And what a party it was!
The party was Pajamas and Pancakes, and can I just say for the record that it'll be hard to ever top such an awesome theme. A nice relaxed atmosphere, tasty food, comfortable clothing and friends galore made for a memorable and impressive birthday bash for the minis.
All told, 28 family and friends joined us to celebrate Ashley's 4th and Natalie's 2nd birthday. Our house wasn't exactly built for that many bodies, so we warmed up the garage the best we could and used that area for kiddos to run and play. 32 people total meant 65 pancakes, 5 dozen eggs, 4.5 lbs sausage, roughly 1 million juice boxes and so many mimosas, I lost count. Or. Uh. Um. Maybe that was just me?
We want to say a very special thank you to everyone that spent the morning with us and celebrated. Once again your generosity and love for our girls astounds me. Thank you for your presents, but more importantly, thank you for your presence. That's the best gift you can give to Ashley and Natalie.
And if you missed the shindig this year, who knows? The party was such a success that it's possible we'll do pajamas and pancakes again next year! I figure I've still got a few months yet before I need to start planning. :)
Our morning started just as crazy as usual - only this time Natalie decided to spill her plate of scrambled eggs AND ketchup all over the wall and carpet. Awesome.
Before the festivities began we gave the girls one of their gifts to open...
...new pink princess slippers 
So excited to have 'ippies' (slippers) like Tissy
What's not to love about a man cooking in the kitchen?
Birthday Girl #1
Birthday Girl #2
A pair of party chickadees 
Party hasn't even started yet and already Spunky's nose-deep in cupcakes and frosting. At least she's partying in style.
Pancakes are served!
Where the magic happens
Plenty of sweet treats to top the hotcakes with: gummy bears, M&M, marshmallow, homemade strawberry jam, whipped cream, sprinkles, sliced banana and for the more traditional, maple syrup
Getting so excited for all these presents
Excited to have Monica and Will (Ashley's main squeeze) join us
Took a few seconds, but I finally coaxed one of those killer smiles out of Lincoln (or Link-Ink as Natty Kat calls him)
Lee family in the hiz-ous
Gift time!PS To me this was the most chaotic, most hectic, most scatter-brained, most incredible part of the entire day. 2 girls going wild, paper and tissue flying, so many presents being oohed and awed over that I couldn't keep up. So if your thank you was pretty generic, that's because I honestly only know about half of which gifts came from which families. But I'm still grateful and thankful for *everything*.
New pink princess jammers to match my new slippers. SCORE!PS Other than the pink princess slippers, these jammers were the only thing Midget asked for on a consistent basis
Candle time - Ash is up first...
...next up Natty Kat
Scrumptious birthday cupcakes in a wide variety of flavors, colors and sizes - thanks to Mom for working up such tasty treats
Holding the minis close for a quick family photo op
Darn you Wyatt for closing your eyes! This could have been an incredible awkward brother-sister family photo!
After the last guest left, it was time to snuggle in with her new sleeping bag and Riley, too
Bunco baby! Hopefully this little pink dice will bring her as much happiness as our bunco team trophies do!
Cuddling with my new baby doll 
This is how Daddy and whipped cream roll
Made some pretty fantastic memories with my Midget today. Well with Natty Kat, too, but she was napping when Ash and I shot this pic. :)
Spiffy new (homemade!!) aprons from Grandma Marilyn - never mind that Mommy put Ashley in Natalie's and Natalie in Ashley's. Whoops.
That night after the party Daddy and Ashley had a little dinner date before Mommy got to meet them at the local Catholic church for a community cantata choir concert. Ash was so excited to spend time with her favorite guy and asked to be dressed in "My prettiest Christmas dress!"
