Happy Birthday, Lia

My baby turns 1 today. She's not a baby anymore. I'm sad....but she's super cute, and always happy! We had her party Sunday afternoon and let her tear into her very own Sam Combs cake. Yes, we love her that much :)

Did I mention yet that she's finally "walking with assistance"

Lia's Cake (Cakes by Combs)

And one for everyone else, thanks, Sam (chocolate with cookies & cream filling)

Lia wouldn't wear her hat...mommy was sad :(

But you might notice that she has a death grip on her chicken nugget. She wouldn't even put it down to open her presents :)

I just want my nuggie :)

Time for cake! I will say that Lia was the only one of our 3 that made a mess on their birthday. Thanks, Lia!

She was unsure at first.

Ok, I'm ready :)

Ava decided she was going to help Lia a bit.

While not as messy as I would have liked, I'm happy with the result. I remember Max just cried when he touched the icing, and Ava was too shy to do anything so she threw a fit too :)

This is what was left....doesn't it look tasty?

The Little Things

I'm constantly amazed at the things that really get my kids excited. We like to think that we have to spend tons of money on all kinds of wacky toys that the kids play with for 5 minutes then break, when actually, we can buy twisty straws for a $1 (pack of 4!) and they're completely happy. And, little Lia, well, she just wants to be hanging upside down (in fact, when you pick her up, and then flip her upside down, she just starts laughing uncontrollably). Here's pictures to prove it...

It's true... I'm a minivan mom

So I can remember pretty clearly how adament I've been that I would never be "one of those minivan moms." You know, I just wanted to be cooler than that... It was Josh who first put out the idea last summer that maybe, with baby number three on the way, it was time to make the leap. Even then, I was totally against the idea. But we can just get a cute little SUV, I said. As long as I wasn't sitting behind the wheel of what seemed like a giant bus, then surely that meant I wasn't too old to wear short shorts or paint my toenails pink or anything else that just seems weird when you're "too old". But, Josh won the battle (don't worry... it was a one time thing :) and we bought the minivan. I hate to admit it now, but I kind of like the minivan. Oops... did I say that out loud? I don't think Josh reads this blog anyway :). Oh but back to the minivan... it turns out that they aren't so lame after all... My kids think the automatic doors are the coolest thing since play-doh. And the seats fold right into the floor when they don't have kids in them (which is pretty rare). So I guess being a minivan mom isn't all that bad after all...

And here's a shot of Lia, just for good measure...

Solarisms - Butt Chicken

So, I'm convinced that every family has their own little made up words. If this is not true, please let me continue to believe it anyway so that I feel better about myself :). This story is about the evolution of the phrase, "Butt chickens". This phrase has become a staple around the Solar household. I believe that the phrase was first coined by Max, when he repeated something that Josh or I said incorrectly. The original statement went something like, "If you don't eat your dinner, I'm gonna give you a butt kickin!" And then Max said, "A butt chicken?" And thus a new Solarism was born.

The interesting thing about the phrase 'butt chicken' is that it has many uses. For example, it can be used as, "Who's a butt chicken? Ava's a butt chicken!" It can also be used as, "I'm gonna give you a butt chicken!" And I'm pretty certain that sooner or later, it will become an adjective as well, as in, "look at all these butt chicken toys!".


Here are a couple of shots of my three favorite butt chickens...

"My Bester Friend"

We are very blessed to have many friends and even more blessed that most of those friends have kids the same age as our kids. We have so much fun getting together for playdates. But there is definitely something to be said about having your best friend live next door. We met Zoey over 3 years ago when we first moved to this house. Max was 18 months old. They go to preschool together. They play basketball, soccer, and baseball together. We go on fun excursions together. They go swimming together. They play together most days in the cul-de-sac, riding bikes, driving their power wheels, playing dress up, drawing chalk pictures, laughing, fighting, hugging, snuggling, wrestling... growing up. They are going to be 5 years old this year... I said it... I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing up. Every night recently, I've been asking Max what his favorite thing he did that day was. Most nights, it has something to do with Zoey. So the other night, Max was going on and on about Zoey...

"Zoey is my best friend. She's my better friend than my friend who lives in the blue house. She's my bester friend. I love Zoey."

Here are a couple photos of them riding bikes today...

Ava the staller

So Ava has really become a master staller at bedtime. She simply will not go to sleep until it's dark outside, which this time of year is after 9 p.m. We've actually had to move her bed into our room because she kept keeping Max up at night. Now that she's out of his room, he typically will go to sleep within 20-30 minutes of going to bed. But not Ava! She will lay in her bed talking to herself, reading a book, rolling around, whatever she can do to stay awake. And she's not much of a snuggler, except at bedtime... coincidence? I think not!

Lia in the playpen

So, Lia is really a laid back little baby. When I play outside with the kids, I usually put her in her playpen in the shade with some snacks and some toys. Since she's not walking yet, she can't really get around too well on the cement. But she is just content to snack and play in the shade. Here are a couple of photos of her being happy in her playpen....

Favorite Things

So I was snuggling my kiddos at bedtime the other night and I asked each of them what their favorite thing was from the day.

Ava said, "I had a popsicle mom... A green one!"

Max said, "Playing fire trucks with Ee."

Lia vs. the Lion

So Lia is a happy baby, this we know...
but when the mean lion (Ava) tries to attack the crazy photog (me) she ain't afraid to throw down :)

Love my little Lia

LOVE this photo of Lia Josh took the other day...