Vincelli: Party of 6

Vincelli: Party of 6

Thursday, October 17, 2013

3RD BIRTHDAY PARTY

All dressed up in baseball gear for the party!

I enjoy party planning. And people have made comments like, "How do you have time for that?" or "I wish I had time for that!" and sadly even, "Why do you spend the time on that?" Well, it's just this simple: You make time for what you like to do. And I enjoy doing party themes for my children's birthdays. So I make the time. 

And this year I decided on a baseball theme!
Go MINNESOTA TWINS!

But, please don't judge me. I've heard it all before. People making fun of the "pinterest" moms who theme parties or make such elaborate decorations. Why make fun of them just because it's something you don't do? It's a hobby for them. It's a hobby for me. For example, I don't watch a lot of tv. So instead of watching tv, I spend some time in August planning their birthday party. Is that so wrong? Not at all. It's something I like to do. It's therapeutic. It's crafty. I like it!

Oh, and I'm actually not a "pinterest" mom. I've only been on there a handful of times. Are you surprised? :) It's true!

Okay, enough of my ranting. Just had to throw that out there to defend myself and all the other party planners out there!



We had Eli and Will's 3rd Birthday Party at my parent's farm in Pipestone, MN this year. We were home for a wild weekend, so we decided to throw one extra event in since many people would already be there! We had FOUR parties in TWO days. On Saturday morning, we threw my sister, Corrie, a baby shower in South Dakota. Then E & W's 3rd birthday party was back at the farm in the afternoon. Then we went back to South Dakota early Sunday morning for my niece, Eleanor's baptism. And then our another niece, Ryder, had her 2nd Birthday Party at the farm later that afternoon. Whew! Makes me tired just typing all that. :)

We had a fun and wild weekend. Lots of planning, prep, and preparing for both the baby shower and E & W's birthday party, but was totally TOTALLY worth it!

Here are the invitations I made to look like ticket stubs. 
So fun to make!


*Notice the special note at the bottom. I'd thought it'd be fun for everyone to wear baseball apparel. It was so fun to have everyone dressed alike for the party. Thanks to everyone for humoring us!

The menu was of course CONCESSION food. Hot dogs, nacho chips with cheese and jalapenos, and baked beans. (Well, baked beans aren't really a concession food, but just pretend!)


I even found the fun hot dog holders to go along with the baseball plates and napkins.





Yummy!



And how could you have a baseball party without good ol' cracker jack, peanuts, popcorn, and "dubble bubble" bubble gum? You can't! So those were the goodies placed on the tables for munching!






Here are the boys enjoying punch in their new baseball cups with twisty straws. They were in heaven!


We had the party outside because that was the only place that could fit us all. But mother nature played a cruel trick on us, and it ended up being over 90 degrees out, so we all got a tad bit warm. I had planned on everyone playing a game of baseball together out in the field, but none of us really wanted to move in that heat, so we skipped that and just ate. Works for me!


Loved everyone dressed in baseball gear!



Wish we would have taken a group photo of the entire group together, but we just ran out of time!


You can see their "birthday banner" of photos hanging from the canopy.

Every year for their birthday, I make a banner of one photo of the boys together from each month. Here's a close-up of the year 2 to year 3 banner!




For decorations on the tables, we had old baseball bats, mitts and baseballs of Nick's for the centerpieces. 



After getting back to the farm from the baby shower, I barely had time to get birthday party stuff ready, yet alone take the "pretty pre-party" photos I had wanted to. So I didn't get photos of everything. But these were the labels I had attached to the brown peanut bags:






And these popcorn bags, I filled with some treats, balls, bracelets, toys, etc. as party favors for all the kids to bring home.


See the white house in the background of this next photo? 
That's the house I grew up in! Love that place!


Remember when I said it was over 90 degrees out? Well, this is what happens to your cake and cupcakes when it's that hot. Things start to melt....a lot. And when you use red frosting, it looks like a blood bath. It was a bloody baseball bloodbath. Oh well, it still tasted good!

The cake was chocolate for Will, our little chocolate lover. (Which Will pronouces "fock-et." Oh my...our little potty mouth!)

And the cupcakes were vanilla, for Eli, our little vanilla lover. (Which Eli pronouces "'nilla.")



Those on the cupcakes are supposed to be 3's, E's, and W's. But yes, a blood bath did occur. I had planned on making these look like baseballs, but the frosting tip I was using was too thick, so it wasn't working. My cake/cupcakes were a disaster. But like I said, at least they still tasted good. :)



Opening gifts:



Will blowing out his 3 candles!


Elijah blowing out his 3 candles!


An attempt at getting a cousin's photo. (Cousins of Eli and Will!) 
But Max did not want to make an appearance. :)


A few kids ran away but these stayed. :)


Golf Cart rides!


4-Wheeler Rides! Farm life is the BEST!


Even though we were SO hot, it was a fabulous party. 
We made great memories and are thankful for our dear family for helping us celebrate. 

Now to figure out next year's theme! :)

Hum...anyone have any ideas? 




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

PREGNANCY & INFANT LOSS REMEMBRANCE DAY




Today, October 15th, is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Today I will light a candle in honor of all the angel babies. I remember and honor all of my friends and anyone who have lost babies through miscarriage and still birth. I remember my friends who delivered their premature babies who too quickly went to heaven. Especially babies: Charlie, Savannah, and Samuel. And I remember those who lost their babies after hours, days, weeks, and months of getting to know them. Especially Hope, Trey, and Drake.

There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.

I am 1 in 4. One in four women will lose a child through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or infant loss. Exactly 5 months ago today, on Nick and my 9 year wedding anniversary, we lost our baby. If our baby was still alive, I would currently be almost 7 months pregnant. 

Today we celebrate all angel babies. Today is a day for everyone to remember and honor all of the precious babies gone too soon. Today is a day for many of us to bond together and mourn and honor our precious lost little ones.  

The loss of any child, no matter what age or gestational age, is heartbreaking. And the weight of bearing these scars is with us forever. Please take a moment to honor these babies. 

They were loved. They were real. They will never be forgotten. 

And we carry them forever in our hearts.


Monday, October 14, 2013

THREE YEARS OLD


The twins are 3 years old! THREE!!! How can that be?

They turned 3 years old on 9/13/13. Friday the 13th this year! It wasn't THAT scary! :)

It's hard to believe our sweet boys have now entered the "terrible three's." Yes, I was informed it's not the "terrible TWO's" but the "terrible THREE's". And with them being 3 for just one month now, I can totally see that. It's like they snapped! We definitely have our hard times. Guess that's what happens when you have two children the exact same age who usually want the same thing at the same time. It's hard to share! And I can't blame them for getting on each other's nerves, they are with each other 100% of the time. 

But then sometimes they are so darn sweet. And they sneak kisses and secrets...


But we have so many wonderful times too. And what a joy it is to see them interact with each other in conversation and imaginative play. They just soak everything in and know more words than I could ever have imagined they'd know at this age. They are smart little guys and ask so many questions. They are very much alike but so different as well. They are definitely their own little personalities. I love to just sit and watch them play together...well, when they aren't fighting that is. :)

As they say, "boys will be boys."



  

They had their 3 year well check a few weeks ago. 
They are as happy and as healthy as can be. We are so blessed.

Our tiny little Will weighs 28 pounds 14 ounces, which is the 19th percentile.
And our Elijah weighs 31 pounds 8 ounces, which is the 45th percentile.

Even though it's just a few pounds difference, it sure feels a lot heavier when we pick up Eli!



Both boys measure exactly the same at 37 inches, which is the 75th percentile. They were exactly the same height as each other at 2 years old as well. So interesting. I wonder if they will continue at the same growth!


Our little cheese balls!



The photos on this post are Eli and Will's 3 year photos we took yesterday. We just decided to take them on our own with our camera at a beautiful park with the fall leaves everywhere. They weren't cooperating all that well, but we got a few good ones. Bribing them with candy wasn't even working that well!

           Will
            

Elijah



 Elijah


Will