The Big Birthday Post

I don't know how to do a *small* birthday party. 

I tried.

It didn't work.

I guess it's because I really think that birthdays should be done up BIG.  Since they are such a celebration of life.  So this one was no exception.

Our little boy, ahem, I mean big boy turned 3.

Can you guess the theme?

The Wonder Pets, of course!  All the kids got their own capes

and a note in their gift bags telling them that there were some animals in trouble!

There was even some face painting courtesy of my very talented sister.

The birthday boy actually had a wardrobe change due to some serious fun in the sand and water table (good thing we have more than one Wonder Pets shirt!)

We were blessed to celebrate with lots of family

and friends.

In lieu of a cake, we opted for colorful cupcakes and ice cream sundaes.

 

 

 

It was a super,

super day!

And as for the birthday boy? This big birthday boy didn't even cry when everyone sang happy birthday.

AND he even blew out his own candle! Best part of the day in my opinion.

The day was pretty amazing.  Just like him.  I already have idea's for next year's celebration.  And to think, next year I'll be planning 2 parties!

Fun in the sun

It's finally hot here.  So on Memorial Day we got together with some of our neighbors and let the kids play in the sprinkler.

Nate was not as brave as these boys were. He was content to just run his hand through it.

The pool will have to wait a bit-no swimming for a couple weeks post-op.

The best

(Jenn, Gina, Christa, Katie and myself)

I just want to say I have the best group of mommy-friends a girl could ever ask for.  This was taken New Year's Eve at our little neighborhood party where our kids ran around in their jammies and drank sparkling grape juice and the mommies and daddies ate a lot, drank a little and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.  I am so blessed to have found such amazing and caring people-and the best part is they all live right on our block!  (Which has a lot to do with why we currently don't have a "For Sale" sign in our yard right now).  Love you girls!

A visit

Over break I decided (again) that I needed 

some time with my sb family.  

So what does that mean?

Nate and I take a mini-road trip.

This time to Fort Wayne 

to see my friend Jen and her beautiful family.

It was a great day.

Aside from Nate falling asleep the minute we walked in the door,

we talked and talked 

and the kids played and played.

Jen made me an awesome wrap for lunch 

(which I have perfected-thanks!)

and we were having so much fun we even stayed for dinner!

Owen was nice enough to share his trains

This one is so cute-remines me of the one from this post

Nate wasn't cooperating

I just loved their little blonde heads in this one!

I was also fortunate enough to hold their newest edition, baby Evie!  I tried to get Nate interested, but he wasn't.  I can see how he is going to be with his baby cousin in a couple months!

I will forever be amazed and in awe of this community we have built.  And it continues to grow.  Jen was the one who helped me find it all and continues to be a source of inspiration, both through her advocacy and Owen's beautiful spirit.  My hope is that some day I can pay it forward-give the hope that was given to me when I felt like I was alone.  I am so lucky and blessed to know all of you, and know that together we are going to do great, great things.

Full circle, part II

I love that Nate has cousins he can grow up with (and two more on the way!) and neighbor pals he can play at the park with. But as much as they love him, and as much as they want to include him, there are always obstacles. And as much as I love my family and enjoy spending time with other mommies on the block, they simply can not understand what it means to be a mother to a child with special needs.

So, what do I do about this?

I reach out to one of my sisters, load up, jump in the car and drive three hours to Grand Rapids to spend some time with people who get me. And even better, Nate gets to spend time with someone who is just like him.

I wrote about a similar experience when my friend Jen and her family stopped by on their drive to Chicago. It was so awesome. And again, when we briefly had dinner with the Gibbs on our way through Michigan. We didn't have a lot of time together, but we hit it off right away. So when I was feeling really lonely and needed some time with another sb family, I e-mailed her about getting together and she more than graciously offered for Nate and I to come stay with them for a night. AND she put together a little sb play date the next day.

Two days just hanging out, watching our boys play and talking about stuff only we get. Awesome.

To say Grey and Nate hit it off would be an understatement.



Leigh and I had to do double takes a couple times because we realized we had just checked on the wrong kid. Must have been the blonde hair. Or the matching shirts. :)



We also got to meet Carson and his mommy Emily and daddy Nate. Carson is adorable and is walking with a walker! It was awesome to see him doing so well. Even more awesome to see the three boys together.





Yeah, I'm going to use the word awesome a lot in this post. Just get used to it!

Nate got to play with lots of other kids and I got to talk with lots of other mommies. Leigh is blessed to have a wonderful support group right in her own city, and for a day I felt like I was part of that.



Nate has been talking about Grey since we left. When he sees a picture of himself on my blog or on facebook, he points and says, "Grey".

They had so much fun together. And I think Grey was smitten. :)







I don't know what I enjoyed more. Watching these two boys love on each other,



or watching Leigh snuggle up in a big chair and read them bedtime stories,



or watching Grey try out Nate's wheel chair.

Probably all of it.

But, being in a place where I totally felt safe talking about my fears, sharing scar stories, chatting about floor plans, therapy and mobility over Diet Dr. Peppers was awesome.



I hope these little cuties can be buddies for a long, long time. Because watching Nate play with someone who is just like him



was priceless.

Candy in the pumpkin

Friday night we went to our church for "Trunk or Treat". There were A LOT of people there. We would find during the service on Sunday that there were over 5,000 people there!!! It was coooooold, but Nate had both Gramma's there so he didn't mind one bit. It was really a fun night, and such a wonderful event put on by our church. Nate had a ball.

When I asked him what happens when he says "Trick or treat" he said "You get candy in the pumpkin!"







Enjoying a sucker while waiting in line for over an hour.



Checking out his loot.

***************************

For the first time, we stayed in our neighborhood on Halloween (we usually go to Ryan's sister's house). Nate has his own buddies here now, so we went door to door with some of them. SO fun for him! We took turns carrying him and when he got too heavy we just rolled him in his wagon as close to the door as we could get. He was really shy about saying "Trick or Treat" and only mumbled it a few times. Other times he would get confused and say "Thank you" first.



Howdy partner!







Some of Nate's neighborhood friends Preston and Mason

When I asked Nate if he was done, or if he wanted to keep trick or treating, his response was, "More candy!"

I think it's safe to say he enjoyed himself.



Here is a recap of Nate talking about this whole Halloween experience:

Pure Michigan

We decided to turn a wedding weekend into a family vacation. We are suckers for Michigan, including the radio commercials where Tim Allen's soothing voice never ceases to make us want to load up the car with whatever we can manage to fit and leave our home here in boring Indiana to start a new life in the ever appealing state of Michigan.

Our first stop landed us at Red Robin. Yes, I know they have those in other places, including Indiana, but we were meeting some friends there (I can call them that now that we have actually met in real life!) I came up with the bright idea of trying to meet up with another family that I have been following online (gosh, that sounds so stalker-ish) and who live in Grand Rapids, only about a half hour from where we were staying. We had a great time and talked as only parents of kids with sb can, which was so reassuring and...nice. I don't get to do that very often! The boys sat together and checked each other out while we talked and I learned that Nate and Greyson are a lot alike (and not just in the blonde-haired, blue-eyed way). Leigh and Andy are just awesome, down-to-earth people (not to mention amazing parents) and Greyson is one amazing kid (even if he really likes his personal space). We were so happy to have that time together and are looking forward to getting together with them again.



Next, it was off to Holland where we walked around downtown and checked out the cute shops,







and checked out this little red lighthouse on the lake.





The wind and the water were too much for our little guy, who promptly fell asleep. Did I mention we brought the Governess (her words-not ours) with us? Yes, we selfishly had my mother-in-law act as nanny during our trip. Although, she didn't mind one bit.



And I must say, it worked out fabulously! Ryan and I got to enjoy some time alone together (out for a late drink at an Irish pub while on family vacation-yes, it is possible!) as well as the reception of the wedding we attended kid-free. And our dear Governess got a little vacation out of the deal, too!

Friday afternoon was spent at the beach, where Ryan and I got to frolic in the choppy water like we were kids again. Seriously, I don't think I've laughed like that in a loooong time. We all just loved soaking up the sun and listening to the waves.



Friday night we attended the beautiful wedding of Deanne and Dan and enjoyed time with family. (Can you believe I actually forgot my camera at the hotel during the ceremony?!)





Saturday we spent the day at Sandy Pines. I have lots of fond memories of visiting while growing up. It seems that someone in our family has always had property there and growing up we'd visit and go tubing or skiing. Great, great memories. And this momma tried her luck at skiing for the first time in probably 10 years (with a LOT of coaxing from my cousins) and I'm proud to say...



that I



got up



on the



FIRST TRY!!!

(That's my rock star face I'm making in the last picture!):)

I love that place! So glad Nate had some time there-hopefully he'll get to have some of the same memories that I did growing up. It was a much needed get-away filled with fun, family and friends. I'm pretty sure we've booked Michigan for next years family vacation, too!