David's Party

This weekend we celebrated David's birthday with a farm-themed party! It was SO much fun!! Like last year, I really wanted to make his birthday cake. I searched the internet for cake ideas and ended up combining a few I liked. With a lot of help from Ma and Ryan, we constructed this:

The "pasture" is a chocolate sheet cake. The "barn" is 4 9x9 pound cakes. The "silo" is oreos. The tufts of grass are edible Easter grass. All of the farm animals were donated by Ricky and Cate.

The centerpieces:

The cake table:

And to match the theme, the appetizers were a vegetable garden: 

And pigs in a blanket:

David was super excited to open presents! He received so many wonderful gifts. 

His big cousin, Ricky, passed down a pedal tractor that he got for his 2nd birthday.

David couldn't wait to get it outside!

All the little kids who attended the party.

Ryan grilled hamburgers, well actually, they were venison/beef burgers. They were delicious. After everyone ate dinner, we played Pin-the-tail-on-the-cow. It great fun because everyone played, even the adults! David thought it was pretty hilarious. He watch his cousins take their turns, quickly caught on, and wanted to try it. He lifted the blindfold as he walked to the cow and pinned the tail in the grass below the cow! He was so proud of himself.

When others would not fair well with the game, David would react like this:

The clear winners of the game were Bing and Aunt Nicole, they both pinned the tail on perfectly. The one furthest away was Big Daddy, nowhere near the cow.

Then it was finally time to sing "Happy Birthday". I think this was David's most favorite part of the party. He loved having everyone sing to him and being the center of attention. 

What a wonderful way to celebrate such a special, little boy turning TWO! He was surrounded by family and friends. What a blessing. 

I loved planning, setting up, preparing, and hosting this party. It has always been a dream of mine, since I was probably five years old, to make each birthday for my children special, unique, and fun, just as my Mom did for me. I hope David had as much fun as I did.

David Turns Two

I don't know how it happened, but today, David turned TWO years old!! It literally feels like just yesterday we were at the hospital holding our precious, 6 lb. gift from God. And now, here we are celebrating his 2nd birthday. Unbelievable. 

Of course, we wanted it to be a very special day for David, so we made it fun right from the start. When David woke up this morning, I walked in to greet him. I opened his curtains, turned on his lights, and showered him with birthday kisses. Then David saw Ryan standing in the hallway. But, wait there was something else....

What is it David?

BALLOONS!!!!! 

All of a sudden Ryan began tossing large, colorful balloons onto David's bed. David absolutely loved it! 

Rachael got a big kick out of trying to catch the balloons that fell off David's bed and watching him play.

Then it was time for breakfast. I made some yummy pumpkin and blueberry pancakes with a side of cheesy eggs [all in the shape of a smiley face]. His new birthday plate came from Twinkle and Bing when they were here on Tuesday. It's a great addition to helping make this, and every birthday, a special one. 

We lit the candles in the pancakes- David thought that so much fun. As we sang "Happy Birthday", David pointed to himself when we said, "Happy birthday, dear David..." It was so funny.

Blowing out the breakfast candles.

So excited about his special breakfast.

After breakfast David put on his special "2" t-shirt, which just so happens to match the theme of his birthday party this Saturday. Then we took David somewhere he has never been before--- the zoo!

There is a small zoo very close to our house and we thought David might enjoy it. 

 Checking it out as soon as we got there.

We saw turkeys.

And bears.

Rachael had a great time seeing all the animals and other little kids, too!

 My beautiful [yes, I can say that, I'm his Mama] little birthday boy.

 Where do you want to go next, David?

David as an owl.

Ryan and David as bear cubs saying, "ROAR!"

Yes, of course, there were some sticks picked up along the way.

We all had a wonderful time celebrating David's 2nd birthday as a family.

After a fun morning, we went to a local sandwich shop for some lunch. Then returned home for nap time, play time, and dinner time. After dinner, David blew out the candles on his cake. 

He also opened a few presents from Mama, Daddy, Rachael, and Bogie. 

Rachael helped.

By the end of the day David wasn't ready to go to bed. He wanted to play and continue the celebration. It was hard to see the day come to an end. I think we all had a wonderful time on such a special day. 

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, David!!! Your Mama and Daddy love you so much! 

Happy Birthday, Twinkle!

This evening we, along with Bing and Aunt Nicole, celebrated Twinkle's birthday at our house! First, we all went out to dinner at our favorite little Italian restaurant right up the road. Then we came back to our house for presents, cake, and ice cream! David loved helping Twinkle open her presents and blow out the candles on her cake. Since she hadn't been here since Rachael was born, David had a great time showing his Aunt Nicole all over the house. He was also super excited to show Bing the table and chair set Ryan made because he designated a chair just for Bing ever since the set moved into our house.  

Two Check-Ups At Once

This morning we took both kids to the doctor for check-ups- David for his 2 year and Rachael for her 6 (1/2) month.  

David still loves to go to the doctor. I am so thankful there is not a struggle to get him to lay still on the table while he is being poked and prodded by the doctor. He doesn't mind one bit. For his weigh-in he got to stand on the big scale! He is at the perfect weight for his age. Coming in at 27 lbs. even, that puts him right at the 50th percentile. He has had a growth spurt recently and it shows! He is now 36 inches tall which is at the 80th percentile point. Developmentally he is right on track with his language, social, and physical skills. The doctor was impressed that David is not a picky eater, which is very common for his age group. Above all, the doctor was very happy to have such an easygoing, willing patient and even suggested that David come teach a class to all the other 2 year olds. David got one shot in his leg and did GREAT with it. He never cried. We prepared him for it by explaining that it was going to make him say "Ouch" for a second and then he was going to get a fun bandaid. He winced a bit when she stuck the needle in and wanted to be held as soon as possible. But, that was it. By the time Rachael was getting her shots he was fine. Such a big boy.

Rachael also had a good report. She is growing and thriving. The doctor was also impressed to hear that she is not picky with her foods either. She is currently 14 lbs. 12oz., the 25th percentile, which is great news! And her length is 25 3/4 inches, which puts her at the 40th percentile mark. I was so happy to hear that both numbers were so high. She was also a great patient while she was being examined. It helped to have David there to entertain her so that the doctor didn't have a hard time looking in her eyes, ears, and mouth. The doctor also remarked at her great head control and core strength when Rachael was sitting up on the examining table. Then came four shots! Rachael and I did not like them one bit! She started crying just as the first shot went in and it only got worse from there. She went into what I call the "silent cry"- there's no sound coming out, just tears, until she finally catches her breathe enough to scream. It's heartbreaking. And I know I say it every time, but it's true, it's so hard to watch your baby be put through pain, even if it is brief. As soon as the shots were over I scooped her up and held her as she calmed down.  

I am blessed with two healthy, happy, and perfectly developing babies. 

Saying Good-Bye

Dear David and Rachael,

            This weekend we said good-bye to our beloved Papaw. I have never felt such heartache. It was truly heart-wrenching to let go of such a special, kind, devoted family man. He loved you so much. He was so proud of all his children, grandchildren, and especially his great-grandchildren. He doted on you all the time to his friends. He was a great story teller, he always had a good one to share, although they were a bit embellished at times- that's what made them great. He was a man of God. He believed the Bible wholeheartedly. He always prayed for you, even before you were born. He praised God when you were born healthy and beautiful. He loved to fish, hunt, watch baseball games, and dance in his younger days. He always wanted to hear about your Daddy's most recently hunting expedition. He was so happy to see you when you came to visit and at holidays. It saddens me that you will never remember him, but so thankful he knew you. I want you to know he loved you with all his heart. He is smiling down on you everyday, so proud of you.

My babies, one day you will lose someone you deeply love and your heart will feel pain it has never known before. Know that God is with you. Lean on Him for comfort. 

My heart is at peace with the knowledge that I will never see my Papaw in this world again. I imagine he has already found the best fishing hole in Heaven and has a perfectly healthy heart and set of legs to dance with whenever he wants, and that brings me great joy.

I can't wait to see him again. I miss him terribly.

      Love,
          Mama

My Sweet Little Boy

Irises David picked for his Mama

David LOVES to bring his Mama flowers, and boy!, do I LOVE getting them! Often times he will be playing in the yard, spot a flower on the other side of the driveway, drop what he's doing, run over to the flower, pick it, and bring it to his Mama as fast as he can. 

Proud of his pick.

 Checking the smell of his pick.

My sweet, little boy.

David has such a kind, generous, loving spirit intertwined with a rough and tumble attitude. Because I know he will one day have a wife, I truly hope I can encourage this wonderful blend of thoughtful/considerate with his hunter/gatherer mentality so that he will be both tender-hearted and protective with her. But, it's not only when he bring me flowers, but also when he wants to share his food with Rachael, or gets excited about helping Ryan clean a turkey. David is such a special little boy and I hope he always wants to bring his Mama flowers.