Brayden's 6th Birthday Party

On Saturday, lots of Brayden's friends came to our house to celebrate his 6th Birthday! The theme was "The Magic of Mario" ...we had a magician and Mario Kart games for the kids.

The night before the party was spent getting ready. Nicole got some help from the kids as she stuffed the Mario and Luigi pinata.

And as we did more work inside, Brayden spent some time shooting hoops with Gido in his new basketball goal (thanks, Gido and Gigi!).

The next morning, it was time for the party! The friends arrived, settled in on the driveway, and got ready for the magic show!

After the show, it was time for cake and presents.

Then the racing fun began! The kids were split into two teams: Mario and Luigi. Then they raced through a little obstacle course and threw beanbags into buckets at the end. They had an excellent time!

After the race, the kids lined up behind Brayden to pull strings and try to open the pinata.

Here's a cute video of the day -- it was excellent!!

The Giratas Are Here!

This weekend, we celebrated Brayden's upcoming 6th Birthday! Gido, Gigi, Aunt Nancy, and Jackson came up from Florida for the weekend to celebrate with us. They arrived Thursday night and spent Friday hanging out with Layna.

Morning hugs

A little Mickey Mouse

Then it was off the playground!

Some swing time with Gido

Playing hopscotch

Ready for the slide!

When they got back home, Layna played on the iPad with Jackson (they love that thing!).

TWINS Reveal!

Guess what -- Nicole and I are expecting TWINS!! We are so excited and can't wait to tell you more about them during the coming months. Until then, here's a fun video of how we told the kids, plus a close up of their new shirts!

Their new shirts!

Soccer - by Layna

A couple weeks ago, Layna wanted to play a game on my iPhone during Brayden's soccer game. Little did I know that she only played for a few minutes before beginning to take pictures. When I got my phone back, it was full of pictures she had taken of the game and more. I thought it was so funny to see her perspective of the soccer experience that I wanted to share them with you.

Ready for kick-off

Here we go!

High fives from the other coach

Words of encouragement from Mom

Attacking the ball

Time for a water break

...and she took plenty of pictures of her toes. So funny!

Cute toes

The Fresh Beat Band LIVE!

In case you aren't under the age of 6 and watch Nick Jr. all the time, you may not know about The Fresh Beat Band. They're four friends who live on a fantastic street full of really nice people and make up an excellent kiddie-pop band... and their names are Kiki, Marina, Twist, and Shout. Too much, I know. Don't they look fun and energetic?

They are (at least most weeks) Layna's favorite show on TV, and their very first tour came to Birmingham last week! As an early Mother's Day gift, Nicole went to the show with the kids -- what a cool mom! It was a rocking good time! Here are some highlights and a cute video during the concert!

Sporting her new FBB Tour shirt!

Dancing before the show begins

Goof-balls

Let the show begin!

The Fresh Beats

Two happy, happy kids!