Birthday Celebration, Part II

Let's get back to the celebration of others, shall we? Last night we celebrated William's fourth birthday at his house with some of his friends. It was a great time in spite of the heat and oppressive Missouri humidity. William did great and had a lot of fun visiting with all of his friends. One of my favorite things about William, though, is his ability to take it easy by himself for a minute if necessary. He doesn't get energy from others like a lot of members of this family do (yours truly), so he energizes by himself in order to have fun with others. I love that he is already learning how to keep the balance!

Sophia, on the other hand, happens to be one that feeds off of the attention of others, and I'm hoping we have a few years before she realizes that. When I couldn't get her to look at the camera for the life of me (I guess she was tired of it by then), one "Hey, girl!" from our friend Chris was enough to brighten her face with this look. Obviously, there had been a cupcake involved moments earlier.

I have to admit, I love these birthday parties. They can be hectic and consuming, but when the kids have fun, they are a good time! I'm so glad that we get to be a part of them and keep all of these memories for years down the road. Oh, we're not thinking about that, though. Just look at this adorable kid!

Birthday Celebration, Part I

This is a busy few days for our family and birthdays. My youngest nephew, Jeffrey, turns one today! Happy Birthday, Jeffrey! Next, William turns four tomorrow. Wow. Happy Birthday, William! Then, I have a birthday on Tuesday. I won't tell you how old I am because I like for people to think I'm older than I really am. Or else, I hear, Oh! I didn't know you were so young! I'm never sure how to take that. So, I won't tell you I'm 28 tomorrow.

Yesterday, we made the trip to Jeffrey's (and Seth, Angie and Jacob's) house to celebrate his and William's birthdays. My parents came up, too, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they brought me a cake, too! As an adult, you like to think birthdays are never a big deal any more - until someone makes a deal, then it's great!

Anyway, considering the house was filled to the brim with five kids between one and five, we had a fantastic visit. We always wish Seth and Angie lived closer, or that we had that private jet. Still, it makes our visits all the more special.

Here is Jeffrey enjoying the outdoors. The kid is already walking! No one else is ever as amazed as I am, but then again, Sophia didn't walk until after 14 months, so...

Here's William enjoying his frosting delicately, but with pure pleasure!

And here's Jeffrey doing the same...just not so delicately.

Then, after the sugar high...

It's celebration part one because tomorrow we celebrate William on Timbers Court, and you never know what craziness will ensue on Tuesday!

Longest Post Ever?

I tried to narrow the pictures from the weekend, and you'll be surprised to learn that I did! I can't help the fact that I snapped pictures of anything and everything that came near me this weekend. Some of them were bound to turn out. I also discovered that this camera is wonderful for the self-portrait because the screen flips out for view from in front. I have always loved the self-portrait, and now that I can do it without getting a full view of the nosehairs, get used to it. What can I say? I like me.

On Friday night, we watched Aaron and William so David and Casey could go see Batman. Their review was very favorable, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. We had a lot of fun with the boys as we always do. William enjoyed my new camera, too. We sat on the couch taking pictures of Aaron, who was less than thrilled at being the focus of our entertainment.

William, however, was happy to oblige. He's also easily distracted, so here he is without his rehearsed photo smile. That's cute too, but I love how much William and Aaron actually look alike in these shots! That seems pretty rare.

Last night, David and Casey returned the favor while we went out to eat with our friends the Canli:

and the Townsends:

Here are a few of the finer shots (non-alcoholic) of the evening.

Highlight Yellow on Chelle:

Highlight Blue on Suspicious Erica:

Posing as the fabulously happy couple that we are. (Yes, I had us pose this way because the Townsend picture turned out so well when I caught them like that. So sue me. It worked.)

Happy weekend, all! Hope your weekend was as weekendy as it should be. Tonight another trip to Shelter Gardens for the Concert in the Park series. Don't be surprised if I have the need to post again. Until then. . .

Two of my Neighbors

Today wasn't a normal Tuesday. On account of the troublesome bug running amok in my system (really not that bad), I didn't keep the boys today. Usually on Tuesdays, Casey and I switch an hour or so of childcare to give one another a little break from the kiddos and connect with our heads or hearts or God or whatever might be needed in that moment. What I didn't anticipate was how much I would come to enjoy that time of hanging out with Aaron and William. They are so much fun. Even if we just enjoy a movie and cuddle a while, it's a great time. Casey still watched Sophia for me today, and the report - in Casey's words, "Well, she doesn't have to be perfect all the time." Anyway, the point of the story is that we all enjoy a little auntie-kiddo time. It is really a privilege to get to have this type of relationship with kids who mean so much to me. I just wish I could do the same with all of them.

Wish I had a plane

We were just talking about how nice it would be to have your own jet. Just fly anywhere you want at the drop of a hat. Not have to worry about traffic and carseat fits. Get places in a fraction of the time. Here are two of the main reasons I would really want a jet...my two nephews in Stewartsville. Jeffrey and Jacob. Aren't they cute?

Coubors or Neighsins?

What do you call neighbor/cousins?

We live across the street from my brother David and his family- Casey, Aaron and William. We are so blessed to have such great friends, let alone such great family! Sophia loves getting to play with her cousins. She pretty much thinks they walk on water...although she wouldn't yet understand that was really something special. Tuesday, Sophie and I got some good time in with the boys at our neighborhood park. Here are some pictures of my beautiful nephew-neighbors and Sophie.

By the way, I have no idea why she's making that face. Let me know what you think it is!