Birthdays:Part II

My father celebrated his 60th birthday this year. I would love to tell you that he relaxed and enjoyed every moment of his day, but lately his time has been consumed by working to complete my parent's(and family's) dream lake house. Isn't it gorgeous? You should see it now...of course I forgot my camera the last time I went, but I promise to post a completed exterior pic soon!

My dad spends basically all the moments he isn't working at his "day" job on finishing off this house. To say that this place has been a labor of love on my Mom, Dad's and brother's part is an understatement. Even though he is busy we managed to make time for a pizza party at my folks home, including these delicious cupcakes that my sister whipped together that afternoon.

There was no fancy dinner out, or a big celebration. My dad spent his 60th in the company of all of his favorite people,or so I like to think :), and ate dinner surrounded by 4 very special members of our family:60 years ago...only two people existed...look at all they've accomplished:I wonder what he's wishing for in the next 6o yrs...

Some might think rest, or quiet, but they don't know my Dad. More than likely he's wishing for a lot more years of living life on his own terms, which is what he does best. I love you Dad, and I hope you enjoyed your 60th!

(I still have one more August birthday left...but I am waiting till she's officially one)

Up next...family fun days!

Birthdays: Part I

Like I've said there have been quite a few birthdays around here. In fact just yesterday my niece Averie celebrated her 1st in spledid style(more on that in Part II)

Since Lisa's and Jack's birthday are just four days apart, it seems like we haven't celebrated just HER birthday in years. So this year I baked her some cupcakes of her very own. It was nothing spectacular, but Lisa, myself, my Mom and the kids had a luncheon and cupcake day.

And since I may have been lame last year and forgotten to get my sis a gift, I spoiled her with a really cute personalized necklace from The Vintage Pearl (http://www.thevintagepearl.com/)

These necklaces are gorgeous, so if you don't have one, head over and check out the website, but be warned I know I couldn't stop myself from buying one for me too!

A few days later...my nephew Jack turned 5! The party was awesome, mostly because the kids were in love with Jack's new birthday present from Grandma and Papa, an inflatable waterslide/pool! This thing was the hit of the party:

Zach was quick to go down the slide:

While Mattie took more off a laid-back approach...well for a few minutes(please don't mind his head gear...its all an attempt to keep water out of his ears, and one little boy healthy!)

The party was great, but busy, which might be why I don't have a ton of pictures of the party. I did manage to get some of the birthday boy blowing out his candles

And opening a few presents...ok there were a ton of presents:

Then on his "real" birthday we headed to a bounce house place for some fun...but my battery died on my camera, so this shot will have to suffice: It's actually very fitting...Jack is the leader, and these two boys will follow him anywhere...just hopefully Jack doesn't ask them to head off any bridges anytime soon! :)

Stay tuned to part II of Birthdays...my Dad's 60th and Averie's 1st!

No...I haven't given up

I have been on a blogging hiatus. It wasn't so much intentional as it was serendipitious. The thing is summer is short, and the days are long, so its go go go most of the time. I've found the kids are up with the sun, at 7 and don't seem to want to go to bed till the sun goes down around 9. That said, very few hours are left in the day for me to recharge. On good days both the boys nap at the same time and I have an hour or two to get some things done. Those things have been read, finish craft projects, talk to friends without someone screaming in the background, read other people's blogs, get housework done; because its a lot easier to fold laundry without a toddler "helping" or put away the dishes without a 20 month old trying to crawl in. You see I haven't given up posting, I just haven't prioritized it.

My husband checked the blog the other night and said, "So you've given up blogging?" I was like, "No!" The thing is I'm blog material overloaded. Life has been so full in the last month that I'm not sure where to start. We've celebrated my nephew's 5th birthday, my sister's birthday,my Dad's 60th, been to countless outings with friends, ventured to a waterpark/resort for the day with family, had numerous outdoor adventures, had house projects underway, had a great run-in dinner, been to see the Lake house coming together and the list goes on and on.

You see I am not avoiding blogging. I have not given up on sharing our stories, I have merely been on summer break, but I will be getting back into it, right after I wade through my hundreds of pictures I've taken in the last few weeks!

Just some pics of my cuties...

I have been horribly inconsistent about blogging which really isn't surprising since I've developed a bad habit of late. I have to blame the heat, and my laziness. It seems the weeks are just flying by and I haven't accomplished a list of goals I set for myself this summer. I'm going to get them done...I just need to stop goofing around. Busy...the weeks and weekends are busy. When your best friends are also teachers and you all have kids, it just seems like more fun to take them to the park, or swimming, or to music class, than to make them stay home while you clean the house. More fun, and lets be honest, busy kids are happy kids. The saying about how "Idle hands are the devil's tools." was obviously stated by a mother of young children!

Anyways, we have been to the zoo, a carnival, parties, and gatherings, and I have not posted about any of it. So I will just share some pics that are cute and capture some of our adventures:

I'd like to promise to write everyday...but I don't see these boys slowing down anytime soon. Oh well, your only young once...so I guess I just better get a better pair of running shoes!

Piercing Princesses

As the mother of two boys I have not had to ask myself when or if I would get their ears pierced. For me, princes don't need earrings, especially if those princes live in my house. Nearly two years ago when I found out that my sister was having a little girl, and a few months later, that my BFF Jenn was also expecting a bundle of pink, I started thinking of all the girlie things I would do with them. You see the next best thing to having a daughter of your own is having your sisters have daughters, all of the frills, less of the drama :)

One of the things I really wanted to be a part of was getting the girls' ears pierced. My Aunt Micki did it for my sister, who is her goddaughter,(I also got my ears pierced that day because I hopped into the chair right after, and insisted that the lady do mine too) and I wanted to pass along the tradition to the girls. For some reason I thought 1st birthday. Why not, they won't remember the pain if they are little, and so many more years of cute accessories. I asked the Moms, who asked the Dads, and plans were made.

So today I set off with just my girls;

My niece Emma:

And my niece Averie:
Aren't they the sweetest? Seriously these girls are so great to be around, they just adore each other. At one point during our pre-piercing lunch Emma was feeding Averie...so sweet! (It was also really cute because they matched today, and that was totally accidental!)

We enjoyed a really delicious lunch, and I got a pic of two of my favorite Moms with their girls:

After a relaxing lunch with the girls, we headed over to pick out their earrings. The girls were very anxious to tell us which ones they likes best.
They posed for a pre-piercing pic with me. I wasn't sure they would want to talk to me after...



And then it was piercing time. Averie did really well while they marked her ears, although she was a bit nervous...biting her lip and all!
In five seconds the job was done, and Averie had some more sparkle...a few tears were shed Thanks to her binkie, some stashed snacks by Mom, and a lot of love and cuddles, Averie was fine in less than a minute: Can you see her cute new little studs?
Next up, Emma took the seat, and at first seemed in fine spirits:


But then the ladies tried to mark her ears for positioning, and she freaked. It was a short lived struggle, and after a quick moment of pain, and a few tears the whole ordeal was over:

I'm pretty sure my sister's face here, is like, "Great idea Amy, thank God that's over"

Within a minute, everyone seemed calmed and happy that the girls had a little more glitz in their lives.

My little princesses posed for a post- piercing photo

We even did a little show shopping, and then headed for home.

These girls both proved today, that they might be princesses, but that doesn't mean they can't be superheros too! I was so proud of you all, especially you Mommies! Thank you ladies for letting me spoil you with jewels...I plan on doing it a lot in your future. I am already plotting a kid spa outing when you are old enough. I just love my girls days out, and the two additions that I am lucky enough to call my nieces.

Bye Bye Curls...

When Zach was 13 months old, I took him for his 1st haircut. Looking back, he didn't really need it, I was just so excited to celebrate that 1st with him. This time around I was dreading it. You see Mattie had(note the past tense) the sweetest little curls at the base of his neck. So I procrastinated on cutting them, because well...he's my baby. But this week after I saw my niece Averie wearing a ponytail I realized I could put one in Matt's hair too, and well...I knew it was time.

So off we went to Supercuts...who needs fancy when they are styling a 19 month old? Zach was overdue for a cut too, so he went first to show his little bro how it was done. Matt was pretty content to run around the salon and test out the chairs.

Then it was Matt's turn. After a pep talk from Dad:Matt was ready to sit in the chair(note the appreciation on his face)He was happy to pose with Zach and Daddy before the cut(I love how they are both smiling at the PYT(Prince reference) instead of their Mom...oh well at least my hubby gave me his smile!)Matt told his stylist what he wantedAnd the haircut got underway.

Matt did really well for the most part, largely due to Smartie's I bribed him with throughout the haircut.

In the end the only thing that really changed, is Matt no longer has those curls, or a mullet, depending how you look at it. (For some reason Matt looks like he's balding in the pic below, I think I have a smudge on my lens, his hair is thin, but not that thin in the back)

We decided to treat both of the boys, and ourselves, to some Cold Stone to celebrate the moment!

In the end, my boys look super cute, curls or no curls!

Oh, and speaking of big transitions, Matt is without his pacifier. Its gone for good, and I so pleased the transition has gone relatively smoothly. He really is becoming a big boy...now all we need to do is get him potty-trained!

Anyone been wondering where I've been?

I know, I know, at this point most of you have given up on me altogether. That's what happens when you have 6 followers and don't blog for weeks. I choose to be an optimist and believe that a few of you will stop in to see what's up, and maybe leave me a comment so I know you were here.

Busy summer...that's how I'd explain the past few weeks. Schools finished and it me and the boys all day everyday. I am loving being home with them, and enjoying wearing the hat I cherish most, Mom. It is so nice getting to run outside, and enjoy all of the beautiful, but HOT weather we are having.

The fourth was great, we went to Ry and Liv's house, and the boys had a ball bouncing, swimming, and enjoying their first live fireworks. (I have never kept the kids up for fireworks, they just never make it to 10 or 10:30) I am hoping next year Zach will finally be able to hang till the show starts.

Zach and I went to Jack's preschool graduation, and Z was a big boy who sat in his own chair and was captivated by Jack singing on stage. We were all a bit surprised to hear that Jack want to be a football player when he grows up. I asked Z and he said he "wanted to be the Hulk!"

We also celebrated Emma's first birthday, and that party was great. My sis and I made her cake, as per tradition, and it turned out really cute.

I have so many more pics, but I will save them and some stories for another day soon.

Wayne has been really busy with work, but we try to savor as much family time as we can get.

That said, here are some pics from our last weeks: