Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Again, behind with my birthday posts as this was supposed to appear yesterday...

Yep! Alexander has a leap day birthday so we're celebrating BIG this year! He has been so excited about turning FOUR and is definitely wanting to 'grow up'. (This mommy is not so ready!). Last week he started a new level of swimming lessons in the big pool, the EEL class; ask him, he will tell you ALL about it. Then he transitioned from a carseat to a seatbelt/booster; ask him, he will tell you ALL about it. Soon, he will be in his very own big-boy bed; ask him, he will tell you ALL about it :)

Sunday morning, when I asked the X-man why he woke up so early he replied (in a somewhat exasperated tone), "Mom. That's just what excited people do!" Why the extra excitement? Gpa/GmaH. along with u.Kevin, a.Jolynn, Drew, Landry, u.Mike, a.Brenda, Isaak and Brooke were all present for a birthday party! Some of his favorite neighbors, Nick & Alice, even stopped by in time for the "Happy Birthday" song! And now, for your viewing pleasure...

Why yes? That IS a large bottle of blue VOLTAGE Mtn.Dew which my husband allowed our little one to purchase for his birthday party. Superman juice. He's a fun dad like that!

Childrens Museum = Fun! Fun! Fun!

Last week we slipped away for a day with the M.Girls and a trip to the nearby Children's Museum. The kids were amazingly good, probably b/c the toys were not 'owned' by one of the other so the concept of sharing was slightly easier to swallow! Kasey & I took advantage of this to squeeze in some 'mom conversations' while we frantically kept our eyes on our four busy little ones. I think I only lost Avante once...or was it twice!? He was easily distracted by all the fun things to explore -- he is little & stealthy, not a great combination when combined with a mob of children :)

Maille is loving the air/wind blowing thru a tube directly into her stroller..."it works like this, mom. see! watch!"Air guns. How cool is that?!Tetter-Totter.Teeter-Totter. Hold on tight!

Happy 1st Birthday, Landry Jay!

I am a week late in posting these pictures since this little guy is actually a Valentine's Day baby but here are a few pictures from my nephew Landry's first birthday party. So fun, even though the birthday boy was not feeling in tip-top shape. I love how big brother, Drew, comes to the rescue with blowing out the candle (in second photo). And that last one, Landry seems to be thinking, "So...that's what sugar tastes like. Wow! More, please."

Misc. Ponderings...

Lots of randomness around here. Really just trying to keep up with two busy boys. Here is a sampling of the thoughts which have drifted thru my mind recently (if you are interested). And if you are not, I totally am okay with that!

How often do YOU sweep your kitchen floor? Or, do you (like me) sometimes consider simply offering the crumbs & puddle of Crystal Light as a snack to the kiddos later in the day?

Have you ever had a punishment backfire? Because of some behavioral issues (you know, the run-of-the-mill hitting (me&Avante)/angry screaming (all day long!), kicking (me again, in the skins)/throwing things (hard things, things which hurt when the target is hit!), Xander got only beans for dinner. Unfortunately, he liked them so much he kept asking for more!

Does getting the clothes washed, but NOT dried/put away still count as accomplishing a load of laundry?

Do your kids' dresser drawers 'magically' spit items out of them? Alexander said he saw this phenomenon happen the other afternoon but was unable to explain exactly how or why it occured.

Do you ever browse Amazon.com during naptime wondering if you can afford to get an entire case of Peanut Butter M&Ms delivered to your door, with free 2-day shipping?
There you go; I warned you it was random. Thanks for reading along, friends!