On Saturday, March 16th, Anna Kate’s real birthday, we went over to Grand Papa and Kay Kay’s house to celebrate Anna Kate!  Thank you guys so much for hosting our Pond family for lots of birthday fun and surprises!  Anna Kate takes care of Noemi, just like Rose; so sweet!

Time with Daddy’s family is always fun and special!

 

Wow, Kay Kay… thanks for the great birthday dinner!  It was all of Anna Kate’s favorite things!

So happy!  The gift that keeps on giving.  Birthdays are my favorite!

 

Go sissy!!!

After all the present fun had come to an end, Rose was ready to call it quits!  Lol, she always lays on something random when she is tired and ready to go to sleep.  She fusses all day long, but she will never fuss to go to sleep.  We’ll just find her laying on the counter top (I’m not joking) or anywhere she feels like relaxing.  I wonder if she likes hard surfaces because she has slept in the pack n’ play since day 1 until now.  She hates cuddling in our beds… and I’m thinking it’s because they are too soft.  We need to transition her into the toddler bed soon.  It’s a little bit softer, so hopefully she’ll get used to it.  (this was random… I’m so behind and so tired)  I’m trying to get caught up before Easter but I’m at least a week behind.  We’ve been SO sick and SO busy lately.  We’re good though; crazy good!

Noemi and Rose are always soooo cute together!

 

These pictures are just totally adorable!

 

Here are all of the Pond girls playing outside before Anna Kate’s party on her birthday at Kay Kay and Grand Papa’s house!

This about sums up the girls’ personalities right now, lol!  They were so happy in the car on the way to their grandparents’ house; I had to capture their excitement!

 

Some of our very best friends, the Christian family, were in Texas this week for a wedding, and we were blessed to meet up with them for lunch on their quick trip.  It was a drive for all of us, but there was no way we were going to be in the same state and not see each other, even if it was just for lunch!

 

Bailey and Noelle are growing up so much and getting so big!  Still two peas in a pod… (Flashback pic of these two from ‘07)!

 

Sadie and Anna Kate are just as connected in their little hearts as Noelle and Bailey, and all four of them dote on baby Rose.  It’s the sweetest thing ever to watch all their love grow and continue to be so genuine, even though their time together is few and far between since Bailey and Sadie live in Georgia now.

Here are all of the Christian family’s Texas buddies (that we love seeing too) posing for a group shot!

 

Mary, Ben and Will’s mommy (orange shirts above), is pregnant with boy #3!  Anna Kate was so excited there was a baby in Mary’s tummy!  Yay, Coker family!  Anna Kate gave Sadie a best friend necklace that said, “Friends Forever.”   They were figuring out how the pieces connect and were so excited to take a little piece of jewelry home to remember their time together!

              

This is us!  I love this picture, because when we hang out altogether, it looks exactly like this all of the time.  The kids are always playing and happy, and Amanda and I enjoy them so much (with cameras in hand)!

  

Friends of the heart, so connected and having fun!

 

Bunny ears are huge right now… the Pond girls LOVE it… just in time for Easter, ha!

 

I love Rose having a blast with the bunny ears in the first picture (laughing away) and how Bailey is totally taking care of her in the second picture.  It’s like they’ve always known each other too… well, they have! 

                 

This was the first trip that I can honestly say deeply pained my heart on the way home.  Just seeing the kids together in their bliss broke my heart that we are half a country apart from these loved ones.  It makes every moment with them magnified and treasured, for sure!  We love you guys with all of our hearts and look forward to the next time we can be home together, because home is where your heart is, and you are definitely there!  XOXO

We had so much fun swimming at the hotel with Anna Kate’s friends at her party!

 

Payton and Rose and Mommy and the birthday girl!

Juila, Brylee, Anna Kate, and Noelle

 

Malia and Rose, both doing their thing!

Rose, Anna Kate, Brylee, Avery, Payton, Landon, Noelle, Emily, Julia and Malia

Anna Kate and I were swimming away in the pool together!  She’s so cuddly in the water because she’s not letting go for anything!

Watching the bubbles splash!

Payton, Anna Kate, Avery and I had a blast going in circles together (over and over again, lol)!

 

Love Rose’s new swimsuit!  Landon and Anna Kate are the sweetest little play mates.  I could take Landon (and Logan) home with me in an instant.  The Pond girls are in love with those little boys!

After the party ended, we got in our pjs and came down to tell Miss Amber, the front desk hostess, good night!  She was amazing!

 

The girls spent most of their time in the hotel room ordering more hotel rooms and room service from each other.  There were two phones in our room that echoed into each other (you could actually hear the other person talking through the phone connection), and the girls thought it was magic.  I forget they’ve rarely seen phones with cords on them in their little lives, so they were fascinating to them.  When I asked Anna Kate what her favorite part about her hotel birthday was, she said, “Talking on the phone!”

Emily, Noelle, Anna Kate, Landon, Payton, Malia, Avery, Rose, Julia, and Brylee came to get in on the fun at Anna Kate’s “hotel” birthday!

Anna Kate was all about Belle this year, and this was the perfect cake for her!

Here’s Emily, Noelle, and Anna Kate waiting on everyone to arrive (Mike and Rose had to go get the ice cream)!

The table was set…

First up, pin the tail on the donkey!

 

After everyone took a turn, Emily ended up being the winner!  The kids had fun with that!

 

Noelle and Brylee had matching cover-ups on, and Brylee gave Anna Kate a blue one for summer!  Anna Kate was so excited to see Malia!

I love this picture of Malia telling Mike a story and all the kids having fun!

We opened presents next… so thankful for our sweet and thoughtful friends!

Especially one who is so thoughtful, she puts heart and soul into each little gift in her bag (big sissy Noelle)!  Noelle’s giving spirit is incredible!  She didn’t feel like she had enough to give Anna Kate the night before the party, so she begged me to take her shopping.  She let Anna Kate pick out two things that she really wanted (at the Dollar Tree).  They were both so excited about it!

 

Leave it to Jon to keep the excitement going!

Malia gave Anna Kate Doctor Drill ‘N Fill, the best play doh game ever!  Anna Kate has played with it for the past year at Malia’s house.  It’s always the first toy she goes to and begs to play with, so Susie was thoughtful enough to get Anna Kate her own Drill ‘N Fill!

Hi Rose!  She was looking so I had to put this one in too!  🙂

 

Anna Kate is always the most thankful and honored birthday girl!  She sees the good in the world when we sing “Happy Birthday” to her.  It’s like God comes down and just radiates her soul in a way I can’t describe.  I never want to forget her happiness and sense of wonder!

Sisterly love and pure happiness for each other!

 

Happy 4th Birthday, Anna Kate!  I hope all your hopes and dreams come true… even ones you haven’t thought up yet!

 

Avery and the Pond girls loving their cake and ice cream (chocolate chip per Anna Kate’s request)!

I love that Mike wore a yellow shirt for Princess Belle!  That really touched me that he thought to wear that for Anna Kate!  (By the way, the front of the shirt says, “Hello Everyone, I am Here” and the back says, “Bye bye friends, I am gone!”  Pretty funny.  Jon and Logan were good sports to hang out with all the girls! 

Before the party, the girls got to go check out their room (which included jumping on the beds and talking on the phones) and eat pizza!

Noelle, Emily, and the birthday girl, Anna Kate arriving at the hotel!

 

 

I took all the party gear up to the hotel during nap time and then came back to the house to wake up the girls.  When I got home, there was a note on the island that said, “Remember to get the cake!  Love, Noelle”  She is our party planner; love her little spirit and how she always tries to take care of everybody!  Anna Kate and crew were beyond excited getting ready to go to the hotel.  The anticipation was building from the last year of dreaming of her “hotel birthday!”

Just uploaded this picture and had to share right away!  Love this kid!!!

  

Our little princess wanted a Belle birthday this year at “the hotel”!  This was her year to have a family birthday, but just having had Rose’s big birthday, I didn’t want Anna Kate to be disappointed, as she is still too little to understand.  So… our family + Emily headed to spend the night at a local hotel (which Anna Kate has been requesting every time we drive by it for over a year now).  We went last spring after her dance class one day to tour it and make sure it is what she was expecting, and she loved it way back when!  I let her invite a few friends to come have cake and swim with her in the indoor heated pool.  We kept it really small and super low key, as it was a little tricky having it at a hotel!  Anna Kate is so creative… she had this in her head, and I had to help her make it happen!  Her Belle dress was her cover-up, of course… this birthday was ALL Anna Kate and her super fun ideas!