Matthew's 5th Birthday Party!

We celebrated our little buckaroo's 5th birthday this past weekend. Months ago, he decided he wanted a Western Ranger theme, with lots of cow print, badges, and "shootin' ya'll". We passed on the shootin', as not everyone shares his...enthusiasm...for guns. The party was held at Westmoor Park, and the day could not have been more perfect!

The invitation.

Waiting for our friends.

The party room AKA Lone Ranger Saloon, ready to receive Matthew's posse.

Time to giddy up! Party started off with a tour of the farm.

"Hey partner, you lookin' at me??"

Inspector Gadget, the angora bunny.

Anthony's ready to move on to greener pastures.

Lizards, and turtles, and snakes...oh my!

Workin' the ranch sure makes a cowboy hungry.

Time for cake!

Mommy, remember - NO singing.

Dad, keep the cake coming!!

Mmm, that's good stuff!

 

 Thanks for coming, ya'll!

 

My talented friend Evelyn designed the invitation and made the birthday banner. You can check her out at The Littlest Things

 

"A little help here..."

Oh how this picture makes me laugh. Actually, it's how Matthew makes me laugh. He's got such a quick wit, delivers one-liners and come-backs like an adult at times. No idea where he might get that sarcasm from (ahem..).

We had gone for a walk after dinner the other night. He decided to ride his bike, even though I knew he'd get tired since he was sick and spent most of the day outside to begin with. But off we went for our 2 miles. When we got to the home stretch, he kept stopping to take a little rest. These rests can start to wear on my nerves, I just want to keep going, keep moving, and get home so we can all rest. But he's only (almost) 5. And he's got an insane amount of energy. So when he needs a break he deserves a break. So I try my best to not show my frustration.

Anyway, he got off his bike. Laid down on the ground and said "ahhh, that's better". Then  he sneezed so hard his legs and arms jerked up in the air. When he was done resting, he held his arms up and said "A little help here??" Pure annoyance in his voice, the same I try hard to stifle at the end of a long day at times. Hmm, perhaps I need to try harder ;-)

(Thanks for snapping the pic, Michelle!)

Happy Anniversary to me.

One year has passed. One year since the fate I felt coming for months before, came to be. One year since I became a stay-at-home-mom. One year of not being able to say "Oh me? I work at...". One year of being a domestic diva, goddess, engineer...and all the other silly things I call myself.

Goodness that went by fast. 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days...give or take. I can barely remember a time when I didn't work. A time when a huge part of my self worth was not measured by a pay check. It's quite bittersweet at times. I love being home with my boys. I love being able to be the mom I always wanted to be, running off here and there, park, playdate, impromptu afternoon ice cream run, arts and crafts scattered about the kitchen table. And I feel a little bit of guilt that I wasn't able to be this mom from the start. And I think how funny life can be...you never know what you're capable of doing, or doing without, until you have no choice. Life is good.

I've been wondering what my next step will be, and when it will be. Feeling a tad antsy at times, as I wait for my "aha" moment. I'm convinced it will come. I hope I notice it when it does. But in the meantime, life is good.

Week 13/52

Sunday, Apr. 1 - (Yes, a day late...hush) Dinner at Jimmy and Robin's, you see Izzy the kitty in the background. As soon as we started to pull into their driveway Anthony started saying "Izzy!". The boy loves kitties. And Matthew loves visiting because his uncle Jimmy has all kinds of awesome tools in his garage. He dragged me down there to show me the two different weed whackers and explain the difference.