Maggie's 4th Birthday

So we had everything all planned for Maggie's 4th birthday party - bike riding at the neighborhood school playground/sport court + breakfast tacos + donut cake. But then THE RAINS came. We postponed until after our trip to Paris...

Meanwhile, its her actual birthday and we're gone (incite parent guilt). But the grandparents took such good care of her and made her feel so special...with some help from her sibs. 

Here is Rebecca making blueberry pies for breakfast? (Mom, you may need to help me out here w/ the details.)

 Birthday breakfast before camp?

 I know this was birthday evening dinner. Balloons, hats, ice cream cake, pizza from Salvation...

 ...and of course lots of presents.

 Nana and favorite cousin-buddy Blair also dropped by so I know she had a great day. 

While we were gone Bee also took them to the Zilker Botanical Gardens - but I'm not sure if this was on Maggie's birthday or not.

 Love this one of the three of them. (Maggie is, of course, looking at the older two.)

 Owen reading the map.

 Girls taking a break.

 All three enjoying snow cones.

I know they did other fun stuff with the grands while we were gone but I am guessing that it was tricky enough to wrangle them without taking pics. They went to The Farm with Dahdo/Pam but they never share their pictures with me. ;) 

Oh! Back to the birthday party. We tentatively rescheduled it for a Friday morning after we got back but I started to realize that Maggie already felt like she had her birthday (and whatever festivities were required in her mind) and the timing wasn't great for a lot of our family/friends so I ended up calling it off. First time in almost 8 years and 3 kids that we haven't had a birthday party. I think that's a pretty good streak. And hopefully when she reads this herself someday and feels jilted she'll forgive me. Sweet third kiddo. :)

Happy Birthday Maggie - we really do LOVE YOU!

Post-Paris Ranch Trip

After Paris Kyle still had a few days off of work so we went out to the Faubion Ranch for a quick overnight trip. We have never seen it so green and flowery - all of the May/June rain was really evident.

 

O & R did a little shooting w/ Kyle but mostly we just drove around in the golfcart. Thankful to have place to go to get away as a fam.

Pre-Paris

Kyle and I went on a Just Us trip to France from May 30th-June 8th and left the kids home w/ rotating grandparent help. More on the trip once I can cull the 1500 pics we took - don't want to break the internet. But a little glimpse into right before we left. 

The morning before we left I woke up to the sound of kids in the kitchen - I kept thinking they'd come in and tell me they were up like they usually do, but they didn't. The pitter-patter continued but it seemed hushed. I peaked out and saw O & R working quietly together (with all the lights off except the pantry).

They caught me and clued me spying and showed me what they were up to.

They each made a little basket of snacks for Kyle and I to take on the plane - all chocolate and sweets and nuts w/ a powdered donut on top! Kyle's was "To Kyle From Owen" and had a drawing of the Eiffel Tower.

Rebecca made mine and drew us flying to the Eifle Tower.

Since we left pretty early on Saturday morning we took the kids to Dahdo and Pam's Friday evening to start their weekend. Got some great hugs and kisses before we left!

With the Magster

With Becca

With Owen

Actually all 5 of us

And while we were traveling on Saturday I got a few hilarious pics from my dad of the kids. 

She's either jumping/flying/crazy or totally in art-mode.

Owen the Scubaman and Half-Down-Naked Maggie

Clearly they were in good hands. Right?!

May Otherness

Kyle's birthday was in May and we had a simple celebration - "shfancy" tacos at a new place w/ Nana and the best Italian cream cake in Austin (thanks Upper Crust).

Kids being silly (I think Rebecca was showing us how cold she was).

Kyle is now in his (ahem) 40th year...

I'm already dreaming about the shin dig I want to have for his 40th...I'm sure he'd probably just prefer a boys weekend to the Ranch, but its really about what I want, right?!?

We gave K a GoPro camera (so much fun!) for his birthday - and Rebecca made him a beautifully decorated bag.

We've had crazy rain in the ATX in May and June and haven't even made it to the pool yet but spent one early afternoon (in between morning and late afternoon rain showers) at a splash pad nearby. Good times.

And I have no idea what this is. Owen is clearly being a good sport.

And I barely know who this is. Rebecca the tiger? Rebecca the ???

I guess Rebecca is in a photo-worthy phase...decorating the draw-on-wash-and-start-over dress for her AG doll Rosalon. And making very buttery toast for ?

Oooh! Tornado warning (or is it watch? whichever one is more serious) night...we hung out in the only interior room w/ no windows (realizing we have a lot of windows) in the house - the closet under the stairs currently featuring the toy kitchen. Kyle was out clothes shopping. Yep - crazy on all fronts.

Rebecca is in a baking-without-help-or-recipes phase. This was a "cake".

It had no leavening agent so her solution to making it tastier was to cover it in chocolate syrup and feed it to her animal/doll friends.

This one turned out a lot better...

So it got purple icing. Owen was just there for moral support and licking.

The final product - I think she called it Purple Coconut Surprise Cake. It was purple, had coconut in it.

And I guess the surprise was that it was actually edible not completely un-tastey.

A waffle covered in sunbutter and syrup. She's into the kitchen-towel full-body napkin these days "because that's how people eat in shows."