Liam Lumberjack

Well, sigh, it happened.  Last week, our littlest turned one.  Somehow.  I am not sure, because it felt like he just got here yesterday.  And also like he has always been here. Time, you fickle minx, I don't get you at all.  But at any rate, it happened.  And though I am acting sad about the whole thing, it was actually a very happy occasion. So, obviously, we partied.

When I found out I was pregnant with Liam and due in December, I immediately wondered how we were going to do his birthday so close to Christmas.  Would anyone come?  How do you decorate?  And furthermore, how in the dickens do you pull off an indoor party?  Elliot was born in June, so her parties are always easy peasy.  Throw it all outside and hope for no wind.

We are Christmas people and we decorate early around here.  I decided to go with a theme that wasn't necessarily Christmas related, but that wouldn't clash with what we had up for the season.  So we went with lumberjack.  It turned out to be super easy because plaid, especially buffalo plaid, is so hot this season!

"Black frosting?" you may be saying to yourself.  And you would be correct.  This disaster brought to you by a food coloring experiment gone wrong.  Liam didn't seem to mind.

We had a hot cocoa bar, which was a lot of fun.  Not pictured: additional toppings such as whipped cream, sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips!

I also set up a trail mix bar in lieu of goody bags.

We asked people to bring letters for Liam to open when he turns 18.

And this is how you pull off the indoor party.  We had to temporarily remove our TV to fit enough tables.  But it worked out nicely.  The party was at lunch time so it was important everyone had a place to sit down to eat.

Menu:

Chili, with all the fixins

Corn Bread

Fruit Salad

Brocolli Salad

Meat & Cheese tray

Rolls

Chips

Dips

And of course, birthday cake!

A rare opportunity to get a family photo that is not a selfie!  Big Sis did well.  We thought she might get a little jealous of all the attention, which honestly, did flare up a little, but mostly she was excited to show him the birthday ropes.

Cake time!

He didn't seem to like it at all.

The aftermath.

It was a great day!  Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate.  Liam really felt the love!  (And so did his parents.)

Happy Birthday, my sweet Baby Bear.  We love you so, so much!  

I think I'm FALLing for you

It's the coziest time of year again!  You know, the time for sitting around the fireplace, drinking hot beverages, wearing sweaters, eating pumpkin everything.  Or, if you are Liam, eating everything, pumpkin or not.

I love this time of year.  And this year has been especially nice for two reasons: 1) Liam has joined the family, and I must say, he is a great addition; and 2) Erik has been on day shift.  (Soon to be back to night shift in a couple weeks. Waaaah, waaaaah. Someone was on maternity leave and Erik was able to move to day shift for the entire summer and most of the fall.  I hate him working the night shift.  But enough dwelling on the unpleasant.  It's fall!)

Now for an update on the kiddos:

Elliot started Pre-K in September and is LOVING it.  She comes home with all kinds of facts about what she has learned.  Her favorite was learning all about bats.  "Mom, did you know bats see things with their ears?"  They celebrated her "un-birthday" today, which is what they do for kids whose birthdays are in the summer.  She was quite excited about it.  Last night I asked her what she wanted to wear for her un-birthday and, as if she had already been thinking hard about it, immediately responded "probably my Zootopia shirt and my Halloween skirt."  She loves art and takes her work very seriously.  I love peeking into her bedroom and seeing her hunched over her little desk, working hard on a project.

 

Liam is getting big.  Like tall.  And chunky.  He has the baby fat that Elliot never quite achieved.  At his 10 month appointment he clocked in at 99.7th% for height and like 87th% for weight.  He is our strapping young lad.  He is not quite walking yet, but that could change any hour.  He has a little cart thing that he uses, walker style, to zoom around the house.  He is currently working on popping out his two front teeth to join the bottom two, so he is unusually grumpy right now.  Hoping he hurries up and gets those on out so he can go back to being chill.  This kiddo loves eating, playing with big sis, and terrorizing the dogs, whom he likes to call "go go go".  He is also quite fond of me. #motherboy

 



 

 

So far this fall has been quite enjoyable.  We went to Bill's Berry Farm to play and get a pumpkin from the patch.

It has been unusually rainy this year.  Much to girlfriend's delight.

 

 

And Halloween!  I can't believe how much I love Halloween with kids.  I was never super into it before, but with kids it is just so much fun.  Elliot decided early on she was going to dress up as a bat this year.  Liam didn't get a vote because he is a baby.  But also, he loves everything I do, so I am sure he very much enjoyed being Jack Jack from the Incredibles.  #motherboy

I mean, honestly.  How cute are these?? #imadethem #humblebrag

 

Happy Fall, y'all!

Happy Belated Birthday Blog!

Elliot turned 4!  Two and a half months ago!  (I have accepted that this is just how it is going to be now.  Better late than never??)

I finally got around to editing the pictures from her birthday.  The theme was extremely original.  Frozen.  Yep, no one is doing that right now.  (You guys can read the sarcasm right?  I know, it is hard to tell in written form.  But trust me, if we were talking you would have totally known that was sarcasm because little girls.  And Frozen.)  Enjoy!

Sorry to confuse you.  This picture was NOT from the Frozen party.  This was from her actual birthday, which was the day before her party.  Auntie Danielle made her this awesome sprinkle cake.

We had a "Make Your Own Rock Troll" Station where the kidlets could create a cute little troll.  Thank you Pinterest for existing!

Again, thanks Pinterest!  Olaf string cheeses.

The obligatory bouncy castle.  We got one for her second birthday and ever since then she thinks it is just part of birthdays.  In fact, she is confused when she attends a birthday party in which a bouncy castle is not featured.  We have tried to talk her into other kinds of parties, but, so far, no dice.

Oh the pinata.  That old chestnut of cultural appropriation!  Never again!  No less than three children, including the birthday girl, were injured in this activity.  It rapidly became clear that the adults had lost complete control of the situation, the stick was flying, tears were falling.  And THEN it didn't even work.  No one could break it open.  I guess that is why they build in a trap door with a ribbon apparatus on the bottom (lower picture).

Spoiled.

She insisted on an ice cream cake.  Because, you know, it's frozen.

Olaf himself made an appearance!

And Auntie Krista.

It is still hard to believe our firstborn is already four years old.  We marvel at her development from a tiny helpless babe to this self-sufficient, smart little girl frequently.  Time is going too quickly.  I often say to her "Never grow up!" to which she always responds "But I am growing up, Mom!  And I am going to be as big as the ceiling!"  I love her.

Tune in next time (which will likely be in 2-3 months at the rate we are going) and I will tell you about the REST of our summer.