Happy Wednesday!
My children are a year older. It just happened last week. It snuck up on me and was here before I was ready. Luckily we have ingrained low standards and my people aren't expecting elaborate parties and shin-digs. However, we do like our birthdays around here. It is a blessing and a curse that their birthdays are 4 days apart. I only have to get in birthday mode once a year and if falls right in the middle of summer...far away from Christmas.
June 28th we celebrated my beautiful son's 9th birthday. NINE! That's only 7 years from driving and he is half way to 18. And graduating. And no longer needing me. (Don't worry, he's practicing not needing me this summer...i'm not letting it stick!) So that morning, as I was yoga-ing in the shop at 5:45AM, my sweet man woke up the earliest ever for him.
He was super duper pumped that it was his birthday!
And obviously it was not Sister's birthday.
One of his "gifts" was a letter I wrote to him about how proud I am of the man he is becoming.
This is not his reacting from the letter.
It was THE gift. The one he has been asking for for years....a DSI.
After his birthday presents were open and our teeth were brushed, we headed to mom's for a combined birthday morning with Grana, my brother and his beautiful wife. Michael got to go first since it was his actual birthday.
(She's so fast, I almost didn't catch her on film....like a ninja!)
My brother and Katelynn
Then, sister's turn for birthday surprises.
AMERICAN GIRL DOLL!!!
MY American Girl Doll...
Michael and Aunt Katie
Corey and Katie
Then we shipped Katelynn off to a slumber party and had a night for the boys. They swam, ate pizza, then we went to the movies to see Man of Steel. Three hyper 9 year old boys are not quiet during the movies. This picture was taken AFTER the movie at 10:30 or so. LATE. TIRED. and they were so hyper.
Happy Birthday to you my beautiful boy.
Then 4 days later....it was finally her day!
And it was obviously not HIS. ;)
Sister also got her very own DS. (not the i...they know the difference, I don't)
We made a cake for her but it appears that we didn't wait long enough for it to cool so the next day when we went to light it and sing, the letters had all slid down the side. Still tasted good...and we still celebrated.
Happy 7th Birthday beautiful baby girl.
And now to the pinata!
We have a friend named Claire that has been coming with us to mom's house this summer so that I can work and the kids can play and not watch TV all day. Also, my mom has a pool and I'm just that over protective... Claire has been fabulous! The kids are a little confused with how a
babysitter nanny works. (Sounds cooler). M and K have been a little smothered by her constant presence. She is always playing with them. (Yep, they come to my desk to hide under it because Claire keeps wanting to play.... ROTTEN). The first week of summer, Claire and the kids made a pinata. From scratch! And we finally took it outside and smashed it. And we have been eating so much candy for the last two days...
Look at that FORM!
Yum. Sugar!
So birthdays are over and that means that Summer is half way over too. I can't believe how fast June came and went. I'm just not ready for them to get any bigger. (K was supposed to stop sucking her thumb at 7...hasn't happened yet...maybe she mean't 7 1/2.)
Dear God,
Thank you for giving me these beautiful children. Thank you for their smiles and attitudes. Show me how to be the mom that they need and how to make sure that they are blossoming into the people you created them to be. Help me to be patient and loving during these long hot summer days. I know that they will be gone from me before I am ready for it. Fill our home with overwhelming joy as we spend so much time together. I pray for peace between the kids and patience for each other. Please help us to be kind and think of others before ourselves. And flood our home with love for you and each other.
Amen.
Joyful and completely blessed by my people,
Tiff
