A party for the big boy

We have a tradition in our family of having a train cake when we turn 2. I got one when I was little and my other kids got one as well. So now it was Joseph's turn. He helped me by putting candy on top and eating frosting off the caboose. 

Our family, grandparents, and Connie all went to Freestone Park to ride the train and rides and have some pizza and cake. It was a lot of fun, but got dark so quick.

Grandma and Grandpa Huston found him a tricycle at a garage sale and Grandma and Grandpa Christensen for him a dump truck with lego's and a new book.

It took him awhile but he blew out his candles all by himself.

Connie got him a ball and a Batman shirt complete with cape.

I didn't have him open his present from us because it was getting late and he had already opened so many.

The next evening we had a picnic outside (he wanted to wear his "burt-day" shirt again).

I brought out his birthday banner and presents.

This is the cute book I based my decorations off of. It's pretty cute and he loves it.

He loves his new (to him) toys. What 2 year old doesn't love a marble tower?

Since this post is already long and I have meetings, Halloween  and another birthday to get ready for I will do a post all about him and his two year old self another day. For now, happy birthday little man.

The change from baby to boy

Today Joseph turned two. This morning I woke up with a lot of last minute ideas of things I wanted to to for his birthday. One of those things was make a a banner out of a bunch if his faces wearing party hats. You have probably seen it before. Anyway I needed pictures so I set a chair down outside and asked him to sit on it so I could take some pictures. I got these pictures in like 20 seconds and then was done.

I

love

 this

 face

 so

much!

Birthdays are always a time of reflection for me. They are also a busy time. Usually I am busy on the outside and reflecting on the inside. I hope I will be able to take some time to write about the feelings I have in my heart as my youngest changes from a baby to a boy and my oldest is almost 8 and becoming more accountable for his choices and becoming more grown up (in a boyish sort of way). Basically I think birthday celebrations were invented to keep moms from crying all day for days. I am so tired tonight and will post his birthday pictures soon but I had to put this up here tonight and remember that on this day, I was happy and completely in love with this boy.

Girls only

One of my favorite things in the world is spending one on one time with my kids by taking them on dates.

Gracie likes it too.

After some Bahama Bucks we went to meet up with Connie and Melissa at Ballet Under the Stars. It was a lot of fun. Sometimes it is nice to be just with the girls.

mud pies and bug bites

One morning I went out to the playhouse to find this...

(ignore the wall paper coming off the walls, that's what I get for using vintage wallpaper)

But don't worry apparently Joe knows how to clean it up.

And Gracie said it was freezing (under 80 degrees) so she had to use Russ sweater (and get it all muddy).

I think this may have been when Joseph got a lot of mosquito bites. It was so sad. He would wake up with blood spots all over his sheets from scratching them in the night.

I tried a bunch of different things but nothing seemed to help. It made me sad every time I looked at him. We would put repelent on him and everyday he would wake up with more.

The lines are where he colored on himself with marker.

Can you tell they are on his neck, temple, ear, and head. One day when he heard someone talking about mosquito's he said, "yike you". Yes Jojo, mosquito's like you.

Bisa

We live next to a apartment complex that houses seniors and some of these apartments look over our back yard. One Sunday afternoon one of them knocked on my door. A sweet women who is originally from Brasil. She told me that she needed someone to help he with some projects around her house and that she has seen Russ out working in the yard and thought he might be able to help. He has gone over to do a couple of things here are there and she has stopped by to see the children. She loves them and they love her. Here she is measuring Gracie so she can make her a dress.

She stopped over again last night and it was good to see her. She has asked if she could be their adopted Grandmother and wants us to call her Bisa. I feel bad cause I know she would like us to come over and visit her, when she comes here she feels like she is being a bother (even though I told her she is not). There is just so much going on right now we don't typically have time when I'm not doing something. She told me that when she saw the children playing in the yard that she thought to herself, "I need to have these children in my life." I know it must be hard to have been a mother and grandmother for so many years and then find yourself living alone. I am glad we are friends and that she is our neighbor. 

love tree

Russ has wanted to cut down a mostly dead orange tree in our back yard for awhile. I wouldn't let him for awhile because it wasn't all dead. There was still green growing on it. But it only gave us one orange last year and has been looking really scraggly lately so I let him do it. We are going to plant a peach tree in its place. It was really cool to see when he cut it that there was a heart shaped hole inside. 

I am going to have him cut a slice of that trunk and hang it somewhere in our house. 

And now pictures of Russ doing manly things...

The Secret Garden

Also for my moms birthday we went to see The Secret Garden at the Hale theater. 

With Dicken (he was my favorite and I think Gracie's too)

With Colin

And with Mary and Dicken (I think William really liked Mary, he kept wanting to look at this picture:)

I really like taking my kids to plays. I hope they get the chance to experience being in a play or production. It is really fun. Our next play is going to be Peter Pan at Gammage in January and we are really excited about it.

Marie, William, Gracie, and Anna