The 4th is With Her

Today my little sunshine turns four years old. While she hasn’t been a baby for quite some time, I feel like the transition from three to four somehow launches her firmly into the realm of girl. A girl with likes and preferences and opinions. A girl who knows what she wants. And what she wants is Star Wars.

 

So when I saw this pool noodle lightsaber pin from the queen of geeky girlyness (girly geekyness?), Jen of Epbot and Cake Wrecks, I knew we had to make them happen for Sunday’s party. A quick Google search turned up a variety of tutorials, and Paul locked himself in the office for a couple of hours to give each lightsaber its own unique flair.

Veronica picked a green one, of course.

 

Needless to say, they were a hit. Ba-dum ching.

 

Other fun included daring aerial acrobatics…

 

Drinking pool water out of a pair of goggles (because that’s what two-year-olds do)…

 

And trying to keep the wrong end (right end?) of the bottle in Ari’s mouth.

 

Here’s a more appropriate object for her to chew on. Opa, show her how it’s done!

 

That’s better.

 

This watermelon was originally going to be a shark, but in keeping with the Star Wars vibe a few small changes turned it into the giant asteroid worm (apparently also known as an Exogorth, thanks Google).

 

And of course, there was the infamous (to my Facebook friends) Darth Vader cake. Since Veronica specifically requested a Darth Vader cake - also thanks to Jen of Cake Wrecks and her nifty book - I gave it my best shot. I still think that Vader got the better of this epic battle, but my valiant husband did step in and keep it from becoming a total disaster. 

 

So this tired mama’s heart melted when Veronica saw the finished product and said, “It’s perfect for me, Mom.”

 

She gets a little shy when she’s the center of attention.

 

Though she was more than happy to pose for a picture with one of her new toys.

 

While Jacinta quietly helped herself to the rest of the frosting.

 

The next morning, Veronica was up early to play with her new collection. Excited, much?

 

Jacinta was ready for fun, too. Complete with heavy breathing.

 

Today – Veronica’s actual birthday - we treated her to breakfast in bed, a favorite tradition from my husband’s childhood. Which he totally made happen while I groggily tried to remember how the camera worked.

Happy Birthday, Veronica! I can’t believe it’s been four years, but we love you more today than ever!

Midnight Movie?

Last time, on Jacinta’s Midnight Exploits: the ability of a certain two-year-old to open the refrigerator paired with her propensity to occasionally wander around the house in the middle of the night prompts Mom and Dad to slide a vacuum attachment through the refrigerator door handles. A surprisingly effective child deterrent.

And now, for today’s episode.

One night last week, I woke in the wee hours of the morning to a light shining into our semi-open bedroom doorway. Since we hadn’t left any lights on, I knew it could only mean one thing: someone was up and about when they should have been sleeping. And I had a pretty good guess as to who it was.

 

Exhibit A: There is only one person in our house who has both the dexterity and the skinny arms necessary to remove DVDs from the drawer despite the presence of a child latch.

 

Exhibit B: A trail of movies leading to the perpetrator’s hideout.

 

And finally, Exhibit C: A child who, having obtained some of her favorite movies to accompany her to bed, tucked herself in and fell back to sleep.

Good thing we locked that refrigerator, eh?

Celebrating Independence

Veronica and Jacinta wanted to show off the firecrackers they made yesterday. Paper towel tube, scrapbook paper, stickers, and pipe cleaners – super easy.

Veronica is camping with her grandparents now, but the rest of us will be celebrating by grilling, eating, swimming and reading the Declaration of Independence. Not necessarily in that order (urp).

Happy 4th everyone!