Kevin Turns 31

This year, Kevin turned 31!  (wow!)

...and while it wasn't the birthday he had last year with a surprise trip to Florida, this year was still fun with stories to tell!

*Last year, I pulled off an amazing surprise for Kevin's 30th birthday.  I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to beat it, but to read about it and possibly get any ideas for yourself, click here --> Kevin Turns 30!

A few days ago, I took the kids shopping to get daddy a birthday present.  They both wanted to get him bird food, so I suggested a bird feeder.  They got to pick out which bird feeder they wanted along with some different types of bird food.  They were very excited and I threatened them that if they told daddy what they got him, I would bring it back to the store.  I explained that we were going to surprise him with these presents.

After they picked out the bird feeder, we went walking down the card aisle.  I was going to let Makayla and Mason each pick out their own card for daddy.  Suddenly, they both started yelling out "Bella!  Bella!  Bella!"  They had spotted a card with a dog on the front whose tongue was sticking out that reminded them of their cousin's dog Bella.  Of course, Mason wanted to get this card for daddy sooooo bad because "daddy loves Bella".  

The front of the card reads:

and the inside of the card reads:

It's blurry because this dog is physically (and very loudly) vibrating - up and down, up and down, up and down on this leg.  I asked Mason a few more times if he wanted this card for sure and tried to persuade him to get a different one - a card that plays music, a card with Elmo on it, a card with a monkey on it...any other card but this one.  I didn't want to send daddy the wrong message (this mommy is super tired)!

Mason ended up going with this one and I was sure to reiterate that this card was only from Mason and not mommy!

Anyway...on the way home from the store, I kept reminding the kids not to tell daddy what we got him for his birthday and as soon as we walked in the house, Makayla said "Daddy!  We got you a DS (as in a Nintendo DS)!"  then she whispered to me "I'm not lying!  I'm just pretending".

(we're trying to learn the difference between lying, pretending, and kidding.  it's a tough lesson to teach)

*fast forward to the next day - Kevin's birthday*

The kids couldn't wait for Kevin to open his presents.  We sat on the floor and put the gifts in front of Kevin.    Before Kevin could open them, Makayla asked him "Do you think it looks like a bird feeder?" and Mason nodded with confidence and said "Yep, bird house"...

Oooh, kids!  Other than spoiling surprises for daddy and picking out suggestive cards, we had a fun dinner at the bowling alley to celebrate daddy's birthday with friends, family, sweet treats, and a "Happy Birthday" song!

Oh, Makayla

February 16 -

Tonight, I was taking bottled breast milk from the refrigerator and transferring it into bags to be placed in the freezer. In doing so, as I would empty each bottle, I'd hand it to Makayla to toss in the sink. Leave it to my daughter, though, to chug the last few drops of breast milk out of each bottle before tossing it into the sink...

February 17 - 

Makayla only had good intentions when she dumped an 8oz bottle of "hanitizer" aka hand sanitizer and used an entire roll of toilet paper to clean her bedroom carpet.... 

V-day and B-day

"There is nothing so sweet - not flowers, not chocolate, not a  thoughtful card - as the love of a small child that can be held in the heart on Valentine's Day and on every day thereafter."

-Crystal Dawn Perry

This Valentine's Day was a lot more exciting than a romantic date with my husband at a fancy restaurant (don't get me wrong, though!  I would totally enjoy a romantic date with my husband at a fancy restaurant!)...

This year we had a "red" themed smorgasbord for dinner at home with the kids!

...raviolis, scrambled eggs (pink), raspberries, pomegranate seeds, red peppers, strawberry applesauce, and a V8 smoothie to drink!

Mason loooved the pink scrambled eggs and being silly, asked what he was eating before each bite.

This kids did some valentine crafts with each of their grandma's this week, I had fun helping Makayla fill out her valentines for her classmates, and Mason feels special when Makayla shares her candy hearts with him.

Oooh, the joy kids bring on Valentine's Day!...and other special days, like BIRTHDAYS!

We've had many birthdays to celebrate these past few weeks!

Aunt Nina turned 25!!

We went bowling and had a slumber party at Aunt Nina's house.
*While visiting Aunt Nina, we went to a popcorn shop that had close to 70 different flavors of popcorn.  Makayla picked a bag of kettle corn and Mason picked a bag of macaroni and cheese.  Macaroni and Cheese popcorn?  Gag! Grandma and Grandpa picked some popcorn up for us, too - cheese and caramel, strawberry and banana, blueberry and orange...

Brennan turned 3!!

The day after Aunt Nina's birthday celebration, we headed to Brennan's house for his 3rd birthday party!  Mason loved Brennan's Caillou birthday cake and Makayla loved playing with Tyler!  I love the fact that the kids hardly see each other, but when they do, it's as if they're best of friends that see each other every day.  They love seeing each other and playing with each other!
*I think it's really cute that Mason calls Tyler "tylerbrennan" and he calls Brennan "tylerbrennan".  When ever he sees one or the other, in person or pictures, he always says "tylerbrennan!!".

Grandma McWilliams turned 80!!

We had a surprise party for Grandma Mac to celebrate her 80th birthday...and she was surprised and so very happy to have most of her friends and most of her family come together to wish her a happy birthday!

Here is a picture of Great Grandma with most of her kids, grand kids, and great grand kids.  We're missing a few due to illness or living in New York.

Grandma Mac has a lot to be proud of!

Jersey turned 6!! 

Normally, for Jersey's birthday, we go roller skating...but this year, we went bowling! (Mason's heaven!)
Mason loved bowling and Makayla loved hanging out with the "older" girls!  The cake was delicious and the goody bags were a *big* hit with the kids!

 Valentine's Day and 4 Birthday Parties - all within a month!
We've been busy bees...having fun and celebrating!

23 Loves

Love is a like a rainbow...an intangible beauty that leaves us feeling as though we've been hugged by God's grace.
- Crystal Dawn Perry

 I love...
the way Mason brings his spoon to his mouth when he's eating,
the way Makayla plays "house" with her brother and baby dolls,
and the sweet, sweet sound of Mia's voice as she squeals and talks.

I love...
the way Mason snuggles into me when he gets up from his nap,
the way Makayla applauds herself after writing her letters,
and the way Mia stares in amazement when she shakes her rattle.

Mason - age 2

 I love...
the way Mason says "horse poop" every single time he smells something stinky,
how proud Makayla is when she holds her baby sister,
and the way Mia starts to excitedly pant with a smile on her face when she knows I'm going to feed her.

 I love...
Mason's continued passion for bowling,
when Makayla makes a club house under Mia's crib,
and when Mia doesn't take her eyes off of me for one second when she's in the arms of someone else.

Makayla - age 4

I love...
to listen to Mason count to 10 and try to continue on to 20,
how Makayla doesn't forget a single person or thing and brings up the strangest stories from years ago,
and nursing Mia skin-to-skin in the warm, heated bathroom before her bath.

 I love my kids' character, the strength of their hugs, and where their imaginations take them.
I love their messy bedrooms, when they crawl into bed with me in the middle of the night, and how I get lost in time while rocking Mia.
I love to kiss their cheeks and hold them tight.

Mia - ALMOST 3 months

...I could hold them forever.

My heart is overflowing with love and I can't imagine my world without my 3 little babes!