All Aboard the Birthday Express

OK, first off, I am clearly aware that all of my posts are chronologically out of order. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, getting a moment to sit down and blog is about as difficult as fitting into my jeans these days, so when I get a chance to blog, I just blog whatever I feel like it! :) And when it comes to blogging about the birthday party, let's just say the sprinkles are finally vaccumed out of the carpet and I'm finally feeling mentally stable enough to talk about it...

So, here goes. On December 8, we had Tyler's party. It was to be a train party and the invitations stated "All Board the Birthday Express." I had endlessly searched for all train related party items, ordered a train cookie cake, and invited FOURTEEN friends over. {gulp} (ok, seriously, it seems that everyone invites THAT many kids to the parties Tyler goes to) I baked train shaped cookies the night before for the kids to decorate in all sorts of colors of frosting with sprinkles and candle and the works and prepared another game (I think it was called "Train Stations" or something like that, but it was quickly a flop). The doorbell started ringing right at 10 and the guests were arriving. And my apartment got smaller by the minute. I generally consider myself to be a pretty organized and prepared person, but this day--not so much. I quickly realized that I am NOT a birthday party mom!!! I have been to parties and witnessed birthday party moms in action and have ooohed and ahhed at their parties & ideas and admired them greatly--and I am clearly not one of them. I spent much more time worried about decorations and cakes than good activities for the kids and didn't think to take into account the size of my apartment and the amount of kids invited. It was a baptism of fire for me as this was the first birthday party I have thrown. These were the THREE pictures of the whole event because there was honestly not one spare minute to grab the camera. Oh well! Here is a random sampling of thoughts that were flying through my head from the hours of 10 am to 11:30 am on Saturday December 8:

"I have completely lost my mind."

"I am pretty sure this resembles a birthday train wreck more than a birthday express."
"Oh crap, it's only 10:15."
"Quick, head count. Make sure no one has escaped."
"I need a stiff drink. I have never had one in my life, but today seems the perfect day to start."
"I think I'd rather endure labor again than throw a birthday party."
"Anyone got any valium?"
"I'm sure glad Garrett's parents are here. I.DON'T.KNOW.WHAT.I.WOULD.DO.WITHOUT.THEM."
"I wonder how much it would cost to hire out next year."
"Wouldn't it be nice if I had one of those things called a HOUSE with a backyard to do this." (it was 82 that day and we definitely could have been in the backyard!)

"I can't believe the Christmas tree is still standing."
"It's official: I'm crazy."

And those are just to name a few. I can now see why we only got a party when we were growing up when we turned 8. Good thinking, Mom! During the party, Garrett even turned to me and said "I sure hope Tyler is enjoying his birthday party because he'll never be getting another one." But all kidding aside, this was my very first attempt at a birthday party, and we all learn from our mistakes. And when it comes down to it, birthday train wreck or birthday express, we are just incredibly grateful that Tyler has friends who would want to spend the day with him and attend his birthday party. He got some very nice presents and Tyler had a lot of fun and still talks about his party and how cool it was that his friends came over and I think the kids had a good time. I think it was just me (and Garrett and his parents...) who was feeling complete chaos that day. And now it just gives us adults something to chuckle about, that's for sure. And kudos to Sister Thompson, Tyler's amazing nursery teacher, who basically does this every Sunday. She is most definitely one of the best birthday party moms I know and I admire her to the fullest. I have an even greater appreciation for her now! I do believe it would be in my best interest to pay her for a consultation should I decide to throw a party for 3 year olds again. :)

Well, I'm off to create the "I Survived the Birthday Party: 2007" t-shirt... I'll be sending two your way, Grandma & Grandpa! Thanks for your help!

Happy? Holidays

This is the payment I get for trying to squeeze in a QUICK Christmas card picture after church last Sunday. Of course, I rarely see this face, but it was pulled when I would have least preferred to see it. So, the camera got put away and we tried again this week, only to get slightly better results. Oh well, I didn't have much time for anything else!

Birthday Festivities

Dec. 7, 2007

Here is a little run down of the festivities for Tyler's big third birthday. He was basically king for a day and from the moment he woke up, he got to pick everything we did. So, that meant our day got started with a breakfast of "pampakes" from IHOP (so funny he chose this because he had several options, but he was very insistent on wanting this). He then wanted to go with Grandma & Grandpa & Sam to the aquarium. We unfortunately had to detour to the dr's office so they could check him out. He had to get on an antibiotic for a sinus infection we've had trouble getting cleared up and it had been particularly bad the couple days prior to his birthday. So....an hour after getting to the dr's office, we were finally on our way to the aquarium. We spent a few hours there looking at the fish, playing on the little playground equipment, checking out the white alligator, and running around. We then headed home, had a nap, and ate spaghetti for dinner, Tyler's choice. I found this funny because this is what I always remember having for my birthday dinner as a kid too. I loved it. Again, we let him choose whatever he wanted for dinner and I totally expected having chicken McNuggets or something, but we had some yummy spaghetti instead! Then we opened presents, and presents, and presents. We were not lacking for presents, that's for sure! The presents included a Leap Pad, a new Thomas movie, more and more and more Thomas stuff, and a stuffed Curious George. He was in heaven and very spoiled. And we topped it off with a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, you guessed it--Tyler's choice, and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. It was a great day and we were so glad that Grandma and Grandpa were here spending it with us! Here are a few pictures:
A few from the aquarium...

Um, yeah, Sam didn't seem to mind having a little extra attention from G'ma & G'pa either! :)
Ooooh, more trains!
Curious George! Tyler loved it and even gave George a love and a kiss...

He had to blow out the candles twice, just because. Once in the dark, once with the lights on...just because. :)
And no birthday is complete without licking the frosting off the candles, correct??!

3 Months

.

Sam turned three months old today and here I sit wondering how another month has flashed by. It's amazing how time flies especially when a little one is growing up right before your eyes. Sam is such a good baby. He's so pleasant and content and just about as happy as can be. Sometimes I seriously wonder "is he for real??"! He smiles all the time and is laughing lots more now. His laughing episodes always end as soon as the hiccups arrive, but he doesn't seem to mind! He has discovered his voice and talks and talks and a what a tale he can tell! He has also discovered his hand and is quite entertained by smacking on it. It's so funny how I had forgotten how entertaining it is to hear a baby "talk" and to watch in amazement the coordination it takes to do something as simple as get the hand to the mouth. :) That is often how I know Sam is awake in the morning. He doesn't cry. He just smacks on his hand loud enough that it finally wakes me up. His clogged tear duct has 'de-clogged' itself, so no more Mr. Goopy Eye! I'm SO loving not having to wipe away the gunk off of his eye. His eyes still haven't decided if they are going to stay blue or not. Some days they look SO blue and then other days they aren't quite sure. So I think that is something we have yet to find out! Regardless of their color, his eyes quite honestly just sparkle. There is always a smile and shine in his eyes. I think I may have mentioned this before...but we just love this little man and are happy to have spent 3 whole months with him! And to mark this milestone, I of course had to take some pictures. So here is little Sam at a whole 91 days old.

T Turns 3

Hopefully this will be a little bit happier of a post than the one from earlier today! :)

On Friday, Tyler turned 3. And what a birthday it was! He got showered with presents and the best present of all was an entirely SURPRISE visit from Grandma and Grandpa T. They showed up on our doorstep and rang the doorbell on Thursday night to everyone's surprise and delight (ok, well I was in on the surprise, but Garrett and Tyler were not. And they were indeed surprised!). It was a quick trip, they went home Sunday afternoon, but it was SO fun and made Tyler's birthday so special. Needless to say, we started celebrating his birthday Thursday night and pretty much celebrated until Sunday afternoon! I'll post more about the celebrations next, but this post is all dedicated to a boy named Tyler.

As I sit here thinking about Tyler, of course I am overcome with love and amazement. With Tyler being my first child and my first experience in seeing a little one grow, I have been amazed by the entire process. I am constantly reminded of how much I love him and all the little "things" I love about him too. I love his great big brown puppy dog eyes and those amazing daddy long leg eyelashes. They are killer. I love his smile as it's so easy and so natural and very often on his face. He loves to laugh and run and has a very carefree side of him, but can be very intense at times too and really has a 'fire' in him sometimes. I love his love for chocolate--he is definitely my child! It's great to see a little bit of me in that daddy-look-alike. I love how convincing he can be. (ok, really, I have a love/hate relationship with this trait, as you can imagine. I just have to remind myself that hopefully this will make him a GREAT missionary one day!) I love every little 'Tylerism' that comes out of his mouth the older he gets. There are enough to post an entire blog about, but a few of them include that he loves to "Eat Fresh" every chance he gets (he really truly loves to eat at Subway more than any other place on the planet and every time I ask him what he wants for lunch he says "eat fresh".). He asks for snacks or other food at home and requests them with "a Diet Coke and Fries". He is insistent that coffee is for aiding people who are plagued with a bad cough. So, of course, I have been told one more than one occasion: "mommy, I have a bad cough. I need some coffee". And I of course think it's hilarious that he put those two things together since they sound alike. He is pretty good to say please and thank you and even says "no thanks" when he doesn't want something. Which happens a lot. Conversations have often gone like this--"Tyler, do you need to go potty." "mmm, no thanks." He is proud to tell people that he was born in Iowa (as I think he should be!). I am proud to tell people the same. He loves Thomas the train and literally knows the name of every character on there, I swear. Even the old engines (narrow guage engines, to be exact), the diesels, the steamies, etc. He is smart!

And as I said, I am pretty amazed by him as well. As we were talking with Garrett's parents while they were here, we got to thinking of the many things Tyler has done in his 3 short years of life. He has spent exactly half of his life living in Iowa and the other half in Louisiana. He has flown on an airplane on 6 different trips--to Idaho 5 times and to Florida once. He endured a very long car ride from Des Moines to Idaho when he was 3 months old and a very long car ride to move from Des Moines to New Orleans when he was 18 months old. He has rubbed shoulders with people in high places. He watched a Nebraska Huskers football game in the skybox in Lincoln as a guest of Clarence Thomas (yes, that would be the Supreme Court Justice!). He rode on the carousel at the zoo in NOLA with Brad Pitt's kids. And I can't even begin to list all of the experiences he's had since he's lived in Louisiana. Did I ever imagine that my kids would celebrate Mardi Gras? Well, Tyler has and he loves it.

But as I really, really stop and think about my Tyler, I don't know if I can put it into words. I know (and have truly learned this year) that you love each of your children the same amount, but for different things and in different ways. They each hold a different spot in your heart. And to me, Tyler holds the spot--a very special spot--reserved for the child who is responsible for making you a mother. For three years ago Tyler was born, and I became a mom. And I will never be the same. I have loved more, laughed more, cried more and been more fulfilled by this job than any other job I've ever had. So Tyler employed me three years ago in a position which I am happy to renew my contract for many more years--an eternity perhaps. It's not a job I plan on quitting any time soon (although, as it goes when working with any boss, I have had my moments where I've considered it!). And yes, I don't always see eye to eye with my boss, but working for him has indeed been a pleasure, and you know it's a job worth keeping when I can safely say that I am 100% head over heels in love with my boss!

Happy Birthday Tyler!! I love you! I can't wait to be amazed by you even more in this next year.

And now share with me, what is your favorite thing about my boss? :)

And here are a few of my favorite photos from the last three years (hard to narrow it down to a few!)

Newborn

10 Days Old 2 Months Old
1 Year Old
1 Year Old
18 Months Old
18 Months Old

Robbed

That is what we woke up to find out this morning. That title is not a joke, sarcasm, or a pun. GT went out to his pick up to go to work this morning to find out that we had been burglarized. Someone broke in to it last night and they didn't take much-- you know, just the stuff that was valuable. They stole his Sirius satellite radio receiver and a flashlight that was wired in to the pick up so it charges (kind of hard to explain, but it was very cool and of course--valuable). And the sad thing is both things were gifts that GT had received and both of them were two of very few things which make his daily commute in the old junky pick up a little better. The radio was my gift to him for Christmas last year and the flashlight was a birthday gift from my parents a few years ago. So, that's it...just like that they're gone and there is not much we can do about it. We called the police, knowing that it would go nowhere as most cases like this do. They came out and even dusted for prints, but came up with nothing. A report has been filed, and we assume that'll pretty much be the end of that. Strange feelings come about when something like this happens. For starters, we have always felt pretty safe since we live in a "gated" area (knowing that it certainly is not difficult to get in here), but of course it can happen anywhere--and for all we know, it could be someone that lives here, you never know. And there aren't adequate words to describe how you feel when something that is rightfully yours and is meaningful to you (and quite nice to own, in fact) is just taken, just like that and you just have to deal with it. You can't do a darn thing about it. You just feel so violated and kind of creeped out really. So you can be mad, but at who? at what? And also, nothing like getting you the warm fuzzy feelings that surround the holidays than being robbed... Yep, not really in the spirit of the season. But oh well, things could always be worse, but that is my venting for the day. I just hope the thief enjoys a satellite radio receiver that has already been de-activated and a flashlight that will stop working as soon as the charge runs out and he can't put it back on the charger. Because I knew we enjoyed having them while they were OURS. I hope your day all got started better than ours!! And now I've got to get on to blogging about more exciting things (like T's birthday, for starters). I can't believe it's been a week since I posted!

Our Trip to the Beach

.

OK, here's hoping this posts. I have been having quite the technical difficulties today and am sick of fighting with my computer. Santa, are you listening? Perhaps I need a new one or an upgrade to this one! *wink, wink* The day after Thanksgiving, we loaded up our leftovers (and our children) and finally took advantage of how close we are to some awesome beaches. The one we chose for this trip was Dauphin Island, Alabama. Oh, it was fun! It was by far the most relaxing and enjoyable thing we've done in a long time. The island is small, quite undeveloped, and very slow paced. There are three condo buildings on the island and we rented a two bedroom condo for our stay. There is only one motel on the island and it's not even on the beach front. So, our stay was very laid back. It was cold the days we were there, but a cold day at the beach beats no day at the beach at all, that's for sure! We spent our time going back and forth from the beach to the condo and that's about it. We did a whole lot of nothing and it was WONDERFUL! Here are a few (ok, who am I kidding, more like a million) pictures of our trip. I took a zillion and then had a heck of a time trying to decide which ones to post, so you're getting a lot. And I mean, gosh, don't all people love pictures of my kids as much as I do???!!! :) I guess I'll use the excuse that Grandma requested them? *wink* So here I am, inundating you with many a photo from the beach!
When we arrived on the island, it was dark so, as you can imagine, Tyler was THRILLED to wake up and find this out our balcony. Nothing better than being able to see the ocean from your living room! He could see shrimping boats in the distance, and talk about fascinating!
Another shot of our view.
We did a lot of hanging out in the condo as pictured above. :)
And onto the many photos of playing in the sand...
Keep in mind it was pretty chilly, hence the jeans, hoodies, and boots!
Tyler had been waiting a good six months (literally) to get those beach toys out to a REAL beach and play. So worth the $.98 I paid for them as they entertained for HOURS.

Tyler thought that laying down in the sand was SUPER FUN until...

...he realized it meant that you quickly got sand in your mouth.
Sam spent much of his time at the beach like this. Either wrapped up in blankets or slung over one of our shoulders. The sound of the water instantly put him to sleep. (OK, and remember how I said we spent a whole lot of time doing nothing? Please excuse the not-make-up-hair-not-done look I'm sporting. Didn't have the slightest desire to fix myself up while we were there!) Oh yes, and we all proudly donned our BYU apparel that weekend as it was a great weekend to be a Cougar. Yes, you all know what I'm talking about! We went to eat that night at Barnacle Bill's (one of two restaurants on the island) and felt very out of place as we were wearing our BYU garb and everyone there was wearing either their Alabama or Auburn clothing as it was "their" rivalry going on that night and they had it on the big screens. Out of place or not, though, we were proud to be wearing BYU blue that day.
And it seems this boy has an obsession for sticks lately. Another thing to entertain him for hours.
And just when we figured out that the stick was perfect for spelling names in the sand, it started to rain. Darn! Tyler is totally into letters and learning how to spell things right now, so he was thrilled that we could 'draw' letters in the sand and kept asking me to draw one for Daddy, one for Sammy, one for Mommy, etc, etc...
And I'm glad I remembered my tripod and remote for my camera if for nothing more than one shot of us all together. Because there was not another soul to be seen on the beach, so there wouldn't have been anyone around to take our photo. So we took one ourselves. And there you have it. We had a great time and are already vowing that we WILL indeed go back (maybe when it's a tad warmer). We loved our time at the beach on a cold weekend in November!