Nibbling cake & ripping paper
Happy 1st birthday to our sweet Little Miss!
Tag: gift
Happy 3rd birthday Lincoln!
Dear Lincoln,
I thought I’d write you a recap letter detailing today’s events. I can’t believe you are 3 years old today. As I sit here typing, I’m looking at a picture of you and your big brother when he visited us in the hospital after your birth. You look so tiny! Yet, I can see in your eyes, it’s you! You have become such a fun, independent, inquisitive & loving boy. I thank God for the gift you are in my life!
The day started off much like it did on the Easter Sunday you were born – we woke up to wet, heavy snow. You, Nolan & I had breakfast in our pj’s and gobbled up purple waffles – your request. After getting dressed, we had planned on going to the Children’s Museum, but the snow and slop made the roads extra messy (and dangerous,) so we decided to save that adventure for another day. You didn’t seem to mind since you had a chance to play with a few of the birthday presents you opened in the morning.
For lunch, you asked for “Taco Bells,” so you and Daddy (who took the day off from work) picked up tacos and nachos for us. After lunch, you, Nolan & Daddy went to pick up your cake – Buzz Lightyear was what you asked for this year. I briefly considered making your cake again this year, but decided to let the ladies at the bakery make it for you this go-around. You fell asleep in the car on the way home, so Daddy laid you down for a birthday nap – probably a good idea since you ended up being up past your bed time yet again tonight.
Our family and friends came over for cake and ice cream at about 6:30. We sang “Happy Birthday” to you and your eyes just beamed! I think you enjoyed being the center of attention today 🙂 After cake, you politely asked if you could open your presents, and had so much fun doing so. You received many wonderful, sweet well-wishes & gifts from your grandparents, aunts, uncles & friends.
You are loved by so many wonderful people, Lincoln. Never forget that. And in the words of your great-grandma Fran, God loves you, and so do I!
XOXO
Mommy
Surprise visit!
I looked out the front window this morning and saw a strange truck & trailer parked on the opposite side of the street from our driveway. I strained my eyes to see who was driving and got confused when a man stepped out. He pulled out a baby gift bag and instantly it came to me…my Uncle Ron!
I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was driving home from doing a kitchen installation (he’s a woodworker) and stopped to surprise us on his way by. He spent 5 hours at our house – holding Ingrid, talking to the boys. It was great! I don’t often get a chance to talk one-on-one with him in such a relaxed setting. Our conversations generally take place at holiday gatherings, so we don’t get to really catch up. I was so thankful for his visit today – he made my week!
Jason’s birthday
We celebrated Uncle Jason’s birthday (a day late) at his house tonight. Nolan and Lincoln colored “happy birthday” pictures for him and were very excited to also help him eat cake and open his presents. Generous helpers, aren’t they?
Moonsand mess
Nolan received moonsand as a gift from our neighbors a while ago and I pulled it out today for the boys to play with. Note to self…next time, take the moonsand OUTSIDE to play with. The kids LOVED the stuff, but man was it a mess to clean up! I had to shake rugs, vacuum, and wipe down the table multiple times. Nevertheless, watching the boys have fun was definitely worth the clean-up afterward.
Father’s Day and 50 years
We spent Father’s Day at my parents’ house this year. The weather was beautiful! We played in the backyard, which the kids loved. Bocce ball, hula hoops, wiffle ball, oh and of course, “water squirters!” Good times.
After dinner, we headed to Jake’s grandparents’ 50th anniversary party. 50 years! What an awesome event to celebrate! Jake had taken some of their wedding slides and scanned them, so those at the party were able to “relive” the original celebration along with Lois & Dale. (Photos taken by Jake’s cousin, Beth.)
The party
We celebrated Nolan’s birthday (with extended family & friends) a week later than his actual birthday. His request was to have a balloon pit, similar to the one Jake made for New Year’s Eve. He was happy to oblige, with a minor change in location. We assembled our indoor play yard fence in the porch and let the balloon blowing begin. Thanks to the air compressor, Jake, Uncle Tony, Nolan and Lincoln quickly filled the oval shaped pit with over 100 balloons and beach balls.
I took the easy way out this year and purchased a birthday cake from the grocery store. Nolan picked out WALL-E for the decorative picture. Hopefully next year I’ll feel up to putting together another homemade creation for his celebration.
The kids who joined in the fun seemed to really enjoy themselves – even the babies took part in the action 🙂 After all, who can resist that many balloons?!?
Birthday week continues
Two packages arrived via the postal service today. It seems Nolan’s birthday week is still going strong! We sat out back as he opened them. Once again, Lincoln was his trusty helper. Then, we were surprised by a visit from Aunt Larissa. She came bearing two more presents for the big little guy to open. What a lucky kid! We now have both a doctor and a fire fighter in the house should anyone need their services.
OTW – feeling crummy
My weekend actually started Thursday, if you count the weekend as the days I’ve felt less than 100%. Not that I feel 100% a lot of the time, but I’d say it’s generally at least in the 90’s. The last four days I’ve been down in the 25-30% range. Not fun. Thursday I started an on and off streak of migraines that have had me down for the count most of the weekend. Friday morning I woke up in such pain that I called my mom to see if she could come over to wrangle the mini-men. Thankfully, she was able to clear her schedule and come to my aid. I was in bed (and in pain) until dinnertime. My awesome mom not only handled the boys (play time, lunch time, nap time & dinner time) but she also helped me get started on the mountain of laundry that has been silently growing in my basement. What a gift to me she was on Friday.
Unfortunately, the pain did not subside on Saturday and Jake was kind enough to pick up where my mom left off and took care of the boys, meals, etc. all day. In the morning, he took Lincoln to the swimming pool while Papa & Nolan went to Lowe’s to build something together. That something was a fantastic jewelry organizer! Nolan was SO proud of his project – and rightfully so! I love it! And to make it even more perfect, Jake’s Valentine’s Day gift to me was a beautiful sapphire necklace, & earrings made by our family friend, Becky. The boys rounded out their Saturday morning outing by stopping for lunch at Nana & Papa’s and a little cake decorating. They boys had fun with all of the frosting and sprinkles (or crickets, as Nolan called them.) After dinner, we enjoyed the finished products. Yum!
New Year, New Decade, Same great relatives!
We piled into my parents’ “giant marshmallow” as Nolan has started calling it (thanks, in part, to my mom :)) and pointed north to the Iron Range. Our “normal” family gathering was pushed a week later due to the Christmas snowstorm. It actually worked great for us, since we usually can only make my dad’s family’s celebration every other year. Once again, my Aunt Ann, Uncle Gene & cousin Amy were exceptional hosts. They always have an amazing spread!
My cousin Cory and his wife Renee brought their 3 kiddos from ND so Nolan and Lincoln had a few playmates. I think the kids had a good time with one another. We should try to get them together more often!
