October 30, 2013 - 4 Years Old

Life really seemed to "start" for me on October 30, 2009 - 4 years ago.  As we celebrate this year with my favorite big boy I am thankful for four full years.

We started his day with a 9am wake up call to balloons of course.

 

 

Then a special breakfast of blueberry scones and eggs, served in the trampoline...

 

CHEERS to you big boy... 

 

I took the day off work and my mother in law kept the little boys.  We played in the "hot tub" room of the house, which is typically off limits...and if you haven't been here we really do have a random hot tub room...strange and a little icky... 

 

 

Then we headed off to Trailer Cakes to pick a very special cupcake for everyone to share after dinner... Of course he chose the one loaded with sprinkles...I mean who wouldn't. 

 

This was his "excited beaver" face...BOSS MAN... 

 

Then we headed off to the library for some special time with mom to pick any books and videos he wanted... He even got to listen to a book without being interrupted by a little brother bear...

 

Next up, Quiggleys Clay House...we made a plate together and managed not to break the other 5000 ceramic things in the store which was a miracle...

 

We picked up the brothers and headed home for naps.  Everyone should get to nap on their birthday...

 

Mike got home from work and we loaded up for dinner.  Birthday boys always get to choose their dinner local.  Mike was giving him the full court press on Liberty Burger.  Trying to get him to fall for French Fries and Milk Shakes.  It was shameful really.  Graham had his mind made up...Panera Bread...Turkey and Cheese, Yogurt with Water.

 

 

Home to close out our day...I wanted to setup a special "tacky" table that I knew G would just love...SUCCESS.

 

 

 

This might be the best picture I took all day...precious smile of pure joy...

 

Last on our list was a scavenger hunt of 10 clues to find a special gift from mom and dad.  Actually it appears we did this second to last as it was still daylight and in the above pic he is already holding said below present.  Not changing it now.

 

 

The last clue led him to his favorite place to play...mom and dads bed.

 

 

He opened a very special "guy" and sweetly remarked "he has always wanted".

 

Meet "Graham Dog".  I love it when he names his animals silly stuff.  He thinks it is just the perfect name for his new guy and I do to.

 

Graham is still smart, kind and tenderhearted.  The child came out of the womb this way.  God was kind to us with our first child.  I am convinced that He designed this child to do great things.

 

Let's Hear it for my Fluffy Haired Big 4 Year Old

Grahams 4th Birthday Party...

We had Grahams 4th birthday party here at the house this past weekend and it was a major success...

We wanted to have a old school classic party with a lot of outdoor options.  We had 35 adults (4 pregnant ladies) and 16 kids - it was a sight to see for my out of town family.  Mike drew a race track in the backyard for the kids to drive their bikes/ trikes on and we have a swing set, some various "plastics" and chalk.  The kids stayed outside 100% of them time and played HARD all over the back yard.

I felt really blessed to have a house on a great lot that everyone felt comfortable in.  It was the best party I have ever thrown and it was almost overwhelming to have so many dear friends and family stop their weekend to love my family and celebrate Graham.  I am so thankful to have friends and family so near and it isn't even November (you know Thanksgiving...Thankful...Thankfulness).

Here are a few pics...
 

Thank you Carie Jean for this cute orange idea...

Wondering what the T, G and C stand for...Track, Graham and Coop - der.  I love that he insisted on wearing his "snow hat" for this picture.  He obviously needed it with his shorts and water shoes.  The menu was super simple...chili for the adults and hot dogs for the kids.

A little collage love for my guy from birth to now...sniff sniff.  Graham is my 1st born and getting ready for his party brought back some fun memories of us paving this new road together...we had some sweet one-on-one time when he was a little guy.

The rocket ship piñata that G picked out was awesome...It was actually a 1980's challenger replica from NASA, but he saw it as a really cool rocket ship...

 

 

I constantly struggle with what to do with this pass through space, but it was perfect for birthday décor...maybe I can decorate it seasonally all year round...I think that makes me sound about 45 years old, maybe ill come up with a better plan...

I bought 12 punching ball balloons and they were a big hit (pun intended) with the kids...

 

people everywhere...

 

Delicious Carrot Cake with some extra flair and a special Veggie Tales candle that grand mom found just for Graham...

 

This face you will not see very often and it almost moves me to tears...this is the sheer joy face of being sung happy birthday by all of his favorite people.  The "i'm so excited and happy i'm about to burst or cry" face...

 

Kids doing kid stuff...

 

He looks so little here to me...I LOVE the closed eyes...concentrating...

 

The kids couldn't break this one, so before I know it Mike was swinging the bat and all of the innards were flying towards my face...cool pic.

 

I really love all these little people...maybe I need more kids...

 

Random Fact:  I like to blog whilst watching River Monsters Unhooked.  Its fascinating.

 

Graham got a bunch of really fun gifts and more importantly had such a great 4th birthday party.  His actual birthday is Wednesday and I have taken off of work and gotten my MIL to keep the "littles" so G and I can have a special day together.  It is safe to say that I am likely looking forward to it more than he is.

 

God always knew he would be mine.  It's like HE had a special gift just for me that he patiently waited 30 years to give me. I never knew I could have such joy living with a little boy.  I had Graham and realized "this is what I was made for". 

 

He has always been mine.

 

Let's Hear it for 4 Years and a Boy Who Is Dearly LOVED

What we have been up to...

I've had a few two friends ask about my blog recently and what I had been up to since there were no recent posts.  Usually, when I take a blog break it is because I'M PREGNANT!!!  Well, I'm not pregnant, at least not yet.  So what have I been up to...

 

I made a fall wreath...

 

I have taken 100 walks to the park...

 

 

 

I facilitated some painting, glittering and gluing of "punkins"...

 

I've made, eaten and cleaned up what seems like 1000 meals...

 

I've made home made bubble bath...

 

 

I finally turned all of our left over decor into a collage wall...

 

I'm working on the entry way...

 

The big boys got haircuts...

 

I won a photo contest at work (me at 10), not sure that is a good thing...

 

I've tried to jiggle my cellulite away on a Power Plate machine at work...not sure if it is working, but I am going to "stay the course".

 

I've been working with this guy to cut down on the amount of "stuff" he has whilst sleeping...

 

...as you can plainly see, he is down from 4 blankies to 2...

 

Coop is sitting up, even though you would think those cheeks would seriously weigh him down.  He also finally got his bottom teethies...

 

I am getting ready for this sweet little guys 4th birthday party...

Then there is this guy... ALWAYS kewl...

 

...ALWAYS hungry...

 

...and thinks every color is "green"...

 

So as you all can see, I living the glamorous life.  In reality, I am "getting stuff done" over here.  Because when the real halt in blogging stops for the typical reason - life stops too...so I am stepping up my game before I am benched again.

 

Let's Hear it for My Babies