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| The Soon-to-be-5-Year-Old Himself (by Asher) |
Video: "Mom, We Love You"
When I pick the kids up from school & daycare, Asher often asks to play Pokemon on my phone while I drive. On Tuesday he made me a surprise video while he played to be found later. :)
For me, part of preparing for the kids' birthdays is meandering through stores looking for great ideas for party goods and presents. So, on Wednesday while the boys were at Awana, Eric and I (& Hazel) enjoyed our "date night" by walking through Walmart. While we were there I found a display full of halloween hats for dogs and I just couldn't resist trying the sombrero on Hazel. It was a prefect fit! :P
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| Hazel caught her first Pokemon! ;P |
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| FB Post: I just couldn’t help myself. 😂 #hatsfordogs #perfectfit |
One bittersweet part of having kids is how quickly they grow and change. Don't get me wrong, I love watching them change, learn and grow...I just hate how fast it happens. On Thursday morning I was reminded of this truth when Facebook gave me a memory from my due date with Avery 5 years ago and ironically at the same time that I received this memory, I had a large box and three garbage bags full of baby clothes sitting by our back door waiting to be hauled out to the van for someone else to use. My maternity clothes have already been gone for months and now all of the boy and girl 0-6 month clothes have found new homes as well except for a few stored away for nostalgia's sake...
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| FB Post: Ironic that this pic showed up today and I currently have a large box and three garbage bags full of baby clothes sitting by the back door waiting for me to haul to my car for someone else to use. This season of my life is officially over. #bittersweet #nomorepreggersnomorebabies |
Because it was Avery's 5th birthday this year, that meant that it was his very FIRST birthday to enjoy a special day with Grandma and Papa in lieu of birthday presents from them. He decided to spend his special day at the Milwaukee Zoo with them and they had a beautiful day on this Friday to do it. They came down to our house on Thursday night and then headed up to Milwaukee for the day with Avery on Friday morning. From all that I heard, it sounds like they had an awesome day and much to Avery's delight he was even able to order a PBJ (his fav.) for lunch! :P
That afternoon, while Avery was off with my parents, Hazel and I headed out to pick up Asher and then the three of us (after nap time) enjoyed a bike ride and some time at the park together. I love watching Asher and Hazel play together and it was nice to have some special time to focus on Asher. He apparently enjoyed the time as well, because that night as we snuggled and read before bed he thanked me for taking him to do something fun without Avery. <3 It was a good reminder that the kids need some one-on-one time with Eric and I much more often than they get!
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| I spy Big Brother Asher! |
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| She pulled herself up all on her own! |
Video: Asher Makes Hazel Giggle
That night, Avery was still out for his Special Day so Eric, Asher, Hazel and I enjoyed a dinner at Potbelly together, complete with chocolate shakes for everyone...well, everyone except Hazel that is. Don't worry, she was still her VERY happy little self.
Video: Happy Baby Girl (Yay!!)
As I thought this week about how quickly my kiddos are growing up, I decided I needed to tackle a project that I'd had sitting next to my desk since before Avery was born. So, in addition to fun with Asher and Hazel, on Friday I final made some memories frames for each of the kids including their hospital hats and bands, their newborn foot and hand prints and a photo of them in the hospital with their birth stats. I was thrilled to finally get use done and as an added bonus my dad volunteered was volunteered to hang them all up for me the next day! :) Thanks Dad (& Mom!) ;)
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| FB Post: Sometimes “being productive” means finally getting around to one of the millions of crafty projects on my list. It only took me 7 years. How many will it take to actually get them up on the wall somewhere? #somanycraftssolittletime #canijusthitpause |
On Saturday of Week 38, it was the day of Avery's birthday party (more on that to come). We spent the morning prepping for the fun and then had a SMASHING party with family in the later afternoon/evening.
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| My silly little birthday boy. |
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| Avery helping me decorate his birthday cake. |
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| Grandma reading to Hazel before nap time. |
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| Avery snuggling his little sis during the football game that afternoon. |
The party went well and we enjoyed the remainder of the weekend relaxing with my parents (aka Grandma and Papa).
The next week was Avery's official birthday, so on Tuesday after a day and a half of normal work/school/daycare we celebrated together as a family with Happy Meals at home (what Avery requested for his birthday dinner) followed up by cake and presents.
At school on Tuesday Asher and his classmates learned about fire safety...
It is funny how excited kids get to watch other kids open their presents! :)
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| Avery got what he wanted! A skateboard...and elbow pads...and wrist guards...and knee pads |
Video: Happy Birthday to Avery
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| FB Post: He wanted a skateboard. I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but I decided to go for it. Within 5 minutes of opening it Avery had a scrap on his nose, lip and chin and a swollen, bloody nose. #momfail. |
Video: Avery Skateboards
After Tuesday we were able to relax with the birthday chaos behind us. The remainder of the week passed quickly and on Friday we prepared for our final family camping trip of the year, meeting Eric's parents out in Bristol for Camping for Cancer Weekend.
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| Baby Girl loves bath time! |
Video: Skatin' with My Bros Uncle Baby Robby
Hazel found another Hazel as I was packing up our stuff for our weekend of camping...
We got a bit of a late start on Friday afternoon and didn't arrive at the campground until just before dark. With all of the rain we received in the past week or so, the mosquitos were horrendous!! Therefore we quickly ate at the Friday night free dinner and then I waited while the boys played in a less-mosquito ridden area while Eric set up the camper. Then Hazel and I hung out in the camper and set things up inside before we all said goodnight and headed to our sleeping bags.
Video: Sassy Baby
FB Post: Camping with a mobile baby is a whole new ballgame. #shethinksthisisablast
When we bought our camper, just weeks after Hazel was born, I had no idea what it would be like to camp with a baby. The summer of camping went surprisingly well, but sleep never came easy. Hazel was always aware of my presence and wanted to be close. On this particular crib, with her now quite mobile, I had no real way of keeping her away. Thus, she spent most of the two nights we were there either snuggled up next to me in my sleeping bag or actually sleeping right on top of my chest.
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| Bed Hog! |
On Saturday, it was cool but tolerable and thankfully the wind keep the majority of the mosquitos at bay. We enjoyed a day filled with time around the campfire, a tractor/wagon ride, a scavenger hunt, bingo, cookie decorating and more. The rain even held off for us for most of the day!
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| The boys pointing to a flag for their photo scavenger hunt. |
Video: Avery the Entertainer
FB Post: Avery. Always the entertainer. #LilAvesX #keepinitreal #oldtownroad#whatacharacter #thatfingersnaptho
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| An "Avery Sandwich" |
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| Hazel getting into everything she shouldn't. |
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| FINALLY trying out the hammock that I gave Eric earlier this year. |
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| Our little PYRO |
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| The last few times we've camped here they have had kids' bingo and it ALWAYS ends in tears. When you have two boys who both want to win I always have to hope that either both will win or neither will. Unfortunately that never happens and Asher is not the best loser. This time before going to the Bingo Pavilion, I pulled both of the boys aside and explained that whether they win or lose it is just about having a good time and that if they can't handle a loss then it would be the last time we played Bingo. Then we headed over there and played. Per the usual, Avery won and was thrilled. He picked out a Lego flashlight/keychain. After Avery's win we kept playing hoping that one of them would win again so that Asher could pick a prize, but as the game was winding down I was pretty sure Asher wasn't going to win so (wanting to avoid the stress of his disappointment) Avery and I headed back to the campsite. On the way back to our campground, I told Avery that I didn't want him to "shove it in his face" that he got a prize. I told him he could show Grammy want he won and then we would put it away so that Asher wasn't sad. He understood (I thought) and then looked at me in all seriousness and said, "Mommy could you help me hang my flashlight up by my bed, because then it won't reach Asher and I won't be able to shove it in his face." I couldn't help but laugh. I love the literal mind of little kids! :) When Asher, Eric and Gramps returned I could tell that he was sad but was handling everything surprisingly well. I asked Eric's dad how he dealt with the loss and he said that Asher said, "I am sad, but it's okay." Which made me very happy as loss is a part of life and that was the perfect way to deal with it. I was thrilled to see that he is learning to deal with his emotions in a healthier way. |
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| Cookie Decorating. |
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| Puff snacks with Grammy |
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| Snuggles with Daddy. |
That night Hazel and I headed to bed before everyone else so that I could get her to sleep without distractions, but the boys were not too far behind. As the rain began to fall, it signaled it was time to close out a fun-filled day...well, that AND the fact that Asher fell asleep sitting next to the fire. :)
When we woke the next morning the rain was still coming down, so the boys headed over to Grammy and Gramps' camper while Eric and I cleaned up the inside of our camper. Then we all headed out to Cracker Barrel for a rain-free breakfast, followed up by the kids and Eric's mom and I heading back home while Eric and his dad finished taking down the camper. That afternoon we had a relaxing afternoon at home, dinner at the the Olive Garden and then said our goodbyes to Grammy and Gramps to finish out our weeks of birthday fun.
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| Opening his birthday presents from Grammy and Gramps. |
Video: Hazel on the Phone
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