Happy Birthday Mason!

Our first baby is 17 today!!! Old enough to see an R rated movie without an adult. Old enough to take the car to the midnight showing of Spiderman (which is what he did last night).

There is no doubt that I miss...

this baby face.  The thumb sucking that took until 7? to break (actually, probably longer...)

...the crazy mashed potato tousled haired kid.

...those chubby dimpled cheeks.

...his belief that he really WAS Batman!

...that huge goofy grin (thank God those teeth evened out!)

...pirate Mason and his pirate cousins.

I miss those days and wish I could flashback and remember them all in more detail.

But more than I miss the boy, I love this young man...

...this teenager who still loves to hang out with his pap-pa and cousins

...who is very often annoyed by his younger brother and sister (but also finds it difficult to not be amused by them and their silliness)

...this handsome, smart guy that is growing into his own.  Every, every day he makes us so proud.


In the blink of an eye - ever so true!

Happy Birthday Mason!  We love you!

Ella's Y Birthday Party!!

My baby girl is 9! 

 

On Sunday we celebrated Ella's birthday with a party at the YMCA. I am generally a VERY bad birthday party planner so this year I tried hard to plan it early and do something fun besides a sleepover or party at home.  She chose the Y and it was a good choice!

On Saturday (her actual birthday) we went shopping and got her a couple new swim suits. I love the one she decided to wear to her party.  She looked super cute in it (and I also love that she "doesn't like bikini's" - she's still my little girl :)

Some of her friends in the pool during the first hour of the party, and Silas
who got to enjoy the party too!

 The 2nd hour of the party was wall climbing. All the kids did great.
There were a couple of them that decided it wasn't exactly their thing, so they just watched.
Ella did a great job. She is definitely part monkey. 

 

I was impressed that Silas tried and got almost to the top too. 

The wall looks SO tall to me in this picture below. This was
Ella's 2nd time climbing up.

We were SO thrilled with her birthday cake.
I have a neighbor that has a cake business and (knowing how much
Ella love fancy cakes) I asked her to do one.
This was the result!!
Ella was ecstatic when she saw it :)

 Even the top ribbon was edible, which the kids all tried..

And of course, Ella got some very fun and cool presents.
One of the girls got her a dippin dots maker. That should be
fun and messy to try!

I think that this will go down as a party that she'll remember for a long time.
I know I will...

 LOVE her hat that matches the cake!  :)


Happy 9 Miss Boo!  We love you!!

Happy Birthday!!

When we are...

At age 4: Mom knows everything!

Age 8: Mom knows a lot!

Age 12: Mom doesn’t really know everything.

Age 14: Mom doesn’t know anything.

At age 16: Mom doesn’t exist.

Age 18: She’s old fashioned.

Age 25: Maybe Mom does know about this!

Age 35: Before we decide, let’s ask Mom.

At 45: I wonder what Mom thinks about this?

At age 75:  I wish I could ask my Mom about this...

Happy 75th Birthday Mom
(who DOES know everything!)
We love you!

Happy Birthday to My Girl

"You won't remember how it started with us, the things that I know about you that you don't even know about yourself. 
We won't come back here."

Kelly Corrigan - Lift (2010) 

Dear Ella,

Today you are 7 years old! You have been waiting and wanting your birthday to get here for months. And today, as you celebrate being 7, a part of me mourns just a little bit. My heart catches to think of you another year older, another year closer to growing up, and there's not a darn thing that I can do to slow it down. You've prepared me from Day One though.  Your independence has been fierce since the day you were born.  One thing that you don't know now but I'm sure I will hold over your head many times down the road:  you almost killed me within your first 6 months of life.  You never slept (okay, you actually slept about 14 minutes a day). Within the first 6 weeks of you being home I had mastitis, strep throat, a uterine infection and felt like I'd been tortured by the Mafia. I was so rundown and exhausted.  Oh, but you were such a beautiful baby those minutes that you did sleep.  I could hardly pull my eyes away from you  as you slept, to finally get some sleep myself, because you were so peaceful and perfect (and I was probably in shock that you were actually sleeping).  You slept propped up in my arms at night for months on end, and Dad and I did try tough love.  We tried to let you cry it out but you won, always.

Your sense of adventure started early. You loved to stand on Dad's hand and balance. Nothing frightened you.  When we look through your baby book, this is one of your favorite pictures. You love looking at your baby pictures - "why didn't I have any hair?" is a favorite question.  I guess because I didn't either and you seem to be looking a lot like me (so I've heard).

You might look a lot like me, but you've definitely got your own personality.  You play hard.  And you crash hard. You sing, you dance. I call you Crazy Girl at least 5 times a day. You were never a good napper, but sometimes you exhaust even yourself. 

You have your own sense of fashion.  From the time you were old enough to walk, you've fought me tooth and nail about what you would wear.  Sometimes nothing but dresses, sometimes nothing but capri's.  Wool tights in August.  But it's always YOU. I even ask you what I should wear sometimes...

You have a beautiful spirit. You don't seem to fear hard work if it gets you what you want.  It used to scare me because often when you fell down or got hurt, you wouldn't cry.  But now I know it was your pride that stopped you from crying. Pride and stubbornness -you've got a lot of that too.

One thing that often amazes me and Dad is your focus and determination when you are working on projects. You can work on art projects or play with your dolls for hours. You really only get bored when you aren't doing what YOU want to be doing.

You are still at the age where you want to sleep with me and Dad some nights. Sometimes it's you AND Silas wanting to sleep with us - that gets a little crowded. As much as I fight to keep you in your own beds, I'm often secretly happy when you win, or find your way into our bed in the middle of the night. When you do, you usually hold my hand as we fall asleep. You snuggle in and again, I find myself fighting my tired eyes so that I can watch you as you sleep, just like when you were a baby.

As much as I want to keep you little, keep you safe, keep you mine...I am also excited to think about the person, the adult, that you will be someday. You will have the world by its tail. You've got a lot of drama and a lot of queen in you but you say you won't be an actress. Maybe not but whatever you decide to do with your life, it's going to have to be big enough for that personality of yours.

(Melissa Jones Photography)

"Remember this. This is what love feels like. 
Don't take less." 

(Kelly Corrigan - Lift)

 

I feel like it's my special day on your and your brothers' birthdays. You are the gifts that dad and I get to celebrate over and over. We thank God for you every day. My birthday wish for you is that you enjoy every moment of your 7th year and that your passions, tenacity and rambunctiousness grow right along with you.

Happy Birthday sweet Miss Boo. 

We love you!

 

Happy Birthday to My Love

Happy  Birthday to Justin Paul!

What cute little piggies he had as a newborn. 

They are NOT so cute now!

Thanks to Mammoo and Grandpa J for producing 

just a fine human being. Ya done good!

I know he was quite a handful as a child

(as he still can be). 

Happy Birthday - we love you!!!!

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.

Did You Know?

That when you turn 75 you graduate to one BIG candle in its own crystal holder?

(because otherwise you might set the house on fire

and collapse a lung trying to blow out 75 candles...)