Dave's Birthday!

Dave had a birthday a few weeks ago.  Birthdays are different when you have had more of them than you can remember.  Still, we try around here to make them special.  They boys each chose a gift they wanted to give to daddy and we went and shopped for them together.  Chad chose to give him an antenna for his car (he has not had radio due to the lack of an antenna since he got the car nearly 18 months ago) and Tyler got him a book.  It was cute to see how much ownership they each had for the gift they had chosen.  Tyler carried that book out of the store like it was a treasure box! 

In addition, the boys and I made Dave a candy bar bouquet.  Dave is a candy connoisseur and his boys are following closely in his footsteps.  Chad kept asking if we were going to have any extra candies.  I had to remind him that we had bought them just for daddy and we had just enough. 

 This is how it turned out.  We set it on the table for him first thing on his birthday.  The day itself was pretty low key-we had church and Dave had meetings beforehand.  But, we had a little get together afterward with my parents and my brother and his family.  It's always fun to get together. 

 Tyler LOVED helping dad open each of his gifts.  This is the box with Tyler's book in it.  He was pretty excited for dad to see it. 

 And my mom made him a homemade loaf of white bread. 

Dave rarely has a traditional cake, and this year was no different.  He asked for a raspberry cheesecake, which I would pick over a cake, any day!  

I'm sure lucky to have such a wonderful hubby!  He is such a hard worker and a great dad. 

Happy Birthday Dave!  I love you! 

4

This last week, Tyler turned 4.  It was a pretty special day and we sure enjoyed making is special and celebrating it with him.  Around here, we decorate for birthdays.  When I was talking to Tyler about it on Thursday night, Chad overheard and begged me to wait to decorate until he got home from school the next day.  This . . .

is the finished result.  Tyler stared at it all and said, "This is all for me." 

We started off Tyler's birthday with a Lowe's Build and Grow activity.  We sure love going to these, so it was extra special that there happened to be one on Tyler's birthday. 

Next, we headed to lunch. We have started a tradition that in our family, the birthday boy (or girl) gets to choose a restaurant and we all go to a birthday lunch. I had guide Tyler's choice a little this time because this month, we also celebrated my grandma's 90th birthday, and there was a family lunch planned for her and all the other January birthdays on Tyler's birthday. Since the restaurant had already been chosen, I basically spoon fed him that restaurant as an idea and sold him on it. 

Here he is with his cupcake.  I'm pretty sure he thought we were all there just for him, and he didn't even know that we also sang to 4 other people.  It worked out perfectly. 

This is my grandma Jones, my dad's mom, and my only living grandparent.
  It is pretty special to get to celebrate her 90th. 

After lunch, we headed home to finish the cake and get ready for Tyler's party.  We don't do big "parties" around here, but usually, whatever family is available comes over for cake and ice cream and a few gifts.  But, we DO do cakes around here!  I started the tradition on Chad's first birthday (although I didn't know it would become a tradition) when I made him a giraffe cake.  It was followed by several train cakes, a Lightning McQueen cake, Radiator Springs cake, Mater and the Ghostlight cake, Chick Hicks cake (ya, we had a Cars theme going for a while there) and this year, Tyler wanted an Angry Birds cake.  I get pretty excited about these cakes until about the time to put them together.  They are day long ordeals, but this year, Dave really helped to put it all together and it was nice to not be 100% in charge.  We made the birds (cake balls) on Friday night and Dave assembled the rest on Saturday.  Here are a few pictures of the process and finished product.  

This really became Dave's masterpiece and he actually had to leave the room when I cut it because he was so sad.  Tyler LOVED it, and in every picture of him with his cake, he is staring at it.  He was pretty excited! 

We did a few gifts with grandma and grandpa and cousins  

blew out some candles . . . and called it a night. 

On my children's birthdays each year, I love to look back at their baby books and reminisce about their births and the short little lives so far.  It really feels like just yesterday that this little guy joined our family. 

Tyler is so much fun!  He is such a silly little boy and he always says the funniest things.  He has the most amazing blue eyes and he still loves to be held and cuddled.  I'm so glad the Lord entrusted me with this handsome little man to love and raise.  Happy Birthday Tyler! 

6

I enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane as I looked at pictures for this post.  It really does seem hard to believe that 6 years ago, I became a mother.  It is different with your first, and I think that I enjoyed it more.  I had fewer stresses in my life, and my new little baby was my new best little friend.  My delivery was horrendous, and there were times that I feared for his life.  (Actually, I was more concerned that he would never come and that I'd be pregnant for the rest of my life.)  He finally did come (with the help of forceps) and thus began this adventure called motherhood.  For the first 2 1/2 years of his life, until my second was born, we did everything, just the two of us.  I did a lot of things with my first that I would never dare, or never feel up to doing with my others.  For example, I helped to lay sod in our backyard the Saturday before Chad was born on the following Tuesday.  I took him on his first road trip to my cousin's wedding 3 hours away when he was a week old, took him to girls camp for a week by myself when he was 2 weeks old (and got a flat tire on my way home), and took him on an 11 hour drive to Nebraska at 3 weeks old.  I would NEVER have even considered that with either of my other two, and yet all those trips worked out just fine. 

Chad on the day we brought him home from the hospital.  It is crazy to see how much he looks like Greyson!

 I think he is probably 2 in this picture.  He was such a little doll, and we just went everywhere together. 

 Chad reading the paper while he ate his cereal.  He still loves to read while he eats and always has to look at his cereal box while he eats breakfast. 

 He and his cousin.  They are only 3 months apart and have always had a special bond. 

 Chad's first day of preschool. It is hard to believe that Tyler is now this old.  Funny how with my first, 3 seemed like such a little boy, a baby still, and now that my second is there, he seems so grown up. 

 Look at this handsome guy!  Oh, he still warms my heart.  He really is so grown up now, and he is such a good little helper (most of the time).  He will still hold my hand, and likes to have his back scratched.  He is SO smart!  It has been an amazing 6 years. 
                                                  
And finally, birthday #6, complete with a castle cake.  The only things he asked for this year were a movie, which he debated back and forth on which one probably 20 times, and a pillow from my mom. I know that stage won't last forever, but I'll enjoy it for now.  I sure love ya, Chad!