Happy 4th birthday, Brayden!

I can't believe my baby boy turned 4 this month!  Seems like only yesterday I was spoonfeeding him his milk (yes, I spoonfed him milk 4x a day because he refused any bottle I tried.)

Per his request, we held a small party with our closest friends and family at Johns Incredible Pizza.  We did this last year and he really enjoyed it.  The buffet is actually really good and the kids can play arcade-type games to their hearts content and wear themselves out.  They also offer a couple rides and bumper cars within the restaurant so there's really something for everyone.  For the wee ones there's a small play area dedicated just for them.  For the adults they offer beer so hubby always appreciates that. 

B loves loves loves playdoh so that was the theme for the party.  You're not allowed to decorate much in the room where you eat, which I kinda appreciate because I've gotten super lazy on party décor and such.  Makes it much easier on mom. 

For party favors I ordered sugar cookies and cake pops and of course, we passed out containers of playdoh. 



How cute is this?! We packaged them up individually

Adorable!  And everything is edible



               B's favorite banana cake

                     

The only family pic we took that night

 





Brayden had a blast that night.  He even went on the "big" kid ride that spins around and around.  I was surprised he not only agreed to go, he wanted to go on it again and again. 

My goal for his 5th birthday is to be more prepared and spend  more time organizing it and putting more thought and effort into it.  I always feel so bad because it's right after the holidays so I'm usually mentally drained from the holiday festivities. 

I still can't believe I have a 4 year old!! Stop growing up so fast, Brayden!

 

 

Till next time...

 



The holidays are OVER!

Happy new year!! Here we are, already diving into 2015.  Is it bad that I feel relieved that the holiday hustle and bustle is gone?  I felt incredibly busy and overwhelmed this holiday season (as I do every holiday season, lol)  we had a ton of people to shop for and planning and packing for our Christmas trip to Disneyland was forced to be done so last minute.  Seems ironic to me that the holidays are meant to be a season of happiness yet I feel more and more stressed by the year. Anyone else feel this way?
I did manage to take a few pictures of our tree which Brayden was so proud of.  He loved showing it off and loved going into the living room nightly to stare at it in awe. 

 

We spent the last week of December in California (my mom joined us) and Christmas at Disneyland!  Disneyland was absolutely breathtaking at night.  They had a spectacular firework show and blew tons of snow.  It was very beautiful and memorable, and very very COLD.  I had no idea it gets so cold at night in California! 



 

 

 

 



My little nuggets in their Disney gear
 

Night time was absolutely breathtaking



 It was our first time traveling with both kids and damn I don't know how people do it!  Granted California is only a short distance away, our flight was about 2 hours and both kids did awesome but having to lug the 2 car seats on top of our luggage was no easy task.  Throw in an overly excited toddler and a clingy baby, a nag-about-everything mom (love her) I'm sure we looked like the circus passing through the airport.

 

Disneyland, albeit stunning during the holidays was a complete fail for us.  It was extremely crowded and having to navigate 2 strollers through the sea of people was nearly impossible.  The wait for most of the rides I wanted to go on was 90 minutes long.  Whether or not we were able to ride any of those is your guess!  We did however ride a few kiddy rides in California Adventure and the tea cups were a hit with B.  We also saw the Fantasmic show at nearly 11 pm one night and that was amazing at night time!  Totally recommend taking the time to see if it you are still there late at night.   

 

For NYE hubby and I hit the clubs until 2 am. 

Ha!  I wish!  Even better though, we spent a fun night at a good friend's house for dinner and some light gambling.  Bingo was fun and involved prizes : )

The wonderful host had a cool gold backdrop for us to take fun photos in front of and she even made a bunch of props for everyone to use.  We had a great time!  What better way to ring in the new year with your family and closest friends?

 



 

 

Wishing everyone a fabulous fresh start to a great new year!  I'm excited to see what 2015 will bring our way and hoping it will be another year of great blessings. 

 

 

Till next time!