Party for a Princess: Part 2

On the Saturday before Morgan's birthday, we threw a Princess Party for Morgan and her friends from school. It was so much fun that on the Saturday after her birthday, we did it again for our family. 

On Saturday morning, Morgan got to open her presents from Lance, Lina and Lucas (who had spent the night with us after our adventure at Sesame St. on Friday) and from Aunt Lindsay (who arrived early Saturday morning). It was a very Rapunzel-ful bunch of presents -- including a Rapunzel baby doll, Rapunzel figurines, and a Rapunzel dress. 

 

In the afternoon, the party officially started. The kids had fun jumping in the bouncy castle, playing soccer, bobbing for apples, and competing in a sack race (with pillow cases -- a princess wouldn't be caught dead in a potato sack, after all).

 

Later, we headed inside for to do arts and crafts and open presents. Gwen decorated a magic wand at Morgan's first Princess Party, so she helped show Aunt Jenny how it's done. 

Ariella cooked up feast fit for a King (or, in this case, a princess) including pulled barbecue chicken, pasta salad, cole slaw, corn on the cob, baked beans and macaroni n' cheese. Gwen feasted on fruit kabobs.  

Morgan's cake was a pink Princess castle made with icing-coated ice cream cones (edible) and princess figurines (not edible). After Morgan's 3rd Happy Birthday serenade in a week, the sugar rush from the cake gave the girls enough of a jolt of energy to put their princess costumes and race back outside for more bouncing in the castle. (Lucas was out of gas after a long weekend of fun, so he said goodbye.)

Finally, Morgan's fairy tale party had reached the "happily ever after" part. Morgan and Gwen said their goodbyes and thank-you's. Before heading off to bed, the girls squeezed in a little snuggle time with Aunt Lindsay (who mentioned this weekend that there are never any pictures of her on this blog -- so here ya go.) 

Morgan at 4 years

It's amazing how fast 4 years have gone by, and how our little baby has turned into a big girl. (For photographic evidence, check out these birthday photos from one month, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years.)

At her 4-year checkup recently, Morgan measured 38 inches tall and weighed 34 lbs 2 oz. (which means she's holding steady in the 15th percentile in height and weight for her age).

This year, Morgan continued to grow into a sweet, smart, fun little girl. She's the "teacher's pet" in her preschool class (sometimes, her teacher has to ask her not to answer all the questions so other kids can get a chance). Morgan knows all of her letters and numbers and is starting to read short words. She loves to do art projects -- whether it's with crayons, markers, paint, Play-Doh or sidewalk chalk, Morgan's art keeps getting more and more creative. She also loves to dance and sing along with songs from Princess movies. She still loves helping Mom in the kitchen. And she loves being a big sister to Gwen.

On Thursday morning, we kicked off her birthday by opening a few presents that Nanna and Grandpa mailed from Utah. Lately, Morgan's favorite princess movie has been Tangled. So Nanna knitted Rapunzel hair for Morgan. Based on the photos below, you can tell the hat was a huge hit with Morgan... and Gwen.

After school on Thursday, Morgan finally got the big birthday gift she's been asking for for months: a bouncy castle. When she stepped into our back yard, she couldn't believe her eyes. Then, in a flash, she had pulled off her shoes and was bouncing her brains out. 

A little while later, Katie, Andrew and Karen joined us for dinner and birthday cake. The kids sang "Happy Birthday" for the second time and then bounced some more. Morgan's official birthday was over. But her birthday weekend was just beginning. 

On Friday morning, we piled into the car and went to Morgan's favorite place: Sesame Place. When we got there, we met up with Lance, Lina and Lucas (this was Lucas' first time at Sesame Place).

It was cool and overcast in Friday morning, so the park was empty and there were no lines at any of the rides. We took the kids on the Sunny Day Carousel, Elmo's Flying Fish, and Big Bird's Balloon Race.

Gwen and Lucas played on slide in the toddler area while Ariella and Morgan climbed in the nets high above us. Later, Lucas showed no shyness whatsoever when he got the chance to meet Big Bird, Elmo, Bert and Ernie, Zoey and The Count.

 

In the afternoon, a sunny day swept the clouds away (as the song goes). Morgan rode the rollercoaster five times. Gwen and Lucas rocked-out to the "Elmo Rocks" show. And finally, we finished the day watching the Sesame Place Parade. 

Part 3 of Morgan's birthday marathon was done. But we still had a big day ahead of us on Saturday...

A Party for a Princess

Morgan has been begging us for months to invite her friends from school over to play. So for her 4th birthday, we decided to host a Princess party for our little 4-year-old princess. The girls from her class arrived in their princess dresses. There were 7 little princesses in all, including Princess Morgan and Princess Gwen. 

The party started with some princess-themed activities -- princess coloring, decorating their own magic wands, bobbing for Snow White's magic apple, and "Clang the Frying Pan on Flynn Rider" (if you've seen the movie "Tangled", you know what I'm talking about). 

 

After all their princess activities were finished, it was time for lunch. Ariella cooked-up a royal feast, that included crown-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate-covered strawberries, fruit kabobs (served on magic wands), and of course, the birthday cake.

Finally, it was time to play. The seven little princesses poured into the living room and did what little girls do: pull out every single toy we own and have fun.

The party was only two hours long, but it was everything our little princess could have asked for. (Well, not everything she could have asked for. But she'll have to wait for her actual birthday to get the other thing she's been asking for.)

Weekend in New England

On the weekend of April 20, we headed north for a weekend away -- away from home and (for the first time in a while) away from the girls to celebrate Andy's 40th birthday. 

After an overnight stop in Connecticut, Ariella and Andy headed to Boston to visit some of their favorite places from their 8 years living their (4 for Ariella). Meanwhile, the girls stayed back in Connecticut with Andy's parents. 

Luckily for Morgan and Gwen, Mayie and P-Pa had a bunch of fun stuff planned, including trip to their friend's farm to see the horses, chickens and ducks. (Oh, and there's always the Lake. Which means water and sand. Which means mud! And what could be more fun than that?)

When we returned from Boston on Sunday morning, we found two very tired little girls -- and two extremely tired grandparents.