Too Many Birthday Parties for One Little Girl

On June 30th, Amelia officially turned five years old. But this year was particularly celebratory, mainly because Amelia had two birthday parties.

What was I thinking, you ask? I wasn't--or maybe just not clearly enough.

We had a birthday party for neighborhood and school friends and a party for family. They were both full of water, play, sweet things to eat, and lots of childish squeals (mostly from Evan).

Just kidding about the last part.

Amelia received mounds of presents--thank you to all who contributed. She'll need not a single toy until her next birthday. (However, what she needs and wants are two very different things.) Some of her favorite gifts included anything from High School Musical, art or craft projects, cooking projects, Littlest Pet Shop toys, pajamas, purses and money, chocolate, clothes and jewelry, water toys, books and puzzles, and dolls with matching dogs.

Below are some images of the Littlest Pet Shop themed neighborhood party:

In the Arizona morning sunshine, kids squeezed in the slide/basketball hoop/ring toss play pool. It was surprisingly small, but the kids did not seem to care. There was also a water table thanks to the Stewart cousins and a three-lane slip 'n slide, thanks to the Griffins.

Amelia is pretending to sleep here because she said that she was worn out!

Dylan wasn't digging the water play, so he stayed inside with Aunt Deb and others where it was a bit cooler.

Amelia opened presents with all the party guests watching on the couch. Each of the 15 little guests sat on towels on the couch holding their party bags, which contained a Pet Shop toy, a crafty house they made for that toy, and candy from two different pinatas (the first one broke too soon--thank heaven I had a back-up).

This is what Dylan did while Amelia opened her presents. What a party pooper!

Actually, at this point, I think that he did have poop in his pants.

Then, at the family party...

First, we swam, splashed, and floated.

Dylan was not crazy about this part.

But Brody was.

Next, we smashed a pinata.

The Rogers and Speakman boys were fierce. But the girls held their own.

If I'm not mistaken, Amelia actually broke the "Nemo" pinata.

Chloe did not like that we were beating Nemo.

(Crew took his turn while I had to change film. Sorry that Crew is not pictured here!)

Last, we had cupcakes and Amelia opened her High School Musical presents.

Yes, they were mostly High School Musical themed--dolls, a movie, pajamas, notebooks, a white board...

And Amelia was ecstatic.

Here's the cupcake crew.

Wow. That was exhausting...and fun.

Now I'm done.

Dylan's Daily Deeds

So Dylan is quite a character, as many of you know. He just hit his head on a large and jagged rock while we were camping over the Fourth of July weekend and has two black eyes, again. That is twice in three months. It seems like he just healed and then...here we go again. I'll make sure to post the horrifying photos of our little Neanderthal baby when I get them.

Besides hitting his head and creating gruesome bruises on himself, Dylan has spent his days this summer taking swimming lessons, drinking chocolate milk just to make a mustache, asking for apple juice, eating sugar straight from the bowl when I'm not looking, asking for "nandy" (you can translate, I'm sure), and looking cool in his tie on Sundays.

The following photos depict the aforementioned events:

Dylan was not crazy about swimming at first, mostly crying and saying "All done!" But with some consistency, and his Grandma Phillis' expertise, he became a bit more empowered by the experience. He can monkey walk along the pool side while he chants to himself, "two, three, two three". He gets the rings from the steps and, with help, can jump in and then turn and find the wall. Dylan is not a huge fan of putting his "eyes in" the water, but I'm guessing that the Rogers fish gene will kick into action in the coming summers.

That gene has already kicked in for Amelia. She loves to swim and thinks she's an expert. Here she is brandishing her latest claim from the bottom of the pool.

And then there's the chocolate milk mustache. This is a frequent occurrence during the week. Dylan and Amelia both think it's funny to look in the mirror after they've been chugging some chocolate goodness.

Lastly, there's Dylan in a tie. Gentleman's Quarterly, watch out.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Since August of last year, Amelia has been taking a dance class at Tempe Dance Academy. Her class consisted of a tap, ballet, and tumbling combination. Initially, she was ecstatic about the class, mostly because of the cool shoes and outfits she wore (hmm--funny--this is the same reason she wanted to play soccer). But then, even though she took the class with two of her good buds Holland and Charity, she decided that she wasn't so crazy about dance. Her teacher Ms. Wendy was very patient, but on a couple of occasions, Amelia was actually sent out of class because she refused to cooperate.

There's that independence rearing its head again.

Gradually, as seems to always be the case with our princess, she conceded, and Amelia learned her dance for the show. It was a tap dance to the song "Five Foot Two." Their costumes, as you'll see, looked a bit like that of the wild west bar maids, complete with rhinestone heart choker and a feather head piece.

Amelia and her Grandma Phillis were waiting for her turn to go on stage at the dress rehearsal. Grandpa Ed took the photos and brought a camera to record the dance. Grandma Brenda was still in Ohio with Lee and Katherine helping them move, so she was grateful for the video. (I'm having trouble uploading the video--go figure--but as soon as I figure it out I'll share it!)

Here's the bar maid costume at the recital!

A happy and very calm Amelia waiting back stage before the performance.

That costume was a huge carrot. Forever, Amelia wouldn't work on her dance at home saying, "It's for dance class, Mom, not for home." But then came the costume. Ms. Wendy recorded the music and Amelia finally practiced at home when she felt so inclined.

The day of dress rehearsal I was a little stressed imagining my independent little bar maid folding her arms when the music began, screaming, "No!" and stomping off stage. However, I totally underestimated Amelia. She lead the class to their spots on stage, moved into her first pose for the dance and didn't miss a beat.

(Well, she did every step in the correct sequence; the girls are only five, so they aren't always right on with the music.)

Evan and I were so pleased and so relieved! I should never underestimate my Amelia, I suppose.

But I do need to be prepared for anything.

Dylan with a pacifying sucker in his mouth sitting with Grandpa Duane watching the performances. What must Dylan be thinking about all lights, tutus, music, and glitter?