Four birthdays have come and gone since I last posted. So what better way to capture our growing family than one complete "Birthday Blog", remembering our special days. Our kids often pick themes for their birthdays. In past years, we've had a Shopkin party, Viking party, Lego party and so many more. Well, I would dare say that the theme for each of our 2018 parties was "Good Enough". Whether it was because of house construction or illness, each of our parties seemed to be thrown together with a sort of "Good Enough" attitude, at least on my part. But thankfully, the kids didn't seem to mind. They are a pretty gracious lot. Anyways...without further ado...
CLAIRE
9 years old on February 5th
Ready for school on her big day.
A new dollhouse.
As for her family party, we planned the first with Joe's parents.
But little did we know this is what our house would look like about three hours prior to the party...
Drywallers had come that morning to begin work in the bathroom, but said that if we wanted them to also patch the kitchen drywall (which we did), we'd have to remove all the wallpaper by the next day for them to begin. O....kay. Thankfully, my dad was there to lend a hand. We removed wallpaper in a flurry and tried to clean up as best we could for company. And then, unfortunately, we also got word that Joe's dad was under the weather. So our party wasn't as expected, but it was truly, "Good enough".
You know, looking at it now, I would say that was pretty good!
There were balloons and fruit kabobs...I say that's an A+ for effort.
Okay, so the cake wasn't going to win any awards, but it was edible.
The following week we gathered with my parents for one last birthday hoorah.
Grandpa explains her new game.
JOE
36 years old on March 19th
This picture captures the moment I caught George spilling the beans to Joe about his birthday gift.
We had gotten Joe a punching bag and were wrapping the boxing gloves downstairs when I noticed one was missing. I then heard Joe laughing upstairs and realized George was up there with them. Sure enough, George was so excited about the boxing gloves, he had taken one upstairs to show his dad. Joe was a good sport and pretended not to notice. Not sure what the point was in wrapping the gloves after that, but oh well. He seemed to appreciate the effort.
For his birthday dinner, Joe picked Chuck E. Cheese.
He said it was for the kids, but he seemed to enjoy himself just fine.
HENRY
7 years old on May 12th
We were pretty excited to celebrate Henry's birthday at Pokagon State Park in Indiana. We hadn't been there in years, and were happy to return for a long weekend.
Unfortunately, the week leading up to the trip, George and I came down with a yucky stomach bug. He recovered quickly, but Friday, even as we were packing, I could hardly get out of bed.
But I was determined to have a good time. On our way out, Joe dropped me off at Party City, where I was instructed to buy both Monster Truck and Ninjago decorations for Henry's party. Well, it turns out Party City doesn't really sell Monster Truck or Ninjago decorations. But I improvised, as mothers do in these situations. And we were off to the Inn.
Seven is Super!
We had a little mid-afternoon party with some cake and presents.
When life gives you a plain chocolate cake, you make your own Monster Truck cake.
And when Party City doesn't sell Ninjago decorations, you pick a few P.J. Masks decorations he is sure to appreciate, you know, since he watches them most every day.
*And then you chuckle when you hear him tell his older cousin that the P.J. Masks decorations must be for George cause he doesn't like them anymore. He must have matured in the last 24 hours since turning 7.
Grandpa's "Sad Man" game.
And then off to the pool for a birthday dip.
GEORGE
4 years old on June 4th
For George's birthday, we were once again in the midst of another house project. We were having a company come to refinish all our wood floors. Not a small task when that makes up 95% of the main floor. We managed just fine, but certainly had to improvise.
Celebration on the driveway, which was perfect for George.
A birthday treat for class
Birthday dinner at Logans, but if he asks, tell him it was McDonalds.
And for a family birthday party, we gathered at Aberdeen Park with Joe's family.
George was set on a Pirate Party, but when we got to Meijer and he saw this lizard cake, it was love at first sight.
With some "Good enough" decorations and some Hungry Howie's pizza, the party was a success.
The following week, we celebrated both George and Uncle Mike's birthdays together. This was perfect for George given his love for his favorite uncle. He's his "best friend", I've heard him say.
Cousins get their own booth at Freddy's.
Both the kids and adults are happy!
Another driveway celebration. Our floors were done, but without any furniture moved back in, it just made sense for this beautiful summer evening.
Grandpa explains George's new Disc Hockey game.
Well, that's the four birthdays in a nutshell. At the time, they sure seemed just "good enough", but the memories really are great. I wouldn't change them for anything.
