Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Hooray! I am FOUR!!! I woke up super excited (and super early!) this morning! I wanted to go downstairs to see the decorations (I was very specific that there must be decorations... balloons, strings, and hats most importantly). There was even a present waiting on me!

Ready to be a good knight!

I asked for banana bread for breakfast, which was delicious. Nana sent us some cinnamon chips last week, so it was extra special banana bread!

One of my favorite things at the grocery store is the little jugs of milk. They are just so cute! And Mommy got me my very own one for today! You wouldn't believe how excited I was over this...

Speaking of excited, I was very excited to go outside and see my John Deere tractor!

Perfect for my gardening!

Except it was a little rainy today, so we brought it inside. Look who fits perfectly in the trailer!

After playing with my toys for a bit, we got ready and went to get ice cream with our friends.

Yum!

They had a fun playground outside, where I got to show off my new 4 year old smile!

We played on the swings,

And I got to dunk a basketball!

After naps for everyone (except me, I mean, who can sleep on such an exciting day?!), our friends came to our house for a BBQ. The girls took a turn on the tractor for a bit.

Of course we ate lots of yummy food and Fanta, my favorite.

There wasn't cake, but there were amazing cupcakes!

Yes, they are chocolate with cookie dough frosting. I lost count of how many I ate. But it's my birthday, so that's ok. Right?

It was a very fun day! I can't wait for my next birthday! 

How many more days until that happens?

Pre-Birthday Fun!

My birthday is finally here! Well, it will be here tomorrow anyway. I have been counting down for months. Literally. One of the things I have been begging to do is go to the Disney store at the mall. Can you blame me? 

It is amazing! So many things to see! Cars...

Planes...

Frozen...

Riley Cates loved Minnie Mouse the best!

I pretty much loved everything!

Grannie Pammie told me to pick out some of my favorites for my birthday. It was really hard to choose, but I am so happy with my new planes!

And, yes, I did get a big boy hair cut just in time for my birthday! Mommy can't believe how big I look!

I don't know if I will even be able to sleep tonight... Tomorrow is a big day!

Gardening

We decided to make our own little garden today. First, it is important to dig some holes. If you can't find a shovel, a small piece of wood will do.

Then you need something to plant. If all else fails, you can always plant paint brushes. Of course, they will not grow, but they are colorful, and they will scare the birds away from anything else you do plant, like the ends of the green beans Mommy is cooking for dinner. Those will grow, right?

Whatever you do, just enjoy the beautiful day in the garden!

Fun With Cheerios

Riley Cates and I decided to make ourselves a bowl of Cheerios for a little mid-morning snack. We are so helpful!

So helpful, in fact, that we got to be good helpers at cleaning up afterwards!

(Sorry that these pictures are so blurry. Mommy said she didn't realize that the camera was on the wrong setting until it was too late!)

(And yes, Riley Cates did pick her own outfit...)

School Time

While many of our friends in the States are enjoying the beginning of their summer breaks, we decided to start school! School in England doesn't end for another six weeks, and we needed a bit of a routine now that we are all settled in. 

Can I just say that I love school? Some days I have to tell Mommy that it is time for school! I just get so excited! We have been talking about Noah's Ark and all kinds of things that go along with that. We spent some time learning about rainbows, matching colors, and practicing fine motor skills. I get very serious when I work. And my neatness is evident.

These pictures perfectly reflect our different personalities. My paper is nice and orderly, while Riley Cates is focused and making a complete mess! But she is learning and having fun, which is the important thing!

We love school!

Reading Fun

It just doesn't get cuter than this! 

Sweet, happy girls!

Wallington Hall

Last week we took a trip over to Wallington Hall with some of our friends. It was a beautiful place, and we all had so much fun playing in the gardens! 

When we first got there, we saw this beautiful and super tall tree.

But it was even more amazing when you went under it! The perfect climbing tree!

Riley Cates found a secret entrance under the tree!

Then Jonah spun her around, which, of course, she loved!

There was a huge house that apparently Sissy thought she could just go right into!

I just enjoyed being outside and seeing how pretty it was!

I think Sissy's other favorite part of the day was finding the baby ducks.

She talked about them and looked for them the rest of the time we were there!

Mommy was a little worried of how close Riley Cates was getting to the pool of water. She should have been more concerned about that small stream of water coming out of the big pool. While it was less than a foot across, Sissy managed to fall in it... sideways... so that she was COMPLETELY soaked. It was actually pretty impressive! Thankfully Auntie Juliet was prepared and had an extra pair of leggings to let her borrow!

We stopped and had a short break to drink some lemonade.

Yum! All of that playing can really make you thirsty!

We tried to get a cute picture, but I was too busy drinking.

It was getting close to lunch time, so we took a break for a snack.

I think Riley Cates enjoyed eating the butter as much as anything else on the tray!

It must have boosted her energy because she went out in the big field looking to play football with the big kids. She couldn't figure out why they weren't passing her the ball!

We ran and ran until we could run no more. I ran out of gas, so Tobias had to tow me back to Mommy and Daddy!

It was a really fun day, and we can't wait to go explore there again!