costume party!

I can't believe it's been two weeks since Oliver's birthday party! The costume party was his idea, along with his costume - Santa, and the Easter Bunny pinata he picked out :) My newly turned four year old loves Christmas and Santa more than anyone I know, so it was really no surprise when he chose his costume. And thanks to Gramma he ended up with a handmade adorable outfit. I decided the rest of the family should follow Oliver's theme, so Nick, Elliott and I dressed up as elves. Penny was out hiking during the party but I did order her some reindeer antlers for Halloween in case she wants to wear them.

 The party was a blast and everyone had a good time. We came up with some fun Halloween-themed food and it was so much fun to see the kids in costumes. And thank you as always to our friend Jason Meert for taking most of the amazing pictures below!

Happy 4th, Oliver!

my favorite food plate, ghost bananas and pumpkin satsumas!

Mr. Santa himself!

my dad, as a slice of Pizza

little pumpkin decorating activity

this was probably the best activity at the party

Trixi as autumn

monster cupcakes! I wanted to make mummies but Oliver wanted chocolate frosting

elves!

family photo

helping himself to the snack table

cupcake time!

paleo chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting - yum!

Elliott's first cupcake

a skeleton

and fairy

Kaila with huge hair!

taking it all in

Jim Baer was a construction man - creative

pinata time

the end result

saying goodbye to his best friend Harvey

and his girlfriend Mallory

present time!

a race car!

Elliott sings

I caught this little guys singing some of his favorite songs after dinner tonight. This includes Row, Row, Row Your Boat, with the version where you scream for the alligator, Little Red Caboose, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, If You're Happy and You Know It, and Happy Birthday.

interview with a 4 year old

I started interviewing Oliver on his third birthday, and hope to keep it up for as long as I can. Here are the questions and answers this year:

What’s your name: Oliver

What’s your last name: Villanueva

What color are your eyes: Black

Tell me the best thing about you: I'm 4

What did you dream about last night: Santa and his reindeer

Who is your best friend: Harvey

What is your favorite toy: garbage truck

What does Daddy always say: no response

What does Mommy always say: no response

What do you love to eat: mini hot dogs

What is in the sky: trees

Can you tell me a secret

Can you sing a song

Where do you live: Washington

Can you dance

How old is Mommy: 1

How old is Daddy: 3

Where does Daddy work: work

Where does Mommy work: teaching dogs

What is something that makes you happy: fire truck

Can you show me a sad face

What kind of car do you want to drive when you are older: fire truck

Who is your favorite superhero: Mallory

What do you want to be when you grow up: not sure

And you can watch last year's interview by clicking here.

pumpkin patch 2013

Our third annual trip to Bob's Corn Pumpkin Farm was quite a production this year. We have made it a tradition to go around Oliver's birthday, but this year in addition to Gramma joining us, we were accompanied by Bapa, Aunt Shannon, and her friend Olivia. The weather was gorgeous and the boys had a blast. We came home with over 20 pumpkins! I used many of them as an decorating activity for the kids at Oliver's party the next day and they all got to take one home as a party favor. We still have several small ones around our house and Oliver has spent the past several days decorating them with stickers. He is just wild about pumpkins as they remind him of his birthday month.

Riding the cow train:

To the pumpkin patch!

Pumpkin selection:

And a snack with Gramma before heading back:

Happy 4th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Oliver! I can't believe you turned 4 today! I remember when our neighbors moved in across the street a few years ago and they had a four year old boy at the time, it sounded so old to me. You have turned into the most amazing, loving and caring little boy. You love chocolate, legos, trains, Chester the raccoon, and above all, anything that has to do with Christmas! We have been reading Christmas books for several months now and you are going to be Santa for Halloween. You love your little brother and Penny, and love to wrestle with Daddy. You are very independent, learning to read and write, among other things. Today you nursed for the last time. You really haven't been nursing much at all for six months now, but still ask for it every day. Today marks the end of a special four year bond that I shared with you, but you and I are both ready to move on. We can have a new bedtime routine of cuddling and talking. You have become quite a chatterbox lately, though you correct us and say you are a "sillybox". I love you Oliver! I am so happy to have you in my life.