Belated birthday at Grandma and Granddad's house!

It's President's Day, which means a couple of nights in Lynchburg with Grandma and Granddad! It was also a chance for them to celebrate Sam's fourth birthday. Here are some pictures completely not in order. 

Josephine loves Charlie, my parents' dog. She follows him around and requested to cuddle with him for a while. He obliged. 

Josephine got a cool toy that let her use fabrics to decorate animals. 

It snowed, so Josy and I had the chance to go outside.

Here's Josy receiving the gift used above!

Sam got a pirate costume from Grandma and Granddad. He wore it the rest of the day. 

Outside, Josy and I got to make a snowgirl. 

Sam and Granddad play with the new pirate ship! 

Sam was not feeling well so he couldn't play in the snow. 

The pirate ship sets sail! 

This is already a request for Halloween 2012! 

Josephine's Black Eye

She wouldn't let me take a photo.

But since this is kind of a babybook for the kids, I had to log this event in: Jo was on the playground and a little boy accidentally bashed into her, causing her to slam into a metal jungle gym. What started off as a heinous bruise - the nurse called, I took her home to give her medicine and ice - grew bigger and bigger. The entire side of her cheek blew up like a balloon - and I ended up taking her to the ER.

The ER doctor was impressed. "I haven't seen anything this swollen in all my 20 years," he said. But if there is a break - and we still don't know - it's not a bad one, one that would have required an MRI that night. We were told to wait till the swelling went down. Her cheekbone might be fractured, we may need a plastic surgeon - or she may be fine. We still have yet to know.

But poor girl, even as the swelling has gone down, the purple, blue, brown, and black has shifted around within her face and settled around her eye, making her look like she got in a bad bar fight. She's been scared to see her own image in the mirror, and terrified of other kids seeing her and "not liking it."

The accident happened Thursday. By Sunday, she was feeling well enough that she'd started in on her acrobatic hijinks - balancing on her head, standing on top of precarious things, hanging upside down - things she's not allowed to do when she's well let alone still puffy and healing.

Saturday in the bathtub, she was obviously back to her philosophical self: "Mama," she mused, "We're not replaceable, are we? We can't be replaced when we die. Except maybe by little kids. Or a doll."

My sweet girl. She's back at school today. She's so brave.

Celebrating Sam's 4th Birthday

I'm so happy that my son is healthy, happy and blossoming into a fine little man. 

Now that he's 4, he has earned the right to this smirk. 

Josephine spent some time trying to learn "Happy Birthday"

One of Sam's presents was a real version of Angry Birds

Sam set this up himself and eventually learned how use the slingshot. 

The music room has returned, and so we're spending time playing again. 

Sam caught us just as we were about to bring the cake to him!

Sam loved his Lego Space Shuttle, even if he's not too keen yet on learning how to put it together. 

Mandi's present to Sam was a 3D puzzle

The cake. It was Super Bowl Sunday, after all. 

He may not have wanted to put it together, but he was very careful playing with the shuttle doors. 

All three of us worked to put the finishing touches. 

Sam Turns Four, Pirate Style

Before the big day, the girls practiced being mermaids.  Josephine, performing as always.

Nonplussed.

I found the girls doing Sam's hair. Getting him handsome.

Two friends donated large boxes to become a pirate ship. of course, Sam was  just happy to climb in the box.

Josephine getting wrapped up "like a baby."

Pirate cake!

In his pirate cape, watching the cake being made.

The completed pirate ship and crew.

Checking himself in the mirror.

A little put out that I made him stop so I could take a photo.

After the cake.

Sam is way impressed with himself for turning four. And very reluctant to give up being the Birthday Boy, a role he lived up to the max for three days straight. 

We're all very proud!