Winter ONEderland

We had the most adorable pink & wintery birthday for Lily. A Winter ONEderland that couldn't have  been any better. Our house was filled with snow flakes & lots of friends and family to celebrate! Sweet Lily was dressed in a precious winter dress & the bottom even had snowflakes in it. Here are some pictures of our wonderful day to celebrate our wonderful girl.

The wintery fire place...the banner says Happy 1st Birthday

Me and my sweet birthday girl

This picture does not do her cake justice....it was covered in beautiful sparkly sugar...thank you to amazing Vickie

The food table...the windows are covered in her monthly pictures placed on doilies(they look like snowflakes)

Lily eating her lunch in her snowflake covered tutu high chair

No birthday is complete without two Captain America's to save the day

Opening presents

Lily checking out her new baby doll

Jake reading Lily's new book to all the little girls

Her cake was still cold from being in the fridge so was a little hard to get into, but she loved trying to eat it with a fork!

You are ONE!!!

My Dear Sweet Lily Kate,

Today you are one!! It is so hard to believe that you are already a year old.
You are truley the happiest baby ever. You are so smiley, giggly, & bubbly!! You love for people to talk to you & are always ready to dazzle with your extraodinary blue eyes and precious toothy grin.

You are always waving hi & bye and frequently follow it up by blowing kisses. You love to play patty cake & get so excited to get to the roll em up part. But you can't quite figure out the rolling your hands so you wave them wildly in the air. It is the cutest thing. We play peek-a-boo, but instead of covering your eyes you cover your ears...you are the cutest girl! You have started to play with your baby dolls and love to say "ba-ba-baby" and give your babies kisses.

You aren't walking yet, but are crusing all over the place. And have started walking with anything that will roll.

You are always trying to keep up with Jake and love when he gets home from school. Having him chase you around the house is one of your favorite games to play with him. But really you will do anything as long as you are doing it with him.

Besides playing with your brother food might be one of your most favorite things. You LOVE to eat and will eat just about anything. But fruits & veggies are by far your favorite foods to eat.

My life has been beyond blessed since you came into it. You saved mommy this year & I know that without you and your brother I would be lost! You are God's precious gift and He knew exactly what you would be for everyone this year! My sweet tiny girl God has big things in store for you and I am beyond blessed to see you grow and learn every day.

Happy 1st Birthday my precious Lily Kate!!

A few pictures from her actual birthday. We had a little party with Heather, Caleb & Wyatt.

FIVE

Dear Five Year Old Jake,
I can't believe you are already 5!!! Where has the time gone? Five seems like such a big number. You are now officially a whole hand old...it takes all your fingers and your thumb to show how old you are. It seems at five all the baby is gone. You are officially a child...no more in the preschool age...you are a school age child now! And I just can't believe the little boy you are growing to be.

A lot has changed for you in the last year and you have handled it all so well.
This year you became a big brother. And the best big brother you are!! You are so sweet with Lily. And as she gets bigger you love to play with her. You are always concerned that she is ok. You hate for her to cry and always run to help her. You usually share so nicely with her. You love to baby wrestle with her and she loves it too. Although, you are wrestling with her you are still gentle. Lily couldn't have a better big brother then you.

You started school this year. For the 1st time you are away from me for 6 1/2 hours a day. At first we both had some adjusting to do. It was a long time for you to be gone. But you have started to love it and I can really see you growing, maturing, and learning so much. Every day when I pick you up, you ask "did you miss me mommy?" "Did Lily miss me?" Yes, Jake we miss you the whole time you are gone, but you are doing great in school. You have made several friends all on your own (the 1st time you have had friends that aren't mommy's friends kids). You share the best stories when you come home from school and tell us all about your day.

You are smart, funny, loving, caring, full of imagination, and full of life. You are my best and favorite boy in the whole world. We have started playing I love you more. And you always want us to stay in the same category. Sometimes we start out with I love you more than ice cream and then we go on naming all kinds of food, sometimes we name animals, things in the house, or the world.

I know some scary changes have happened for you this year and there are things you still don't understand. Don't worry some of it mommy doesn't understand either. But most important I want you to know that God loves you so much. He has an amazing plan for your life. He will you use all you are learning to help grow you into the man you will one day be. God's love never fails no matter what is happening here in your life. God always wants the best for you. I am sure he is even more proud of you then Daddy & I are. But I want you to know that Daddy & I are so proud of you and all you do.

You are into sports...especially baseball. You love to play and be outside. You are fascinated by bugs, frogs, birds, and chipmunks. Really anything you find outside you want to catch it or watch what it does. You love to play and use your imagination.

Watching you grow is one of my greatest joys. But I can't believe you are already FIVE!!!

I love you my sweet Jake...you are my best boy!!!
Mommy

Happy Birthday

Happy 4th Birthday to my best boy!

Even if you already think you are 4 because you had a birthday party last weekend...not sure I am ready to believe you can really be 4 already!!

Enjoy some(a lot) pictures from Jake's 4 year photo shoot. While we enjoy soaking up sometime with our boy!

Take Me Out

to the Birthday Party!

Although, Jake's birthday isn't actually until this Sunday we had his party this past weekend.

And at his request we did a baseball theme party. For the first year we didn't have his party at our house, but at a local park. It seemed to be more relaxed(at least for me).

It started with these invites and for the kids a bag of sunflowers seeds. (Thank you to my very best friend's husband for making the invites for us...they looked just like a baseball game ticket)

 An autograph game day baseball...instead of our usual scrapbook page we had everyone sign this baseball

                                           excited about his money & straight into his pocket

 

Several pictures of him opening his presents, but mostly just because he was so excited and made some of the best faces while he opened presents.

 Jake knew months before his party he wanted a pinata...and as it would turn out he was able to be the one who got the last few hits in before the candy was out and all the kids were grabbing what they could

It wouldn't be a birthday without the cake...right? Again my very best friend make Jake the most perfect baseball birthday cake. He was so excited about the cake and kept saying it was the best birthday cake & it was exactly what he wanted. His one cake request was for it to have a big baseball. And when he saw the giant baseball on top of the cake he declared "everyone else can eat the green cake part, I am going to get the baseball just for me." And as if it was a 1st birthday he was given the whole baseball to eat like a smash cake. It was only a few bites in before he reached for the bowl of chips and was eating them along with his cake. Which by the way tasted every bite as delicious as it looked!!

Tears...

You could blame it on being pregnant, but the last few weeks have really been all for my first born.  In just 10 short days Jake will turn 4. Did you read that FOUR??? He is so big and acts so grown. We have big kid conversations daily. And he is beside himself to be a big brother.

However, he did let me know that he was never moving out and he will always live with me and Jason. Which at 10 days away from being 4 I will let him believe that. Plus I might need to keep the dream that my little boy is never going to leave his mommy. Although, I do realize that come some preteen or teenage day he is going to inform me he will be moving out.

It seems that this birthday has been exceptionally difficult for me. Or is it that every birthday is hard? He is growing so fast. This birthday though, I keep thinking after this birthday everything is going to change for him. Everything we have done over the last month I think, "next time we do this he won't be an only child any more."

Will he remember when it was just the 3 of us? When he turned four and his sister wasn't here yet.

We were talking about Lily/Lillie(be sure to vote for her name) coming the other day. I asked if he knew that meant she would always be with us? He said, yes...I want her to always be with us. We can't leave her at home." And I said "well, sometimes we can have someone watch her and you & I can have mommy dates." He said, "no, she is always going to come with us." I am sure when the reality of it sets in he might be all for leaving her and having time away. As for me I am trying to soak in every last minute when it is just he and I.

Happy Birthday

Today we celebrate this handsome man's birthday!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and Jake's amazing Daddy!

We are so blessed to be able to celebrate this day with you! And we look forward to so many more!

Birthday Recap

It has been almost a week since Jake's birthday and I realized I hadn't posted about his party. So here is a recap of his birthday. I also realized I hadn't posted Halloween pictures either....so that post will be up next week.

Jake's party this year was bugged themed...which turned out super cute. I was able to make several things and found some great deals on bug stuff in the spring that I had been saving until his birthday for party favors.

The party was pretty relaxed the kids ran around in the back yard and played and everyone else got to hang out and talk.

It was great to spend time with family and some very dear friends. Looking at everyone who was there and all I could think was how blessed we truly were. So many people love our precious Jake and were able to come and celebrate birthday #3 with us.

The Details:

             sugar cookies imprinted with bugs and "bugs & kisses" tags

                               Party favor bags with grass and bugs

                       Green spoons in dirt cups wtih bugs on tags

              The birthday table the dirt cups on in shape of a caterpillar

                               Friends enjoying yummy dirt cups

Although, I had thrown lots of rubber bugs in the grass it wouldn't be as much fun as looking for real bugs with magnifying glasses.

And this is how our birthday boy ended his party...most of the guest were still here and he crawled on daddy's lap and was fast asleep. Looks like bug birthdays can really wear a boy out!