kissing cousins

eli and reece are 15 days apart.

I can't wait to watch their relationship grow.

p.s. the caption possibilities on this one are endless!

paaar-ty time

months ago I had decided that I wanted miles to have a curious george party.  he loves george - the books, tv show, movie.  I had envisioned the invites, cake, food, and games.  but when I asked miles what kind of party he wanted, he said, "I want a pirate party mom!"  I admit that I selfishly convinced him that he should go with the george theme.  after all, I am pretty sure that this is the last year I will be able to even help him choose a theme.  he's discovering all sorts of big boy things and I wanted to enjoy one more "little boy" party theme.

I couldn't do it.  he lights up when he plays pirates.  he grabs his sword and shouts "avast, me hearty?"  I had to give up my vision of a sweet little monkey and go all out on a piratey celebration fit for a crew of sea dogs.

he sat on my sister's living room floor and helped me make up names for the food and put stickers on the labels. the rest was a secret. the look on his face when we started putting everything together that sunday morning was priceless.  my camera, of course, was safely tucked into the case so I missed the initial reaction. this "oh brother, take the picture mom!" photo will have to suffice.

oh wait, here's a little smile.

the weather was holding out for us. not too terribly hot, but certainly warm enough. we began with every little boy's obsession: tattoos. I have no idea what it is with those things, but I've never had a few dollars bring hours days of utter excitement to their faces. they love to tell everyone they meet about their tattoos, explaining each one in great detail. and really? what is a pirate without at least a couple of good tattoos, right?

we have stuck to family only parties so far. I figure that there will be years and years of crazy parties with at least a dozen little friends arriving with a present and expecting nothing less than a three day sugar high in return. for now, this means that GAME TIME is limited. miles is the oldest and a toddler can only do so much. but we love games here, so we went all out. it didn't really matter if everyone understood the game, they just have fun participating. first on the agenda was a good ol' game of "pin the eye patch on the pirate."

poor miles wasn't familiar with the concept and had a meltdown of sorts when he discovered that he had to be blindfolded and his patch wasn't perfectly placed on the pirate. he's definitely our child. sorry little buddy.

henry and josiah thought it was great, note to self: I certainly didn't need to offer anyone more than just one go at it. that was plenty.

everyone who completed the eye patch game received his (or her) very own eye patch. or if you were under the age of four, you were a lucky winner. low expectations here, folks. ARRGH!

we sent them all over to walk the plank and earn their hook. this went over swimmingly; we didn't end up with even one wet sandal. success!

what would a pirate party be without a treasure hunt? we outfitted all of them with compass and treasure map. kuddos to my awesome hubby for making each little pirate his very own map. love him.

I will let the photos tell the story of this one. pay attention to the finding of the treasure. what a sweet birthday boy.

the booty? pirate daggers for the three big boys, infant/toddler snacks for the little ones, and a bandana, sword, and stickers for everyone. contrary to the look on callan's face, they all seemed pretty jazzed about their loot.

a special thank you to my wonderful family members who volunteered to make some of the food.

the boys and I had just moved home less than two days before the party. I had purchased/planned most of the details before reece was even born; anticipating party planning with a newborn. I did not, however, anticipate it being quite this stressful. needless to say, I forced myself to let go of a few details...namely the cake and the invitation.  I am happy to report that the modified cake actually turned out better than my original plan.

the lack of an invitation is still a thorn in my side. I just love making them and it killed me not to send one out. I'm sure miles will never notice and in the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal. it's about the memories, right?

opening presents is always touch and go with our little man. he doesn't like to feel like he's being laughed at and he's not a huge fan of having the spotlight on him.

we eventually had to move the presents and the birthday boy inside to avoid the impending rain. all that movement for a few little sprinkles. oh well, better safe than sorry. after all, we can't let his new wad of cash get wet now, can we?

our families are so generous. miles was showered with some really fun new things. a bike, books, bubbles, games, costumes, baseball game tickets, sporting gear, and a bunch of other toys. lucky little guy. he sure is loved.

celebrating our sweet boy with those who love him the most is such a blessing. we love having everyone so close and this annual cousins birthday shot makes it all worthwhile.

happy birthday mr. miles. you are a special little boy. we are proud to call you ours!

sunny much?
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remember those costumes I mentioned?

mother's day 2012

kyle delivered on the mother's day gift this year with the precious gift of a new baby.  he can't begin to top that one.  a sweet new baby, a bubbly toddler, and a spunky preschooler make life so much more exciting and fulfilling.  there truly is no greater gift than that of motherhood. that being said, I'd like to report that I have an amazing photo of my babies and I on this mother's day 2012.  fact is, the one picture I do have is nothing short of hideous of myself.  so, no, it is not making the blog.  I can, however, offer up this picture of my amazing mom and her SEVEN grandbabies.  seven in less than four years.  not too shabby huh?

anyone who knows my mom and dad know that they are in their glory. I know I have quite a biased opinion, but who wouldn't be proud of this adorable bunch of towheads?

we celebrated mother's day with a trip to a local park with some of our extended family.  even though we all live relatively close to one another, we don't see each other nearly enough.  it was great to catch up and share a yummy potluck meal together.

one more of the two newborn baby boys. precious.

happy mother's day to all of the great moms out there.

a may-velous month

the first couple weeks in may have been grand.  sure, we have our fair share of sleepless nights and brotherly spats.  but love is in the air around here and we are loving every moment with our newest family member.

first bath in the sink:

speaking of new family members.  we are thrilled to welcome eli james into our extended family.  little eli was born on may 1st to my sister and her husband and their son, josiah.  he had a little rocky start, but has been given a clean bill of health. we think he's a gem and feel blessed to have another beautiful baby boy in the family. 

it's going to be such a treat to see these two little guys grow up together.

may is also a great time to welcome visitors to our home. the maios came to town and dropped in to meet little reece over the weekend. hello cute little lukas!

speaking of visitors...nana came for the night again and miles and henry were poised and ready to read her a bedtime story...

...before heading to their room for a campout on the floor.

the gorgeous weather continues to shine here in minnesota. we are all for it and don't mind taking advantage of the early picnics and lazy afternoons in the backyard.

I'm happy to report that despite chasing after two big boys, my sweet husband gives me ample time to park on the couch and love up on reece. oh how I cherish these fleeting newborn days...

*****
the following is an example of what can happen when your daycare friend wears the same shoes as you do. you just might need to borrow a girl's shoe.