August is Birthday Month!

August is the Birthday Month for the Larkins Family.
 

Yep, all 4 of us have birthdays in August.
 

No, we don't have Birthday Cake all month long.
 

This year we decided to have one big party to celebrate the boys' birthdays and picked a Saturday about halfway between the two.  We rented a water slide bouncy house and set up the backyard for fun!  The bouncy house was at one end of the back yard while the pool was at the other end.  We placed the food and cake on the side with chairs grouped near by.  Over all, it was a great day!  The party officially started at 1:00 with a 'come-and-go' feel.  We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner for those still hanging out with us in the evening.  Everyone seemed to have a good time and the boys loved it! 

 

Putting stickers on the bubble bottles that went into the goody bags.

The 5-n-1 water slide bouncy house

David picked Spiderman for his cake,

Michael picked Batman for his cake.



David used the money he got for his birthday to buy what he wanted.
What little he had left went into his piggy bank.

Michael used the money he got for his birthday to buy what he wanted.
He decided to put what he had left over in his piggy bank!

 

David's 6th Birthday

We celebrated David's birthday with just us at home this year.  Chris took the boys out to breakfast at IHOP (Mama had to be at school for inservices) then to Toys-R-Us to pick out his gift from Grandma Bambi & Grandpa Mel.

 

Gifts from Mama & Daddy

Gifts he picked out from Grandma Bambi & Grandpa Mel

New bicycle from Grandma Lela & Grandpa Dave
(Daddy helped pick it out)

 

Michael's 4th Birthday

We decided to celebrate Michael's birthday simply this year.  We got together with Chris' mom and step-dad at Gatti Town  to celebrate.  We had a cake and the boys got to play in the arcade with Daddy & Grandma after dinner.

 

Gift from Mommy & Daddy (and Sheba!)

New bicycle from Grandma Lela and Grandpa Dave
 (Daddy helped pick it out)

Dinosaur and Alligator (he picked them out) from
Grandma Bambi & Grandpa Mel

 

Meet, Greet & Celebrate Birthdays

Sunday, August 14, we had a small gathering (about 20 people) to help celebrate the boy's birthdays.  Since they have never celebrated a birthday before (as far as we know), we didn't want to make a big deal this year.  They also don't seem to fully understand the concept of a birthday party, so we weren't really sure how they would react to a party at home. 

We had a cake, invited family and a few friends and hoped for a good time.  I think everyone enjoyed it.  I know that the kids had a great time!  The boys seemed to enjoy spending time playing with their cousins and the cousins enjoyed helping them open the gifts that they brought (as most kids do!)

All in all, we really appreciated the family that was able to attend and spend time with us.

Here are some pictures from the party:

The boy's birthday cake

Opening the gifts that Ari, Audrey & Remi brought

Rachael's cousin Tara and her husband Alex

Michael, George, Charlie & David having fun playing with the new toys

Checking out more gifts

Rachael's Uncle Jim is helping Michael with one of the gifts

David in front of the new trike that Grandma Lela & Grandpa Dave got him

Michael on the new trike that Grandma Lela & Grandpa Dave got him

Daddy playing with Charlie & George with the new light sabers

Gotta take turns....

David on his new trike; doing really well pedaling on his own!

Michael is getting a little help from Mama

Michael's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated his birthday in a very casual way: breakfast at home then off to Toys R Us to pick out a birthday gift for the birthday boy and had cake after lunch.  It was interesting to try and explain what a birthday is to both boys, especially since Michael got to pick out a gift and David didn't get anything.  We have had to go over it all quite a few times (both on his birthday and for several days since).  We will celebrate David's in much the same way this year. 

Here are some pictures we thought you'd like:

The birthday cake daddy picked out

The Birthday Boy got a crown and balloon for his birthday from Toys-R-Us

Opening the motorcycles he picked out for his birthday

Really cool motorcycles!

Enjoying cake after lunch

Grandpa Mel and Grandma Bambi sent him some money for his birthday and he picked out Optimus Prime as his gift from them.  Neither one of the boys know anything about the Transformers; he just likes the cool robot and the sounds it makes!