A Happy Day with a Tinge of Sadness

Duncan's first birthday was the first time I've felt any sadness on the birthday of one of my children.  Usually I think about how I can't remember what life was like before they were born, and how the day they were born seems SO long ago.

With Duncan I feel different.  The past year has flown by with high highs and low lows. 

I feel sad because Duncan is my last baby and his "baby days" are numbered. He is practically weaned at this point and he doesn't need me in the same way that he has for the past year. 

He started crawling exactly a week before he turned 1.  We have been working on crawling for MONTHS.  As happy as I am that he is finally crawling, it is hard watching him struggle.  I feel sad that he doesn't have more time to catch up. 

Turning one is a reason to celebrate, and we did, with family and friends that we love dearly.  But someone was missing. I feel sad that in a few short months we would have celebrated Wyatt's first birthday.  I feel sad that Rob and Kelli know what it feels like to have a precious boy taken away without any warning whatsoever.

I am thankful for Duncan, this precious gift that God has given us, but I can't help but feel sad that my babies are growing up and life is moving on.  Anyone have any suggestions on how I can make time slow down??

This is what the Lord says:  I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.  I will heal you.  2 Kings 20:5

Duncan's First Birthday

Our sweet Duncan turned one on Sunday.  I tried to keep it from happening.  For weeks I whispered in his ear not to turn one.  But he didn't listen to me.  I'm sure that will never happen again!  :)







This little boy is very LOVED!!

Three Years Old

Roper turned 3 on Monday...I'm not really sure how these three years have passed so quickly!!  It doesn't seem like it's been that long since he was Duncan's size...

Birthday


One Year


Two Years


Three Years

Gigi's 87th Birthday Celebration

My beloved grandmother turned 87 a few weeks ago, and we celebrated with a party on Sunday, which also happened to be my cousin Kate's birthday.

The birthday girls with their cakes...




Gigi with her grands and great grands...and 2 of her grands-in-law. :)


And some other pictures from the party...












I can only hope to be as elegant and sweet and fiesty and funny as Gigi is when I turn 87...or at any age, for that matter. She is the perfect role model for southern graciousness and I am so blessed to be her granddaughter!

"Happy Birthday, Dear Mason..."

Four Years Old

Birthday:


One Year:


Two Years:


Three Years:


Four Years:

Happy Birthday to...

...a father that knows how to have a good time...




...a man that after 10 years together I enjoy spending time with more than ever...


...the "captain" of our family...


Thank you, Graem, for being the best husband a girl could ask for and for being our boys' hero!

I love you.

Big Boy

I took Roper to the doctor on Friday for his 2-year check-up. Before I share his stats, I must say that I was a little surprised. He has really thinned out over the past year...don't you agree?

From this...


To this...


So I was thinking that he probably dropped some in the charts. Nope...still 93rd percentile for height (same as at his 1-year check-up) and 78th percentile for weight (down from the 82nd percentile last year). I remember our pediatrician telling me at Mason's 2-year check-up that at this point you can project how tall they will be as an adult. Only time will tell!

Just for comparison's sake, at Mason's last check-up in September, he was in the 81st percentile for height and 65th percentile for weight.

Roper's Second Birthday Party

Here in South Carolina, mid-July is HOT. So for Roper's birthday we decided to do something to keep the children cool. Graem's cousin Brannon owns a company that rents out big inflatable toys...bounce houses, slides, etc. We decided to get one of Brannon's waterslides for Ro's party.

The party was from 11-1...we invited family, friends and our small group from church. As everyone started arriving, I was looking around for Roper. I found him in the dining room all by himself enjoying a slice of orange! I don't think he realized the party was all about him, which is fine. :)









The youngest party guest, baby Camden...


My sweet cousin Margaret...












Group shot of all the children:


After everyone finished eating we inflated the slide. Brannon & his son Evan delivered the slide late Friday night...and I'm so glad the boys were already in bed because if they had seen it they would not have wanted to go to sleep! The slide was HUGE. Probaby 10 times bigger than I expected it to be. It almost took up our entire backyard.



I'm pretty sure all the children loved it. And I love that Roper wore his birthday hat even when sliding.









...well, later he handed it off to Uncle Houston. :)







































Yall remember how hard we worked on the swing set a few weeks ago? It got some love too...





We took a break from the slide for cake...here is the cake that I made for Roper.



I got the idea here. We didn't really have a theme, but the invitations had a lion on them so this worked.









For Mason's birthday party last year, I bought cookies to use as party favors. This time I decided to attempt them myself, and I think they turned out really cute and were also really tasty! Kate helped me {thank you!}. I will definitely make these again. I used this cookie recipe (which next time I will try rolling out a little thicker) and this icing recipe.



Would you believe that at 9:00 pm they we were still sliding?!? That's right, the party turned into an all day affair. All of the big kids (aka adults) saw how much fun the children were having and had to get in on the action.







The first time I went up my little Lily followed me up the ladder! And she slid down. Once was enough for her. :) I can't believe she climbed the ladder. Hilarious!









The birthday boy loved giving kisses to his Grandaddy's new puppy. Daddy came down for the party and then headed down to Charleston to pick up the puppy. He stopped in on his way back to the farm to show off the puppy and of course we were still sliding. :)





All that sliding makes you work up an appetite. :)



The big kids (aka men) started a contest to see who could have the biggest splash at the bottom of the slide...I think it was Justin that ended up spraying water all over my Daddy and his new pup...





I think we finally pulled the plug on the slide shortly after 9. What a fun day! I asked Mason how many times he went down the slide. His reply: 5,345. That's probably pretty accurate! It definitely took my boys several days to recover!

Happy Birthday, Roper!