Eliette's 2nd Birthday

Eliette's 2nd Birthday was a crazy-big party.
Did we go overboard?
Absolutely.

Bounce House, Face Painting, Carriage Rides... It was awesome. It was a GREAT day! 

Party for Gage's 9th Birthday!

Gage told me that for his birthday party this year, he wanted an astronaut themed party at our local indoor trampoline park. Done & Done!

The table decor----thanks to Gage, Mommy, Megan & Susan! (Yes, Megan and Susan came to my house when we were in full on pre-party mode, and they helped out with the decor making while we all chatted and caught up. LOVED IT! ...and super grateful!)

 This cake? My HUSBAND made this moon cake. How freaking awesome is he???

The kids had a blast.

Little Sis had a blast there too. We weren't really sure what to expect in general because I'd never been to this place. Booked it over the phone and just waited to see.... really didn't expect Sister to love it like she did. It's a full time job to chase her around that place!

Before we knew it, it was time for pizza and cake...

After cake, Gage opened his gifts. There was a bit more bouncing and dodge ball, and then it was time to head home. Two of his party guests were spending the night that night because their mom was working late. It worked out perfectly for everyone. Gage had a great birthday party---that turned into a sleepover, AND the boys were worn out from jumping! Win-win!

He says it was a great party. I love that for him.

Nine.

So, it's hard to believe that we have a NINE year old.
I mean---time marches on, but sometimes it feels like it's going at warp speed.

On the morning of Gage's 9th birthday, he woke up and of course, began asking if he could open his birthday present. So---I gave him some little gifts....He was content. He had no idea what was waiting for him on the front porch.

 As he left for school....

He was soooo excited! Yay, Mom & Dad for the win!

He had a great birthday morning.

What happened later? We all went up to the school and had lunch with Gage for his birthday. He was surprised, yet again. Wooohooo!

Gage said it was a great birthday.
Yay!!!!

Almost 40.

In the Spring, the man I married turned "almost forty." Well, in fact, Hubby says that once you turn 38, when people learn your age they say, "Oh, I didn't know you were almost 40." I believe it's started to bother him...a little. Anyway---I've done my part to reassure him that when you turn 39, you REALLY ARE ALMOST FORTY! He doesn't find it all that amusing. Clearly, it's hilarious.

 How did we celebrate? I did exactly what he wanted: I made my baked potato soup and he LOVES it. We invited his parents over, and had dinner and cake. I made the cake too. Oh, and sweet corn bread. Hubby loved it all. {Yaaaay!}

 Part of Hubby's gift from me was a lottery ticket bouquet. We're not all that into lottery tickets. Never really think to buy them....but, it was fun! It was just unexpected and random---and it was fun. Gage loved doing the "scratchers" with Daddy.

Guess how much $$ Hubby got: "Almost 40 dollars." No lie!!!! I bought $39 worth of tickets, and he won $39. So amusing! It ended up being completely free entertainment.
:)

So, Hubby, Happy Almost 40. You'll always be older than me.

Our Little Honey is One!

Well, if you hadn't heard the buzz, we had a bee-themed party when our little honey turned ONE! {She is sweet as can bee, if I do say so myself!}

Pics from the party:

Cookies by Jess. Cake and cupcakes by Darnin & Mommy. We also served Eliette's favorite: jello. Sweet thing! And, she was still on the MSPI diet then, so the whole party was friendly for her diet. Yay!

We partied outdoors a bit, and she showed her grandparents that she loves her new little roller coaster.

But first, outdoor party decor:

Coaster girl:

"Weeeeeeeeeeee!"

She had so many gifts for it being a teeny-tiny party.  Not spoiled at all.... {wink*wink!}

Before we knew it, it was cake time. Yummmmmm!

If one more picture were taken just after the one above, it would show our sweet baby girl extinguishing a candle with her fingers. OMG, it happened so fast. It really put quite the damper on things, and there were many tears shed over that one little act. (And Eliette wasn't the only one shedding tears!)

But alas, we moved on. We moved away from the whole concept of cake eating, and Daddy took her into the pool.

Most of the company left after eating and watching the kiddos swim for a bit. When things were kind of winding down, we tried the birthday cake again. Eliette sat, in a diaper, in her highchair, with this big birthday cake in front of her. Nothing. No forward motion for a cake-tastic mess....In fact, she just cried and cried. 

UNTIL: Daddy got a fork. He's so smart!

 "Daddy, I can't eat a cake with my bare hands. I am a lady."

{Hey, Gage, I think you're over shooting the whole smile thing in this one, buddy.}

So, in the end, all was well that ended well. She got to eat all of her favorite foods, got lots of hugs and snuggles, got a ton of gifts, got to swim with family and friends, got new shoes and jewelry {two of her favorite things already}, and had minions feed her cake. Sounds like a pretty great day, right!?

Right!