Saddles, T-squares, and Sippy Cups

That's what it feels like I have been doing lately.

Those emails, phone calls, blog posts, thank you notes, and a visit to see my Mimi who just had heart surgery all got put on hold to crawling out of bed, feeding the kids, changing diapers and wiping snotty noses. You know, the bare necessities.

I think I am finally coming out of it, though. Except for my right ear. Still can't hear out it.

But enough about that. I don't like feeling like a whiner. Well, most of the time. I mean, sometimes you just need to whine, ya know? But not now. This post is supposed to be about the Great Surprise.

"What Great Surprise?" you ask.
Why, the Great Surprise that my mom sent up with my dad. You remember that he stopped in and was able to go to Noah's birthday party? Well, he brought the Great Surprise with him.

You might remember this post from last year. The very last picture is of a painting that I started under mom's direction. And if you read around it you will remember that I thoughtfully left it in her hands to fix and finish.

And she did! And it was a Great Surprise because it isn't Christmas. I think it is an early birthday present.

Well, are you ready yet, my steadfast readers? Are you all aflutter with anticipation?

Oh, wait, just one more thing for the preliminaries-I didn't get a photo that does justice to the whole thing, frame and all. The fog settled in too quickly and I was a little shaky:)

And just the picture.

I know that mom worked over this for a long time, trying to make it better. I think that she did an amazing job and am so happy to have my first Leslie Abbott painting hanging in my home. Hint, hint.

"I need my birday paaty, I need my birday paaty, I need my birday paaty."

"bawoons, juice, peasants, cake, fweinds and games" is what you have a "birday paaties," so this is what we did:














It sprinkled a little in the beginning but then the sun came out (like it was supposed to) and we enjoyed a morning at the park with friends and a short surprise visit from Grandpa. He was our photographer for the day (thank you so much, it was a huge help!) and we didn't end up with any pictures of the birthday boy and his Grandpa. I am sad about that!

Noah had a good time and loved playing with his friends best of all. Thank you so much for helping us celebrate Noah's birthday and for your generous gifts Dillon, Byron and Hendrik (and mamas)! It was great!

So I was thinking that to commemorate this birthday I would take a little walk down memory lane of the last year. It turned out to be a long walk. I couldn't help myself, once I got into it I just had to keep going! Feel free to opt out, take breaks or run real fast! It might be a walk that only a mother could love doing.
In the past year we said hello and goodbye to Joyce, Noah's dedicated and well loved speech therapist.

Noah loved this 'crane' almost as much as he loves to play in tents.










We started bathing the boys together and they loved it. Solo baths are just not as good.









































And this was April of last year. How he has grown and developed! His vocabulary and speech improvements are the most noticeable but he is a great helper, willing and now able to do lots of little things for me. He loves to play with Ian now. He sings to himself a lot and loves music. He counts and knows lots of letters-colors not so much. He loves cooking in the kitchen with dad. Sundays are happy days because he gets to go to nursery. He has grown a lot taller and got a new big bed to sleep in. He still loves taking long naps. The outdoors continue to draw him out of the house, rain or shine, cold or hot.

Noah is so precious to me! Even as he drives me batty, which has been happening a lot lately, I can't hardly resist those huge blue eyes and long lashes. I just have to snuggle him up or tickle him to hear his laugh. We love you Noah! Happy Birthday!!