N's 4th Bday

October? When did it get to be October? I went to Chicago (or as J calls is "avocago") for a week and now I'm blogging stuff from August. I suppose I could post every day or something and try to go through September, but I value naps too much.

Anyways, my dear sister-in-law mailed us an invite to N's 4th bday, mostly as a sweet gesture because it was short notice and in Tucson. Well an impromptu road trip never stopped Big Sis and I from an adventure, so we piled in her truck and headed down for the evening with our 4 children.

 It's a good thing they love each other, most of the time. Especially when they have a whole new arsenal of books to peruse while their cousins are sleeping.

Here is our gorgeous birthday girl.

She had a fabulous water obstacle course set up in her backyard.

Whoever invented this shaded wading pool was a genius.

My nieces are so beautiful!

Even if they are a bit grumpy sometimes.

The nephew is a stud as well as his momma

Or course my child enjoyed watching from the sidelines in her chariot.

So her cousin decided to pull her tail a bit, just to liven things up.

She was eventually coaxed into hanging out by her uncle.

 The uncle who also spent a portion of his youth developing a skill with balloon tying.

Swords were the shape of the day and the munchkins quickly turned on each other.

This pose is brought to you by the power of He-Man, Greyskull, and Netflix.

 And in case you wondered, M was there too!

J and A's Epic Playdate

Our friend A is just a couple month older than J and is a 3rd child. They get along really well since A is easy going, but doesn't let J boss her around.

 They both wanted to be Aurora and thankfully we have costumes enough to accommodate.

J insisted A had gloves too.

Then when I was in the other room feeding M, I come out to two very happy, disrobed toddlers who joyfully proclaim, "We have a tea party!" I thought it was hilarious and was just happy they kept it on the tile. After I locked the fridge spout, they were a little upset. J then says, "It's ok A, come I'll help you with the bathroom" at which point they take their cups and attempt to finish the party using the bathroom faucet.

Since they were soaked, I put A in one of J's dresses. The fact that J has two in different patterns may have influenced my wardrobe choices. Matchy Matchy!

 Then they decided it was cold and they needed to wear jackets. And hats. It was 108 degrees.

They were excellent helpers with the laundry too.

They mostly loved climbing into the laundry basket,

We are so lucky we got to watch A all day!

Teether

We put M in the jump up thing, highly supervised, just to see how he liked it.

He didn't get the jump concept, but it felt good on those gums. His sister thought the same thing. 

The resemblance is a little uncanny, isn't it?

Jumperoo

 We have entered the era of neck strength that allows for garish and noise-making baby entertainers

J wistfully contemplates that happy time from long ago when she used to fit in them.

M was a little intimidated by the whole thing.

Big Sis turned 30!

Back in August, but we're posting it anyways. We invited everyone to Joe's Farm Grill to celebrate. Please ignore my camera's inability to focus in low light.

I bought her a giant insulate water bottle for her excessive water consumption. This kind is my favorite because it will still have ice in it the next day after sitting in my car overnight. In the summer! They are amazing!

 
Happy Bday Sis! 30 is totally the new 20 :)