Party Time!

We've already celebrated lots of birthdays this month along with a Super Bowl party and Valentine's Day festivities. First off was my niece's 5th birthday party. Here the kids are lined up ready to hit their first pinata!

Avery's party theme was Strawberry Shortcake and Hayden took a swing at the big red strawberry with some help from Dad. Madison loved taking her turn and Payson refused, dropping down onto his tummy in protest when we requested that he take a turn. He's always hesitant about new things.

The kids painted their very first pottery at the party and it, although messy, was not as bad as I had anticipated. Here is Madison painting her cupcake purple.

As always, the kids had a blast playing with their cousins' toys. Hayden especially loved the Mickey Mouse light chaser. She was walking around the room turning it on for anyone who would watch while exclaiming "Whoa!" really loudly and dramatically. So cute!

The kids attended their first Super Bowl party and they especially loved all of the junk food! The chips and queso were a big hit. Madison sat at the table in an adult chair unbuckled, no less, for nearly 45 minutes enjoying her party food. It sure was a nice break for me!

Up next was a Valentine's playdate that we hosted at our house. I baked a variety of heart-shaped sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. The activity was a big hit, and the only problem I encountered was when my kids got upset that someone else was sitting in their seat!

Madison is so patient when she decorates cookies. Although I have to remind her to pick up a small handful of sprinkles instead of dumping the whole bowl over her cookies, she is so tidy and calculated in her decorating.

Grandma's birthday was the following day so we decorated the leftover cookies with cousins Avery and Addison. This is really a great activity to do with this age range. They get such a kick out of the icing, sprinkles and taste tests!

All five kids playing peek-a-boo on the couch.

For the first time I dabbled in decorating with fondant. I decorated Grandma's birthday cupcakes with daisies handmade from fondant and had lots of fun with it! This time around I bought ready-made fondant but next time I just might try making it from scratch.

I haven't posted the links for my Dallas Morning News Moms Blog posts in months! I guess after a busy end of the year and lots of December blogging I have been unintentionally neglecting my blog this year. That and being simply exhausted from caring for three kids going through the Terrible Two's full force! So, here are my posts through January:

When toys invade: Teaching your kids to tidy up

Jessica: Traveling with triplets through the (not-so) terrible two's

Jessica's holiday traditions in triplicate: What are yours?

Jessica: What moms of multiples are thankful for