The big 3-8

That's right, Paul turned 38 last weekend!! Although he looks much younger sporting his new laptop backpack...
I love you, Paul. Thanks for sharing the last 11 and a half years of your life with me!!

Cousin Levi's birthday

Levi, Paul's nephew, had his first birthday party yesterday!! We really enjoy getting together with the family and seeing the babies together. We, once again, took their "look how they've grown" pic. Grandma and Grandpa bought them matching outfits just for the picture. Each on is very mobile now, so it's getting harder to get them so sit still for pictures together.

Levi, Jay and Nathan

Grandma Connie, Grandpa Les
Jay, Levi and Nathan

Grandma and Grandpa with all of the grandkids.

ALOHA!

This weekend, we had a surprise Luau for my parent's 50th wedding Anniversary. 50 Years!!! Wow, do you realize how few people actually make it to 50 years together anymore? I admire my parents for that and they have been a wonderful example for me.

My dad is not so keen on parties, so it had to be a surprise... and it sure was!! My parent's were expecting to go out to dinner with my brother Bryan and his wife. The luau was all set up at my sister's house, so Bryan drove to her house to "drop off Sydney (his daughter) for my sister to babysit". The driveway had luau signs by the street and cars lining the driveway, so by the time they drove the quarter mile to the back of the house, they knew something was up. They were greeted with a "Congratualtions Harold and Betty" sign. We had to practically pry my dad out of the car with a crowbar, but once he made the grand entrance, I think he felt at home with all of the family and friends.

My sister gets all the credit as the master mind behind the planning. She did a great job and worked hard at it.

Tiki torches, good food, and Luau music... put it all together and you get a very fun and memorable night!

Nathan's First Birthday

Nathan's First Birthday was on the 16th of this month. I can't believe my baby is a year old already! We celebrated Caleb and Nathan's birthday together with family earlier in the month. He got to dig into his own mini cake (made with whole wheat flour and sucanat instead of white sugar... yeah, I know I'm weird) and loved it of course. Good to the last crumb!

For his actual birthday, Paul took a half day at work and we met him for a picnic lunch. The kids love meeting daddy for lunch at a park and it makes daddy feel like he can be part of their special day. We usually bring some sort of dessert that we can stick candles into and sing "Happy Birthday". I brought cinnamon rolls, but forgot the candle, so we improvised with a used lollypop stick from one of the kids. (Believe me, until he's old enough to read this blog, he'll never know the difference). We told him to blow and he did, though there wasn't much of a flame to blow out and he gnawed away on his roll.

After lunch, we went to the Dupage Children's Museum in downtown Naperville. I hadn't been there since Caleb and Seth were little, and I had forgotten how much fun it was. Penny pincher that I am, all of the kids got in for free via some coupons that we received with a summer reading program. I am still amazed that they actually charge for the adult to get into a children's museum. Duh, like they'd let any kid in without a parent?? Ahh, well, I guess I played as much as any of the kids, so fair is fair...

Yikes!

Uh, oh, I think I have a climber on my hands... Nathan is continually being brought down our 2 flights of stairs from the attic. We used to block the stairs with a big gate type thing (since it is an open staircase on the last few steps, we really don't have anything to connect a regular gate to), but he would just move the gate out of the way and go up anyhow. We took the gate down (since it didn't do any good) and would just listen for him calling from the attic when he wanted to come down. He goes up there for 15 or 20 minutes and plays with whatever toys are on the floor. He hasn't figured out how to get down and he hasn't even attempted it yet. At least he's smart enough to know that he might fall...

This morning, as I was working with the kids in the dining room, we heard delighted squeals coming from the kitchen. Nathan had pushed a stool over to a chair, climbed onto the stool, then the chair, and then onto the table. He was standing on the table looking into the mirror and laughing. He was so proud of himself! And I, the proud momma, grabbed the camera instead of him so I could capture "his first time climbing the table" forever...

But then, about 20 minutes later (after another trip down from the attic), I found him making excited noises in the kitchen again. This time he was using his push toy as a stool to see what he could reach on the counter. I am amazed it didn't roll right out from under him.

As I type this, he is making his way up to the attic for the third time today (I've already had to stop typing and get him because he was standing at the top of the stairs holding onto the post, yelling for me to get him). On the bright side... we have a winding staircase with platforms every four or five steps, so when he does fall, it will only be a few stairs at a time :) lol... Hmmm, looks like naptime is coming up pretty quickly for little Nathan...