Pals

Alaina has been a social butterfly lately! She is always up for a play date. I have noticed that each time she is around her "older" friends (some are only a few months older - but in baby time, it is night/day of a difference), she is learning. She picks up new tricks and techniques.

Talk to the frog...

For example, her new friend Evie taught her how to jump in the Baby Einstein jumper in February (I know, I'm late with updates). Evie wore that thing out when the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song blasted through the speakers! Kids can't help but to get excited about Mickey :)

Alaina & Audrey & Evie being spellbound by Mickey on TV

Catfight!
In retrospect, I realize that her quiet little friend Audrey Cate (aka "ACE") did not rub off on Alaina. ACE was content to just sit quietly and observe what was going on without wiggling, crawling, squirming and getting into virtually everything! Maybe next time my little wiggle worm will observe ACE and settle down a bit! But probably not.

ACE - the still one, and ABE - the wiggle worm

Alaina also got to meet another new friend named Audrey recently. Audrey was about a month old at the time, and she seemed tiny to me!


It's amazing how quickly you forget about the newborn stage. The soft coos, the limp limbs, the stillness. Seems like forever ago that I was staring at this...


And let's not forget Alaina's "usual" gang - Emma Grace, Aislynn, Parker & Nate. Together they make up the fabulous 5. These five'sters have been kind of hanging around each other before they were even born! While they were swimming around in their mommies tummies, the mommies were busy sharing stories of our aches and pains and food cravings and stretching bellies. Mostly over a scrupmtious meal, I might add! It's funny asking pregnant chicks where they'd like to eat. It's either STRONGLY in one direction or another. Some DID NOT want mexican, while others (like me) practically BEGGED for it!

Here we were in March 2009 at a pizza place (a happy medium). In order of due date - Me/Alaina, Rachael/Nate, Hillary/Parker, Kim/Aislynn & Kaci/Emma Grace.

We have only grown closer since, and the stories continue. Although the conversations have shifted to tales of sleeping, eating, burping and spitting up, and more recently topics of crawling and walking!

The kiddos (minus Nate) in February at Hillary's Pampered Chef party. The ladies are really ganging up on Parker! Sorry Nate - you snooze, you lose!

Time sure does fly as evidenced by 1-year birthday celebrations that are already underway!

Emma Grace turned 1 on March 28. She had a fairy-themed party on her actual birthday.

The birthday girl with her smash cake

Alaina decided to try out the "big seat" at the party...

So did Parker :)

All the little girls had fairy wings...

And the sole boy (Parker) was given a much more masculine accessory...a bandana!

The bandana must have provoked frisky behavior because we caught Parker touching Alaina's butt under a table!!!
Don't worry, daddy had a head-to-head with him!


Babies & mommies...

Aislynn turned 1 on April 8, and her birthday party was held this afternoon. She had a duck-themed party.

The birthday girl with her mommy Kim :)

The kiddos with their mommies (minus Parker/Hillary)

Parker's birthday is this week, on April 14.


Then we skip a few months until July rolls around. Nate turns 1 on July 22.


And THEN...before we all know it...Laney Bug will turn the BIG *1* on July 31!!!


My head is already spinning with birthday ideas :)