Leo's 4th Birthday Party!

My little boy will be 4 tomorrow, but we had a big birthday bash for him yesterday. We invited his preschool class, some friends from the gym and some friends who Leo has known forever. What a day! It was great seeing all of Leo's favorite people in one place and everybody had a blast!

We held the party at Pump it Up Jr., which is giant play utopia for young children. Everything at Pump it Up is inflatable, so kids can run around and play without getting hurt. After an hour of energetic play, the kids all had pizza and cake and then Leo opened his presents. His cake was Transformers themed and a good majority of his gifts were Legos. Yeah Leo!

Because this is the first birthday that Leo might remember, we wanted to make a big deal over it. I feel the party was a big success and all the kids went home happy and tired.

Karate Kid

My Tiny Tiger

My big Tiger!

Holding hands and stealing hearts!

Full blown toddler!

Sporty girl? We'll see!

Great form!

She looks so grown up!

These last few weeks have been fantastic! Leo seems to have taken a 180 degree turn around and has been so well behaved. I just can't believe what a drastic transformation he has had recently. I think this shift is partially related to the fact that we signed him up for Karate (Taekwondo). He LOVES it and Joe and I love the life skills he is learning in addition to the physical challenge. He is taught to be focused, show respect, be a good friend and be disciplined. These are all things that we want to instill in him and I am so thankful that he LOVES his class so much.

He is a Tiny Tiger and goes to 2 classes per week. It is a big financial commitment, but we are happy to make it. Leo is currently a white belt, but will probably earn his orange belt in mid-April. I would love nothing more than if Leo were able to achieve the status of black belt, but this will be up to him. Joe and I will always be encouraging, but I never want to force him to keep up with an activity he is not passionate about. I believe my job as a parent is to recognize his passions and help him to cultivate them to be the best Leo he can be.

Leo also bought his first CD (yes, they still sell them)! He bought the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack and that's all we ever listen to in the van. I am excited that he Loves this music so much.

Our Somerset is growing up too fast! She is now sleeping through the night due to sleep training, but her new wake-up time is 5:30 a.m., which is just killing me. I am not a morning person, so these early wake-ups make for a very long day.

She has become so playful and has quite a spunky personality. She loves to play games with us and make us laugh. She is completely obsessed with Adele's song Rolling in the Deep (still) and asks for "deep?" all the time. Joe and I have had enough Adele to last us a life-time. She is a real music fan and will belt out songs all the time. It's too early to tell if she can carry a tune, but she sure does love singing.

Not too much else to report. Joe continues to brew...a lot. He also grows his sneaker collection. I got a new haircut and I really should post photos soon. My hair is a short bob again and I prefer it to my long hair. I just have a little more maintenance, but it's worth it.