Grace's 4th Birthday Party!

Grace had her first "big" birthday party this year. At a silent auction that Sid and I attended a few months ago we won a pony ride and birthday cake. So, though we had planned to have a big bash for her 5th birthday we went ahead and blew it out this year. (And probably a good idea since next year we will have a 6 month old as well...yikes!) So, we threw her a pink and purple (her favorite colors) white pony bash and she had a blast! The pony, Molly, is 14 years old and is very sweet and slow. The children loved her-especially Grace, who of course rode her the most. Molly came a little early so that Grace and Isaac could have some "alone" time with her. I am very glad that we did that as Grace rode her for 20 minutes and was reluctant to even give Isaac a ride.

All in all the party went very well. There was no crying - all of the girls got to ride the pony as much as they wanted to and the food was great. It did help that we had adult beverages as this forces parents to relax and allow their children a little more freedom than usual and also a lot more sugar than usual.

I have a feeling that when Grace wakes up in the morning she is going to go thru withdrawals from all of the fun, attention, and hype. What will she have to look forward to now?!
Grace riding Molly. Grace and Ryen- These two always seem to have so much fun together.

Isaac was mesmerized with Molly. For the first 30 minutes she was here he would not let her out of his sight but didn't want to get too close. Eventually he ended up walking behind her and then finally he decided to pet her. From there he was willing to ride her and he did great; even asking for "Mo!"

Cousin Margaret came to the party. Aunt L and Nana did too- but sadly I didn't get any good pictures of them.

Grace invited her friends Ryen, Hayden, Addie, Macon, Elizabeth, and Lauren. Here all of the girls are learning about the pony and getting to brush her.

This is Grace's cake- We had matching paisley napkins. Of course. I wish I could say that I made this beautiful cake, but I did not. However, it was one of the most amazing cakes I have ever seen. It matched the invitation to a T! The colors and everything were identical- to top it all off the cake was delicious. We were all very impressed.

Here is Grace blowing out her candle. I went with one "number 4" to minimize the spit factor.

My friend Ashley took this picture. Not sure when she took it b/c the minute Grace blew out the candle she was bossing me as to what piece to cut for her.

And in good form she only ate the frosting. Every last bit of it.

Isaac however enjoyed the entire cake. He also loved the ice cream and asked for more. He was not allowed to sit at the "girls'" table as directed by his sister.

The Loot.

The food. We had Chili's cater and I made a fruit tray and salsa (which was delicious if I do say so myself.) I felt kind of bad since I didn't make the cake or the food- but it was just not realistic for me to do it all in my "condition." And truthfully Grace didn't notice or care - so I am giving myself a break on this one!

Isaac playing with one of Grace's new toys. He had a hard time giving it up. Can't wait until tomorrow!

I did have one craft- I bought all of the girls a pink foam cowgirl hat and they decorated them with markers and stickers. This is Grace with her hat, her "flower" ponies and her beloved balloons. I was so thankful that she let me take this picture of her.

Ocean Isle Beach Trip

We got back from our 5 gorgeous days at the beach on Sunday. We had one of our best beach trips ever. Nana met us at the beach and shared a room with Grace. Isaac started saying her name and calls her "Ana." It is absolutely precious. Uncle Ben didn't make it this year and he was definitely missed. I think we have finally figured out "our style." Two years ago we stayed on Ocean Isle and spent our beach days there as well. Last year we stayed on Sunset Beach (the island just south of Ocean Isle) because the actual beach itself is the most amazing beach I have ever been on. This year we stayed on Ocean Isle- where there is lots to do- and spent most of our beach time on Sunset Beach...just about 10 minutes away. Our close friends the Kizakevichs were at Sunset Beach so we all had a great time hanging out. The other thing that made this trip so fun was the house we rented was on one of the channels connected to the Intercoastal Waterway. We loved sitting on the deck watching the boats come in. We had lots of swimming neighbors and of course Sid had ample fishing time. We also brought our bikes down with the bike trailer and rented a bike for Nana. We rode our bikes everywhere...especially the ice cream parlor. Our first morning at the beach. Grace and Isaac start the day off with chocolate frosted, sprinkled donuts.

We spent the first day at Ocean Isle Beach and the water was rough.

Keeping watch on Isaac makes for a sore back. Ocean Isle is a "shelly" beach.

This is Sunset Beach. See how long the tide flows after it breaks? The little kids can actually play in this water and you do not have to worry about constant drowning.

Isaac LOVED splashing in the water.

This is Grace's best friend Hayden and her daddy Paul. Hayden wears goggles almost all of the time. Literally.

Taking a snack break.

Grace and Nana spend some down time on the patio of our house- right off of the dock.

Sid trying to catch some bait fish.

Daddy and Grace at the ice cream parlor.

Everyone at the ice cream parlor.

Goof Balls.

Big sister loves to tickle little brother.

There was this great little park right across from the ice cream parlor and next to one of the channels. We went there a couple times and the kids loved it. On Friday night a band set up right next to the park and the whole island came out to listen. It was a lot of fun.

Grace loves tire swings. She knows they are more fun when others swing too. She was always on the hunt for a companion...and of course not afraid to ask!

Chillin'.

Who needs the beach when you can play in the sprinkler?!

Sid supervises the digging of the sand pit. Here we have Grace, Hayden, Isaac and Evan (hat).

Isaac on the dock.

It's the Fourth of July and we are waiting for the Kizakevichs to pick us up on the boat for a ride.