Thomas Train Party Pics!

Didn't want to let Feb. slip by w/o some pics of Dylan's first "friend" party on Feb. 4! It was a Thomas the Tank Engine Extravaganza as you will see! :) I made almost the same cake I made for his 1st b-day, but this time I made it Thomas instead of the Little Engine that Could. Thankfully I found a Thomas face online that fit on the cake just perfect so instead of an edible face it was just paper (saved me tons of time!)...it's really is a very easy cake to make....
The birthday boy showing off his "Welcome to Steg Station" sign :)
Showing off the party table...
helping mama with the treat bags...
some of the fun chocolate treats we made with our new train candy mold :)
a close-up of the boy in his train gear (we changed outfits later cuz I thought casual was better and I happened to find a really cute Thomas t-shirt at Target that morning)...but this outfit from N&P Stegs is one of my favs on Dylan :)
Showing off the cake and balloons...
helping mommy make one of the Thomas games...
After the friends arrived we did Thomas tatoos...mommy was not good at this and ruined many of them by not taking the plastic off first...mama was tired that day :)
then we played "Railroad Ringtoss"...this is Shelby showing off her skills (not sure why she wore this hat all day, but she did :))...
then it was time for "Train Races"...daddy made all the tracks identical beforehand and we were lucky enough to have 7 battery-engines!
Drew and Rachel (bro and sis) at the party table...I think they were the only ones who willingly wore these crazy hats :)
doing our craft (decorate tin pails with Thomas stickers)
The Lost Lollipop game...Thomas lost his lollipops around the Island of Sodor and we had to find them....
And then a scavenger hunt down to the basement to look for more treats....the stairs were Whiststop Stairs, I believe, and they had to find whistles....
they had to go through our tents to find more treats in the basement...finally finding their treat bags at the end...
then it was time for "Pin the Number on Thomas". Shelby won, but only cuz she cheated by peeking....so we gave the prize to Minette...
then it was time for cake...
and a group photo :) Shelby refused to be in the picture cuz somehow she was not served cake and she was crying at this point in the party....
time for gifts...lots of good stuff!
Is this not the sweetest picture of Dylan and his best friend, Minette??!!! I just love it. They are so sweet together...well, when they are not taking apart and throwing cell phones and breaking space heaters (that's another story for another day :)) But, they would be a cute future couple?!
Drew and Dylan...we were lucky to even get them to look at the camera :)
Ben and Dylan looking handsome :)
Me and my birthday boy...I love this little man!
My two favorite guys!
Dylan and his Baby Ash!
And again after she finally went to sleep (she was awake and fussed during the whole party)
the girls and their matching shirts from N&P Stegs :) Too cute!
Hailey finally came home from school...she was bummed to miss the whole party, but she got to play the games and razz her lil' bro when she got home (we love this ring toss...Uncle Brian and Aunt Anne gave it to us just in time for the big party!)
Baby Ash chillin' in the bouncy seat! And Dylan with his loot! He loves all his new stuff.
So, there ya' go....the last of the b-day pics.....can you tell I'm trying to get caught up posting pics....alas, I am nowhere near being caught up.....but I'll keep trying....

Personalized Presents

Recently I've noticed how many cool personalized presents lil' Miss Ash has accumulated in her brief 5 mos on this earth...and I thought it would be fun today to show some (most) of them off. I say "some" cuz I'm certain I've forgotten at least one awesome personalized gift and in case I did, I'm sorry (remember this mama mind is mush lately :))....but these are a few of the cool ones that Ash is enjoying so far......above is the super awesome wooden puzzle step stool from Aunt Candy and Uncle Jeff given to Ash at Christmas! Each of our kiddos have one of these with their names on it and they love them! Ash actually likes to sit in her Bumbo seat and play/chew on the puzzle pieces. Great gift!
And gotta love this Ashley rolling wooden duck from Melissa and Jorge and kiddos. I'm not sure who makes these in MI (is it you, Melissa? I can't remember), but we love them and each of the kiddos still play with theirs. Such a cute and unique gift and fun for kids of all ages :)
And this is one of the best kept "secrets" I know :) And I even thought about not posting about it cuz it's one of my fav. gifts to give....but heck....best kept secrets are made to be public knowledge right?! We love this very unique baby gift...a darling wooden baby block with all of Ashley's birth info on each side of the cube. A picture from afar doesn't do it justice, really!!! I'm not telling where's it's made, but I'll say it's made locally here in IN. And I can't take the credit for discovering this gift. We got one back in 2004 (when Shelby was born) from our great friends, Chad and Corie....and our sweet friends Wendi and John gave us one after Ash was born (I was thrilled to pieces!!! Thanks guys!). Truly...it's an awesome gift!
I had to post two pics of the block....because it truly is the coolest gift....and.....this pic of Ash is so precious until you see her nicely posed finger :) lol
And we LOVE these Lillian Vernon towels! Each of the kids have one of these too and they are perfect for those summers in the sun! Thanks, Auntie Mary, for this one for Ash...she can't wait to be a bathing beauty in it soon!
And here's our newly upright girl showing off her awesome sitting up stance! And showing off her cool toiletry bag from Nina and Pops in FL! Love it!
Another shot to show off the bag....and a ballerina pose! I think we just might have another prima ballerina in our midst??!!
And this is also one of my favs...the personalist chamois stroller blanket from Pottery Barn kids...so soft and so cute....all but Hailey have this too :) Ash loves her purple one from Nina and Poppi Stegs!
And is this not the cutest piggy bank for our future ballerina?? Ash got it from Auntie Sue for Christmas! So adorable!
And the matching suitcase to the toiletry bag from N&P G. Somehow it matched her jammies the day I took the pic...we're all about coordinating with our luggage! :)
And this cool glass plaque is so neat....Aunt Sue sent all the kiddos one with their name on it and the meaning of their name underneath it. Very unique! Didn't know Ashley meant "dreamer" :) Wish it meant "sleeps a lot!" lol!
Another fun Lilly Kids gift (from Aunt Mary), which also matches Ash's beach towel. The kids all have these terry cloth bags and they're perfect for toothbrushes and overnight stuff. And last, but not least, below is the first personalized gift Ash got from Auntie Jill and Fam when they visited her in the hospital. I love it and it hangs in her nursery window :) God has surely blessed us with our Ash!
So, there ya' have it. If you are ever hurting for gifts for someone or want something unique and fun (and useful)...just get one of these fun personalized goodies. I love anything with my kids' names on it and I have lots more things I can't wait for Ash to get throughout the years! Thanks to all of you who thought of and gave these special gifts. They are such special momentos to our kiddos!

She's got talent :)

Take a good look at this pic and tell me if you notice the new talent our girl has.....

Yep, today she barfed all over her back (and rear)....I guess she got bored with puking down her front side :) How she did this, I really don't know...but apparently she has an amazing rotating head :) Have we got a baby genius or what?! Please don't be too jealous :)

Misc. Picture Day...

First ski trip to Paoli Peaks, IN....Hailey on the ski lift with a friend from church....
Hailey and Cousin Harrison strutting their skiing stuff! :)
Who's that girl with the hair in her face? :)
Can you spot Hailey speeding down the slopes?
The wisdom of ski school...
Bowl-head Dylan on the phone with Nina in FL :)
Ice-skating speedster, Shelba!
She passed her class and gets to graduate to a new one...yay, Shelb!
Cute Ash chillin' in the crib...and chillin' in the big ol' high chair :)


Just a few misc. pics to pass the time. So much for me ever getting Christmas pics up here...I guess I'll just have to post those via a link someday when I have time (Ha!) But, for now here's a few pics of Hailey on her ski trip a few weeks ago. She skipped school and went on a homeschool trip to our own Indiana Paoli Peaks (didn't know ol' IN had some rockin' snow skiing, huh?!) :) Anyway...it was actually in the mid-60's that day and people were skiing in shorts...so I'm sure that was a sight. But, Kev and Hailey had a great ol' time with Kev's uncle and cousins and some other church-goers. It was Hailey's first time trying this sport and although she took a round of ski-school, daddy said she sorta acted like a "know it all" (what, our Hailey? No way! :)). But, she had fun and maybe someday she can try out her ski skills in the real snowy peaks of CO! And maybe Shelba and Dylan can try out their skills too? Daddy would be proud to have some ski companions since mama didn't take to snow skiing so well back in 1997 when she went for the first time in CO :)

Anyway...so there are pics from that and also a few of Shelby ice-skating, Dylan showing off his bowl-head while talking to Nina on the phone...and cute lil' Miss Ash (who, by the way, is now sitting up on her own as of Saturday...yay!) :) Hope you all are having a splendid day......