Claire & Matt's Birthday Week

After our successful Minnie party on Saturday, we went on to celebrate these two birthday kids again on their actual birthdays.

On the morning of her birthday, February 26, 2015

Putting Minnie's bow on her sign

Luke still loves to take pictures and immediately shows the person he took the picture of the picture.

I went out for a birthday lunch with the kids and Isolene.

Claire dug into the complimentary birthday sundae

Obviously Donald Duck and the yellow dinosaur needed to come along for lunch.

Birthday present from Katie, Joe & Isabelle - including those cute wings specifically from Isabelle

Donna & Emil made Matt his favorite meal, creamed chipped beef, and celebrated both birthdays Thursday night.

We let the kids join in on the toast with "kid wine" (aka sparkling grape juice) in plastic wine glasses and they LOVED it.

Cheers!  Clink clink

Presents

Luke insisted on picking out a toy for him to give to Claire himself.  He chose a marching band drum filled with a bunch of other musical instruments, like this trumpet. 

Birthday buddies!  Matt got this new jacket:)

French Silk Pie - TRADITION! 

Friday night we celebrated Matt's actual birthday with him at home with just a few other things.

Isolene gave him this beautiful pistachio cake:)

Here are some other non-M&C birthday related pics from the week:

G&G Mackus stopped by for a visit on their way down to Florida - great to get one last afternoon with them!

Isolene helped out by watching Eloise one day while the Hartman's moved.  She is a fan of Minnie, too, and those two girls are SOOO cute together.  

Octonauts is Luke's favorite show these days, and Claire is really into it too.  She got these "vegimals" and they are a big hit.  We find them set up everywhere around the house.  

Family outing to the library

Peek a boo!

Peek a boo, then run away really fast - that's a really fun game.

Claire has been spending the last hour of her full night's sleep in bed with us almost every day- and she always has to shove her head right into my neck like this and her hair tickles my face.  Notice how she's sideways so Matt just gets kicked most of the time instead of getting the snuggles.  Poor guy:)

We went to my friend Olga's daughter Sophia's birthday party on Sunday, the morning after Claire's BD party.  They are only a couple weeks apart in age.  It was at a gym facility and was so fun.  Luke had a grand time on the little rock wall, he must take after his risk-taking cousin PJ who scales rock walls as high as skyscrapers it feels like!  She's 6, by the way.

Claire and Sophia play so well together.  Sophia is hilarious and spunky, I love her!

Hot dog swing

Zip line swing

Bubble magic

Princess Sophia

Claire's Minnie Mouse 2nd BD Party

Claire-Bear is 2!  Our little baby!  Not such a baby anymore it seems.  She is all sass!  We call her the little dictator, because she runs the household:)  Sometimes when she's being herself, like when she's doing her little dances demanding that the rest of us join along, I think to myself "She surely is the cutest little girl that has ever walked this Earth!"

To celebrate this momentous occasion we had a Minnie Mouse themed (of course) birthday party for her with some of her little friends.  When Luke was her age he didn't really have his own friends yet, but with a big brother and lots of playdates, Claire is much more social at an earlier age.  It was a chaotic, whirlwind of a two hours with Minnie Mouse fan fare.  She had a great time and loved having all her friends there to play with.  Cutie patootie!

I'm 2! (Or an "S"apparently...)

Starting the party off right with opening presents from A. Kristin & co.  - she wore the cute skirt she got to her party!

Balloon bouqet was dragged around the house by Claire all morning before her party.  It is bigger than her!

Minnie decorations

Basement was as clean as it has ever been in preparation for 23 kids!!

It soon became an absolute madhouse of toy & kid mania.

The party was 3-5, so snacks were what was served.

We were a little worried about so many kids in our house at one time, so we maximised space with kid-areas in the basement, family room, Luke's room, and even in the hallway where Luke made his "bowling alley" (that's the sign he posted informing people of the location of the bowling alley)

Minnie & Mickey beanie baby party favors

Upstairs seemed to naturally attract the younger children, with the older ones wreaking havoc in the basement.

Fort!

Wrestling

D&E were kind enough to drive all the way back to Downers Grove to get Claire an atomic cake for her birthday.  YUM!!!!!

"Cheese!"

The aftermath....looked like a toy war zone, and this is only the upstairs!  Success!