Today we had a birthday party for Lilly. We invited 11 of her friends. Gus had the day off so I had a lot of help, which I desperately needed with 11 children.
The theme was "Lilly's Sweet Shop". These were the invitaions we sent out:
We bought a TON of candy and set up a sweet shop table. We also decorated the house and hung candy decorations and pom poms from the ceiling.
It was such a fun day for Lilly. We made candy lei's, played duck-duck-goose, had a bean bag toss, a scavenger hunt, a cake walk, ate cupcakes, and opened presents. After each game the kids each got a ticket to use at the end of the party to buy candy from "Lilly's Sweet Shop". Lilly even served them herself.
This year Lilly has Joy School on Tuesday, and Thursday mornings, and then every Wednesday all the kids go on a field trip. I have volunteered to go on every one so far. I love spending time with Lilly and her friends and enjoy taking pictures of all thier fun adventures.
On the 15th we took the kids to Frying Pan Farm Park. They were able to see so many fun animals including tiny baby piglets. Lilly told me that she wanted one for her birthday. Hmmmm... probably not.
It was a beautiful day and we had lots of fun.
Emerson taking Lilly and Addie for a ride
On the 22nd we took the kids to the Washington DC Temple. We walked quietly through the grounds (well, tried to), and looked at the remaining flowers of the season. Then we met up with our friend Ie Li and her 3 kids at the visitors center. The kids watched a movie and then looked at all the sculpters. On the way home we stopped off at some picnic tables to eat lunch. The kids all had lots of fun.
On the 29th we took the kids to Cox Farm. It was the perfect day. Nice, cool weather and no crowds. Lilly loved the slides, but her favorite part of the day was a cat she found roaming the grounds. She followed the cat around and kept hugging him. At one point we watched the cat climb the hill to the biggest slide. We all joked that he wanted to go down the slide too. Sure enough, when the cat got to the top he stood in line and then jumped onto the slide and went right down. It was pretty amazing (wish I would have gotten a picture of it).
Last weekend we took a family trip to Virginia Beach. We have decided to make it a tradition to go the weekend after Labor Day when all the kids have gone back to school. There are less people, lower hotel prices, and the weather is still great!
On Friday, Gus wanted to work a half day before we headed down. So, Lilly and I picked him up from work and headed down from there.
We arrived at around 7:00 and checked into our sketchy hotel. This was our first Priceline experience gone bad. Yes, we paid about $100 a night which is really cheap, but it was a pretty run down hotel. Our room was a little gross, but the sheets were clean. I guess we sacrificed a nice hotel for a great location. We were right on the shore with an amazing view of the ocean. But we probably won't stay there again.
The next morning we woke up bright and early and took a family walk down to the pier. Then we put on our swimsuits and headed down to the beach. Lilly had a great time letting the waves chase her, building sandcastles, and gathering seashells and sticks.
At one point she saw Gus out catching a few waves and decided to run out after him. The waves pulled her right in, then spit her out and started to pull her in again when Gus finally got to her. She was pretty shaken up, and so was I. After that she decided to keep her distance from the water.
After a long day on the beach we decided to go clean up. After we were ready for the day we rented a family bike. We peddled up and down the oceanfront and had a lot of fun.
While we were on the bike we came upon a band playing on the side of the Boardwalk. This band had about 15 members and all of them were over the age of 70. It was great. Lilly thought it was great dancing music.
That night we went to Applebee's for dinner and Cold Stone for dessert. Then we headed down to the beach to make one last sandcastle.
The next morning we packed up our stuff and headed home.
For Labor day we went out to Fairfax Lake for a little family outing. We took a ride in the boat that goes around the lake. Lilly thought it was so much fun.
Then of course, Lilly had to ride on the carousel.
Between dance classes, playdates, visiting friends, and saying goodbye to friends moving away, we have stayed pretty busy over the past few weeks.
We have had a few good friends move this summer, and it has been hard on Lilly. To be honest, it's been hard on me too. One of those friends was Sadie, and Lilly and Sadie loved each other.
I told Lilly to give Sadie a big hug. Instead she picked her up and swung her around.
Another one of those friends was Mei Li. Her mom, Ie Li invited us out to swim at their pool on Thursday. Abby and Sadie met us there as well. It was so fun to hang out with those girls. I have really missed Ie Li, and I will really miss Abby too.
Lilly had such a fun time playing with her friends.
Mei Li, Sadie, and Lilly
On Friday, Lilly finished up her ballet and tap class.
On a different note, Lilly has recently been dragging everything into her bed with her before she falls asleep. Its always fun to check on her after she is asleep and see what she is sleeping with. Well tonight she slept with pretty much everything she owns.
Chris and I have been married for over ten years. I graduated with a BA from the University of Utah, and Chris completed his MBA in 2007. We live in Washington, DC and Chris works at the Pentagon. Lilly is eight and is a bundle of energy. Our twin boys Jax and Rook were born on July 13, 2009; they quietly passed away that same day. In November 2011 we welcomed another little boy, Leo. He has been such a joy in our house. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband, two amazing children, and two special angels waiting for us on the other side. I have so many reasons to smile, and love sharing our stories with you.
