Lauren and Quinn's Jungle Birthday Party

Lauren has been talking about her "Jungle Party" for weeks now, so when the day arrived she was thrilled. Because the kids' birthdays are only six days apart, we combined the celebration with family to be a one-stop-shop for Quinn's first and Lauren's third birthday. Following are a bunch of photos for those of you who couldn't join the fun in person:

Jungle animal cupcakes were a little time-consuming, but a hit. We had giraffes, zebras, monkies, tigers and lions. They tasted good too. I got the ideas online.

Jay and I were up late the night before decorating. We hung green streamer strips around doorways and windows to look like jungle grass. It wasn't much, but set the party mood.

Love Wal-Mart for the jungle animal balloons. We had all the kids take one home too.   

This is where I take a moment to thank my man for finishing our basement and creating a fabulous party space.

Lauren with her party "wizzle."

Ready for the fun!

Lauren's buddy Stirling on the "monkey bars." It was a family party, but we consider Wilsons family and Lauren really sees Shannon as a surrogate mom since she tended her for awhile. We also had jungle noises and music playing in the background thanks to Stirling's dad, Clark. 

Playing jungle animals with Monet and Stirling. Lauren is hugging Monet who is a docile tiger.  

Playing jungle animal charades was a quick fun game.

Singing and blowing out the candles.

Claire, Stirling, Nieve, Lauren and Monet.

Nuie and "Cousin Baby" Anya 

Quinn starts his attack on his first cupcake tentatively, but built from there to make the traditional "first birthday cake" mess.

At presents time, Quinn wanted the plastic cup more than the cute soccer ball, books and whale onsie he got. Typical.  

Kites from the Wilsons.

Lauren loved her books from Shaunie and the Coleman kids. 

A highlight at presents was the tent and Dora Memory Game from mom and dad. Both presents were Black Friday finds. We had bought the tent in Reno two Thanksgivings ago, but waited to give it to Lauren and the Dora game we bought in Vegas last Thanksgiving. Lauren had seen it in the storage room several times and we told her to wait for her birthday, so she was really ready for it when she opened it. At the party, Kiera set up the tent and all the kids enjoyed playing in it.

Quinn received a ball, a kite and some books from family and his first "legos" from mom and dad (Vegas Black Friday). Bart got the tower started. Lauren and the other kids liked this present too. Quinn liked sitting in the container.

Becca, Pippa, Quinn, Mommy, Nuie and Anya. Quinn is six months older than his cousins, but about the same size.

Shaunie taking the opportunity to bond with Quinn. Lauren was so excited to have her and Bart at the party. They filled in as the grandparents since neither set could be at the party. My kids just LOVE her.  

Even though the faces don't show it, Claire and Lauren were having a ball playing in the tent and tunnel. It was so fun to have everyone and we look forward to next year!

Lauren's 3!

I remember seeing the little girls in church one Sunday when Lauren was a newborn and thinking to myself how fun it would be when Lauren was 3 and could have a conversation and say funny things and show her cute personality...The time is here and having a 3-year-old is more fun than I could have imagined.

Lauren has been waiting for her birthday for about a month now, ever since she learned it was coming on "Feb. 24" (said without the "th"). The actual day became a little uneventful because we chose the 26th to have her party. Daddy came home with a balloon when she woke up and she got to take a big bubble bath in mommy and daddy's special tub, which she loved. Mommy also made her a pb&j, but cut out a star and heart shapes in the bread. She thought all of this was pretty great and has made sure everyone knows now that she's 3. We love her!

Moving Right Along

With a little help from physical therapy and mostly just time, Quinn is enjoying some newfound freedom as he rolls around the floor to get to things. He got himself caught under his swing. The good-natured boy he is, he didn't cry in frustration, but just sat there until Daddy came to rescue him (after taking the photo of course). He had yet another ear infection (this one scared me a little with his fever exceeding 103), but has remained sweet and happy. If it weren't for the fever and not eat, you wouldn't know he was sick. Thanks to antibiotics, he's back to kicking his feet like a boat motor (a.k.a. normal for Quinn).

Another milestone the physical therapist wanted (believe it or not) is trying to get him to bounce when standing. Apparently this is a skill we all mastered. Gratefully, Shaunie lent us her jumping apparatus and Quinn has been enjoying it. I can't say he's bouncing yet, but he does like to kick his feet in the upright position and has begun turning a bit in it, which is good.

With his progress (and the expense), we decided to bag more physical therapy. We asked the doctor if his lagging physical development would affect his mental development and she said "no," so we felt good about working through the exercises they gave us on our own. In the grand scheme of things if he doesn't start crawling or walking for the next few months, I don't think his college professors will notice.

Buddies

As Quinn gets more mobile and interactive, Lauren is getting more interested in playing with him. Quinn loves the attention from her, even though it usually involves her taking whatever toy he's playing with. She especially likes to make a noise that he tries to imitate. They have this call and return going. She also likes to do anything to get brother to laugh, like take his picture with her toy Elmo camera and say "boop"!

Elmo Slippers Crisis Averted

When we gave Lauren her Elmo slippers for Christmas, we had no idea they would be required footwear for in the house and in the bed. Basically when she's at home - playing or sleeping - she's wearing them. She says she likes that they keep her feet warm. Wal-mart probably didn't anticipate such love when manufacturing them, so in just over a month, Lauren's cute little toes were starting to wear through the soles. Daddy was ready to send Elmo to slipper heaven, but I wasn't raised that way. I took out my needle and some heavy fabric and saved our budget $10 for a new pair. It's not pretty (my mother didn't teach me how to sew), but her toes no longer pop out. We'll see how long the patch lasts.