Double Nemo Birthday Party, 2nd Party

Anika has been into Nemo a bit lately, so I thought it might be a good theme for

a combined birthday party with Seth.  He turned 1, and she turned 3-years-old.

Seth likes Nemo too.  I considered buying a talking stuffed animal Nemo at Target one day.

I let him hold it, and he did not let go the entire time we shopped.  I had to pry it out of his hands

and made him cry a fair bit when we were done.  He also would not let go of this balloon.

He loved the balloon so much that he bit it and made a hole... before the party :)

Anika wanted to help me tie balloons onto our gate.

We put blue balloons with helium randomly around the room.  

The balloons also had little orange fish taped to the ribbons.

I printed and cut out two Nemo mobiles...

The table looked nicer later, but we had goldfish, swedish fish and gummy sharks, blue kool-aid with gummy sharks frozen into the ice cubes, orange creamsicle ice cream cups, and cupcakes with printed Nemo pictures alternating with orange gummy fish,.  I am said I didn't get a better picture of the table or a closer picture of the cupcakes, but it wasn't that impressive anyway.

Blue balloons we scattered around the floor to encourage an ocean-y feel.  I hid some orange, printed Nemo's around the room for the kids to "find Nemo."  We also had a little obstacle course where they crawled under jelly fish (streamers), hopped across a line of turtles (green felt pieces), and then threw bean bag into a bowl of blue stuff to win some bubbles!

We also played, "Fish, fish, shark" with a lot of parent involvement.

I knew it would be that way, but still fun.  And it was :)

Bubbles!

At the end of the party the kids took home a Nemo coloring page.  At the beginning of the party the kids got a fish I had cut out from foam paper.  They could choose an eye for it and then decorate it with foam shapes.  That was my idea.  Otherwise I can basically thank pinterest for the party ideas :)

First 1st & 3rd Birthday Party

 This is Seth's first 1st birthday party and cake.  I don't think I got a picture of the cake before :(

Judy has the same birthday as Seth, so we thought it would be fun to invite her, Than's parents, and the Roberts over to celebrate birthdays (including Anika's birthday which is one week later than theirs).

Grandma Hardman was kind enough to make a mini cake for Seth with blue frosting.  

It was just right, and he loved it!

Judy was kind enough to share her scrumptious chocolate cake with us all.

 Somehow I managed to not get a picture of Grandpa Hardman or myself.

Seth is pushing around Anika's "new" and free scooter.

Anika is checking out her new activity book from Grandma and Grandpa.

You can see Seth's "new" and also free yellow dumptruck in the background.  

Grandma and Grandpa gave him some balls and he loves them!

Playing Around

Anika wanted to pretend to nap in the inner tubes.

 Dad was so good to oblige.  "Goodnight."

She was a little bit into pretending to be "Mary."  She has a

"Baby Jesus" in her arms, but you can't see it.

Rough housing

Seth climbing

playing around

Playing the piano

Anika went through a phase where she liked to be swaddled.

I think it was because Baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Some Christmas

Instead of gingerbread houses, we decided to make Christmas trees. 

 Cousin Amelia and Anika

Cute neighbor

Anika's tree with Seth in the background

Some home made Christmas cards

Anika won a chocolate Santa on Christmas Eve

She and 3 of her cousins each found an almond in his/her bowl of rice cream.
Mondel Presong = Almond Surprise

Family!

Nativity

Angel Anika

My cousins and aunt singing during the nativity.

My sis-in-law and my two brothers

More nativity with Seth as Baby Jesus

Maybe Anika knew she would be more likely to convince Santa that she had, in fact, 
been an angel all year if she kept her halo on.

Seth's first time with Santa

Seth's new ride!

Anika's new ride!

Seth @ 11 Months

(this post was written around early December)

Seth is growing up so fast.  It is so fun to see all of the new things he can do and figure out,

but it is a little bittersweet too.

Just today he started walking!  He has done one step a few times, but today he did a few steps a few times.  That's when I think it is official, but not really effective or stable yet.

I have noticed that if Anika or I try to hand him something and he doesn't want it but we seem to think that he just hasn't noticed or something, he will eventually take it from us, and then throw it.

Seth tries to put hats on his head and shoes and socks on his feet.  I usually set him down on the landing while Anika and I get our shoes on, and a few times he has gone over to the basket, pulled his shoes out, and tried to put one on (which is mostly just holding his shoe out and on his foot).  It is very fun to watch him figure things out like that.  One time he was struggling with his sock not going on his foot and then he pressed it into my hand for me to do it.

He is really good at scooting down the stairs on his tummy (feet first, or course), but he still isn't proficient enough for me to feel comfortable about taking the gates down.  He gets very upset when we put up or shut our gates.  I love watching him crawl over to the top of the stairs and then turning around to start scooting down.

Seth laughs at the most random things.  He laughs when he pulls my hair, when he tackles Anika, when he climbs the stairs or drops something.

He is really into peek-a-boo right now.  Seth and Anika like to wrestle.  I am not sure what to call it but they are both on the floor climbing, nudging, pushing against each other...

Unfortunately he is starting to throw tantrums.  He is also already starting to look at me while he is doing something naughty (like standing on the couch and pulling on the tree decorations) and give me an ear to ear grin or just laugh.

Animated Anika

(started this post a few months ago, so it isn't current)

For show-and-tell during preschool the other day, Anika chose a book to share.  When she came up to tell us about it, she told the other children, "Okay, sit down.  I'm the teacher."  Then she started reading the book to them.

One day I came out of Seth's room after putting him down for a nap.  Anika was at the top of the stairs holding her little toy chair.  I asked what she was doing and she told me she needed it to get a sucker.  When I went downstairs, I found this:

I love that the stool is on the chair... not.

And, yes, she was preparing to add her other little chair to her climbing structure.

We have been so glad to have some nice days lately.  We were out in our

backyard the other day and Anika wanted to play "Sacrament meeting."  I encouraged her to play nursery instead, but she insisted.  She moved our storage seat over to be the podium and found a shovel for the microphone.

She began, "Today we are going to have sacrament meeting and then nursery.

Now we are going to have a prayer."  She couldn't figure out how to hold the microphone and fold her arms.  This is what she came up with: