Tinsley's Frozen 3rd Birthday Party

After our first full week of school, Eli and I were excited to travel out of town so we could go to Tinsley's 3rd birthday party. Her theme this year was Frozen and it was absolutely perfect for her because she's been obsessed with Princess Anna and Princess Elsa ever since the movie came out last year. Since her birthday is in August the best way to beat the heat was with a pool party.

Mom and Andrea did a great job on the decorations again this year. I love how all the colors popped and photographed. Everything was perfect down to the tiniest detail. (Insider tip for those of you who might want to throw a Frozen themed party...the middle curtain is a shower curtain!)

This chalkboard was my one contribution to the party besides being the designated photographer :)

All the food was perfect and I loved the labels Andrea and mom came up with to go with the food. 

The hit of the party was definitely the chocolate fountain and all the fun things you could dip in it. 

The beautiful birthday girl

Once everyone had slathered on lots of sunscreen we all headed outside to cool off in the pool.

I just love this little dude :)

After swimming we all came inside to sing "Happy Birthday" and eat some cake and ice cream. 

And now for the highlight of the party :) We started singing "Happy Birthday" to Tinsley. While I was taking taking pictures I noticed my brother looking at the cake kind of funny. 

He got this puzzled look on his face and I realized something else was burning besides the candles. 

Poor Olaf's arm was too close to the flames and he caught fire. I guess Tinsley was "worth melting for" :)

Josh quickly blew out the flaming Olaf and saved the rest of the cake. At this point everyone was cracking up laughing. What else could you do? I love Andrea's face in all these pictures. She was hysterical. 

Poor Olaf!

After everyone had their cake and ice cream, it was time for presents! Tinsley got a lot of great gifts and she loved all of them. 

After presents we all jumped in the pool one last time before going home. 

It was such a fun day celebrating this sweet, little girl who came into all our lives three years ago. We love her so much! Happy Birthday, Tinsley!

The First Week of School

The first day of school came faster than I could believe it. Our summer was wonderful and we were able to mark off most of the items we listed on our Summer Fun List. I just hated that it was over so soon. We spent the last week before school working in my classroom at school, buying uniforms and the last of the school supplies, and getting everything ready for Eli's first day. This night before school was especially memorable because Eli was going into the grade that I had taught for so many years. It was hard to believe that this sweet boy was going to bed and would wake up a first grader! We laid out his new school clothes, packed his backpack with gifts for his new teachers, and made his lunch for the next day. The last thing to do was read "The Night Before First Grade" and say bedtime prayers. 

The next morning we all woke up bright and early. Eli got dressed, ate a good breakfast, and then we took a couple of pictures before leaving for school. It was official...Eli was a first grader! He couldn't wait to see his friends, meet his new teachers, and see his new classroom.

We got to school early and Eli was the first kid to arrive in his classroom (that's what you get when your mom is a teacher). Eli took a picture with his first grade teacher, Mrs. Freeman, and her assistant, Mrs. Anderson, and then got settled in at his desk. 

Eli had an awesome first day and I did as well :) My new group of fourth graders are really sweet and I think it's going to be a great year! Our first two days at school were Thursday and Friday to help the kids get settled and back into the swing of things. On Monday, we started our normal routine which included homework this year! Eli completed his homework in no time at all. I was very proud of how hard he worked to complete it. 

Our new nighttime routine consisted of Eli reading his books for school to Josh and Josh reading Captain Underpants to him. Eli and Josh both love reading the Captain Underpants series. Potty humor is always a favorite with boys!

Our major excitement of the week was when Eli lost another tooth! Our little tooth fairy has been super busy. It's crazy to think that this was the seventh tooth that he'd lost! Eli was so happy to know that he was going to be the first one to get his name on the Tooth Poster at school. 

Our first week back at school also meant it was time for AWANA at church. Josh took a picture of the two of us before we left for our first night of Cubbies (me) and Sparks (Eli). It was a great first week of school and we are looking forward to a wonderful year!