Happy Birthday Baby!

This year no back surgery could slow us down :) We had a very special birthday boy to celebrate! It worked out in an unexpected way, that the four days Buck took off of work so we could celebrate our anniversary, turned out to be four days we needed to spend with family and in helping my mom.

Imagine my shock to arrive . . . and see my sister standing there!! She doesn't travel :) I thought we made a wrong turn in Albuquerque (as Bugs Bunny used to say :) Her younger crew members were also along for the party fun, and Caelan decided the girls needed festive hairstyles to complement the occasion.

Little drop of sunshine was sleeping when we arrived, so we unloaded the puppy and all of our stuff into the spacious basement suite (I'll call it that because it makes me feel fancy :) The boys immediately locked eyes on the bicycles, but I told them to wait--we had days to cruise the neighborhood on two wheels. We looked through pictures with Maga and visited with L's mom, sister, and sister's fiancé. 

The birthday boy awoke to an unexpected crowd as we finished up our late lunch (it's a long drive!) They all had waited for cake and presents til we arrived, which was so thoughtful. I loved seeing my nephew blow out his big 2 candle. He knew exactly what to do, and actually blew out the lighter the first time :)








My brother got understandably teary during the birthday song and prayer. It's the first family event without my dad. I'm so glad we could be there to celebrate the baby and connect with each other in the first phase of our new normal.





Our kids were apparently low on their sugars, because they went all in for the frosting on the cake :) I was impressed at how much attention Mr. M paid to opening his gifts. He's got really great parents! They expect him to be thoughtful and kind even as a little guy. When he opened his balance bicycle he was simply delighted (and almost disappeared inside the wrapping paper :)



Mr. M is so talkative! He'll repeat EVERYTHING you say, sometimes with a question mark at the end to confirm he has understood correctly. He loved the puppy (until the puppy barked and then licked his foot, but they made up afterwards :) He would laugh and say, "Brennen funny!" and then he'd go around the room and try to remember everyone's name. If he forgot he'd say, "Uh-huh" and wait for some help. My favorite was when I'd see him for the first time in the morning and he'd cheer, "Aunt JessCUH!" Adorbs!



We all attended church together (well, those of us who stayed over Saturday night, mom and my sis and her kids went home) Sunday morning. After lunch, it was naptime for Mr. M again. He said he wanted to lay on the couch with Uncle Buck (Uncle Buck REALLY liked laying on the couch :) So here they are "napping."



My brother taught the kids a couple of card games, which they've played quite a bit since returning home! I like when they enjoy spending time together, so the more card games the better :)



So, my bro and sis-n-law bought their house earlier this year and really picked a beautiful neighborhood. At first I was hesitant to let the kids ride bikes around the loop out of our sight, but Buck's like, "It's fine!!' So . . .off they rode :) 

We got to watch the baby while his mommy and daddy went on a date Sunday night. He got very excited when Uncle Buck suggested an after dinner walk. He walked the whole way, except for when he jogged because he wanted to be like Graysen :) One tiny skinned knee later, we were back at the playground in the middle of their development space. I was amazed that the baby, when asked, would point out the correct direction to get home! He is one smart little cookie.

Can you spot Graysen on the playground? He kind of blends in . . . at first when I uploaded at the picture, I wondered, "What did I take this picture for?" Then I saw G! :) Camouflage! The baby luvs mowers, blowers, and "prinklers." He and I sat on the porch one afternoon and had a long discussion about such things ;) After our walk, Gabby and Mr. M "flew" home as airplanes. 


It was fun to put him to bed later. I haven't been in charge of bedtime for a long time! Baby had to turn on his sound machine. He scrolled through the colors until he got to the right one (I couldn't figure it out :) We brushed teeth and put on jammies. I even sang a few songs, This Little Light of Mine had enough verses to put the baby to sleep (and almost me, too!)




Monday morning, L invited me to be her ride buddy to her eighth (of ten) radiation appointment. It was fun to have her all to myself :) We got to chat and laugh and visit as she wove her way through crazy city traffic (I was glad she was driving). We ditched the car at hospital valet and in far less time than it took us to get there, she was done and we were heading back to the house. Pray those zaps work the way they are supposed to! She's got such a great attitude about everything. I know there are so many unknowns, but I love how they're doing their best to make the most of each day. All of our emotions are all over the place, and that's okay. It's just good to be together as often as we can. I, for one, can hardly wait to see a certain little beam of red-headed sunshine this weekend :)