A party for Noah

We had a party with some friends for Noah's birthday. One of Noah's favorite favorite things is to go to the lake.

The day was super windy. I was sad because my matching party tablecloths, balloons and cute plates would NOT stay in place. And Noah was upset until we re-sang "Happy Birthday" with a "dear Leo" appropriate to his character for the day. But that did not stop us! The food, the friends and the sand definitely made up for it. Thank you to everyone who came! Noah loved it.

Noah opening birthday presents with the boys.

Brother Gage really wanting to eat those birthday presents.
Noah still digging. All the guests have gone home, the party is cleaned up, the lifeguards are leaving, but Noah is still digging.

Weekend fun

Noah was so excited to help Daddy pack up the Volvo. We'd been talking about this all day long and he had made quite a mountain of "things to go camping." Sleeping bags, mosquito repellent, flashlights, soup, a bucket and shovel, Lightning Mcqueen, a balloon, and more.

Noah says, "Only the boys are going camping." "What about Gage?" I say. "He's pretending to be a girl like you." was the reply.

They had a blast. Played outside, ate hot dogs, and SLEPT IN A TENT. Noah loved it.

With Noah and Dave off, that left Gage and I alone to find our own adventure. Which we did. We munched a fabulous Panera sandwich with some of my favorite people, got rained out of an outdoor concert by the lake, and hit the garage sales in the morning. Both of these boys really needed this one on one time.

Happy Birthday dear Noah

"Let's make party hats," he says. And so we do. Red ones with red ribbon by request.

"Let's go to the toy store," he grins. And so we go. Sat on the floor to read Handy Manny, drooled over the shiny bikes and the entire imaginarium aisle (wait, that last one was me, I love those toys).

"L-L-Let's go outside and dig," he says (the 3-yr-old-excitement-stutter has already kicked in). And so with bucket and shovel we dig right next to the peonies.

"Let's make birthday cupcakes and eat them for dinner," he laughs. And here a mother draws the line. But eat cupcakes we did. Right after our dinner plates were licked clean.

My favorite part of the day was that sweet smile on Boah's face when we sang Happy Birthday. So happy. Today was a day to celebrate.

What we're up to...

Noah's doing great. I'm so proud of him. I never thought potty training would actually be fun. Any great tips or ideas??

Sunday pants

Gage has little brown corduroy pants. Gage's little brown corduroy pants are a bit big around the waist. And apparently corduroy sticks to carpet really well.

Oh yeah, and Gage started army crawling about a month ago. He's getting faster and faster. A couple times a day I'll set him down with some toys in the living room and leave for a second. When I come back I don't see Gage, but I usually find his pants first.

Hawk Island 5K

We ran a 5K last week through the woods and around the lake. Once again Dave rocked me pushing a thousand pounds of baby the whole way. But I'm just glad to get out and run. And the kiddos did great. Much much better than last time.
One of my favorite friends and her ever energetic husband also raced. Pure inspiration those two.
Noah's favorite part was the clown making a sword balloon just for him. Gage's favorite was pulling on Noah's stroller straps, Dave's was the pump-you-up music you could hear even on the other side of the lake. And my favorite part of the 5K was the snacks afterward of course. Bananas always taste better after a run.

Happy Mother's Day

Yum! Happy Mother's Day to me.