I know I've neglected the blog this year (as I type this it's actually March, although I'm dating this post back in January). But I've finally uploaded all the latest pictures and I'll be updating the blog over the next few days.
These are our photos from Lexi's 5th birthday party. You may remember that she is our little New Year's Baby, so since there was no school on her actual birthday (January 1st) we decided to have her party that day. Grandma & Grandpa Cope were here over Christmas and stayed for the celebrations. Grandma Susan also came to help with the kids bash and Aunt Allie joined us later for a family dinner.
Not many photos from the party itself- I was too busy trying to entertain 7 little girls. We went with a polka-dot theme and Lexi and I made some polka-dot garlands a couple of days before the party. We also created a bulls-eye for our pin-the-dot-on-the-bullseye game. I also decorated with my trusty birthday banner (that I made awhile ago out of some fabric scraps I had lying around). We had some streamers and balloons, too. As the guests arrived we had a little craft activity- we had mini-canvas bags that they decorated with fabric pens & all sorts of polka-dot type things- pompom balls, buttons, rhinestones etc. Except for one little mishap with the glue gun (resulting in a burn blister on a thumb) that went pretty well. Then we had some games- pin-the-dot, musical dots, duck-duck-goose, and a relay race with a cotton ball on a spoon. They had a picnic on the floor with some pepperoni pizzas on English muffins, grapes, clementine oranges and cheese balls, and cupcakes (the confetti ones) with sprinkles on top. After eating, Lexi opened her gifts. And then we did some dance games- freeze dance, hokey pokey, bunny hop. All the girls wore some form of polka-dot attire, which was so festive! And Lexi wore a dress that I made for her just for the party out of some polka-dot fabric I had in my stash.
After the girls went home we were able to take a break- Lexi checked out her loot and we cleaned up a bit. When Aunt Allie showed up we had dinner- Lexi's favorite spaghetti & meat sauce, garlic bread & salad (with Italian dressing, b/c that's the only kind she likes according to her). Then more presents! The grandmas organized a scavenger hunt for Lexi- each clue directed her to a location in our apartment and there she would find a gift & another clue. She was in heaven! It made opening gifts a little less crazy- although she may have been more excited about following the next clue than opening the gift she had just found.
All in all, it was a successful day. Unfortunately the night before, our neighbors below us had an enormous party (new year's eve, remember) and were playing their music so loudly that the girls beds were vibrating and they weren't able to sleep. We called the police twice, but nothing was done about it. As we walked around, we could feel our brains vibrating as the beat penetrated through our feet! It was INSANE. So none of us really slept, and I was worried that I would be a cranky mess for Lexi's big important day. Thankfully we made it through without any major power struggles.
Happy Birthday Alexis! We love you.
A few things about Alexis this year:
favorite color: red
favorite food: spaghetti & meat sauce
favorite toys: Littlest Pet Shop & Legos
favorite song: Under The Sea from
The Little MermaidAlexis can write her name and is beginning to read easy reader books. She loves to go to both school and church and it seems that she is always singing a song. She is taking ballet and enjoys it. She is almost an expert scooter rider and loves to go to the playground after school. She prefers to wear dresses/skirts- even in the dead of winter. She volunteers to pray every day. She is a good helper at home and she is a very good big sister who likes to play with Ella and teach her new things. She is very tolerant of Ella's inquisitiveness and is willing to share just about everything with her.
Ellis Island
The George Washington Bridge
On Saturday, December 27th, we were invited to celebrate Lucas' birthday with him at Chuck E. Cheese's. Alexis & Ella both love Lucas (and we love his parents!), so we were excited to attend. I'm totally sold on having kid's parties at this place. It was so fun (and virtually no planning or clean-up on the parent end).
On Christmas Day this year, our little family was on our own. We chose to stay in the city (instead of traveling upstate to be with my family) because Matt's parents were flying in the day after Christmas. We opened a few gifts on Christmas Day, but ended up saving most for the 26th when the Copes, as well as Grandma Susan and Aunt Allie & Aunt Laura could be with us to celebrate. So, we spent Christmas Day at the Bronx Zoo. It was a beautiful, clear day and not too cold either.
Christmas Eve was spent at home with our little family. We let the girls open a gift- I made them matching nightgowns this year. They both wanted to put them on right away. Alexis loved it, but she's quite used to nightgowns & dresses as she's been wearing them for years. For Ella, on the other hand, this was her first experience with a long dress. She loved it! She wanted it on right away and then spent quite some time twirling in the middle of the living room, running down the hallway, and just taking it all in. To this day, if I open the drawer and try to pull out other pajamas for her, she'll scream until we put the nightgown on. If she sees it in the laundry, she'll pull it out and beg me to put it on her. I'm glad she likes it so much! I mean, just look at those smiles!
