Weekend Shenanigans/A Very Happy Birthday

Posted on February 4, 2013 by lauren

This weekend was so full of joy and laughter and I was completely filled to the brim with gratefulness for so many things in my life. Coming off of a wonderful night out with my friend Ingrid, we made a pact to get our families together soon… and soon ended up being this weekend! Saturday morning was spent by a warm and toasty fire, playing and building and reading with the kids before we headed over to Ingrid and Brent’s house for the afternoon and evening.

I know I’ve talked about them before on the blog, but I really must reiterate that these two have made life in St. Louis exponentially better for us. They are the sweetest, funniest, most endearing people you will ever meet and we always leave gushing about our friends and how much we truly love them. Their kids too!

We left later than we should have, but earlier than anyone wanted, as usual, talking of dreams of the future, going on a family vacation together so the night doesn’t have to end, as we swept our crew out into the cold night, not a snowflake in the air…

I awoke to a brightness that I figured was just my lazy sleeping-in birthday sunshine, but it was a good deal of beautiful snow covering everything! The weekend just kept getting better and better. After a slow shower (where I actually shaved both legs) I rallied the troops to get suited up for a walk to breakfast down the road. The snow made us all giddy… there’s just nothing better!

Emil was oohing and aahing from his carrier on my back while Milo and Oliver hitched a ride on the sled (a wonderful gift from Andrew’s stepmom Gerlyn a few years ago). Our laughter echoed through the trees and the kids’ squeals of joy filled me with happiness and love. I wondered if everyone has this much fun with their kids. We enjoy them so very very much!

My heart is so full. Here’s to 33: the best year yet.

Scenes from a Birthday

Posted on September 5, 2012 by lauren

Milo’s birthday wraps up this month of cake for us! Though the City Museum was closed yesterday, Andrew plans to take Milo and Oliver there Thursday morning since it was the only thing Milo really wanted to do for his big day. He handled the disappointment so well, though.

Also? Milo graciously offered to share his cupcake with all of us since I was lazy and went out and bought just ONE cupcake for the entire family this afternoon. I figure we have all had quite enough cake over the past month, right?

I will share my cupcake with you but under no circumstances will you blow out my candles.

Brutal.

Milo was so happy and excited yesterday, and just so grateful. Just love these guys so much.

*** Check back later today for an outfit post! ***

Happy 5th Birthday, Milo!

Posted on September 4, 2012 by lauren

Five years ago, this beautiful boy made me a mama.

And suddenly, five seems like such a big number. I think I said the same thing about four last year. Milo. Oh, my Milo!

What five is to Milo:

Going full-force all day every day. Getting frustrated because he wants to read but doesn’t like the process of learning to read (does that make sense?). Climbs everything. Jumps off of everything (nothing has changed there).

22 months old

The day before his fifth birthday

Loves to talk. And talk. And talk.

Me, yesterday: Milo, what do you think will be different when you are five tomorrow?

Milo: Well, I’m pretty sure I will not go to time-out as often.

Me: Why is that?

Milo: You know, ’cause I’ll be five.

Loves everything Halloween-related. Asks for scary stories with blood and ghosts and eyeballs. Wants to be a scientist when he grows up. And a deep-sea diver. And an astronaut. And not in that order. All at once.

Can swing extra high without any help. Can climb extra high and do the monkey bars. When asked what’s the first thing he’ll do in school this year, he responded, “Play spider monkeys with Matthew… if Matthew hasn’t already graduated(!)”

Most common phrases these days: “May I have some apple juice? PLEASE?!” “I’m so glad I’m a big brother/I’m so glad I have Oliver/Emil” “Hey Mom, watch this!” “Can I watch a video?”

Tip on having little brothers: treat them with equal parts torture and kindness

I love this boy more than words. And I am quite simply in awe of him. I know everyone thinks his/her kid is the greatest, but I’m pretty sure that this feisty kid would survive in the wilderness if he were dropped off there. Seriously. I worry more about his feelings than his ability to find food/clothing/shelter in the middle of a forest somewhere…

… now this guy, not so sure…

Happy Birthday, Milo. From all of us. We adore you.

Check out Milo’s birth story here, 1st birthday here, 2nd birthday here, 3rd birthday here, and 4th birthday here! Whew!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Posted on August 29, 2012 by lauren

Have I said lately how much I love this guy?

Yesterday was Andrew’s 32nd birthday! In Milo’s words, “Finally he caught up to you, Mama!” Yes. Finally. Now, for the next 6 months, I will not feel like the old one.

Andrew worked from home all day which was so nice. The boys were sneaky enough to make him some pretty rad birthday cards decorated with monster stickers, balloon stickers, and some pretty funny messages transcribed by yours truly.

Then we fed the boys, put the baby to bed, and left the big boys with Elisa so we could go check out this awesome burger joint (recommended by our cool friends Ingrid and Brent, of course). It did not disappoint!

One of the coolest things about this place is that they include all local stuff on their menu. Plus their beef is 100% grass-fed and I can get on board with that any day. I can’t remember the last time we had burgers with actual meat, so this was a real treat!

Plus… they have about a bajillion different sodas from which to choose!

We each had a burger and split a small order of fries with Rooster sauce (so good) and homemade catsup (also soooooo good!) and split a caramelized banana split for dessert. Whew! We left that place filled to the brim. But giggling and happy.

We need more birthdays. Or maybe just to go out more often! Happy Birthday, Andrew. In the thirteen years I’ve been yer lady, I cannot imagine my life with anyone else. I love you!

*** Check back later if you want to see me making a fool of myself for Dress That Mama! No, really. I’m actually jumping off a stump.***

Emil’s First Birthday

Posted on August 22, 2012 by lauren

Birthday boy, birthday suit

Emil spent his birthday doing the things he loves most: playing with his brothers, drinking milkie, and messin’ stuff up.

And his big brother Oliver took his job of carrot-shredding for Emil’s carrot cupcakes very seriously (don’t worry, I helped so he wouldn’t shred those little fingers)– might it have to do with the carrot tattoo?

Emil was quite pleased with the results!

Birthdays are funny.

We gave Emil his gift (a soft little boy doll) and then the big boys proceeded to terrorize it by throwing it around the house. Good modeling for fatherhood, right?

… Actually, Oliver was quite fond of him. Anyway, Happy First Birthday to you, Emil! It’s a wonder you’ve survived this long!

P.s.- I’ll try to get an outfit post up later this afternoon, so check back then!

Tattoos and Tough Guys

Posted on August 21, 2012 by lauren

Haven’t you heard? A radish tattoo is a sign of a really cool dude.

Yesterday, these temporary tattoos arrived in the mail along with some really rad drawings from my cousin’s kids Oren and Iris (awesome names, no?) and Milo and Oliver were literally jumping up and down they were so excited!

Oliver chose the carrot immediately (and insisted that it would look best on his ~~chubby~~ manly forearm) along with a bird on his bicep and teddy bear on his opposite forearm.

Milo went for the slinky, the monkey, and the radish. The other tattoo suffered an unfortunate fate while un-peeling. But no matter. These guys think they are totally awesome. And, of course, they are.

Thanks Annie and Shawn. You guys are the bees knees!

Emil is One!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by lauren

See? I told you he was growing fast!

Emil. Oh, my sweet last baby boy.

How you defy me. I asked you to stay little, and chill out on the full-steam-ahead life you are leading. I say, don’t worry about crawling/walking/climbing- that will all come with time… you say mama I am so ahead of you it’s not even funny.

You climb the dishwasher. And walking? Bah. You are close to running now. You wave hello and attempt to say hello. Heck, you are not afraid to go down the slide all by yourself (though maybe you should be). I say slow down what’s the rush, little man? You say, THOSE guys– I want to do what those guys are doing!

You love nursing but not lying still. You love babies but not being gentle. You love stairs but not slowing down when you reach them. You love all kinds of food, but not sitting in a high chair for too long. You would rather live than watch life pass you by.

You are one going on five.

And you have brought a joy to our lives that baffles my mind. I cannot imagine my life, our family, without you. We love you, Emil. Happy First Birthday.

** Check out Emil’s birth story here, plus one month and 5 month photos!**

**Birthday pictures to follow… seeing a trend here?***

Birthday Blues (and Reds)

Posted on August 15, 2012 by lauren

So, no outfit post today. I had pictures, but wasn’t happy with them and so we’ll try again next week. Yesterday was Oliver’s third birthday and let me tell you, it was quite a whirlwind of ups and downs. We started the day with a birthday donut at the playground. Because neither of these boys ever eats donuts, it was quite a treat.

And then Oliver pooped his pants. Twice.

We returned home from the playground with a crying Milo (who was NOT ready to leave) and a frustrated Emil (who was NOT ready to leave) and a three-year-old stuffed into his little brother’s size 3 diaper who was, wait for it… NOT READY TO LEEEEEEEEAAAAAVE!!!

I don’t know how long it’s been since Oliver has had this kind of accident. So I was clearly unprepared. But you know. Life goes on.

Oliver dictated the day’s events which unsurprisingly consisted of a lot of play house playing, book-reading, rocket ship-building, and some alone time. Then our nanny Elisa came over and brought presents (!) for both boys. Seriously, guys. She’s the coolest. She brought gummy letters for Oliver and challenged him to spell out his name:

Concentrating…

… He did it!

And Elisa took the big boys to the playground while Emil napped upstairs and Andrew made the cake while I made dinner. It was surprisingly peaceful and quiet as the two of us whooshed around each other in the kitchen, busy leaning over pots and mixers and dodging each other with hot cakes and dishes.

Then, the main event:

Rocket ship cake! (Alright, I decorated it)

But there was real smoke coming out of the back of that bad boy!

One for me… one for my lap… one for me…

The look on his face when he opened his much-desired Plan Toys tool belt (this one’s for you, Brendan! Thanks for playing along!)

Emil brought his baby to the party– go ahead, try to take that baby away from him and see what happens…

He’s going for the I’m-a-hipster-but-not-trying-too-hard look.

Another awesome gift from Grandma– two lanterns for the boys to light the inside or outside of their play house.

And the birthday blues? Well, Oliver certainly didn’t have them. Nope. Milo did. He was so so excited and jealous all at the same time. I honestly thought that having Milo’s birthday right around the corner (Sept. 4) would make all these other birthdays easier, but I think it’s actually harder for him. And despite being included (Elisa brought him a balloon-fueled race car AND gummy letters, plus he got to open his lantern present early), Milo still had a total meltdown after dinner. I think he was exhausted, but also is so used to being the center of attention. Such a hard lesson to learn, but such a necessary one. How do you handle sibling jealousy around birthday times? I remember being insanely jealous of my brother and sister around b-day time when I was a kid!

Weekend Shenanigans

Posted on August 13, 2012 by lauren

We lucked out with some beautiful weather this weekend. Since Andrew arrived home mid-week, and we were both exhausted and in quite a funk on Thursday and Friday, we decided to have a very low-key weekend. Plus, Oliver’s third birthday is tomorrow (!) and my mom sent this awesome joint b-day present for all three of the boys– a play house!

It took Andrew the better part of a morning to put together, but he was determined. We didn’t time it quite right to completely surprise the boys, but man were they excited to watch this thing go up.

We also walked to Winslow’s Home for dinner on Friday and went for a nice long walk in Forest Park yesterday. But that’s it! Here are some photos from the weekend.

These guys have eaten every single meal inside their house since it went up on Saturday afternoon. They are completely obsessed.

Lunch on a stump.

All in all I consider it a success. I have a few projects going on around here (trying to figure out how to turn a few stumps into side tables, if you have any suggestions– and not the old cracked one above! and trying out a few new recipes– including -gasp- homemade cheddar pie crust which I am deathly afraid of messing up). But Andrew’s making the planet cake that Oliver asked for, and I’m sure it will be delicious!

Thanks, Grandma, for the awesome house! The boys love it!

32!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by lauren

Preferred method of napping these days. Place in carseat, strap in, and…. sleep. Thanks for those booties, Shawn and Annie! Emil wears them all the time!

Guess what? Today is my 32nd birthday! No big plans, but if the little guy above cooperates, Andrew and I are going to watch a movie after the boys go to bed. Now… what to watch? I seriously have no clue what is even new to video/online. So here’s where you come in. What is the best movie you’ve seen over the past year?

Thanks in advance and hope you have a great weekend!

CrumbBums

Young Bums, Crumb Bums

Tag Archives: Birthday