Ellie's 1st Birthday

March 1, 2011 our baby girl turned one year old. I can't believe it's already been over a year since she came into our family! I was suppose to be back in shape by now...wonder what happened with that? :P Anyway, we celebrated her birthday on Saturday, March 5th with a family get together. Pop, Nana, and Grandpa came over for a Spaghetti Dinner and birthday cake. We enjoyed dinner, but the real fun began with dessert! Our children have been less than enthusiastic when it has come to their 1st birthday cakes, and we were interested to see how Ellie would handle it. For each 1st birthday, my Aunt Carol has made a special little cake just for the birthday child. The boys touched it, ate a bite or two, but really just weren't interested in their cakes. Ellie was not that way! She started out trying to touch the fire on her candle; after the singing she sat for a moment looking at her cake. Then she ran her hand gently along the surface of it, then poked one little finger into the icing. After tasting that she went to town! She grabbed little bits of icing and cake and shoved them in her mouth as quickly as her baby hands would go. She basically ate from one small section to the point that her whole hand was inside the cake and touching the bottom of the plate before she moved to a new section. She didn't get totally messy (much to her mother's relief), but she definitely enjoyed her first birthday cake.
Ellie received some fun gifts including a felt shopping bag full of "food," a Little People castle with princess & dog, a pink tutu & pink hair, a savings bond, and some new dresses.
As Ellie grows it is bittersweet for me. I love seeing her learn new things, hearing her talk/babble, and watching her interact with her family. I already miss the little baby who would sleep on my chest and look up at me with wondering eyes as I fed her. Since I can't (and probably wouldn't want) to go back, I will hold those memories inside me.
I can't wait to see the amazing things in store for this amazing little girl!
"Happy Birthday to You!"
Just a touch
"This is SOOO Good!"
"Want to share?"
Princess Ellie with Knight Draven

Brody's 6th Birthday

February 18, 2011 our sweet Brody turned six years old! He is such an incredible boy-sweet, caring, sensitive, funny, etc., etc. He is usually excited about something and loves school-especially Mrs. Smith! This year Brody had a friend party and a family party-they're usually combined, but we made pizza at the friend party so Brody got to have 2 separate parties. Brody's cousin, Quentin, and Grammy & Pete were able to be in town for the parties, so that made the day extra special. .
At lunchtime, his friend, Tyson, came over and they made personal pizzas, played basketball, and ran around outside. They looked cute in their little aprons and made some interesting looking pizzas!

At dinner, Nana & Grandpa, Pop, Grammy & Pete, Quentin, and Aunt Carol & Uncle Bill joined our family for hot dogs and cake to celebrate Brody. Some of his presents included an Imaginext Joker Funhouse, a Rebounder for the basketball goal, a slime making kit, a telescope, some books, and a US boardgame It was a full day, but so worth it for such a special boy! We love you and your amazing little spirit, Brody!

Happy Cake

June 5, 2009 my baby, PJ, turned 2 years old! We started the celebration on Friday night at The Farmer's Daughter for dinner. All the servers sang "Happy Birthday" to him and he loved it. Every time he had a bite of his ice cream with hot fudge he would sing "Happy...to Me!" Then on Saturday night we had the grandparents over for dinner and Pierce's favorite cake (PJ's too little to care anyway right!). Again, he loved the birthday song and was really excited about his new red monster truck, Diego Saves the Dinosaur truck, and Batman pajamas. This time when he saw his cake he said excitedly, "HAPPY CAKE!" We also celebrated Pete's birthday on Tuesday, and "Happy Cake" was big excitement again. It was very cute!

I am starting to miss the baby PJ, but the little boy PJ is so much fun that it's worth it. I have started calling him my sweet boy instead of my sweet baby, and every once in a while he'll say, "Me, Her baby." I confirm he is still my baby, and then we both feel better!

!I Love you, my PJ

Happy Birthday Draven!

On Tuesday, November 4th, Draven turned 6! My first little baby is a big 6 year old. It's fun and sad at the same time-you'll probably have to commit me when he leaves on his mission. On Tuesday he was off school for the election, so we went to the library and met Grammie for lunch. When Grammie asked if he was excited to be turning 6 he said, "All the kids in 1st grade are 6, and now I am too." He also chose pizza for his birthday dinner.
On Friday we surprised the boys and took them to Disney on Ice. Pop had gotten tickets for Pierce, Draven, Brody, and me as part of his birthday gift to Draven. It was an Incredibles themed show, and Draven and Brody had a fabulous time.
On Saturday we had our family over to celebrate the birthday boy. Grandpa, Pop, Grammie, Aunt Carol, and Uncle Bill were here. Draven picked corn on the cob and green beans to go with the chicken for dinner, and chocolate cake with strawberries on it for dessert. No superheroes this year, just strawberries and chocolate! Unfortunately Draven was still feeling a little sick-we've all had it this week, and didn't want any of his birthday cake. He got a big piece at lunch today though! Draven got Superhero Guess Who, Cranium Cadoo, a set of Magic Treehouse Books, a new wallet, a Veggie Tales movie, a Cadoo book, two comic books, and a savings bond for presents. When he opened the comic books the "sensative" older brother in him said, "I don't think Brody can read these. They look like they are made for 6 year olds." We agreed he should read them first and decide if they were appropriate for his little brother!
Draven, you are wonderful boy! We are amazed by your kindness, your thoughtfulness, and your talents. Your brothers look up to you, and you are a blessing to our family. We love you.
Like father, like son.

I'm 30

I am having very mixed emotions about moving into this stage of my life. Pierce turned 30 last year and had a harder time with it than I thought he would. So, for the last 9 months I've also been thinking about turning 30 and what it means to me. My friend Rebecca couldn't wait to turn 30 because she said her 20's were so tumultuous that she thought her 30's would be more settled and she liked that. I can see her point; in your 20's you get married, start having babies, finish school, move wherever the job is, leave your family, etc. In your 30's your husband usually has a good job, you're used to being a mom, you just kind of flow. But, lets look at the other side of things. In your 20's you get married, have babies, finish school, have few enough responsibilities that you can lay out at the pool for a whole day without watching any kids, leave for a road trip at the drop of a hat, whatever. Don't you remember all those things with fondness? I definitely do. And, what do you do in your 30's? You live the thankless job of raising toddlers, and time passes so quickly that you don't even know what day it is.

So, the conclusion I have come to is this. I don't want to go back. I have a wonderful life and I love my husband, my kids, our life. But, at the same time I am sad to leave that place in my life behind. We will never be the free spirited 20 somethings we were; we will be the responsible 30 somethings we couldn't wait to be. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to the 29 year old Jennifer and hello to the person my children will remember me as. It's bittersweet.

Happy? 30th Birthday to Me!

Ok, I know we've been missing in action for weeks now, but I'm trying to get back on track. I thought summer was suppose to be the relaxing time of the year?!

So, after Six Flags (Pierce forgot to mention that PJ got a new dresser from IKEA while we were there!) we stayed the night in a hotel and drove home Sunday morning. We planned to go to church with my mom at the Farragut Ward since we had missed our meetings while we were driving, then rush home, pack the car, and drive to Birmingham. Just thinking about it was making me crazy, but when I suggested to Pierce that we skip church with my mom and get an earlier start he said no. I have to say I was surprised, but he had just given a talk in church the week before, so I thought he was being extra spiritual or something and who's going to stand in the way of that!? So, after church my mom and I drove home and when I walked in the door there were all these people in my house yelling surprise! I have to admit my first thought, before I processed everything, was how long are they going to stay-I have to pack! Pierce and my Mom had told me we were going to celebrate my birthday after we returned from our vacation, so I was totally surprised! My husband is so wonderful. I love surprise parties, so I was really excited. We had yummy food to eat, and my Aunt Carol made a delicious Chocolate Raspberry Cake. It really made me feel special to have my friends and family here to celebrate. Thank you to everyone who came and helped. I have the best friends and family a 30 year old girl could ask for!

Happy 1st Birthday, PJ!

On Thursday, June 5th, PJ celebrated his first birthday. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's for Draven's soccer party that night, so technically PJ can say his awesome parents took him to Chuck E Cheese's for his first birthday! Then on Saturday we celebrated at home with our family. Grammie, Pop, Nana, Grandpa, Aunt Carol, & Uncle Bill joined us for dinner and cake. We had Asian Chicken Salad Wraps (one of our favorites and super easy) and two delicious cakes from Aunt Carol. She used to bake for several restaurants around Knoxville, and is a magnificent cook! Aunt Carol made PJ his own cake, just like she has for each of the other boys, and a Coffee Gonoche (spell?) for everyone else. PJ ate more cake than the other boys have, but he didn't dive into like we were hoping. None of the boys have, and we keep waiting for it! Like my mom says, "they're just too polite-" I guess. Then on Monday, Pop took us to Famous Dave's for PJ's birthday dinner-did you know Famous Dave's gives you a free meal for your birthday?! It was fun and our server was really cool. He brought out a big bowl of ice cream with hot fudge and Nesquik on top-YUM!

So, I'll take this opportunity to tell PJ how much I love him. He is such a fun boy and a wonderful addition to our little family. He loves to watch his brothers, and I even caught him learning something new from Brody today. Brody was showing PJ how to climb up a mat and then slide off the end at the gym today. They'd do it and then both laugh-I loved it. He's a constant thumb sucker which may be an issue in a year or two, but right now just makes him more adorable. He still lets me love him, and I'm trying to treasure each hug and snuggle because they leave so quickly. PJ, you are amazing and beautiful. I love you.

Happy Birthday to You!

Today is my mom's birthday! She turned 39 again. We love her very much and are so lucky to have her close by...she's the best baby sitter I know '0) Seriously, she's a great mom, and Grammie, and mother-in-law. She is one of my best friends. Now we just need to find her a man!

Happy Birthday Mom!