Party

B-man's birthday party was a success!  I don't have many pictures because I was too busy to take them, but here are the ones I did take.  More to come after everyone emails me the pics they took.



I had made really cute labels for all of the food...Monkey pops, Monkey poop, Monkey vines, Monkey juice, etc.  And guess what?  I forgot them at home.  I was so sad.  They were so darn cute!





The first time I made a cake for one of the kids' parties.  I will try to do this every year.  It was fun!



 

This wasn't at the party.  When we got home, B-man stole Ava's sucker!



Happy Birthday, Sweet Breckie!

"Breckie" is the nickname that Ava gave you very quickly.
Happy first birthday, Brecken.  B-man.  Breckie.
I can't believe how time has flown since I found out we were going to have a baby boy!  So much has happened!  I remember when Daddy and I were getting the sonogram done and the tech said it was a boy.  We knew your name would be Brecken.
You have grown so fast!  I love watching you learn.  Waving goodbye.  Saying "Ava"---which is what you say way more often than "mama" or "dada".  Throwing your little red-headed temper tantrums, which are cute now, but probably not later.  Walking and laying on top of Val, whom some know to be our very patient cat.
You have made our family such a wonderful, sweet place to be.  I hope you will someday know how much you mean to me.  To us.
I love you more than I ever thought possible, B.  Happy Birthday!

Car from Nana and Papa

Might like the box better.

Cute little business man

Ava helping Brecken open his present from her.

Fun in the new sandbox!

Very content.

Birthday dinner

New truck from Ava.

Best buds!

And again

Easter 2011

The first one up this morning was B and he found a few eggs right away.  He loved to shake them and listen to the jelly beans make their fantastic noise.  Ava wasn't far behind and she loved being able to have a little chocolate for breakfast!  Here are our Easter morning pictures.



Does B look like trouble, or what?



 

We didn't end up going to church today due to Brecken's cold.  After naptime, I did put the kids' Easter outfits on so that I could at least take a few pictures of them.  We played outside, blew bubbles and the kids enjoyed themselves while I snapped away.  I took more than a few and I couldn't decide which ones to post.  So.  Enjoy! 

I'm The Best Mommy

I got to spend some time alone with Miss Ava yesterday.  It was pretty nice.  We went to Felipe's for lunch, to Toys R Us to get B-man a birthday gift, and then home.  We got in my bed, turned on some cartoons and cuddled.  So wonderful.  The whole time, she kept telling me I was the best Mommy ever.  My heart is full.

I found out yesterday that I will have my own classroom again next year.  Not sure what grade or school, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get.  I have learned so much the last three years as an instructional coach and I know it will make me a better teacher.  I am excited to know what I'm going to teach, so I can start planning some things!

lost and FOUND

So, Brecken slept awful last night without his best friend.  It took him forever to fall asleep.  He cried and cried and cried.  Poor baby.
This morning I called the March of Dimes office to ask if the giraffe had been turned in, but I just had to leave a message since no one answered.  Then a funny thing happened.  I got a message from a sorority sister of mine.  This is what it said:
"Hi Heather, I think I stumbled upon the giraffe you are missing. I'll post a pic on my profile. Let me know if you want me to buy it for you."
So I looked at the picture.  And guess what?  It was the one!  My hero!  I talked to her and she said she had happened to go into a boutique in KC, was looking around, and saw it just hanging there.  She had seen my posts on Facebook and thought it was what I was looking for.  After I talked with her, she went back to the shop, bought it and shipped it!  How much did the giraffe cost, you ask.  Well, don't ask.  It's better that you don't know.  Oh, and this one will smell SO much better than the original!  For a while, anyway. 
Later in the afternoon, I decided to call March of Dimes again (just in case).  Someone answered and I asked if they had anything turned in from the walk on Saturday.  They did.  So I asked about the giraffe.  They had it!  I was thrilled!  Brecken didn't have to miss another night of sleeping with his friend.  So I made a trip to the office after work, picked it up, took it home and washed it.
So.  Now I am double happy.  B-man has his original giraffe back and he has another one coming tomorrow!  So now if one gets lost again, we have a back up! 
I feel better now and so does Brecken.  He went to bed so easy tonight.  While I fed him his bottle, he held his giraffe and rubbed his face with it.  And my heart skipped a beat.
By the way, if you are reading this and are not a parent or know nothing about children, you will not completely understand how big of a deal this damn giraffe is. :)

Giraffe went straight in B's mouth when I handed it to him.