not go since I was a chaperone and they thought in some strange way my little two would distract me from my job of chaperoning..

SO,

when the girls went to the zoo, 

Miss Melody watched the little too and they had fun playing with their friends!

And when the girls went to the museum, 

"Miss Meggie"took the little two to the zoo 

complete with a picnic lunch 

and new outfit from Gymboree:) 

I love how she spoils my little two:) 

 I am so thankful for the opportunity to have fun with my kids and their school friends. 

Next year, Ella will be in pre-K for 3 hours a day so it will be just me and Lij! 

Can you believe it! 

I feel old!

This is the last week of school for the twins and then they will be 2nd graders 

and our summer will officially start! 

I have a schedule already printed and filled in with

 activities and projects I want to complete with them. 

Mark leaves for KENYA in about 2 weeks- I cannot believe it is so soon! 

He has raised a bunch of money but still 

needs a bit more to reach his goal.. so if you would like to donate.. visit this link

Valor Christian Mission Trips.

He will be working with an orphanage and 

Aids Relief center for 2 weeks along with about 15 teens from Valor and 2 other sponsors.

I have been baking up a storm the past few weeks to help him raise money and cannot believe how much kids will pay for home baked treats and being able to eat them in class!  

Its been good, although I am a bit sick of baking.

Mark also has been working hard and putting in lots of hours building websites to raise extra money.

And a  SPECIAL thank you to those who have donated so far!!! 

especially one of Marks students parents who handed him a check for $1000 for his trip! 

What a blessing all your contributions have been!  THANK YOU! 

Through the course of his trip, Mark is hoping to be able to email 

updates and pictures to those who have donated!

He gets his shots today for all the diseases that he could possibly contract 

so pray he doesnt get sick from the shots...

I really am SO very excited for this trip. 

I already have most of the 2 weeks filled up with activities and play dates 

and things to give me a break and make the time go by faster! 

And my dear friend Megan is going to sleep over all 2 weeks to keep me company:) 

I love her!!! 

Ella said "Miss Meggie" will be our daddy for 2 weeks while our real daddy is gone! 

Please keep Mark and our family in your prayers! We would greatly appreciate them!

Well, off for a play date at Littleton Historical Museum and lunch with the twins! 

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!! 

A Real Fairytale

 Friends getting together to watch a Royal Wedding- what could be sweeter- 

add in a few fancy hats and little cucumber tea sandwiches and fancy china..

and it is a classy event to be sure!

Special thanks to Melody for hosting and tvo-ing the event so we didnt have to watch it at 4am!

I think one of the coolest part was telling our little girls 

that their really were such things as 

princes and princesses!

Its not ALL just pretend!

Dressed Up

 We RARELY dress up for anything. It must be living in Colorado- its SO laid back here and people are very informal overall and that translates to clothes too:) 

But I do LOVE a couple of cute kids all dressed up and looking polished! 

Easter morning was such a day! 

Of course, by the end of our lunch at Grandmas, Elijahs sweater had chocolate cake smeared on it, Ellas dress was all crumpled up and she lost the sweater and the twins hair looked like it had gone through a tornado:) So by 4pm when church started we didnt look like this!

But for an hour or so- they were spic and span- the picture of cuteness!

 I absolutely LOVE traditions- something I picked up from my family

(many traditions I did as a kid I still vividly remember)

So every Easter, we read the Easter story using Resurrection Eggs- 

an amazing tool to retell the death and resurrection of Christ! 

Then we pray as a family and thank God for His sacrifice and for the GRACE which He so lavioushly poured out on us, His children. Then we sing a few songs...

It brought tears to my eyes to hear everyone (even Elijah) sing 

"Christ is Risen from the dead, we are one with Him again!"

Of course, we also have an easter egg hunt every year in our dressy clothes! 

We give small trinkets in an Easter basket..

and we dye eggs! 

I truly hope my children pass on some of our family traditions to their children 

and remember with fondness the fun times we shared as a family! 

Tuesday Tumbling Twins

 The twins started gymnastics 3 weeks ago and they go every Tuesday for 45 minutes at our local rec center! They are LOVING gymnastics and are getting better and better every time.

I think Sophia has shown a LOT of improvement and looks the part of a gymnast.. Arianna is a bit more clumsy but is doing really well and improving every time as well!

I love that after Gymnastics they are all sweaty and drink a whole bottle of water- 

exercise is SO good for them!!

Ella Bella Ballerina

 My little Ella Bella Ballerina started creative dance today! She has been counting down the days and she could hardly believe it when I told her today was the day! We signed her up at a local rec center and it was perfect for her. Its sorta an introduction to dance and lets them move a lot which at the age of 4 is a good thing.

 Ella is taking this class with her friend Julianna and they seemed to really bond during the class. 

They were holding hands randomly and always stuck by one another. 

The parents had to watch through a little window.

Daddy and all the kiddos came to watch too- Ella was SO excited that we all wanted to be there to see her dance. It was pretty tight so they didnt watch for long.

Ella took the whole class pretty seriously and paid very close attention to all the teachers instruction. I love that about Ella- she seems pretty focused overall- She was pretty shy when they asked her to go out by herself and perform what they learned today, but at least she went out and did a few things! 

The class lasted for 45 minutes and I can hardly wait for next Saturday to watch my little

Ella Bella Ballerina!

Vintage Royal Wedding Hats

Gazillion of Easter Activities, Gymnastics, A First for Sophia and A field trip to the Zoo are all topics that I really need to post, but I just had to show you the finished products of the vintage hats I recreated since all the buzz in the blogging world is The Royal Wedding!

I stopped at a really cool antique store by our house that is HUGE and has some really good deals. I found these 3 vintage hats for under $10! I spruced them up with some fabric and satin flowers and pearls and some tulle and feathers! 

They turned out perfect!

Why would I need a vintage hat?

Am I invited to the Royal Wedding?

Sort of:) 

I am headed to a friends to watch it tomorrow morning

  complete with scones and crumpets, 

cucumber sandwiches and little muffins

and even a wedding cake:)

And dont forget the pearls and hats!!

Oh and a gazillion little kids running around, 

but it will be fun to be sure!