Birthday Sort of Day!

Hubby celebrated another year on this year!  Thankful he is here and we celebrated, even if it wasnt a huge thing.  Thankful he wasnt expecting a whole lot.

In addition to this, thankful for the following:

• tag teaming getting the kids to where they need to be
• sun and clouds
• voice lessons for the younger one
• easy dinners, like tacos
• time to read

Fourteen Trips Around the Sun

That is what was celebrated today!  Our Ian turned 14 today.  It was a celebration all day long, with food, laughter, and fun.  Much joy to be shared.  Here are just a few of the things that brought smiles:

• warm, orange glow from the fireplace
• chocolate croissants for breakfast
• car rides with the birthday gentleman
• sprinkles
• rainbow cakes

Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants

Cakes before baking

Vanilla frosting and loads of sprinkles!

Singing

What a laugh!

Inside of the cake!  Colors don't show

as well as I'd like.

A New Teen and Being Content

Our second born turned 13 today.  Both kids are now teenagers.  Introductions into an all teen house, has been mostly peaceful and easy; at least so far.  By no stretch of the imagination, do I expect this to last, but am enjoying the newness while it lasts. 

During cake and ice cream, this evening, I was reminded of a conversation with my mom, almost 13 years ago.  She'd asked something about how life was going with two kids.  We were in the middle of dinner.  Simon, Kevin, and I were at the table, while Ian was sleeping in the port-a-crib we moved into the dining room.  Everything felt right, it was where we were suppose to be, our family was complete.  The flash back to that moment, felt real again and very similar to that moment in time.  Everything was as it should be.  The good, the bad, the easy, the hard; it all was part of our lives.

Anyway, backing up to other parts of the day, we managed to pull off an outdoor party, in freezing weather.  I'm not normally one to have parties, in the middle of the week.  Our boys are in 10th and 7th and we need that time for school.  Weather forecast are predicting a lot of snow this coming weekend and I just didn't want to have to rearrange a party last minute.  So we plugged forward.  Ian and four of his friends hung out, played on an empty play ground, played in the woods, and played football.  The mom's froze and we moved to the vans.  They all had fun and we'll all eventually thaw out!  Thank goodness for wood stoves, firewood, and warm clothing afterward.

Our 13 yo seemed to enjoy his day.  The thank yous were flowing, without being reminded of.  He loved everything about the day and tolerated having to get school accomplished.

 favorite candy bar

 Had been begging for a small jar

of peanut butter for awhile.  At approximately

$2.50, we couldn't resist.

Another long asked for gift - Rubik 4 x 4!

Very contented new teen.  With his day wrapping up, the joy in the ordinary feels easy:

• easy to shop for new teen
• hot, Earl Gray tea (thanks friend)
• kids playing in the way cold
• friends willing to let their kids play in the way cold
• hanging out with mom's of only 2 kids (maybe that story will crop up on another day)
• teen happy with a white cake and chocolate orange frosting - nothing special about the cake this year
• home made, cookies and cream, ice cream - oh so tasty - almost better than CFA cookies and cream shake
• games around the tame
• another teen working hard to catch up on school work
• being content with what we have

A Stumbling Sort of Day!

Yes, stumbling!

        a definition of stumbling ~ to almost fall, to trip, to loose balance for a moment

That has been me finding the joy in the ordinary today!  So many things, probably more than I can recount today; probably more that I forgot than remembered because I haven't been noting them today.  Maybe I should do that, but probably won't.  (glimpse of a life with an easily distracted brain).

Big picture today starts with a lack of sleep.  My day actually started with a late night because we celebrated a birthday today.  There are things I like to do for our kids before they wake on their birth day.  Streamers put up, poster board decorated, few other things put out.  Man cub prayed for.

As for the day and the counting, it goes like things:

• another year celebrated with our oldest, now 16
• having enough, various forms of chocolate, in house to make ice cream, cake, and frosting
• a good attitude from children (mostly, with only minor correcting) pretty much all day
• easy to fix dinner
• realizing how much food we have in the freezer and pantry (just need to meal plan off of that)
• keeping the house warm without much electricity
• a child bathing our dog for me
• cake and ice cream before dinner
• commiserating, with a friend, over raising boys
• body holding out, as a lot of time spent standing and washing dishes
• watching the smiles on 16 yo as he opened gifts and mail today
• husband coming home early to celebrate life as a family

 Yes, more York Peppermint Patties!

 What's left of his cake and ice cream.

Also visible is a Celtic Thunder CD; one of his favorite groups.

It's been awhile since I took photos regularly.  Took a number of them this afternoon, but most turned out blurry.  Need to keep on taking them and learn the settings on my camera better!

Another Day, Another Birthday

Yes, our boys birth dates are only a week apart!  It makes for some crazy times over the years.  When they were younger, their friends were mostly sets of brothers, their age.  Made it so convenient to have a friends party ~ 3 hours or so, 10 to 12 kids in the house, along with a few extra adults, and we were done till the next year.

Having seen this years round of birthdays, it was a bit more work, a bit more baking, more cleaning, but less parental involvement.  The boys each did their own thing with their friends.  We just provided food.  The kids ages, for both parties, were between 12 and 18; that made cooking easy - pizza, chips, lemonade, cake, and ice cream.  All things we can do well!  DONE!!!

Anyway, today is about Ian.  He's officially 12!  He seemed quite happy to have gotten exactly what he wanted: cash, Lego's, Duct Tape, Crunch Bars, and an Itunes gift card.  So easy!  Especially when friends took care of some of it without know what he REALLY wanted.  Love when things work out that way.  It's just cool.

The good for the day:

• almost finishing our bathroom
• seeing color combinations I liked (see photo below)
• train whistle (it truly never gets old for me), for some reason it helped me focus today
• seeing delight in my child's eyes
• lunch out with the family
• easy dinner ~ catered to the 12yo ~ hot dogs and chips

 Barn Yard Red Ipad easel, Yellow ware bowl,

and green scale in the back ground.

 Someone had asked if I would make 12 number 12's

and hide them around the house for him to find.

A tradition that got started a few years ago, that he

really enjoys.

 Cupcakes for the final round of sweets!  Just a quick

glaze of icing.  The ratio of cake and icing

was much better with these.  And

not much left as most went to Scouts tonight.

 Recycled a bag, for his gifts tonight.

Can you see the pile of 12's.  He found them all,

but needed a hint for two of them.

Can I have a candle please?

Sunday ~ last moments of vacation

we'll be back at the grind tomorrow.  School and other things will be in full swing!  Ugh!  Not ready for it all to be back at it.

Today was a bit lovely, a bit long, a bit busy, and now a bit slow.  Oldest and I made it to church today ~ Ian just can't seem to shake the cold he has.  Spent an hour chatting with a friend I don't get to see as much as I'd like too.  Got caught up on life and things going on.  Lovely time!  Ran into another friend and chatted, briefly about ladies Wednesday Night study and my blog, how I had ideas for sketching things out, writing a post, etc. for today.

More even more time ~ short periods ~ with two other friends as well.  Very cool day at church.

The doodling that has been running through my head today.  Drawing out JOY with a star for the center of the O.  Kept thinking of "Jesus, Others, Yourself".  In chatting with friends, sometimes others and yourself gets a bit mixed, one comes before the other.  That's fine ~ keep in mind doing for others before yourself, but take time for yourself too.  I'll be pondering this over coming days!  So today it's:

• finding small moments of joy
• cleaning
• staging items to purge
• meeting with friends
• church
• getting ready for 14 yo turning 15 yos