Happy birthday, part 2

Even though Connor's birthday isn't until the end of March, we definitely use it as an excuse to invite all of our friends over throughout the month and celebrate multiple times.

Tonight we had some 8Palmer peeps over, and Connor definitely loved running around with everyone. At bedtime, when we asked what his high of the day was, he said "all those kids being loud."

Connor and Sophie munching on some pork tacos, guacamole, cous cous salad and veggies.

Connor, Sophie and Zoey. At one point they all raised their glasses and cheered each other.

James + Owen--they are both mobile now, and it's pretty adorable to see them try and get in the action.

Attempted rainbow cupcakes, which I later topped with homemade icing. They were a hit with the kids, but kids eating sugar aren't very discriminating. :)

Bunny cup party favors (thank you, pinterest)!

New raincoat!

From Gma Mersch. It's a little big, but did the job nicely during a recent downpour.

What winter?

Although we had a very mild winter, it still seemed like a reunion of sorts when Connor got to play with the "extended" neighborhood group, including Maddie, Brighton and, of course, Dylan and Mya outside.

On the across-the-street swings

and teeter totter.

The old standby playground next door.

Our family

At school Connor was asked to draw a picture of his family. Here it is--he explained where we all were in this mess:

New shoes

Connor's been fascinated with our shoe collection. One day I wore his shoes and he wore mine:

They actually didn't look that weird:

Of course, we had to try on daddy's as well:

How to make a bookcase

Step 1: Invite Grandpa over to make sure someone reads the instructions.

Step 2: Make sure to check all the screws.

Steps 3-4: Generous use of the mallet is especially needed. At one point, Connor said, "C'mon Mark!" when Mark had it and wouldn't "share" with him. I don't think I've laughed so loud in a long time.

Step 5: Enjoy the fruits of your labor! Connor insisted only one truck could go in each spot. We're trying to convince him otherwise to avoid buying many more bookcases.

It's a secret

I love when Connor closes his eyes. He scrunches up his whole face and periodically tries to peek out.