And another quick snap of Sophie, always trying to keep up with her brother.
And that was "the kids at a glance". :)
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Kids At A Glance
This is how I found each of them when I randomly walked into their rooms after cleaning up breakfast.
And another quick snap of Sophie, always trying to keep up with her brother.
And another quick snap of Sophie, always trying to keep up with her brother. 
Happy Birthday, Mya & Stella!
Are you thinking of planning a child's birthday party anytime soon? Then I have three words for you: HIRE MY SISTER!
The twins are turning one on Wednesday, June 2nd and Casey and Wes did an incredible job throwing an oh-so-cute, ladybug, birthday party for Mya and Stella. It helps that they decided to hold the party at mom and dad's house because it is just perfect for entertaining. Casey and I both agree that hanging out on mom and dad's back patio and pool area feels like we're on vacation. It's just so cool and pretty and peaceful, especially in summer when the hot tub waterfalls into the pool and we're cooking out or just rocking one of the babies on a rocking chair on the patio. Anyway, considering the rather large size of their guest list, there really was no other option besides renting a hall. :)
Last summer, mom and dad revamped the whole patio area by tearing up the deck, putting in a stone-looking cement slab, adding a new grill area and new furniture. It turned out so nice!
The pool area. 
Okay, get ready for some unbelievably adorable party details that Casey and Wes included to enhance the theme. First, a white picket fence with lady bug decals to surround the gift area. And, yep, those red and black gifts on the left were hand-decorated by Casey. She glued each individual dot onto the paper!
Party favors for the guests in a super cute galvanized tub: Hershey's kisses and hugs with a message that says something like "Kisses and Hugs... Thank you for celebrating with our little, ladybugs."
Silverware display.
Red and black plates and polka dot napkins.
A banner displayed outside on the patio.
Bummer. I didn't get a shot of all the food spread. They served lasagna, fruit cups, Caesar salad and bread, plus lots of desserts. Oh, and these SUPER cute cracker appetizers!
Casey hired a friend to make "cake pops" for dessert. They were a huge hit and VERY yummy.
Here's a pic of Sophie in her party frock and shades before heading over.
NOT my favorite of me, but SHE looks super cute.
I couldn't believe that she left them on for so long. She even kept them on inside the house for awhile! Here she's posing with Aunt Amanda.
Wes and Casey with the birthday girls outside by their birthday signs (remember the yard post from Sophie's birthday?) before the party started.
Another shot of the gift area. They could have filled a whole room with all the presents that people brought. This was only the beginning. After I took this, people were piling gifts in front of the fence and you could no longer see it. :(
Beautiful baby girl, Mya.
The girls each wore ladybug dresses for the occasion.
Sweet and dainty, Stella.
The grandmas with the girls.
The three girls together. My daughter is such a lady. She's sitting like she just finished Thanksgiving dinner and plopped down to watch some football.
Lots of little ones came to play!
Cora came too and had some sweet, play time, climbing all over the chair with Sophia.
Will (making an unusual face) shortly after opening his party favor. I'm bummed that I didn't get a picture of the kids' favors either 'cause Casey went all out on those. Cute, labeled, ladybug bags filled with lots of bug/ladybug themed gifts. A bug viewer, bug stickers, wind-up ladybug, ladybug bubbles, ladybug-shaped mini crayons, red and white pinwheels, a cute ladybug hair clip (for the girls), etc. Very nice, Case!
Cake time! I'm happy to see it's not just our daughter that refuses cake on her birthday. :) I could have guessed that Stella would have made this face, 'cause I know she doesn't like getting dirty. LOL
But Mya surprised me. I thought her fearless curiosity would have made this a huge, blissful, fun mess for her. Instead:
Will came over and tried giving them pointers, but was mostly unsuccessful.
I love that Wes's hand is covered in frosting in this pic. He was in charge of handling the girls with their cakes while Casey took pictures.
Trying to get Stella to take a taste, in hopes that that would entice her. You can also see that Mya successfully turned hers upside down on the tray. She was pounding it like a drum for awhile, but neither girl really ate anything. So far, Will is the only grandchild to do it big at cake time. :)
A super cute one of Stella with her cake.
After the cake festivities, I took my kiddos inside to get away from the guests for a bit to decompress from all the excitement. Both of them still love this play house from Christmas. Sophie especially loves playing "peek-a-boo" while opening and closing the door. She laughs and smiles so big.
Then, after some clean-up, it was on to opening gifts. What a task! Both the twins were getting tired and not really wanting to sit through all this, but they were both very good and enjoyed playing with ribbons, cards, and a new ball. Casey and Wes did a great job moving quickly but gratefully through the gifts together.
Why are you making us sit here??? :)
Ooh! A new ladybug ball!
Of course, Will offered his gift-opening services to the Rethman family. It was all he could do not to tear into everything before they were ready. In fact, he had to be reminded MANY times to sit down and wait until they asked for his help. Thankfully, Casey and Wes let him do the honors of opening several gifts in front of the twins and showing them what they received. :)
Cora jumped in to help too.
Bows!
Cora's daddy, Brian, held Sophie for much of this time so I could take pictures on both my camera and Casey & Wes's. Cora and Sophie had fun tossing a ball back and forth to each other. Sophie still loves saying "ba" and really enjoyed the attention from Cora.
Isn't Cora so stinkin' cute? Remember how I've said before that she has the sweetest, little voice and such cute vocabulary? i.e. - calling food "scrumptious". :) Well, at the party I heard her say "yes, please" and "no, thanks" when Molly asked her what food she'd like. And when Sophie opened a belated gift from a family member, Cora said "that's darling". LOL I love her!
Possibly one of my all-time favorite pictures of Sophie and her animated expressions. I love this one!!
A kiss for Sophia!
Molly looks incredible. Just nine more days till Lincoln is due. Cora was born right on her due date, so I'm not sure what they're expecting this time around. But we can't wait to meet him!
A couple, final gift pictures of the birthday girls.
Kisses from mommy and daddy.
And a final family picture at the end of the night. 
Happy Birthday, Mya & Stella! I can't believe you're going to be one already!!! We love you so much and had so much fun at your party! Great job, Casey and Wes!
The twins are turning one on Wednesday, June 2nd and Casey and Wes did an incredible job throwing an oh-so-cute, ladybug, birthday party for Mya and Stella. It helps that they decided to hold the party at mom and dad's house because it is just perfect for entertaining. Casey and I both agree that hanging out on mom and dad's back patio and pool area feels like we're on vacation. It's just so cool and pretty and peaceful, especially in summer when the hot tub waterfalls into the pool and we're cooking out or just rocking one of the babies on a rocking chair on the patio. Anyway, considering the rather large size of their guest list, there really was no other option besides renting a hall. :)
Last summer, mom and dad revamped the whole patio area by tearing up the deck, putting in a stone-looking cement slab, adding a new grill area and new furniture. It turned out so nice!
The pool area. 
Okay, get ready for some unbelievably adorable party details that Casey and Wes included to enhance the theme. First, a white picket fence with lady bug decals to surround the gift area. And, yep, those red and black gifts on the left were hand-decorated by Casey. She glued each individual dot onto the paper!
Party favors for the guests in a super cute galvanized tub: Hershey's kisses and hugs with a message that says something like "Kisses and Hugs... Thank you for celebrating with our little, ladybugs."
Silverware display.
Red and black plates and polka dot napkins.
A banner displayed outside on the patio.
Bummer. I didn't get a shot of all the food spread. They served lasagna, fruit cups, Caesar salad and bread, plus lots of desserts. Oh, and these SUPER cute cracker appetizers!
Casey hired a friend to make "cake pops" for dessert. They were a huge hit and VERY yummy.
Here's a pic of Sophie in her party frock and shades before heading over.
NOT my favorite of me, but SHE looks super cute.
I couldn't believe that she left them on for so long. She even kept them on inside the house for awhile! Here she's posing with Aunt Amanda.
Wes and Casey with the birthday girls outside by their birthday signs (remember the yard post from Sophie's birthday?) before the party started.
Another shot of the gift area. They could have filled a whole room with all the presents that people brought. This was only the beginning. After I took this, people were piling gifts in front of the fence and you could no longer see it. :(
Beautiful baby girl, Mya.
The girls each wore ladybug dresses for the occasion.
Sweet and dainty, Stella.
The grandmas with the girls.
The three girls together. My daughter is such a lady. She's sitting like she just finished Thanksgiving dinner and plopped down to watch some football.
Lots of little ones came to play!
Cora came too and had some sweet, play time, climbing all over the chair with Sophia.
Will (making an unusual face) shortly after opening his party favor. I'm bummed that I didn't get a picture of the kids' favors either 'cause Casey went all out on those. Cute, labeled, ladybug bags filled with lots of bug/ladybug themed gifts. A bug viewer, bug stickers, wind-up ladybug, ladybug bubbles, ladybug-shaped mini crayons, red and white pinwheels, a cute ladybug hair clip (for the girls), etc. Very nice, Case!
Cake time! I'm happy to see it's not just our daughter that refuses cake on her birthday. :) I could have guessed that Stella would have made this face, 'cause I know she doesn't like getting dirty. LOL
But Mya surprised me. I thought her fearless curiosity would have made this a huge, blissful, fun mess for her. Instead:
Will came over and tried giving them pointers, but was mostly unsuccessful.
I love that Wes's hand is covered in frosting in this pic. He was in charge of handling the girls with their cakes while Casey took pictures.
Trying to get Stella to take a taste, in hopes that that would entice her. You can also see that Mya successfully turned hers upside down on the tray. She was pounding it like a drum for awhile, but neither girl really ate anything. So far, Will is the only grandchild to do it big at cake time. :)
A super cute one of Stella with her cake.
After the cake festivities, I took my kiddos inside to get away from the guests for a bit to decompress from all the excitement. Both of them still love this play house from Christmas. Sophie especially loves playing "peek-a-boo" while opening and closing the door. She laughs and smiles so big.
Then, after some clean-up, it was on to opening gifts. What a task! Both the twins were getting tired and not really wanting to sit through all this, but they were both very good and enjoyed playing with ribbons, cards, and a new ball. Casey and Wes did a great job moving quickly but gratefully through the gifts together.
Why are you making us sit here??? :)
Ooh! A new ladybug ball!
Of course, Will offered his gift-opening services to the Rethman family. It was all he could do not to tear into everything before they were ready. In fact, he had to be reminded MANY times to sit down and wait until they asked for his help. Thankfully, Casey and Wes let him do the honors of opening several gifts in front of the twins and showing them what they received. :)
Cora jumped in to help too.
Bows!
Cora's daddy, Brian, held Sophie for much of this time so I could take pictures on both my camera and Casey & Wes's. Cora and Sophie had fun tossing a ball back and forth to each other. Sophie still loves saying "ba" and really enjoyed the attention from Cora.
Isn't Cora so stinkin' cute? Remember how I've said before that she has the sweetest, little voice and such cute vocabulary? i.e. - calling food "scrumptious". :) Well, at the party I heard her say "yes, please" and "no, thanks" when Molly asked her what food she'd like. And when Sophie opened a belated gift from a family member, Cora said "that's darling". LOL I love her!
Possibly one of my all-time favorite pictures of Sophie and her animated expressions. I love this one!!
A kiss for Sophia!
Molly looks incredible. Just nine more days till Lincoln is due. Cora was born right on her due date, so I'm not sure what they're expecting this time around. But we can't wait to meet him!
A couple, final gift pictures of the birthday girls.
Kisses from mommy and daddy.
And a final family picture at the end of the night. 
Happy Birthday, Mya & Stella! I can't believe you're going to be one already!!! We love you so much and had so much fun at your party! Great job, Casey and Wes!
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