Arrrr. . . Josiah Turns 5!!

 We had such a fun time this weekend celebrating Josiah with a pirate themed birthday party! My wonderful mother- in- law brought me some supplies from the states which made the preparations much easier. Josiah was such a fun birthday boy and greeted the guests at the door with a hearty "Ahoy Mates!"

Yep, Annabelle's got an eyepatch too

6 eager pirates and Captain Josiah

 We walked down to "our" beach for some fun and games. Grandma and Grandpa went down early to bury some gold (chocolate) coins and squirt guns. The kids had fun digging for their buried treasure. Two kids actually found real coins in the sand which was a fun surprise to everyone!

 Jason got into character as "Long John Silver", the enemy pirate, and the boys had so much fun "attacking" him!

 Next they had to "sink the ship" by throwing water balloons into an old rowboat

 Finally the kids went on a treasure hunt in teams, combing the beach for items on their list

 I should probably mention that in the middle of this Annabelle had an explosive poopy diaper that I was unprepared for- but my great friends held her and did their best to change her so I could stay with the party (:

 We took the very hyper pirates back to the house and let them watch a pirate cartoon while the adults enjoyed some food and conversation for a bit.

 We love you Josiah and are so thankful to God for the "treasure" you are to us!!

Grandma 'n Grandpa Are Here!

We have had a great first week with Jason's parents visiting all the way from San Diego!! They came loaded with two suitcases full of fun, fun, fun exclusively for their grandkids.  Josiah and Annette's favorite things to do are "projects" with Grandma and Grandpa, so they have all four been kept very busy. Of course Annabelle's favorite thing to do is snuggle. Here are a few shots from our last week . . 

 Hiking to a waterfall in Tai Po

Oceanpark!

Jason and I are still a little bleary eyed as we get used to being a family of five. We are still just taking one day at a time as we learn to juggle being out- numbered. We both love this newborn stage and are enjoying it immensely, while trying to laugh together to off- set the stress/ fatigue. Here is a top ten list Jason wrote last week. . . 

Top Ten Signs You are Living with a Newborn

1. you start using words like breast, uterus, poop etc on a regular basis in public

2. you throw a mini celebration every time the baby fills its diaper

3. you become an overprotective ogre

4. you reply "good night" after a college greets you with "good morning"

5. you crash your motorcycle because you forgot your kickstand (yes he did)

6. you put your dirty laundry away in the refrigerator

7. getting out of the house is tantamount to a space shuttle rocket launch

8. the baby has the best "tan" in the house in the middle of a rainy spring

9. it becomes apparent that the older siblings' decibel level constantly hovers near 200

10. lots of cuddles with God's little gift

Newbie Photo Shoot

When Annabelle wast just six days old we had Heidi, a photographer (and now also friend) come over to our house to take photos. She came in the midst of a crazy thunder storm, but still managed to get wonderful photos. We were all so relaxed to just be able to cuddle on the bed and not have to go anywhere. I know this "tiny" stage goes by so quickly so I was so thankful that she was able to capture it for us. 

This photo pretty much sums up each of their enthusiasm levels about modeling ( : 

Naana's Visit

We had the best time with Naana! It was a very rainy spring break and she made life more fun for cooped up Josiah and Annette. There were tea parties, games, treats and books- lots of books!  We did go on an outing most days and enjoyed sharing our little life here with her. She was such a blessing to me and I will miss the help with dishes, kid wrangling, but most of all her sweet company. Thanks for coming to visit mom- we love you!!