Jack's Fourth Birthday Doctor Party

We spent the whole day at Burrough's Park.  Jack had a doctor party.  He loves the TV show, Doc McStuffins, but since all of DM party stuff is girly, we just went with a general doctor theme.  With me working again, I had very little time (and energy) to plan.  Jack enjoyed it, though.  He played with his best friends on the playground, played in the dirt, ate cake, played games, ran around, and played some more.  The older girls rode their bikes and roller skated, climbed trees, and just enjoyed being outside; it was a gorgeous day.  We were at the park almost 7 hours, so Jack and I both crashed when we got home.

Eye chart along and few medical gloves blown up with smiley faces.  Instant balloons.  Ha!

Q-tips made of pretzels and white chocolate.  Marshmallow cotton balls.

Jello "shots", tongue depressors, and pretzel thermometers.

Adlie with her jello shot.  Don't worry, no vodka in these.

What drink do you serve at a doctor party?  Dr. Pepper, or course!

Some of the kids got X-rays.  

apparently Arden has scoliosis

The kids played doctor on stuffed animals (like Doc McStuffins does!).  They had play stethoscopes, bandages, blood pressure cuffs, syringes, etc etc.  Some of the stethoscopes I made out of ribbon, poms, and headbands.  They were easy and the kids loved them.


Bear gets daily check-ups so I know he's healthy.

Arden fixing Myleigh's broken arm.

I made band-aids out of tan and white felt, with velcro tabs.  They stick well to stuffed animals and are reusable! (not a feature I would want in a regular band-aid, though)

 I got a check-up too!

An "Operation" game similar to the traditional board game, but without all the buzzing.  The kids used tweezers to operate on the animal (I was trying to draw a bear, but it looks like a mouse.) by pulling candy from different parts of the body.  Of course, if you're going to do surgery, you have to scrub-in.  Scrub hat, mask, and shoe covers are necessary in order to keep the surgical field sterile.

The cutest surgeon ever!!!!

Arden is trying to pull Air Heads out of the head part.

Myleigh is trying to get Butterfingers out of the hand part.  Myleigh took it up a notch by trying the game with surgical gloves.  It made it that much harder since the gloves were so big.

Jack ended up knocked the operating table completing over and falling on the patient, so I can't say bear-mouse survived surgery.

I totally slacked on the cake decorating part, which was perfectly fine since they "doctored up" their own cupcakes.  I had gobs and gobs of left over sprinkles and sprays and "eyes" and glitter and all kinds of cake decorating stuff.  The kids used it all to decorate.

  

I bet Jack is trying to figure out how to get the squeeze icing directly into his mouth.

They each had a chocolate and vanilla cupcake to decorate.  Or like Jack calls it, "Milla."

Emerson, lol!  She had a huge glob of icing on her chin and her tongue was going back and forth like a windshield wiper, trying to get it off.  Her tongue just wasn't long enough!

Now that's a satisfied look if I've ever seen one.  (Side note: this kid had about ten cupcakes!)

Even though the party had a doctor theme, most of the time the party was spent....

swinging with friends....

playing on the playground......

just being cute...

watching the dads throw around the football...

 trying to throw the ball like the dads...

acting silly...

climbing trees...

turning Myleigh into a mermaid...

just loving on your friends.

Jakob's birthday party

Jakob Green turned 12 and had his birthday party at Conroe's Incredible Pizza Company.  This place is similar to The Main Event or Itz, pretty much a Chuck E Cheese for all ages.  It has an arcade, mini golf, go karts, laser tag, bowling, and "ice skating".

My kids LOOOOVE places like this.  So does the big kid.

Brian and Jack raced go karts and they came in first!  Jack was super excited.  I was quite proud of the husband's driving skills; he started off last and made his way to the front.  

The party room was glow in the dark!  This is Myleigh and Arden.  As usual, they're connected at the hip, or something like that.

Arden rode bumper cars a couple of times and ran around playing games and collecting as many tickets as possible.

Jack attempted ski ball, but kept throwing the balls into other lanes.  He was dangerous!  Wish I had a picture, but I was too busy avoiding being whacked in the face!

The moms tried to take a selfie.  I was tired and sick, but I needed an updated picture of us.

Jack's first day of preschool

2/1/16

At least for the month of February I'm working at the hospital full-time hours.  Because of this, and because I have been wanting him to go at least a few times a week, Jack started preschool. 

For some reason though, he thinks he has to be four to go to preschool.  This morning I told Jack that he was staring today.  He said, "Oh!  Am I four yet?!" (Except he pronounces four like "fourv", a cross between a four and a five.) I told him no.  "But I have to be fourv to go!"

"No you don't, three-year-olds go too."

After arguing back and forth I finally got him in the car.  Once in the car he realized it was still dark.

"Mommy!  It's still dark outside.  I can't go to school at night!  We have to go in the morning!"  That was another argument that went on all the way to his school.  Oy.

Once I finally convinced him he walked right in and had a great first day.  

Christmas break 2015

We were busy over Christmas break!  Here are the highlights:

Arden and Halle helped with the Saturday mission through our church that feeds the homeless in the north Houston area.  Halle said it was very eye-opening to her.

Our family helped with another missions project through our church.  Brian dressed as Santa and passed out bibles.

We went to my dad's house a few days before Christmas.  He surprised the girls with BB guns.  They were very exited about their gifts and spent several hours shooting targets in PawPaw's yard. 

Jack got a remote control truck from PawPaw.  He spent his time playing with that and the other trucks my dad has for him.

I took Jack, Arden, and a friend to the Polar Express in Palestine.  Jack loved it.  Since then we have watched the Polar Express movie a billion times.

Jack learned how to ice skate!  

Jack and Arden visited Santa in Old Town Spring.  The kids really thought it was the North Pole, though, because the sign said so!  Jack asked for a Thomas bike, and Arden asked for science books.  

We had a game night because "That's what families do that like each other," according to Arden.

The kids found Melvin, our mischievous elf, in the most nonsensical situations.