Happy Birthday Patrick!

Today is Patrick's birthday! We celebrated on early, thanks to work conflicts today. Allen helped me make him a cookie cake. It was an adventure! But happily it turned out ok. The boys had a great time celebrating their awesome Daddy!

The boys said Daddy needed some grownup books...so the complete works of Sherlock Holmes is now available for his reading pleasure! :)

Happy Birthday Daddy! You are an amazing father and a wonderful husband. We are so lucky to have you as the head of our family. We love you!!

Drew's Birthday

One week ago, our oldest son turned SIX! It is so hard to believe that! We had his birthday party on Sunday night at the bowling ally. He invited his classmates and they had a great time bowling, beating the laser maze, eating pizza and enjoying Drew's bowling lane cake. It was a pretty great birthday party! Since his "real" birthday was on a school day, it was pretty low-key. But we did have dinner at PeiWei followed by frozen yogurt to celebrate.

Yep...that's a dictionary...

It was Maddie's birthday too! She is 8!

Happy 6th Birthday Drew! You are a sweet, intelligent little boy who is growing up so fast. You have such a good heart. Your teachers comment on how much you encourage your classmates in every area. You make friends quickly and enjoy spending time with them all. You are testing different sports and, although you haven't found one you absolutely love, you keep trying them out. But man can you run!! You have almost mastered your new bike. The weather is making it harder to practice but it's really just a matter of time until you perfect it. You love school - recess, specials, centers, friends...everything about it! You have a hard time "staying on task" but your teacher says she feels badly correcting you for it since you aren't disruptive...just quietly interested in everything around you! We love listening to you read, especially to your brother. Your love of all books is refreshing. You can't get enough of reading! You still love trains, but mainly to build elaborate layouts with bridges, tunnels, cities...anything to be creative. You amaze me with your attention to detail in everything creative you tackle!

We love you and we can't wait to see what this next year will bring!

Another conversation with Allen...

My latest conversation with Allen...and another insight into how he thinks...

While driving to the grocery store today...
Allen - "Mommy, do you need a new car?"
Me - "No. My car is just fine...I think. Why do you ask?"
Allen - "Well, does Daddy need a new car?"
Me - "Yes, he will probably need a new car pretty soon."
Allen - "Oh. Can I go with him when he gets a new car?"
Me - "Maybe. Why do you want to go with him?"
Allen - "Because I want to ride in the tow truck!"
Me - pause..."Why will we need a tow truck?"
Allen - "Because the wheels are going to fall off his car and he'll have to call a tow truck!"

Gotta love how he takes one thought, works backwards in his head, and starts a conversation to get to his point. I love that kid!!

It's that time of year...

The time is upon us...when I take more pictures than I know what to do with...when I don't seem to have the time to go through pictures and get them on the blog...when I get too far behind on blogging our adventures that I just give up...when life moves TOO DARN FAST!

Here's to seeing if I can catch up...

Fun Run!

Drew participated in a Fun Run at his school to raise money for the PTO. He was so excited for the mile run and finished the whole thing! He only had to walk "just a little bit" which I thought was pretty impressive!

Brett, Drew & Addison on the front row of the K-2 group

The local high school cheerleaders came to cheer them on...Drew thought they were pretty cute!

And they're off! (Drew is right there in the middle...)

Finishing the first lap...still going strong!

Headed towards the finish line...

A very proud boy!

Apple Cider & Pumpkins...it must be FALL!

Two weeks ago we ventured down to the Lousiburg Cider Mill. Grandma and Grandpa were in town and we thought it would be a nice Saturday afternoon activity. Unfortunately, it was "Ciderfest" which meant there were a million people there and the place was a madhouse! Fortunately, they had activities other than just the cider mill so we had plenty to do and enjoy on a beautiful day!

We did the corn maze...we did NOT get lost! :)

The boys were amazed at the apples going through the "wash" and headed into the cider mill.

Happy Birthday Allen!

Yesterday was Allen's 4th Birthday! It's hard to believe he is already 4. The years have really flown by. Granted, we have lived in 3 different states since he was born so that tends to speed up the passing time. For his birthday, Allen got to pick everything - from breakfast through bedtime. We started the day with cinnamon rolls and smoothies. Relatively healthy, right? Then we were off to World's of Fun. The weather has been amazing and it thankfully continued the trend through this weekend. The boys enjoyed the day outdoors and had a good time riding rides and exploring the park. Camp Snoopy was a big hit - we spent most of the day there. It's a really good "kids' area" and we reminded the boys that soon they would be too big for that kind of stuff so we should take advantage of it now. They agreed and had a great time!

Drew & Pirate Snoopy

Allen wasn't a fan of the big Snoopy...so he found one more his size!

Their first ride of the day...

...of course it was a train!!

They absolutely loved this little roller coaster! Especially sitting in the back row where it went faster!

They rode it twice in a row and would have kept going if we hadn't made them get off!

Monster trucks!

Another twice in a row ride...they giggled and laughed so hard!

Both boys crashed in the car on the way home but were quick to wake up when we stopped for dinner. Allen's request? Greek food...the boy can put away the pitas and hummus! They came out and sang to him in Greek. He was embarrassed but loved the "Opa!" at the end! We stopped and picked up cupcakes on the way home...just to round out a day of birthday eating on a high note! :)

For Allen's birthday party, we had a few friends over last weekend for a cookout. The kids had a great time running around the backyard, playing soccer and tag, and enjoying the great evening. The parents were even able to relax and talk which was nice! It was very low-keyed and laid back and was a great celebration. Allen chose a train theme and Patrick (home from a 2-week, 3-country trip for less than 36 hours) decorated the cake and it turned out great, as usual!

Another awesome cake by Patrick!

Allen definitely approved!

The Birthday Boy!

He got a little shy at all the attention...

The obligatory blowing out the candle photo

The cake was a chocolate pound cake - the recipe came from my grandmother. Paired with homemade buttercream frosting, it was great!

Allen got fun gifts - he loved every single one of them!

And he really has priceless responses to presents!

The best of a dozen attempts at a family photo...

It worked out that Grandma and Grandpa were in town the weekend of Allen's party. Somehow I didn't get a picture of them with the birthday boy...but they were there! (and enjoyed the cake too!)

Happy 4th Birthday to our little man. You are a joy to be around...a bundle of energy balanced with plenty of love to share. You talk a mile a minute around us but act shy around others...we're not sure why! You bring a level of excitement to everything you do. You love Maddie and give her lots of love and attention...even when she might not want it! You miss your brother, Drew, when he is at school and are always ready to play when he gets home. You love your school and wish you could go every day. I will remind you of that one day! Mommy and Daddy love you very much and we are so blessed to have you in our lives. We definitely cannot imagine a world without Allen!!