i realized i never posted photos from the boy’s party on here. sorry about that. just be prepared for a photo-inundated post today.

we had a very laid-back celebration this year. my natural party-planning instincts normally kick in for any festivity and i go over the top with the whole thing. i spend a lot of money, energy and time on parties. this year, i decided that we had to pull the plug on an over-the-top gathering. i wanted a fun afternoon with friends that the boys could enjoy and i wouldn’t lose any sleep over. we had the party on a friday morning {because the weekends in summer are jam-packed with birthday parties and i know everyone just needs a break already} at a local indoor play place. it was casual and the kiddos had so much fun {proof below in photos} and, {huge bonus} i didn’t have to clean up.

i even just let the boys go to the grocery store and pick out their cake. they picked cupcakes. the end. easy-peazy. no special orders at a bakery. i loved these cupcakes because of the simplicity they represented.

easiest party favors ever. cute little wooden trucks {there were even pink ice cream trucks for the girls} from the dollar section at target tied to a balloon with a thank you note written on it. what kid doesn’t love a balloon? easy. inexpensive. and parents don’t have to worry about tossing the trinkets in the trash when the kids are napping. or is that just me? seriously. everyone does that, right?

i couldn’t love this picture any more. adorable.

we tried to get a group shot of the kiddos. on a bouncy house. sitting still. whose brilliant idea was that? i think it was mine. oops.

we opened a few gifts at home after the party. this picture makes me laugh. look at how patient they’re being…

we celebrated one more time over the weekend with a joint-birthday family barbecue for the boys and their cousin, drew.

adorable cakes made by papa with the very limited baking supplies available in our house.

happy 3rd birthday to my sweet, sweet boys!!! {who like to sneak icing…photo evidence above^^}. i love you both to the moon and back!

These two.

Who knew how tough it is to hold up only three fingers?! Apparently, it is. These two are proud that they can do it.

I know every momma says it but I really cannot believe they just turned three. Time truly does fly by.

I was a whale. I blame it entirely on the two full days spent with IV fluid pumping into me while I tried to hold off on delivery for as long as possible. It had nothing to do with the trays of brownies consumed “because the babies needed chocolate” during pregnancy.

I remember when they were itty bitty newborns – how Dave and I were just surviving day to day looking forward to that magical “6 month” mark that we kept hearing about. That was nonsense. Two six-month olds are not any easier than two three-month olds or four-month olds.

hahahahahahah. attempt #1,200,242 of trying to get a sweet, sleepy newborn photo.

Seeing a trend? Let’s just say, Nathan really liked to scream.

The days of the boys first year all passed in a sleep-deprived blur. Yet, we shared so many special moments of wonder and awe that first year.

{to be fair, they were so sweet at times…these pictures just aren’t nearly as funny as the above}.

The overarching theme of it all: it happened so fast.

We threw a big “we survived year one” bash 🙂

And, then, just when we came up for a breath and started to remember what it felt like to get a full nights sleep, they went and grew up on us.

2nd Birthday Barnyard Party

My babies turned into hilarious little toddlers and now they’re these little people with such unique personalities. The things they come up with make me laugh all the time. They also take my breath away with their tender hearts and compassionate actions. I am so incredibly blessed with this privilege of being their momma.

Fun 3rd birthday celebration {more pics to come soon}

Again, it all happened so fast. 

I found this cute printable for a birthday interview and had to share their silly answers. {We didn’t get around to page two, it was naptime and crankiness was kicking in. Also, they have their 3 year check-up next week so I’m not even sure what they weigh anymore… that section is tbd}.

Ben: at 3 years old…

For the record, we have made cookies before. He just got a new set of play cookies and that’s all that was on his mind. 🙂

My sweet, gentle, kind, thoughtful, and stubborn-like-his-momma, Ben.

You are a momma’s boy and you are always looking out for your brother. You like to stay up late and wake up late, just like your momma :). You like to do everything on your own – you are very independent. You like to point out bugs for Nate to pick up…you think that’s hilarious. You like to line your trucks up like a train and then drive monster trucks over them. You are not a fan of cleaning up your toys. You love macaroni and cheese and ask for it at every, single meal. 

Your laugh is contagious. Your smile is adorable and sweet. You love chocolate and ice cream. You like to race and can run really fast. Whenever you wake up in the morning or after naps, you have to have someone come up and help you carry down all of your “babies” and blankets. You usually sleep with four or five blankets and ten or twelve stuffed animals. During the day, you store them all in your play shopping cart. You’re a little bit of a hoarder. 🙂

Nathan: at 3 years old…

You are “all boy.” You love dirt, bugs, construction trucks, tools, worms and rocks. Strangely, you don’t like to get dirty. You like to hose yourself off or jump in any body of water nearby {puddles, lakes, creeks, pools, etc} when you get dirt on yourself. Your laugh is contagious and you have the best sense of adventure. You keep us on our toes and worry us because you have no fear of anything. You love to snuggle in the morning. You love books and reading. You know all of your letters and love to sing the alphabet song. You love songs, in general. Singing and dancing are two of your favorite things to do. You have sweet break-dancing moves. 🙂

You are so tough, you fall down and just get right back up, shake it off and say, “it’s okay” or “I’m okay” or, my favorite, “it happens!” You like to go to sleep early and wake up {way too} early in the morning. You love your time alone with daddy in the morning. You look up to your daddy so much. You know how to use any tool and what every construction truck does. You love with abundance. You love to give “monster hugs” and sometimes knock the person you’re hugging over. You always, always have your “babies” with you – {named: “two baby, three baby and new baby”}. You love to pray and your prayers are the absolute sweetest words my ears have ever heard. 

What an honor and joy to raise these boys. To be here with them during these precious days before they grow up and leave home. I am in awe of how perfect they are and how much I don’t deserve all of this goodness. I am so, so blessed!!

As usual, this weekend was busy and I didn’t have a spare moment to hop on the computer. So, I’m just now finally getting around to sharing some action shots from the boy’s birthday party! You can check out Part One of the party shots here.

Now, we had planned to keep the party really low key. Just gather our friends and family and head over to our barn for a fun afternoon. Enjoy yummy BBQ and let the kiddos run around and play in the dirt.

Seriously, that was the plan. Let the kids play in the dirt.

I started to worry about a week and a half before the party that the whole “just let ’em play in the dirt” plan was not incredibly well thought out. Maybe we should have another option for the girls??

And, the dirt is truly just dirt. Not clean sand or anything. The parents of kiddos covered in mud and gunk may be less than thrilled with this party plan of mine.

I decided pony rides would be fun. And, unbeknownst to me, The Builder had put on his party planning hat and called in reinforcements. He had a friend who said he’d bring over some of his pet animals {from an honest to goodness real farm not a pretend one like we have} for the kiddos to pet and play with.

We ended up with a little petting zoo, ponies, some of Dave’s “toys” and a sand pit for digging {I convinced Dave that sand was a better option than dirt and he hauled some in}.

Needless to say, the boys were in awe. They didn’t know what to do first. Play with the animals – kittens! goats! bunnies! – or ride the tractors- or dig in the dirt – or ride a pony. It was just too much. Truly. But, I consider it a complete success because the moment their freshly shampooed {they gave a new definition to the word “dirty”} little heads hit the pillow, they were fast asleep.

Sleep = success in our house.

Enjoy some photos from their fun-filled day…

Our little petting zoo:

Ben is never allowed to have lollipops because of the artificial dyes, but I found these organic ones online and he was as happy as he could possibly be. I think he ate four and hid some in his pockets for later.

The rooster and the chickens literally sat on this cage like this the whole day. I couldn’t get over it. I can’t say I’ve ever really spent much time with roosters and chickens but I never really thought they would be so laid back.

Love this facial expression… awe.

Digging in the sand {Nate takes this VERY seriously}:

Ben came out to do a little supervising…

Pony rides were a hit:

Check out Dave in the background in the photo on the left … not sure what he’s doing but it makes me laugh…

Surprisingly, Nathan was a little freaked out by the horse.

 My boys love tractors and construction equipment:

Hayrides with Aunt Katie at the wheel:

The crowd watching the hayride…

And, time for cake!

It was such a fun day and I am so grateful for every precious memory made!