Bathtime pixie

Hey everybody--here are some recent (Thursday, Feb 19) bathtime photos I took:

Jacob's Bday Morning

On the morning of Jacob's birthday, with Grandma Gregson in town, we braved single digit temps to have breakfast at Pamela's, Jacob's favorite pancake place. Jacob got a bowl of whipping cream with candles in it! Then we went to the Phipps Conservatory. There were still Poinsettas up from Christmas, and lots of gorgeous orchids. But Jacob and Casey were two of the most beautiful flowers in the place! Jacob also got to open one of his presents from mom and dad, an Iron Man action figure!

Iron Man Party!

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Jacob wanted the theme of his birthday party to be Iron Man. So we got Iron Man plates, Iron Man cups, Iron Man treat bags, an Iron Man banner and an Iron Man cake. Jacob also got some wonderful Iron Man themed gifts from his friends. Jacob had six friends at his party: Zora, Alessandra, Ryan, Misho, Max, and Ani. Some of their little siblings came too. And of course their parents. The kids played musical chairs, Blind Man's Bluff and a balloon popping game in which each child had a balloon tied around his/her ankle and they tried to pop each other's balloons. After the meal the kids played on their own until it was cake time. The cake was delicious!

Jacob's School Birthday Celebration

Jacob's school has a very nice way of celebrating birthdays. The birthday child chooses a birthday committee and the birthday committee makes the child a special (and secret) poster with the letters of the birthday child's name. Jacob's birthday committee included two of his best friends at school, Ani and Misho. His poster read: Jokes, Ants in the Pants (one of Jacob's favorite board games), Cars, Our Friend and Blocks. The letters were made out of creative materials (like plastic ants to make the "A" for Ants in the Pants). As Jacob's parents our job was to present the classroom with a page that explained how Jacob got the name Jacob Lawrence Newman. During the "discussion" that followed many of the children wanted to share the story of how they got their names. One of the things I really love about Jacob's class is that I have known most of these children since they were babies. It is so cool to see them talking, reading and writing!

Big snow in Pittsburgh in mid-January

We had a big snow here about 3 weeks ago and it stayed on the ground for a long time. On the first day of the new snow we came out to play in our little yard. We love our new apartment, but as you can see, the steps are pretty challenging in this weather!