Happy Birthday Daddy and Jason

For the last 4 years there has been a double celebration on January 15th....in 2008 Jason was born on Matt's 40th birthday. This year we celebrated Matt's 43rd and Jason's 3rd birthdays. It was a Saturday, Grammy and Grandpa were here, and we went out to eat at Outback. Here Matt and Jason pose with their cake.
Prior to going out to eat, we spent some time opening presents. Madison is just about to realize that none of these presents are for her. But she is excited to give her brother a present that she helped pick out.

Jason is eager to get started.

Daddy takes some time to read his card....kids patiently waiting.

And he reads yet another card....made by Madison.

Daddy receives the Hines Ward jersey....and Madison holds up Jason's new jersey.

I was more than happy to wear Matt's "old" jersey for the night....Troy Polamalu. After all, it was also the evening of a playoff game between the Steelers and the Ravens....fortuneately the Steelers pulled out a victory.

The kids enjoy decorating the dining room with all the balloons.

Jason is very happy with his new trucks.

Both boys got to open their birthday presents from Grammy and Grandpa....new Diego bikes with training wheels.

And they enjoyed trying them out in the living room.

A little Happy Birthday video....taken at Outback.

Madison Turns 5!

On November 29th, Madison turned 5. We had a little family celebration in Ohio then a birthday party planned for December 4th with some girlfriends. We really didn't have any big plans for her actual birthday which was a good thing because in the evening both her and I came down with the stomach bug which Carson and Jason both had the previous 2 days!

Here's a picture of Madison with her matching doll on her birthday...prior to feeling sick!

I opted out of decorating a major cake this year as in years past.....we went with the cupcake option....much easier!

The table all ready with balloons and a pinata!

Madison and Dorothy spend some time coloring while they wait for their friends to arrive.

Madison takes a little break with Mikaella and Faith on the steps.

Not the best birthday video...Madison was acting so shy, but I had to include it.

And some pinata action. Matt had to hold it and put himself in harm's way because we had no place to hang it inside and it was way too cold to be outside. It didn't take long before someone was able to break off the bottom and all the loot fell out.

And in the way of statistics....Madison now weighs 48 pounds (90th percentile) and is 44.5 inches tall (83rd percentile). She had a major growth spurt in the last year....gaining 10 pounds and about 5 inches.

Carson turns 3!

The morning began mixing up the cake for Carson's birthday...of course all had to be involved!
The finished product....a few hours later...Lightning McQueen.

One of Carson's presents was an military dress-up outfit. You can see here that he's pretty excited about it.

Doesn't he look so cute in this? He liked it so much that he went to bed with the jacket and hat on.

Testing out the binoculars!

With a 50% discount at Outback we've begun a little tradition of celebrating birthdays there. They love it when a bunch of the staff come over and sing. Here's a little video of how much Carson was enjoying it.

From Grammy and Grandpa

Grammy and Grandpa got a large present for the boys to share for their birthday. We decided to have them open the present halfway in between their birthdays so that one of them wouldn't think it was only their gift....selfish little hearts that they have. So here they are opening the gifts.





A train table complete with a train set! The boys already have a container full of geo-trax but this train table with train will go in their room. Here they are enjoying the pieces while Dad in the background puts the table together.

All set up and ready to play....as you can see Madison enjoys this gift as much as the boys. Thanks Grammy and Grandpa!

Our Baby Turns Two

On January 15th we celebrated two birthdays....Matt's and Jason's. Matt got his birthday cake (cheesecake) Thursday night for caregroup and Jason got his monkey cake Friday night after dinner. Initially I couldn't decide what cake to make for him but when I saw the monkey cake my decision was easy....he's such a little monkey as he climbs and scales everything.

So here is the finished product.
Opening a few presents.

A big train book....he loves trains.

A present bigger than him...a very large tonka recycling truck. Carson is very much in love with this toy.

We went to Outback for an early dinner, releasing me from cooking and cleaning up....it was much easier to leave the mess at Outback. After dinner, the staff brought our cake out with candles and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jason. He was happy initially but then a little unsure of the entire event....but very excited to blow out the candles.

The final present we gave him was....well, take a look below.

He was a little apprehensive but has developed a liking for his new friend; however, the monkey can be found most nights in Madison's bed....she's really liking this toy.

Singing Happy Birthday

No birthday party is complete without a little singing of "Happy Birthday". Here we are singing and then Madison blowing out her candles. Unfortuneately I was the one holding the camera so I am the loudest.

Madison's 4th Birthday Party

Although Madison actually turned 4 on November 29th we didn't have her party until December 12th after we had to cancel it on Novembre 28th due to slight illnesses in the family. But despite the rescheduling 6 of Madison's friends were able to attend yesterday: Grace (a friend she's "known" since birth), James, Dalton, Dorothy, Derek, and Dylana.

It took me 3 hours to decorate her Dora cake on Friday night...something I don't think I would've had the energy for the day after Thanksgiving. Even though the process was tedious at first and I was very tempted to give up, I stuck it out and was happy with the results...so was Madison!
Here's Madison prior to guests arriving at the table with her Dora balloon...picked out that morning by Daddy, Sam, and the boys.

Madison and her very good friend Grace getting ready to make their own pizzas in the kitchen.

Madison with her cake.

A few of the presents she received.

A very special treat...holding Madelene, her preschool teacher's baby who was born in the front seat of their van on the way to the hospital. She is just 3 1/2 weeks old here.

Happy Birthdays!

Hard to believe but one year ago our youngest, Jason was born and to top it all off he was born on Daddy's 40th birthday! He is such a joy in our home. His laughter is contagious. He is into everything, just like his sister and brother, and he is constantly on the go! At his doctor visit today he weighed 23 pounds (54%) and measured 31 inches (84%). Yesterday we celebrated both Jason's and Daddy's birthdays. Enjoy the pictures.
Jason's birthday cake....my first heavy duty try at decorating. It was fun, I was happy with how it turned out, but wow what a task...mixing the colors, filling decorating bags, changing tips, cleaning up the big mess, whew...Carson will be getting a football cake for his birthday as we'll celebrate on Super Bowl Sunday!
Jason and Carson had Matt and I up numerous times during the night as they have both been sick, but we started the morning off by presenting Jason with his giant Pooh singing balloon.

Present time...as you can see Madison and Carson understand the concept a bit more than Jason!

Jason is excited about one of his new toys!

Daddy's turn for a gift....Troy Polamalu jersey (Pittsburgh Steelers). Matt is a huge Steelers fan and has been for a long time. We all love watching Polamalu play so I was delighted to get Matt his first Steeler jersey!

A gift from Grammy...an alphabet train. Once again, Carson and Madison help out!

Time for singing and cake!

Jason being cautious before digging in...it was as if he kept looking to me for approval to get messy!

It was a big hit...as you can see he had no problem finishing it all!

When done with cake....eat plate.

Or...play peek-a-boo....where'd he go?

Peek-a-boo!

Now, for Daddy's turn...Matt loves cheesecake so I made a homemade cheesecake for him!

Wow...2 birthdays in one day...I can't even imagine if I had actually thrown parties!...I'm exhausted!