Let Them Eat Cake

I couldn't not have cake on the kiddos' actual birthday. So thanks to the local Winn Dixie, I was able to score these mini cakes for $3.99 each! Kathryn loved her Belle cake, and Walker didn't stop (well, he did have some help from his mother) until his Spider Man cake was all gone! He also entertained us with all of his Spider Man moves.

Long time, no post!

That's because we have been soaking up the sun in L.A. (lower Alabama!). We spent four fun filled days with the Busbee cousins last week. With five kiddos four years old and under, there was never a dull moment!

Here are the fabulous five playing on the beach!

Here are Kathryn, Walker and Devon enjoying popcorn on movie night!

And guess who turned three while we were there??? You guessed it! These two. We all enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast in honor of the birthday boy and girl. They were so excited to have their family there to celebrate with them!

There are more birthday pictures to come, so stay tuned....

Seven Years

Today, Matt and I are celebrating our seventh anniversary. My how time flies!! What have we been doing these last seven years?

Well, Matt has completed medical school and his residency. I've had two jobs and currently enjoying my most favorite job of all--being a mother. We've lived in two cities--Memphis and Birmingham. Bought our first house. And, most importantly, we've added two of the sweetest additions to our family--Kathryn and Walker. And we have many more changes on our horizon with two moves coming up in the next year.

I cannot think of anyone I would rather celebrate life with than Matt! I look forward to all the Lord has planned for us!

Here we are in high school!

And here we are in college!

This is us at the Auburn/Florida game the day after we got engaged!

And here we are seven years ago today.

And here we are today!!

Rewind

Before all of the birthday and graduation festivities began last weekend, we all headed downtown for brunch at the Peabody. The little ones hadn't visited the ducks in well over a year! We missed their parade into the fountain, but we still had fun watching them splash around.

Aunt Mak and Uncle Brad in between visits to the yummy buffet!

Pops and Tula in front of the fountain...

And the best part of all....Aunt Mak was able to capture a picture of my four! The first family picture we've taken since last October! Kathryn was doing everything but cooperating, but Aunt Mak was fast and captured her actually smiling just in time for a great picture!

Lunch Date

Today, we are in the 'Ham, and we were lucky enough to enjoy lunch with this little guy! Hill and Walker were fast friends talking about Lightning McQueen and Spider Man.

We couldn't keep our hands off of Little Rett. He is so cute and, according to his mom, quite a mess! We stopped off to play in the fountains...

And then we visited the neighborhood candy/ice cream shop for what else--candy and ice cream!!

Cars, Princesses and Graduation

This weekend, we celebrated Walker and Kathryn's upcoming birthday. Family was in town for Matt's graduation, so it provided the perfect opportunity to honor my sweet little boy and girl!

A family affair normally doesn't require invites, but I just couldn't resist. It's hard to find invitations that incorporate cars and princesses, but these cute little cards from Hobby Lobby along with some 3D stickers did the trick quite nicely!

Once the invitations went out, all we had to do was await the arrival of one VIP--Very Important Princess!! Cousin Mimi came into town all the way from Washington, D. C.

Nana and Papa brought the blow up castle, perfect for princesses (and their brother!!).

And I found this fun car pinata at Target for $3! It was a huge hit!

Here's Walker sporting his Lightning McQueen shirt!

Look what Kathryn found!

Even after all the candy had fallen out, the kids still had fun taking turns hitting the pinata!

Enjoying more of the yummy candy!

Finally, dinner was served...

For the princess, chocolate covered mice, a nod to Cinderella's crafty little friends. And a vase filled with a rose (Beauty and the Beast) and jasmine (Alladin).

I loved the way these cute little graham cracker stop lights turned out!

And we can't forget the pasta salad made with Cars pasta!

Fun frozen strawberry treats in Little Mermaid cupcake holders...

And then it was present time!!! (Kathryn made a quick change into princess attire!)

A favorite gift, Woody from Toy Story.

And of course we had to have two cakes!

I love myself a theme, but I have to say a commercialized theme like this one is not my preference. But the kids LOVED it, right down to the last Ariel and Lightning McQueen. It was worth it, just to see them so excited!! And the best news is, we still have two more weeks of celebrating before they actually turn three!!

As if anything could top such an extravagant affair, the real reason for all of the family gathering this past weekend was Matt's graduation. Five years have come and gone. Wow!!

I am so proud of Matt and all of the hard work he has put into the last five years. He works hard during the day only to come home and study hard at night. The Lord has been faithful to him and carried him and our family during the long hours and tough schedules. It is so hard to believe it is all coming to an end! It's such a blessing to see the Lord bringing to fruition all that Matt has worked so hard for.

Here are the eight graduates in Matt's class...

The graduation is a small family affair. Each year, at the end of the ceremony, one of the doctors gives an "award" to the child who misbehaves the most. It sounds embarassing, but it really is a fun "honor" to receive! Well, with my two and Cousin Mimi spread out in the very front of the room right next to the speaker's podium, there wasn't much guessing who was going to receive the award.

All three of them were presented awards (aka toys) for their "performance." I have to admit, I was very proud!

Gobbles

Yesterday, the kiddos and I went to the Dollar Tree to hunt for party supplies. I told them they could each get a surprise. They were both drawn to these, as they have seen other little boys and girls wearing them at the pool.

What are "these"? You guessed it, gobbles! Or at least that is what Kathryn called them. They help her see under the pool as she further explained! Those must be some pretty powerful gobbles!