Stella's Birthday Party

We had Stella's birthday party this last Saturday. I chose to do a princess tea party, so that meant alot of work for me in food preparation. Since I am 8 months pregnant and not wanting to over do it, my mom stayed home and helped me one of the days. We were able to get alot done. I just had small things to do after that. On Saturday, Joshua helped me decorate for the party and do odd and ends of things. Our friends from church came over and helped us celebrate. They were the only ones that came, but we had a great time with just their family and we were so grateful that they did come. The kids played in the backyard and then we played a couple of games before heading back out and hitting the pinata that my parents found at a garage sale. My boy's have never done that before and they had so much fun and thought it was great. I am sure that we will be doing those again soon. Then everyone enjoyed all the tea party foods outside as it was a beautiful day. We let the kids play outside again before bringing them inside to do the craft that I had prepared. They were able to color and decorate frames that were shaped as crowns. Soon we did the cake and then they left since we will be going to church tomorrow. Stella did great, but did get overwhelmed alittle. We had a great time celebrating Stella's birthday and fellowshiping.

Stella's 1st Birthday Pictures

To view Stella's 1st birthday pictures click here.

Stella's Birthday

For Stella's birthday we spent the morning together as a family. We opened up presents while the kids ate breakfast. Stella was interested, but she did not fully understand the concept of opening them. She did enjoy looking at each present. Then everyone had to go to work, so it was just Auntie Mar, the kids, and me. We had a very nice day and was able to go outside and play. We are going to have a princess tea party for Stella on Saturday to celebrate her 1st birthday.

Happy 1st Birthday, Stella!

I can't believe that my sweet little Stella is turning one! It seems like I just had her. This year has gone by so fast with all that has been happening. I can't wait to see what happens next year. I am so blessed to have my sweet baby girl. Happy Birthday Stella Boo, missy prissy, baby boo. I love you.

Daddy's Birthday

We celebrated Daddy's birthday alittle on the actual day, but we waited until the 21st of May to really celebrate as we headed down to Pueblo (about an hour and a half drive) to go to an airshow. The boys love birthdays and they love being able to help open the presents as well. Over the weekend Paul and Peter were playing and Peter hit his mouth on his bed. He came to me crying and when I looked his mouth was covered with blood and he had cut his top gum open. He is doing okay, but we still wanted to have him checked out by a doctor. Never a dull moment around here!!!! After taking him to the doctor's and finding out that he did not have to have stitches (Thank God), we were able to recover from that accident. Peter was very swollen and it hurt to eat and when he bumped it. Its pretty much back to normal. We did not end up going to Pueblo after all. Joshua decided that he wanted to go fly as he wants to renew his license so that he can fly more. The Lord blessed us with money for him to do that, so he is very excited! He spent time with us in the morning and then went flying during the boys nap time. Joshua sure did have alot of fun. I think he had a great birthday despite the fact that he is so close to turning 30!

Stella's First Hair Cut

Stella got her bangs trimmed the other day. Partly because they were in her eyes and because I was going to take her to get her pictures done for her first birthday. I asked Grandma Marie to cut her hair (she also cut the boys hair for the first time). I think that Stella looks so cute and it keeps her hair out of her face.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy birthday to the best daddy ever! Thanks for all the things you do for us and taking the time to do those different things. God blessed us when he gave us you for a daddy. We love you!!!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Bill!!!

We hope that you have a wonderful birthday. We wish we could be there to help you celebrate. May God bless you with many more years to come. We hope that you will come out and see us soon. We miss and love you.

Peter's Birthday

Since we already had a party for Peter, we did not do a whole lot for his birthday. We did want to make it special for him. Paul was so cute, he kept on singing "Happy Birthday" to Peter. It was cold outside, so the boys stayed inside and did different things. They played with airplanes.
Then I gave Peter some of his presents. Both of the boys love to look at books and be read to.
Auntie Mar reading the new books.

Then we did some school work. Peter loves to sit at the table with Paul and do different things.

Grandma and Grandpa brought some stuff home for the boys. Peter got new boots and Paul a pilot's hat.
After the boys nap Grandpa and Auntie Mar took the boys out and the went to a John Deere tractor shop, saw trains, and played at a park. They also went to Costco and got a hot dog for dinner. Paul and Peter both went to sleep very quickly that night. Happy Birthday, Peter. We love you.

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Happy Birthday, Peter! I can't believe that you are 3 years old. Time has gone by so fast. You love airplanes and playing outside. You also love being a big brother to Stella. I am so glad that you are part of our family.

Peter's 3rd Birthday Party

We had Peter's 3rd birthday party a week before his birthday. The boys had alot of fun helping get ready for the party. The day before the party, I made the cake and Peter had fun helping me make the cake. Paul and Peter also had alot of fun eating the cake batter.

The day of the party, we all spent time decorating for the party. The boys had alot of fun getting into everything that was on the table for the party waiting to be hung up. They especially loved the wooden airplanes that we had out to decorate the tables. We also had to get all the food put together as we were going to serve grilled cheese, chips, and snacks. Joshua also spent alittle time outside working on the jungle gym to make sure that it was ready when the kids came over.One of the families that was coming over came over early and we were able to visit with them, which was really nice. Soon everyone was over and we sent the kids out to play outside. Then we came inside to play the games: pin the character on the cloud, hot potato, a game where they had to punch in the holes and pull out a prize, and guessing how much candy was in a jar. They all seem to have a great time. Then we all ate together and had cake. The kids went outside to play after that until one of the families had to leave. Then we got to visit with the other family while the kids were outside playing together. It was a great time of fellowship and being able to celebrate another year of Peter's life. Happy Birthday, Peter!

Paul's 4th Birthday

We had Paul's birthday party on Feb. 5 because it worked out better for all our friends to come over on that day. I had asked Paul what he wanted to do for his birthday and he wanted an animal birthday party with horses, giraffes, and tigers. We already did a zoo birthday party so I decided to do a farm party which we had not done before. I had alot of fun getting different ideas for this party. Joshua had fun too as he decided to make a barn out of cardboard. I think the party turned out really well. Here are some pictures.
On the Friday before, my mom and I made his cake. It was really more my mom as I had a cold and did not feel like making it. Paul helped as I watched, wishing that I felt better and would feel good for the party. We tinted the frosting green to make grass and then Paul had alot of fun putting the animals on his cake and a number 4 candle. The day of the party, the boys had fun as we prepared the house cleaning and getting the tractor out that Grandpa Bill and Grandma Cathy sent us for Paul's birthday as few years back. They also had fun climbing in and out of the barn. While the boys were napping we finished the decorations and rested for awhile. When the boys were up from their naps, Joshua let them help fill balloons and then put animal faces on them. Soon it was time for the guests to arrive.

The guest arrived and all the kids went over to the tractor and barn that we had set up. They all had a great time playing with all the things. As soon as everyone arrive, we started the first game which was the kids finding animals that were hidden around the room. They all seem to like that game. Then we played pin the tail on the horse and fill the barn, which is basically a bean bag toss game. My mom was busy in the kitchen getting the snacks ready and we were all ready to eat. We had a great time of fellowship with everyone. Then we played our last game, musical milk buckets. Musical chairs, but sitting down and with a bucket (a combination of hot potato and musical chairs). We gathered everyone together and took family pictures in front of the barn. Then it was time for cake and ice cream and presents. We all sat around talking for awhile before everyone left.

We had a wonderful birthday celebration with Paul. We are so blessed to have another year with him. Happy Birthday, Paul!

Birthdays and Anniversaries in January

To wrap up our birthdays and anniversaries in January, I am going to write about what happened (sorry no pictures). For my birthday we all ate breakfast together, then everyone went out for a hike (except Stella who was taking a nap), leaving me to do whatever I wanted for a few hours. I do like to have some time to myself whether its to get stuff done or to just relax. Anyways when they all came home, we put the boys to bed and my mom made me one of my favorite meals. It was nice to just be with family without the kids interrupting. The rest of the day was very relaxed and we just stayed home. My parents did not do anything on the day of their anniversary. Joshua and I paid for them to go to Glen Eyrie for two nights, three days. They enjoyed doing that and had a great time. It was nice having a relaxing day and spending time with family.

Paul's Birthday Week

At our house, we celebrate birthdays during the entire week. It started on Saturday, when my mom brought up some cars and tracks that she had gotten for Paul's birthday. The boys (that includes Joshua) had so much fun playing with the cars, even off the track. They probably played with them an hour and a half. Even Stella liked to watch the cars go around.

Then I decided to give him some of the presents that I had gotten for him and ended up giving him all of them and Peter something too. We played Uno Moo together as a family and they had alot of fun watching the new videos that I had for them. I also had given Paul a new Jay Jay shirt and p.j.'s. So after his bath, Paul had to put them on.

On his birthday, we had some friends come over after the boys naps. They were so thoughtful as they brought Paul a small present for him to open. The boys enjoyed playing with the other kids and they were able to eat cupcakes together to celebrate Paul's birthday. I think he had a wonderful birthday. Grandma Cathy also called to wish him a happy birthday. We always enjoy talking to Grandma Cathy. And that wraps it up.
Happy Birthday, Paul! We love you very much.