Birthday Cookie (and Rainbows) Party

Rebecca and Esther's birthdays are only 16 days apart, so we chose to have their parties at the same time as one big birthday bash. They had a great time! Rebecca started asking in January for a rainbow party, so I had most of the food concepts planned for that, and I ran across a very cute idea for a cookies & milk birthday party for a first birthday, so that is what we did with rainbows thrown in to make it big enough to feed the masses.

The three dishes along the side were for popcorn and two types of cookies, we had sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles on the left, a rainbow of fruit in the middle, and the girls' cakes in the back with the rainbow of flowers.

Esther's cake was decorated with piped buttercream ruffles.

Rebecca's cake was simply frosted, but there was a surprise on the inside!

Rebecca wanted to paint sun catchers with her friends.

Esther LOVES cards!

Surprise! White on the outside and a rainbow on the inside! 

The colours were done using fruit & vegetable juices rather than the more traditional food colours, which resulted in a more muted set of colours, but lots of different flavours in the cake!

Esther was very excited about her cake! :)

And, what the first birthday cake is really about.... letting the baby make a mess!

Mess-making was a success!

Halloween

Rebecca and Esther were dressed as fairies this year, and Elias went as a dog.

I don't remember what happened, but I thought the picture was cute. :)

A firedog for the firetruck! 

Our Baby is One Year Old!

October 26 marked Esther's first birthday!

It's always hard to believe when they reach that first birthday.

My parents gave her the push & ride doll thing... she LOVES it. She refuses to share it with her siblings! This is okay-- they are too big for it, really, anyway!

Rebecca was very excited to use her own money to purchase Esther a gift this year. She chose a stacking owl toy. Esther likes the stick that runs up the middle better than the rest of the toy. :)

Visiting Mooshum

My dad has worked with the military every summer for a long time. I think at least 10 years, but I'm not sure. Anyway, this year he went there in June while we were visiting, so we took a drive up to visit him on Father's Day. We went to a playground for about an hour, and then headed off to Swiss Chalet for dinner.

I think this is the best picture I got of all the grandkids with my parents!

No hands!

Esther at Seven Months!

Because I forgot to take six month pictures!!!

While we were at Massanutten with my parent, my grandmother passed away, and so the children and I drove north with my parents. It was a long drive! They did great though, and we had a good visit.

Elias loves everything living. Including little pill bugs. He loved finding them while we were at my parents house in June. 

Massanutten Petting Farm

My children love to visit the petting farm at home, and Massanutten has one of their own!

Petting a baby pot bellied pig.

Feeding the goats

A very friendly pony!

Elias loved the lambs!

Rebecca was determined to feed them.

They had a brand new baby llama. :)