Birthday Party!

Nate got two parties this year!

Okay, so the first was a little thrown together. We met some friends at a nearby cupcake shop.  This is Nate with his most favorite person in the world, Bryce.  Bryce is a "bigger boy."  He probably gets tired of hearing his own name when Nate is around.  He's a good sport about it, though.

The second was our usual small family gathering.  You won't find anything Pin-worthy here, but it is such a sweet time.  We order a cake and balloons and the kiddos can't wait for the grandparents to come.  Here's my mom sneaking Nate a pre-birthday-cake cookie.

This year Nathan wanted a Spiderman party.  We've never seen any Spiderman movies or shows and, until recently, didn't own any Spiderman books.  I have no idea how he even knew what Spiderman was.  But once he decided he wanted Spiderman, all of Mama's cutesie tractor party ideas were out the window. 

To get icing this bright add 56 parts food coloring to 1 part icing.

Nate blew out the candles like a champ! It was so, so fun to watch.

A birthday kiss from the sister.

At the end of the day, he said blowing out the candles on his cake was his favorite part of the day.  Every time we ate leftover cake he asked us to get out the candles and sing. :-)  I love him.    

Then...presents!

Brooke made Nate a bracelet and book and wrapped it.  She couldn't wait to finally give it to him.

Can you tell I had planned on a tractor party?  Oh, well.
Such a fun day celebrating three sweet years!!  Thank you so much to the grandparents.  And happy birthday to you, Nathan!! :-)  We love you so much, buddy. 

Downtown

Last week we ventured downtown to the City Garden.  It's a cool little park right in the middle of downtown St. Louis.  It has tons of sculptures and water features for kids. 

Fun!

The park has a splash pad.  I thought Nate would be all for it, but he wouldn't go near them.  So Brooke had enough fun for the both of them.

Eli was such a little angel!  He sat and looked around and didn't make a peep the whole time we were gone.  He must be trying to make up for those first few months.  It's hard to imagine his little feet will be splashing next summer, too. 

This is what Nate loved.  A flat pad with a thin layer of water running down it. Who knew? Anyone know where I can pick one of these up? 

Happy summering! :-)

Three!

My big guy turned three on Friday!  

If you're at all familiar with this blog, you know that I get a little sentimental when it comes to birthdays.  I say things like, "He's getting so big!" or  "She's four and then she'll be five, then six..!" 

And...I'm probably going to do it again this year. :-)

So let's get started. 

Nathan.  He has so many great qualities.

 He's a manly man.

...with a sensitive side (they're hula dancing) (I don't know why).

He appreciates fine literature (and dinosaur books, too).

He's a total comedian...

...with a bit of a wild side.

But he can be seriously sweet, too.

He loves trains, playing sports, going to Aldi's, his blanket, the color green and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

He doesn't like most foods, taking naps and the notion of potty training. 

When I tell him I love him he says, "Awwww." At night he asks me to "tuck in my two feets"  and snuggles "the puppy that lost his nose."

And he does and says a million other things that make me smile everyday.

I so love that little boy.  Happy 3, Nate!!

Love, Mama  

Baby Fix

Need a baby fix?  Come on in.
Eli is a little more than four months old already.

The newborn fussies have fizzled and he's entered my favorite baby phase. He's content, happy and...dare I say...easy-going.  He's squishy and his little body is covered in dimples and rolls.  He's finding his feet and sucking his toes. He loves to talk and coo.  He smells absolutely, completely amazing.
He's so there. 

Oh, he is yummy right now. Oh chubby thighs!  How do I love thee...

Can chubby thighs be the new black?  Please??

Must go.  I have cheeks to smush.  (And drool to wipe.)

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge: All Boy

This week I'm entering the photo challenge over at I Heart Faces.

The theme is "All Boy."

For me, a certain little someone immediately came to mind.

I love this picture because it is just so him right now.

This is often the scene in our dining room-turned-playroom.  Nathan, age 2, lost in his make-believe world, where trains talk and Cranky the Crane can always save the day.  And with no pants on, of course.

I so love my all-boy boy.  :-)

Tiny Dancer

I've mentioned this before, but from the time the ultrasound tech announced "girl!" I've been plotting the first dance recital.  I really hoped my girl would love dancing as much as I did.  (And if not, I'd get at least one recital out of her before I let her quit!)

Much to my delight, Brooke has loved dancing.  And last weekend, she put on a little bit of makeup, her little pink costume and danced in her very first recital.  Mama heaven. 

This is the portion of the blog where I should be posting pictures of Brooke's performance.  I took a billion pictures at the dress rehearsal.

And then I lost the camera card. 

It is GONE.  I've looked everywhere and am considering doing some major surgery on the couch to find it.  Hopefully it'll turn up soon.  :-( 

Anyway, the dance was really sweet.  I'll admit that I teared up a little watching Brooke dance.  She was just such a big girl, smiling and so confident in front of all of those people.  I was so proud of her and excited to be there watching her. 

Here we are after the recital.  The grandparents all came to watch. 

Such a sweet, happy day!

Strawberry Fields Forever

One of my favorite things to do with the kids is go to the local orchard and pick fruit.  Why?

Because...
Tractor rides?  Check.
Cheap?  Check.
Kids can run and scream?  Check.
Healthy foods?  That can also be converted into high-calorie desserts?  Check and check.

So when asked what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, I immediately asked to go pick strawberries.  And we did!

The kids had a blast.  Eli immediately cashed out in the baby carrier and didn't make a peep. 

Brooke had a great time picking and eating (mostly eating) the strawberries.  Soon she moved on to weed-picking.  Girlfriend loves her some flowers.

How many strawberries did Nate eat?  Let's just say the boy will never go hungry in a strawberry field.  I just love that big grin.

And...here are the strawberries!!  I picked exactly three because it was too hard to bend over with the little guy strapped to my chest. 

So now we have a gazillion strawberries. Some have stayed healthy berries, some have been dipped in chocolate, and some have been eaten over shortcake.  What can I say?  Mama likes her dessert.

Me and my three. 

One small favor, guys: Will you please, please stay little so we can do this every single year?  Please???

Happy Mother's Day!! :-)