Time to Party!

Mimi, Granddaddy and Anna came down late Friday and left Saturday afternoon. They sure love Josiah. I'll have more pictures of all that later! But here they are checking out the train cake.

The train cake came out pretty cute.

The lucky party-boy surrounded by his friends. We had Josiah's party in our backyard with the baby pool, sprinkler and some light snacks. It was cute when I was telling Josiah who was coming to his party, he was genuinely excited about each person. I was really glad we kept it small and simple, but sweet.

Josiah, Jack and Kate checking out the pool.

Dad caught Lexi mid-bubble - pretty good, huh?

What are the odds of catching three residents not working?

"Nana, I want that cupcake, please."

"Mmmm...I'm getting a cupcake."

Not a big to-do over the cake/candle deal either. I wasn't sure if I should let him dig into his train or a cupcake; he decided for me.

When I asked if anyone wanted to lead the singing, Lexi chimed in "I will." And she did! Brave little 3-year-old!

He actually blew out the candles himself!

Two.

Kate and Lexi wanted to try the train cake. Josiah wanted the jellybeans.

Kate and Lexi enjoyed the water, bathing suits or not!

Daria and Baby Ethan

Only 3 weeks old

Checking out the baby

Aaron and Erin (they even stayed to help us clean up!)

Melanie, Ben and Jack

Bill and Sandy watched Josiah during our small group meetings. Josiah loves hanging out with them, and they are truly some of the most wonderful Christians I've ever met. When I grow up in Christ, I'd like to be like Sandy.

Very interested in the Oreos

The drenched little boy grabbing from the kids' snack table.

He was freezing when he got out the pool, so Nana had to snuggle him with a towel. It's a rough job, but someone had to do it.

This is right after they'd given each other a hug goodbye!

I love how sweet they are together.

The lovely Stewart ladies

Josiah's BirthDAY

Josiah's actual birthday was Friday, and his party was Saturday, so I tried to think of things that might be fun for him on his special day. The ultimate gift: taking him to the toy store to play on the track. He seriously could do this all day, which made his birthday gifts all the more special (more to come...).

When Daddy got home, he opened our gifts. We made the mistake of giving him what was sure to be the favorite gift first: a big Thomas the Train that rolls and makes noise. He wasn't so interested in the rest of his gifts afterward!

We also gave him his first tricycle. He hasn't quite caught on to it, but there's time!

"Can I hold Thomas and ride my tricycle?"

The compromise was putting Thomas in the back compartment.

Our sweet neighbors, Willie and Eleanor, came out to say hello.

Party pictures to come!

McWane Center with Lexi

I know everyone is dying to seeing some birthday pictures, but in an effort to be chronological, I'm going to post pictures of our trip to the McWane Science Center first. We babysat our friend's Kristen's daughter, Lexi, and she lent us her pass to get in free. It was a swell deal for all, and Lexi was a great tour guide.
Here they are doing a tune-up.

At the water table...

Checking out some groceries

Making the character kiss :)

At the sand section

Uncovering dinosaur bones on an archeological dig.

Letting the butterflies land on them. Josiah's trying to imitate Lexi.

Jamming on the big keyboard.

Playing with the huge Light Bright.

Looking at the model train exhibit. Too bad they were behind glass!

Lexi checking me out of the grocery store.

Good thing they put the train table at the end, or we never would have seen anything else!

Josiah actually made it through the entire science center during his normal nap time (with no breakdowns, miraculously). He crashed on the way home and stayed asleep when I moved him to the crib (also miraculously). So Lexi and I made cookies while he napped. It was a really fun experience baking cookies with a 3.5 year old. She kept saying "These are going to be delicious."