Happy Birthday Aiden!

Our little Aiden turned 2 years old yesterday!















We had Ray's parents over for pizza and cake, and of course, presents. I would say it was a successful party for our little guy. He loved his new toys he received, and he even blew out his own candle on the cake. :)
Aiden is such a sweetie! He still loves to snuggle, and like his older brother, loves any kind of car, truck, tractor, or train. He still loves Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Train. He runs around and plays all day, and I love seeing my two boys playing together now. He loves to look for trains going by on the nearby railroad tracks. He has really started talking more over the past couple of months, and I can finally now usually figure out what he is trying to say.
We love our Aiden!

Happy Birthday Luke!

I am late posting this, since we were in the middle of our move, but our sweet Lukey Bear turned 5 years old on November 14th. We had a party for him a bit early at our old house on our very last day there - the house was empty, as the movers had come the day before, and we were blessed to have so many friends stop by to wish our little guy a happy birthday, and wish us well on our move. The kids had a blast running around the empty house, we had CiCi's pizza on Luke's request (specifically their macaroni and cheese pizza!), and a Super Mario Brothers decorated birthday cake. It was a great party - after it was over, we did a quick cleanup, then we packed up the car and left for Michigan!

We had another small party on his actual birthdate here in our new house with family - more cake and more presents. Luke also got to take cupcakes to his new classroom to celebrate. It was a busy birthday week for our kiddo!

He had his 5 year checkup at the pediatrician just this week (I am writing this is December) and he weighs 41 lbs, and is 43 inches tall - right at the 50th percentile for both. He is a healthy, happy kid! He loves his new school (he loved his old school too, so I was a bit worried). He seems happy here in our new house, and now that Aiden has gotten older, it is great to see my two boys playing together!

We love you Lukey! I hope that 5 is the best year yet! :)

Happy birthday Emmy!

My Emmy turned 7 years old yesterday! All of a sudden she looks so big! What happened to my little tiny girl? :(


















She sure is beautiful though!

We had her party this past Sunday, and she invited a few friends over. No boys were allowed, since it was a girly butterfly party, so Ray took Luke out to see Cars 2 (Aiden was allowed to stay).

Also hard to believe that she will be starting 2nd grade in just a couple of weeks...

My Emmy is still as sweet as always. She is a fantastic artist and likes to read. She enjoys playing games on the Wii or her DS. She likes horses, and this afternoon I am taking her ice skating, which she has been wanting to do for months. I am looking forward to spending the afternoon with my girl! :)

I love you so much Emmy! You will always be my sunshine!

Aiden Turns 1!

Hard to believe that it has been one full year since little Aiden came into our lives! He is such a blessing, and I love seeing the little guy that he is turning into!

We celebrated at home tonight with cake and presents. He thoroughly enjoyed his cake - ate every single crumb! He is loving his gifts, especially a dinosaur ride on toy.

Aiden also started walking this week! He has been taking a step or two here and there for about a month, and finally this week he took off. He is getting better and better every day!

He has 5 teeth now. The 5th one just broke through the gum today. He weighs around 25 pounds. He has his 1 year checkup next week at the doctor, so I will get an exact weight then. He is still very smiley, he loves to play with toys, and has started "yelling" at me when I take something away or when I won't let him climb up the stairs. He loves to eat - and is not very picky. So far, the only thing he will not eat is eggs.

He isn't saying too much just yet, he babbles all the time and says mama and dada, along with lots of other sounds. He seems to understand pretty well though. He points at things and makes a sounds that sounds like "what's that?". He just figured out how to clap his hands, and he will sometimes wave. :)

As much as I love seeing him grow, I do miss this tiny baby ~

We love our Aiden! Happy birthday little guy!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Lukey is 4 years old! He is still just as sweet as ever. We had a great birthday party on Sunday, which was his actual birthday, and he had a great time. The party theme was Thomas the Train, which is his current favorite. :)

We love you Luke! I hope you had a fantastic birthday!

My Baby Girl is 6!

Yesterday was Emmy's 6th birthday. I am not even going to babble on about how I can't believe how quickly she has grown and all that stuff. I will say that Emmy is such an awesome kid - she is kind to others, she is so creative and artistic (didn't get that from me!), she is very loving, and she is beautiful. :) I love my Emmy!

This past weekend, she had a small birthday party. I let her choose 3 friends to invite to Cici's Pizza for dinner, then the girls, plus their families, came to our house for swimming and cake and ice cream. I think she had fun, which is all that really matters, and I hope our guests enjoyed themselves as well.


Blowing out her candle!










Gummy Bear with Aunt KiKi










Pooky and his friend











Puppy Dog cupcakes. :)










Presents!










The girls swimming at our house










My mom and sister at CiCi's

Happy 30th Birthday to my Love....

Today is my hubby's 30th birthday... we had a nice night, dinner out by ourselves, and then we went shopping for a bit (we are crazy party animals like that). This past Saturday, I did successfully throw a great surprise party for him - lots of people, good food, and he was truly surprised! It was awesome. :)
Corny, but true - my husband is my very best friend, and I am so blessed to have him in my life. I love you, Ray! Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Pooky, Age 3

Pooky's 3rd birthday was a success! He was a happy kid, spoiled rotten by Lightning McQueen. We hardly took any pictures - Ray claims that he had to put the camera down so that he could open the new toys for Pook. :)


Hooray for presents!









Our Lightning McQueen cake - I was happy how it turned out. Thanks Ray, for helping me.



Have I mentioned how cool Pooky is?? I love the way he is obsessed with cars and trucks. The ongoing construction around our house provides endless entertainment for him.

I love the way he is constantly wants hugs and kisses, and says, "You know what Mommy? I love you...". And I will say back "I love you too." And he will keep repeating "I love you too." Because he has to have the last say.

I love how he has watched the movie Cars 80,000 times and can recite the lines with the movie.

I love watching him be kind and sharing with Emmy and Mr. K (my daycare kiddo). He gives hugs to friends when they are sad. Everyone is his best friend. And he can always, always make me smile, even when I am grumpy.

I love the way Pooky lifts up my shirt to see my big baby belly, closes one eye and peers at my belly button as though it is a peephole, then says "Hi Baby!".

Even though it makes me sad, I love how when I have to leave him to go someplace, he gets upset because he "won't be able to see me there". And then when I come home, whether I was gone for 2 hours, or I just walked out to the mailbox, I get a "Mommy!!!" and a huge hug to let me know I was missed.

I love the way he likes to sleep in our bed, and has claimed the middle of the bed as "his spot".

And if something is hurting him, whether it is a boo-boo, or the tag on his shirt is itchy, he says that "it is ouching me".

Yep, he is a sweetie. I could go on and on about all the sweetness.... he is definitely my boy. :)

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Boy...

My little guy is turning 3 years old tomorrow... as always, I can't believe he is already turning 3. I have watched my cute, cuddly, chunky baby quickly grow into my sweet, kind-hearted, playful big boy. When I first learned we were having a boy, I wasn't really sure what to think. I knew nothing about little boys. I enjoyed my daughter so much, I couldn't imagine what it was going to be like having a boy. However, Baby Pooky quickly stole my heart and of course I cannot imagine life without him. He is about to become a big brother too - something I can't wait to see, I think he will be awesome! I love you Pooky Bear! You will always be my snugglebug!





Newborn Pooky - 1 week old

















6 months - happy baby!














My messy 1 year old cutie












Age 2 - so sweet!













Turning 3 - not a baby anymore..... (*sniff)













We had a unofficial birthday party for him yesterday morning with our playgroup friends. I say "unofficial" because I didn't really want to do a party, so we just had some friends over to play and eat cupcakes with us. 7 boys between the ages of 2-4 - craziness! Pooky had a blast, and even scored a few new cars and trucks!
Tomorrow on his real birthday, I am making him macaroni and cheese for dinner (at his request) and decorating a race car birthday cake... should be a good weekend! Happy birthday to my sweetheart!!

Emmy's 5th Birthday

As I already mentioned, my princess turned 5 last week. On her actual birthday, last Monday, we went out to dinner at Red Robin (her choice) with my parents and sister, then came back to our house for cake and a few presents.



With her special birthday princess hat. :)












Rainbow cake, made by me - not my best work, but she loved it - which is all that really matters.



Singing happy birthday!








Then, this past weekend we had her party. We had it at the YMCA with all of her friends. This is the first "big" party she has had, and she was SO excited!



Musical chairs









More cake and ice cream











Opening presents









Swimming!










Pooky and his friend











Ray with our darling kiddos. :)

My Baby Girl is 5 Today!!!

Happy birthday Emmy! I cannot believe that 5 years have gone by already. You have become a beautiful child, you are still my sunshine, and I love you so very very much! :)


Baby Emmy with Daddy
















Little Emmy, age 1 1/2















So Sweet! Age 3











My pretty girl, age 4















More and more grown up, age 5. :)

My Sweet Pooky Bear!

So... I know I mentioned how difficult Pooky has been when I try to get a picture of him over the pasts few months. And how he freaked out at the portrait studio, and how every time he sees the camera he crosses his arms across his chest and yells, "NO!".

Well, Ray got a new camera for his birthday (thanks mom and dad, we LOVE it!), and it takes really, really, really good pictures. Amazing pictures.

Today while Emmy and I were shopping at Target, Ray was taking pictures of Pooky. He cooperated. And they were adorable. I am thrilled. Thanks, Raymie!

Of course I already ordered my Christmas cards, so y'all will have to deal with non-smiling Pooky on the cards.

But, look at this face.... Don't you just want to eat him up?! Adorable!












P.S. Happy 29th birthday, Ray. I love you!

Pooky's Party

Today was Pooky's birthday party. The weather did not cooperate, and we did not have the bounce house. I was pretty disappointed, but the party was still great - the kids all had a blast (and there were a LOT of them running around!), my cake turned out great, the food was yummy, and Pooky received a bunch of new cars and tractors to play with - a successful party!




Singing "Happy Birthday" - Pooky wasn't too sure about all of us singing to him!






The cake - made by me! I think it turned out pretty good! Pooky seemed to like it - he kept saying "Bob! Bob!".








Presents! More cars!














Pooky and a friend reading a new book with Ray.












I had a fun time too. We have great friends and family, thank you everyone who was able to be here for my little guy's special day!

Birthday Wishes for my Pooky

Today, my little boy turns two years old. Hard to believe.

Pooky is quite possibly the sweetest little guy ever - he is, and always has been, a happy, fun, and adorable kid.

Even as a newborn, he was easy. There was a couple of weeks that I was worried he would be colicky and fussy, like Emmy was, but he quickly got over the fussiness, and was then a good sleeper, good eater, a happy baby.

His favorite person is his older sister, Emmy. Most mornings, the first words out of his mouth are, "Where Emmy go?". He adores his big sister, and always has. He was up and walking at 9 1/2 months, only because, I believe, he wanted to play with Emmy. Pooky quickly went from walking, to running and climbing, and then teasing. He knows exactly what to do to annoy his sister (and she does the same to him) and I am certain I will have my work cut out for me over the years with the two of them.

Pooky is a lover of all things with wheels. Cars, trucks, tractors, and construction vehicles fascinate him. He can always be found lying in the middle of the floor, on his tummy, with a Matchbox car or two, driving them around, back and forth, across the carpet. He brings his favorite cars (currently a set of 3 race cars) to the dinner table, to the bathtub, to the car, and to his crib. When we are out, he chatters nonstop about every car and big truck he sees on the road.

Speaking of chattering, the boy talks a lot. His language has developed immensely over the past 2 months, and he amazes me every day with the new words that come out of his mouth.

Pooky is still his mama's little boy. He is my cuddler, very sweet, and comes running to me for kisses every time he falls or gets a bump (which being a very active toddler, happens several times a day). He loves to make people laugh, likes to be silly, and is always ready to EAT!

Pooky Bear, I love you more than I ever thought possible, or ever expected. I am sad knowing that your babyhood is quickly drawing to a close, and very soon you will be a "big boy". I am in no rush for you to grow up any more - if you could stay exactly the same as you are right now, I would be one happy Mama.






My sleepy newborn Pooky










Wearing Daddy's hat, 6 months old











At the playground, 15 months old









Now - my 2 year old Little Bud. Those beautiful brown eyes and mischievous smile melt my heart.






Happy birthday little guy.



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Randomness

I am in a random mood today...

It is absolutely gorgeous outside today. About 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect. And the forecast for the next several days shows more of the same - I LOVE this time of year!
Since it was so lovely out, it was a great day for play group. We were at a nearby park and the kids had a great time running around while I got to chat with my friends - good times.
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Our bi-annual neighborhood garage sales are tomorrow and Saturday. Since I just had a big sale this past spring, I really don't have too much stuff, but I will still do the sale. I am getting rid of our changing table and our infant carrier/stroller combo thing. Although we plan on having another baby someday in the near future, I don't really need or have room for the changing table - the floor works just lovely for diaper changes anyway. And since our infant travel system has already been used for 2 kids, I would like to get a newer one for the next baby, even if it is a used one in better shape. Mine looks pretty shabby.
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As I mentioned in the last post, Pooky's 2nd birthday is rapidly approaching - 6 weeks. Although I have never really been into big parties for the kids while they are so young, I am kinda leaning towards a "bigger" party for him. This is because we have several boys in our playgroup and church who we regularly see who are all the same age, and I would love to have everyone over. If everyone came, it would be 9 kids, plus my 2, and a few other adults. Is that too many people for a 2 year old's birthday party?? I have never had a party with more than 5 kids for Emmy. Also, since his birthday is just before Christmas I hate to spoil him with too many gifts.

In addition to having all the kids here, I was contemplating on renting a bounce house, similar to the ones we had at our neighborhood block party last month (one that will NOT tip over!), for something that will definitely keep 10 kids all under the age of 4 busy. Has anyone ever done that?? Not sure if I want to yet, but I like the idea.

Am I crazy obsessive over birthday parties? Yes. I love planning them. I want to know what y'all think I should do.
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Chantelle has tagged me for a meme. It is very similar to one I did a few months back for this post. So, I am declining. But I do have another fun baby meme that I found on a few other blogs that I will probably steal over the next few days for lack of anything better to post. :)
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Finally, I received this cute award from my friend Anna at My Sweetest Dream. Thanks Anna!

Birthday Party, Round 2

We had Emmy's birthday party here at home with a couple of her friends yesterday afternoon. The girls went swimming, played, ate, and of course Emmy was once again spoiled with presents.



In the pool













Blowing out her candles! Happy #4 Emmy!












The 3 princesses







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One of the things that I remember about having birthdays as a kid is the cakes my parents used to decorate for us. I found a couple of pictures:


These were taken at my 3rd and 5th birthdays - I loved those cakes! (Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite).


























Because of those fun cakes I remember, I decided to give it a try for Emmy's birthday. In honor of her princess themed party, here is the cake I made.






















Her lips turned out kinda weird, but otherwise it turned out pretty well. Ray was even impressed. :)
I think that I would like to continue this tradition with my kids, and it was a fun project for me.