Piggy Bank Birthday Party

Since moving Maddox to his first "big boy" bed, we have had to face a new parenting challenge- attempting to get two rowdy boys sharing a bedroom to stop playing together and GO TO SLEEP! As much as I love that they actually enjoy playing together, by 9:00pm enough is enough. Mama needs some peace and quiet!!

It's funny how God gives us little reminders... Last night, after a very exhausting day with a certain (let's call him) "temperamental" four year old, I was in no mood to negotiate. The boys had been bouncing off the walls for an hour rather than sleeping, and I was on a warpath. Yet just as I place my hand on the door knob to their room, feeling my last bit of patience slip away, I hear this:

"Maddox, it's my piggies birthday! That's why he's wearing a hat! We have to sing the happy birthday song"
(The "piggy" he's referring to is his piggy bank, which happens to be wearing a birthday hat left over from his party a few weeks ago, and is completely taped together with painters tape after suffering a devastating "accident" a year ago)

"Happy birthday to you..."
He sings the whole song and as he nears the end I hear Maddox, enthusiastically screaming and clapping,
"HOORAY BROTHER!!! HOORAY!!!!!!"

Jax- "Time to open your presents Piggy! You got a new bowling set!! Hooray! You've never seen that before!"
Maddox- "Yeah! Hooooray!!!! Bowling!!!"

At this point I realize (my hand still on the door knob) that all of my irritation has slipped away. I'm no longer angry that they're not sleeping, but instead grateful that they are playing lovingly together (like I have been begging for all day between pulling them off of each other kicking and screaming). I'm reminded that maybe a strict bedtime isn't as important as the bonding time that brothers have while playing pretend birthday party in the dark.

Exhaustion

In the wake of our fun filled weekend, we're all feeling pretty content to stay home in our sweats and play all day. It's safe to say we're all pretty exhausted!!




On an entirely different subject, my new cloth diapers finally arrived! I know it's weird, but I'm totally stoked! Seriously, how cute are these?

Birthday Bash!

This weekend we were blessed with sunshine, and for the first time EVER Jax was able to have his birthday party outdoors! Nolan makes fun of me because every year my birthday parties get more and more elaborate, and with the help of Pinterest this year was no exception! Even though I spent three days straight baking, organizing, running all over town, and was essentially on the brink of exhaustion the day of the party- it was a blast!

We had a few catastrophes... we showed up a little later to the park than we had planned, and when we arrived another family had already set up camp where we had intended on having our party. It would have been perfect... three tables under a pergola covered in flowers... BBQ's onsite... steps from the playground...

Sigh...

Alas, we relocated to the other side of the park, where we enjoyed a patch of dirt with tree roots sticking out everywhere, and two tables. No BBQ's.

Problem #1- We had bought enough hamburgers and hot dogs for 30 people, and now had no where to BBQ them. When asking if we could use the park BBQ's near the original party location I was met with your typical bay area paranoid mom response:

"I really don't want my kids around the smoke."

To which I replied

"Well, since it's first come first serve, and you're not using them, we're going to. I have to be able to feed my guests. Sorry!"

Although I was set to be "that mom" that ruined another families birthday party, my husband, the bigger man, went home and got our tiny travel BBQ and brought it back to our site.

Problem #2- All of the decorations that I had worked so hard on were planned around that stupid pergola. What a waste!!

Problem #3- The BBQ issue delayed the cooking and partying, and guests ended up showing up as I was frantically trying to set up, rather than showing up to freshly made food and relaxed hostess!

All this aside, it really was a great day. Jax had a BLAST, his friends seemed to have a lot of fun, and Nolan and I got to catch up with family, old friends, and get to know some new ones! It's a pretty good sign of a fun party when the two hours you had planned on stretches on to three hours, and then four. I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon!

Luckily my mom and our friend Tegan were thoughtful enough to take some pictures, because we forgot our cameras all together!

 Outdoor Bowling Set

 These were on the gift table, but I forgot to take a picture of them while we were there! I loved having pictures of him at all of his previous birthdays :)

 Birthday Boy!

 Jax's first experience with a pinata!

Such a beautiful day. 

 Officially the biggest bowling set I've ever seen. Thanks "Nessa!"

"This is just getting to be too much mom."

Happy Birthday to my Little Man!

Tomorrow my “little” man turns four. I'm trying not to be "that" mom... the one that balls her eyes out every time her child grows by a year. I am so unbelievably proud of the boy Jax is becoming, but a small part of me mourns the little Eskimo baby he used to be :) 

Four. For some reason hearing this number is a little bit surreal for me! I have a four year old. How did THAT happen?! I blinked and he turned from helpless infant to competent boy. He’s not a baby anymore. He’s not even a toddler. He’s a full blown kid with opinions, ideas, personality, and a crazy little boy sense of humor. He plays tricks on us and cracks fart jokes, and in the next minute holds my face between his hands and tells me he loves me. He would like nothing more than to bowl all day every day, and in his free time learn to pitch from the Giants. The day Jax was born was one of the happiest and most terrifying days of my life, and every day since has been an adventure I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Each March I can’t help but reflect on how much our lives changed the day Jax was born. March 6^th was my very first day of being a mommy, being responsible for another human life, and of feeling true unconditional powerful love. March 6^th was also the first day I heard the words “Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (NAIT),” words that changed everything about how I view motherhood today. You can read Jax’s birth story here. Jax is a miracle, and every March it weighs on me just how close we were to losing him, and missing out on the incredible joy and honor it is to be his parents. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing little boy as our son! Happy fourth birthday Jax!

 One of the very first times I got to hold Jax :)

Jax's first Giants game!