It’s hard to believe I’ve been a mom now for 5 years! Wow how my life has changed! It’s funny how life goes from one extreme to the other. To me, going out to eat or to a movie with Mike is a rare treat, and yet 5 years ago I was so bored and sick of going out to eat and movies all the time. Just funny how there is no in between.But back to the birthday! Kaitlyn and Mackenzie had a great birthday! On the actual day my mom and I took all the kids to this new playscape at Sugar Creek Baptist Church. They actually have a free play area open to the public and I had heard it was well-contained, so I gave it a try. A fun time was had by all! That night we opened presents with Daddy and had ice cream instead of cake (since I was going to make the cakes the next day so they would be fresh for the birthday party). Kaitlyn most liked her Bendaroos and Mackenzie most liked her princess dress!
The next day I spent what seemed like the entire day baking a cake and cupcakes for Saturday’s big day. This is very a-typical of me. Not that I can’t bake a cake, but it’s not my forte, and more than that, I generally just don’t have the time or energy to do such things. It would be much more my style to just order the cakes and go pick them up. And then not worry about how they taste or look! So why did I do it? I just wanted better cake than the usual bakery stuff! I’m not big on store-bought cakes, even at good bakeries! So I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but before I was through, I think between doing that and all that I already had to do to take care of the kids, I was on my feet just standing there for about 5 hours! It killed me! I gained a whole new respect for chefs! But I have to say I was very proud of how they turned out! Delish! And my decorating job on the cake was not too bad either! I didn’t think it would have turned out as good as it did. So I couldn’t mention the birthday without mentioning the cakes.
Then Saturday came…birthday at Bounce U! So nice and easy! Loved it! The kids had a great time! All the kids especially loved the giant slide! Kaitlyn and Mackenzie had fun on that and they enjoyed playing in the sports arena as well. Then they learned how to play air hockey. Kaitlyn got upset because Mackenzie kept scoring and she didn’t, so did have to deal with a mini-meltdown toward the end. Thankfully it was nothing cake and presents couldn’t fix!
Speaking of presents, for those that are not in the birthday party stage of life, you may be surprised to know that at most parties there is no longer time set aside for opening presents. I can definitely see the advantages of that, but after much thought, I think it is still important that kids open their presents at their party in front of their guests. I think it teaches the kids HOW to receive a gift. It gives them the opportunity to personally thank the giver and teaches them manners and social graces. For the giver, I find it strange to just drop off a gift at a party and it never be seen again. Of course the parents send thank you notes in the mail but to children who can’t read they only half pay attention when I read them the note. Plus kids WANT to see what the birthday girl or boy gets! And lastly I think it is important for the kids to sit there and be happy for the birthday boy or girl and know that they will have their turn when it is their own birthday. Can you guess which one we did?
Bounce U actually did a great job – they practically made a game out of opening presents which really got the kids involved. We were very happy with how it all turned out. Other favorite presents included legos, art stuff, Kaitlyn liked her Tinkerbell teapot, and Mackenzie went crazy over her Smurf video! I would post more pics if I could figure out how to add a slideshow, but I think the way mine are formatted I can’t do it. Happy 5th birthday to my beautiful and AMAZING girls, Kaitlyn and Mackenzie! It is hard to believe that much time has gone by. They are at a really fun age right now!
Hi Dop!! Sounds like a great birthday. It is hard to believe the girls are already 5 and headed to kindergarten soon!!
ReplyDeleteOn the opening presents topic... I am torn on that one. Up until last year we always had parties at home so opening presents was one of the "events." Then last year we had the party at an indoor pool, and we hadn't really decided whether to open or not, we just ran out of time. It did feel a little weird to open all those presents at home, by ourselves. But I'm torn because I can see lots of meltdowns, etc from younger kids that have to sit there and watch another kid get presents... but then again there is an opportunity to teach them that life is not all about them. So I don't know?! Maybe I talked myself back to your point!
Hi Kimberly, I'm so glad you found my blog!! There are only a handful of us out there so it's always nice to connect with another mom of multiple multiples!
ReplyDeleteMy big twins will be turning 5 in a couple months and we're doing the same thing for their b-day party....the local bounce house place. I've always had parties at our home but they are SO much work and I'm not a natural born entertainer so I was relieved this year when my husband agreed to have their party elsewhere. And yeah the presents thing....I'm kind of mixed on that subject. I like the idea of not having to take the time to open the presents at the party because the kids could be playing during that time. Most kids have a hard time sitting sit watching the b-day kids opening 30 gifts. But then again, I do agree with you that it does teach our kids how to show appreciation and be thankful when they do open gifts in front of others.
Your girls are beautiful!!!!!
BTW, I belong to a yahoo e-mail group for moms of multiple multiples!! If you don't already know about this group, I'd be happy to send you an invite so you can join us! Just let me know :-)
Oh and I read your comment in your other post about 4 kids, 2 b-day parties. That's one of the things I always tell others when they ask what the advantages are of having 2 sets of twins. I always say, "4 kids, only 2 b-day parties a year...need I say more?"
ReplyDeleteYAY .. I fellow blogger! I saw your comment ... I too have a family blog. Ours started in 2004 when we were in the process of adopting maliah. At the time, I actually had an entire website dedicated to her .. www.journeytomaliah.com. Once we were home, I didn't blog as often and began receiving e-mails from adoption friends all over the world wanting to know where we went. SO .. we then created "Martine Madness" so we could post the ins and outs of the whole fam. It's not fancy .. and I could use a "blog makeover" but it is fun. Did you know you can send your blog and have it made into a book. An awesome way to keep a family journal .. it took me 10 minutes to create and literally came in a hard bound and beautiful book. I did 2008 recently and will do the same for 2009 in the future. The site was called like blog2print I think. Anyways .. can't wait to follow you along. Beautiful family!
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