Twins
Flashback Friday: Happy 5th Birthday!
Karlie with her Rocket Cake and Brina with her Princess Castle Cake made by Aunt Kristen!
Today we flashback to February 2010 when the girls turned 5 years old! It was a fun birthday party at our house. We did a dual theme for the girls this year which was a lot more work than I initially realized! Karlie was really into space and rockets while Brina was into princesses.
Half of the house and party was about Space and the other half was about Princesses. The nice part about the theme is that it appealed to both the boys and girls who attended the party. We did a castle out of cardboard in Brina’s room and a rocket out of cardboard for Karlie that was put on the front porch.
Somehow we didn’t get a picture of Karlie’s room inside the house where we put black trash bags on all the walls, stuck glow in the dark planets and stars on them, and replaced the lights with black lights. It turned out really well, but it was darker so none of the pictures actually turned out which is a bummer.
Aunt Kristen made the beautiful and delicious cakes for the girls birthday, which they LOVED! The girls had a wonderful time celebrating their birthday and we are thankful for our family and friends who helped with the party and came out to make this day extra special for the girls. Thankful for the blessing of these two girls!
Checking out the cool rocket that Daddy, Grandpa Russell, Uncle Lee, and Uncle Josh stayed up after the kids went to bed to build.
They had no idea that the guys were building a rocket (and castle, see below) for them! As they were eating breakfast the guys rang the doorbell and “delivered” their special party props! They were so excited!
Karlie hugging her rocket (notice she is wearing her favorite rocket pjs)! Too cute! She was thrilled and kept going back outside to play with her rocket!
Had to check everything out!
After a few minutes of coming back into the house the back doorbell rang and the guys delivered the other party prop, a giant cardboard castle! Daddy, Grandpa Russell, Uncle Lee, and Uncle Josh worked on putting this together and painting it after the girls went to bed the night before the party. They were super excited!
The castle was huge! They are standing on chairs in order to peek through it! The castle was a big hit in the princess room!
Dad and Grandpa Russell putting the finishing touches on the castle! It had a tower, door, and even a roman numeral “V” flag on it!
Time for all the princesses and princes to come to the party! The castle was a big hit with all the kids!
Karlie all smiles as she sits by the easel. She loved coming outside to check on her rocket which was next to the easel!
Hanging out in her rocket as people started arriving. Very content to stay right there with her special rocket!
Brina’s princess cake turned out beautifully – thanks Aunt Kristen!
Karlie LOVED her rocket cake! Thank you Aunt Kristen!
Lighting the candles! Kristen put candles at the back of the rocket so it looked like it was taking off – so cool!
Getting something to eat and hanging out with cousins!
Grandma Penny and Brina putting a puzzle together! Super fun!
Hiking & Tracking Animals in the Snow
Hiking through the woods
Most kids love to go sledding, building a snowman, make snow angels, and more crazy stuff in the snow. One of the first things our kids want to do is take a hike in the woods. They love going through the woods, checking out the stream, and looking for various animal tracks in the snow. We saw a lot of animal tracks and most of them I knew what they were there was only one set that had me stumped….still haven’t quite figured it out even after looking up pictures.
One of our favorite stops by the stream. Always gurgling down hill even on the snowy days.
Lots of deer tracks going through the woods after the snow and ice stopped.
Karlie looking for animal tracks.
Karlie loves being outside.
Brina brought the sled and was sledding down hills on our hike. She managed to go around most trees.
Little tracks….
This was the one that perplexed me, it was as big as my hand and had 5 claws (or toes).
Lots of little bird tracks.
Skipper goes swimming in the creek even when its icy cold and snowing!
Little bird…
Cat paw prints.
Hanging out in the woods.
Talking, walking, and having fun in the woods.
Karlie loves getting out of school for snow days!
Brina & Karlie’s Birthday Party
Silly kids! They wanted a goofy picture with the banner.
We did a small birthday party celebration this year for the girls 10th birthday. My parents were in town and my brothers family came over to celebrate with us. The kids had fun eating cake, opening gifts, and playing with family. We got to try out some of their neat gifts too which was fun! They are officially 10 years old (still cannot believe it).
It has been a wild couple of weeks with all the snow days from school. I have been spending more time playing outside with the kids since they have been home more the past two weeks. The disadvantage to all the fun is that I am behind on my blogging. It has been fun, but I promised to get caught up soon. A lot of fun stuff has been going on around our house lately!
Happy 10th Birthday Girls!
Ready for some strawberry cupcakes and blue velvet cake!?
Lots of flames! Happy Birthday Brina and Karlie!
Brina relaxing!
My nephews helped the girls open their gifts.
Checking it out!
Flashback Friday: Giggles & Sweet Cheeks
Brina and Karlie all smiles!
Today’s flashback Friday takes us back a few years to 2005 when the girls were only 7 months old. They had the cutest pinchable and kissable cheeks during those early growing years. When they were not exploring, eating, or learning new activities they were giggling.
It was adorable when they would make each other laugh over something silly. After 12 weeks bedrest, a month in NICU, and 5 months on house arrest it was nice to get out and explore with the little ones. Although leaving the house with two infant carriers, diaper bag, purse, stroller, and all other little necessities at that age was quite an adventure in itself.
At that age they didn’t have much hair so we would use washable Elmer’s glue to stick their little bows to their heads, ha. When we gave them a bath it would come right off! It is difficult to believe that these giggling 7 month olds turned double digits last month! Time goes by quickly when your having fun.
Flashback Friday: Happy 4th Birthday
Happy 4th Birthday!
Today’s Flashback Friday brings us back to the girls 4th Birthday Party Celebration! The theme was “Under the Sea”! We had a great group of family and friends join us for the celebration. The kids had fun playing games, eating delicious cake, and snacks!
We had two main games for the party – pin the tail on Willy the Whale and the favorite game for the event, for both the kids and adults, the Goldfish Races!!! We picked up the goldfish at the pet store the day before the party. We used a long and flat storage container to put the water in and divided it down the middle with a board. Two people were given straws to blow on the water to get their fish to swim faster. The person whose fish to got to the other side first wins! All the kids got to take a fish home with them at the end of the event (not sure this was the highlight for the parents, but the kids liked taking a fish home with them).
Grandma Kay made Karlie a shark cake!
Grandma Kay made Brina a turtle cake!
Fascinated by the cool cake! Thanks Grandma!
Grandma Kay and Brina racing their fish! Super fun!
Jack showing off the fish he is taking home with him. Karlie enjoying a treat!
Hung streamers on the wall and put a variety of fish on them!
Karlie blowing on the water with her straw to get her fish to swim faster!
Luke and Kristen racing their fish!
Mandy and Sam racing their fish!
The fish races were so much fun the kids did them several times!
Josh and Rachel racing their fish! Even the adults had fun doing this activity!
Fish snacks anyone?!
The kids enjoying some snacks!
Pin the tail on Wally the Great White Whale! The kids did pretty good with this game!
Birthday Celebration
Happy Birthday breakfast
The girls got two of their birthday wishes on their birthday – one was that they would have snow on their birthday and the second was that they would not have to go to school because of a snow day. They got both wishes and were very excited. It’s not every day you get out of school on a Wednesday for snow in South Carolina. Thankful for these two girls and look forward to many more amazing memories this year with them. They each got to pick out what they wanted to eat for their birthday breakfast. For their special birthday dinner they wanted a Seafood Meal at home.
Karlie had eggs with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese in them.
Brina had a slice of cinnamon swirl breakfast cake.
My sister-in-law Becky shared a chocolate cake recipe with me that was both egg and dairy free so I decided to try it for their birthday. It turned out really well. They loved it. You couldn’t even tell that it was egg and dairy free. The flavor reminded me of my Grandma Doris Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake she used to make from scratch.
The girls wrote out a list of inside and outside activities they wanted to do on their birthday since they were home from school due to the snow. Even though they didn’t get to do all the items on the list I would say they did the majority of them. We packed a lot of fun activities into the day.
For their family birthday dinner they requested a seafood meal and specifically asked for King Crab. They love seafood and the King Crab was a hit and they are getting better at digging out the meat without assistance.
Jake and I picked up Mai-Mahi steak burgers to try as well for their seafood birthday meal. The Mai-Mahi steak with the fresh bakery bun, lettuce, and tomatoes were a tasty hit too! Thankful for our girls and that we can celebrate another birthday with them!
Flashback Friday: Happy 3rd Birthday!
Happy 3rd Birthday Girls!
Today’s Flashback Friday goes back to 2008 for the girls 3rd birthday! We did a Garden & Bug theme for this birthday party. It was neat seeing them getting excited as we decorated for the birthday party. They had a blast! It is amazing how quickly they are growing up.
The family is ready to celebrate at their 3rd birthday party! WooHoo!
Grandma Kay made the delicious birthday cakes for the girls. Brina had a bumble bee, Karlie had a ladybug, and the big cake was a flower garden. They looked adorable! Jake’s Mom makes some amazing cakes!
Brina and Karlie with Grandma Kay right before the birthday party!
Watching the candles as the guests sing Happy Birthday! So excited!
Checking out the candles and their cakes!
Karlie eating little bits while Brina digs right now!
Brina’s ready for clean up…I think it’s Jake turn to hose her down, ha!
Karlie eating her cake and enjoying the fun!
Snacking on their yummy party food!
When they were little we pulled the cooler up the counter so they could stand on it and “help” us cook. Food is ready now the party can begin!
Opening their birthday gifts!
Happy 10th Birthday Brina & Karlie! We Love You!
Happy Birthday Brina & Karlie!
Wishing our two beautiful daughters a very special 10th birthday! Today is a bitter sweet day. They now in the double digits which feels like such a big step in them growing up. We are so excited to be celebrating our twin daughters 10th birthday, but at the same time we are in shock that they could be turning 10 already. The time has gone by way too fast and our babies are growing up!
Thankful for these two amazing blessings in our life. There is not a day that goes by that we do not thank God for giving us these two precious gifts. God has richly blessed our lives with these sweethearts.
Brina and Karlie both fill our home with excitement, laughter, and a lot of fun activity. While they were born on the same day they could not be more different. Thankful for the gifts and talents God has given each one. Brina has a big heart for animals and Karlie has dreams of one day blasting off into space! We are proud of them and look forward to watching them grow up into beautiful young ladies.
Praying that God will continue to work in their hearts and lives this year as well as give us wisdom as parents in raising them. Wishing them a year packed for awesome memories, growth, good health, and so much more! Happy 1oth Birthday Brina and Karlie! We LOVE you more than you can imagine!!! Hope your birthday is truly OUT OF THIS WORLD!
We LOVE you!!!
Flashback Friday: Let’s Have a Ball – 2nd Birthday Party
Having a “ball” in the swimming pool ball pit!
Today’s Flashback Friday is about Brina and Karlie’s 2nd “Having A Ball” Birthday Party! In case you haven’t noticed for this month my flashback posts have primarily been about the girls early birthday parties. We had balls every where in the house! The kids loved it!!!
It is really cool to look back at the pictures and see how much they have grown. It has been a lot of fun seeing some of the great activities from the past. Thankful for the blessings of these two treasures in my life. They make me smile!
Look out here comes Brina, watch your toes!
Balls emptied out of the pool and filled with books. The girls are having a grand time.
Brina all smiles!
Karlie very concerned about her cake being on fire while Brina is digging in regardless of the candles.
Eating their birthday cakes – Karlie eventually ate her cake once the candles were removed.
Grandma Kay made two delicious birthday cakes for the rest of the group celebrating – a baseball one and beach ball!
What happened to our front door!?
Karlie having a grand time!
Our cousin Sam! So adorable!
Playing in the pool ball pit with Jack!
The only picture we shot of all four of us at this birthday party. Guess we got busy with the celebrations!
Loving their musical birthday cards from Grandpa Russell and Grandma Penny. They listened to them over and over again!
Jake looks like he is up to mischief…..wonder what he is planning to do with that big purple ball?!
Grateful for family and friends who joined us in celebrating the girls 2nd birthday!
Creative Play – Karlie’s Fun Shop
Karlie’s Fun Shop!
I love it when my kids get creative during their play time! When they use their imagination it also stimulates creative thinking, analyzing, organization, math skills, and uses a variety of other great educational skills. One of the activities they enjoy doing is creating a store complete with products, cash register, hours, and more.
Setting up a store takes time and planning. They really have fun pretending to sell us various goodies. The store names change and products change from time to time, however, I have noticed that they are becoming more efficient and organized at setting up and running a store.
These activities allow them to practice some wonderful entrepreneurial skills which will be beneficial for them later in life! Sometimes only one of the kids runs the store and other times it is a joint adventure. On this particular day Karlie was the one who decided to “set up shop”! She took time in selecting her merchandise, setting it up, creating a name, advertising her products and hours, and selling her inventory to her customers (aka family members).
Some items displayed in Karlie’s Fun Shop that will appeal to a variety of people!
She has all her products neatly displayed for her customers to see and purchase (looks like she has some great educational items for sale)!
