Legos and Bowling and Boys...

This whole birthday at Christmas thing is a real pain in the arse! This year we has Si's party on January 26th...a full month after his birthday. But it worked out pretty well because it didn't feel like it was still the holidays, all his friends were able to make it and he was already over the excitement of his Christmas gifts.

He asked for a Lego cake...and I, being "frugal" decided to make it instead of paying a cake making professional.


And we made quite the mess making it!!
But the end result wasn't too bad, at least to the 7 year old.


I know now that I could have done a few things differently to make the icing smoother but 1. I'm not a baker and 2. I'm not much into perfection.


Boys will be boys- and stick their faces in the cake. I wasn't so happy.



But they were and all had a good time. And I'm glad I get another year before doing that again!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Where Did 2012 Go???

There are only 2 days left in 2012.  Honestly, I don't much care for how the year went.  Seems like all of 2012 was a blur, I spent it playing catch up at work and at home, and I lacked a lot of motivation...

But anywho, here is what we've been up to:

We hosted Thanksgiving again this year at our house after taking a two-year hiatus. I enjoy having it at our house.

My FB post: This morning I'm thankful that the children who were driving me nuts yesterday, are quietly playing together with a cardboard box (turning it into a spaceship). I'm thankful for a hardworking husband that is just as good at kissing boo-boos and caregiving as he is at building rooms and fixing just about anything. I'm particularly thankful today to feel healthy again. I'll be standing by in a Hazmat suit as Justin prepares the turkey. 
For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.
 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Mason had his Senior pictures taken by on of our extremely talented photography neighbors. I procrastinated to the point where we finally HAD to get the year book picture in and she very kindly squeezed him in! I thought they turned out awesome - very "him".

Here is what Lori said about Mason:
Mason - Hilliard Bradley Class of 2013
What a great way to end my Fall senior sessions tonight with this equally handsome and charismatic senior. I was very impressed how comfortable Mason was not just having his photos taken, but how well he kept up a conversation with me. I don't remember being able to talk this well to adults when I was in High School. 

I know the next 5 months are going to go crazy fast as we try to prepare for Mason's May graduation, figuring out college and his 18th birthday in July...phew...scary!!

Sadly, 3 days before Christmas:
FB - We were very blessed to have Zoe as our family companion for 15 years. Today we said good-bye. We will miss our sweet Zoe girl. She'll always be with us though...there's not a chance in hell we'll ever get rid of all the dog hair in this house.

Fifteen years with a pet in your house is a long time.  My kids don't remember a time when she was not with us.  I was looking back at old blog posts and pictures of Zoe and saw this post from 2009.  We will miss her so much :(

With that all going on, I was feeling very unprepared and not much in the mood for Christmas and birthdays.  Christmas Eve morning I was still out finishing up my shopping and hadn't wrapped a thing.
It managed to get all pulled together (by 3am)...

And we had a very nice Christmas morning

The only bummer was that Mason had to work at noon, so he missed the Christmas dinner and festivities at Mom and Dad's. He was less than happy about that...

And on the 26th, we celebrated Silas' 7th birthday!
This boy is growing up way faster than I can keep up with.  My Smiley Siley isn't a baby anymore.

And now it's time to try to recover, clean up, get organized and prepare for a 2013 that doesn't get away from me quite like 2012 did.  It will be a challenge!!

The Happy Birthday Boys!

It was a belated party for Silas James but worth the wait for him - he LOVED it!  Kelly and I decided to have a combo party for Silas and Ryan. Their birthdays are less than a month a part and they both wanted one at Pump It Up.  It worked out great!

 They chose an Angry Birds theme.  I made Angry Birds goodie bags.

Kelly made Angry Birds cupcakes :)

Silas grinned from ear to ear the entire time we were there. He was in heaven to have a "real" birthday party with so many friends there!

All the Friends that came to the party!

The Birthday Boys!

6 years old!!

Making a wish!  Probably for more Legos!!

On their throne opening all those presents!!

So happy that he had such a great birthday celebration...even if it was a little late!!

Silas James - The Birthday Boy!

"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky."

Man, isn't that the truth!  Silas James is one of the messiest, stickiest kids I've ever known :)  Especially after licking the spatula with his chocolate birthday cake icing.  On December 26th my baby boy was 6!  SIX!  It really doesn't seem possible.  After all day on Christmas of unwrapping gifts, eating junk, playing with new toys, it's like the movie Groundhog Day - we get up and do it all over again for Silas.  First thing when his eyes popped open, he was all excited and said I'M 6!! I'm 6!! And I blinked my eyes and held back tears because I want to keep him my baby forever.

He is one ornery kid - he loves to tease, torment, poke and push every button - at home.
He's the complete opposite at school and around most others - super quiet, whispers when talking - I'm sometimes not sure if he's being shy or just cautious. Maybe a little of both.

He is a very, very smart kid.  Mrs. Sherwood has said she is amazed by this math abilities - he gets it.
He is a funny kid - he really has a good sense of humor (though he is still learning to laugh at himself!)
He is a kid that loves to learn.  He always wants to read books, ask questions and now, since he's started kindergarten, he loves to draw, color, paint, do mazes.  I love to see this side of him develop!

He's a junkie:  Wii, candy, DS, candy, movies, candy.  He's got a serious sweet tooth that is hard to derail!

He also is a master gift unwrapper - he looks like Fists of Fury unwrapping below!

Even though he's getting to be a very big boy, I'm lucky because he still likes to snuggle. When he has a hard time falling asleep, he still lets me rock him.  When he falls down and hurts himself (which is often!), he'll still let me kiss it and make it all better.  He's still my baby - my Smiley Siley.  I love you sweet boy.

Happy Birthday Dear Silas!

"If John Lennon was right that life is what happens when you're making other plans, parenthood is what happens when everything is flipped over and spilling everywhere and you can't find a towel or a sponge or your "inside" voice."    ~Kelly Corrigan (Lift) 

{Chaos: a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.}

December 26th, 2005 - The day of your arrival, in the middle of what should have been the post-Christmas clean-up - and it's been pure chaos ever since!

12/26/2005

 

2006

2007

2008

 

 2009

 2010

It's so hard to believe that 5 years have gone by so quickly!  I feel like we just brought this tiny babe home, swaddled and laying in a basket in the family room, being slathered with a million kisses from big brother and especially big sister.  

Our happy-go-lucky Smiley Siley has turned into a "big kid" that asks a million questions, makes the funniest comments, possesses a stubbornness of steel and an infectious laugh that gets us all giggling with you.   I want to keep you my baby forever.  

Happy Birthday Siley J - we love you so very much!!!

Smiley Siley Turns FOUR (and the Tooth Fairy Rides Again)

I don't ever think I've fully appreciated (or felt enough sympathy for) the situation that my parents and family had to deal with trying to make sure that my Christmas birthday was celebrated.  I get it now and I'm crying "uncle!!". 

My Siley babe turned 4 on the 26th and after a long day on Christmas and a 2nd family party on the 26th - that evening we pulled out the party balloons and birthday cake and celebrated my little guy's birthday. 

A few days ago I made a bit of fun at the fact that Dad had a tea candle for his birthday candle.  Well...guess who couldn't find the birthday candles that she had JUST bought that very morning and had to pull out the tea candles? (me).

 

 We sang, blew up balloons and opened some presents.

I did make a homemade cake - though you can tell it's still on a baking sheet (and it's not very pretty).

 

Of all 3 kids, Si seems to be growing up the fastest.  It really seems that just a year ago, I was holding an infant. It's very hard for me to believe he's 4 already. He constantly makes us laugh with the things he says, and he consistently makes our blood pressure rise...he's definitely more accident prone and hardheaded than Mas and Ella!

 

The tooth fairy made another visit to our house that evening too - Ella lost her 5th tooth.  She's been wiggling and pushing and pulling on it since Thanksgiving, and finally it popped out.  You can see below how holey she is.