A Golden Dozen

Still as cheeky, and kissable, and huggable, and squeezable as he was back then. Now he is 12. He is one sassy charmer, this kid. Always the Goldensbear.

Tommy is always one to come home and ask how my day was. He is the one who will crazy dance with me for every song at a wedding. He is the one who can tell when I am upset and is quick to give me a hug and tell me he loves me. He is a good listener. He is a good son and friend. He goes out of his way to play with Grace when he thinks she is being left out. He always shares with Ben and Joe and is quick with a compliment and encouragement. He is a good brother.

He is also dramatic and emotional and moody. He can be demanding and impatient and persistent to annoyance. I kid him often and say, "You're lucky you're cute." He is lucky he is so charming too because it is easy to quickly forgive this kid. Especially since he gets his dramatic, emotional moodiness from me. I get it. I get him.

He is quick witted and fun. He is always making us laugh with his weird made up characters with goofy facial expressions and odd voices. He likes the spotlight but he doesn't steal the spotlight from others. He is generous and kind.

There are so many things to love about this kid. He is hard working and determined. He is naturally talented in many different areas. He is just as comfortable talking with adults as he is with kids and he puts people at ease. I know this kid will go far in life not only because of his gifts and hard work but with his charm as well.

This boy wears his heart on his sleeve. He is one big walking heart. I am so proud to be his mama. I love him so very much.

Happy Birthday, Thomas! 

Fantastic Fourteen

Joey turned 14 years old today.

This guy. This guy right here is now fourteen. This silly little weirdo is still making me laugh daily and making me smile.

I have spent much of my motherhood dreading my babies growing up. And to a point, I still do. I can't imagine a day when this little man leaves my home. I honestly can't even think about it. But I have also gained new perspective on what it means to have older children. There are certainly new struggles but there are so many more joys. And with Joey being my first teenager he is definitely making "teenager" a fun, pleasant, and enjoyable experience. 

It wasn't the greatest birthday for him. We barely had time to celebrate. There was school, a basketball bust up party, and then rehearsal for the school musical. It was jam packed. But we managed to sneak in a little bit of birthday fun.

Joe brought glazed donuts in for his classmates today for his birthday treat. And because he hasn't gotten any demerits at school he was able to pick a special incentive and he chose to wear jeans on his birthday. Being a uniform kid and being able to be the only kid in school wearing jeans for a day was actually pretty fun for him.  It turned out to be a fun day of school.

After school we opened his presents (lots of model planes, a Nerf gun, and some Nike stuff), sang "Happy Birthday", and Joe ate his birthday turnovers. Joe is not a fan of cake and didn't want brownies. I had to think of something and knew he loved cherry turnovers and he was pretty happy with that. I got cupcakes for his siblings (they were pretty disappointed about the no cake thing so I had to get them a little something to celebrate with) and Joey scarfed his turnovers down in approximately two minutes. Both of them. Egad. 

Before we knew it it was time to go. Joe had to get to his basketball bust up party. He had a great time eating pizza with his teammates and coaches and watching Hoosers. And I brought in a bunch of cookies for everyone as a birthday treat. Joey had a great time.

From there (luckily this was all at school) Joey had to go straight to the musical rehearsal. He had a pretty good time there too and I also brought cookies as a birthday treat for the whole cast as well. This was the most sweets (and junk food) Joey has had in, I don't know, EVER.  That always makes for a good day in a kid's mind.

We got home pretty late and yet Joe and I stayed up even later laughing and talking and having a blast. I showed him the Facebook post I wrote about his birthday and all of the comments from family and friends. He loved it. And when he saw a Pusheen the Cat emoji from one of our friends he couldn't stop laughing. We spent the next half hour looking up Pusheen the cat pictures. We were laughing so hard and being so ridiculous that when we saw mugs and stuffed animals of the cat we decided to order one for him and one for me. Todd thought we were crazy but I was eating it up. It was a silly little purchase but it will always remind me of Joe's 14th birthday party and how much fun he and I had together late that night.

You see, I have no idea how long this lasts. How much longer do I have with this boy like this? How much longer will he want to stay up laughing and goofing around with his mom? How much longer will he want to have inside jokes with me, or want me to be in a play with him, or be friends with me, or confide in me, or even like the same things as me? I'm sure there will come a time when this will not be the norm. I know it is probably coming soon. But for now, I am soaking it all up as much as I can. 

Tomorrow Joe has a Young Eagles meeting at the airport (for kids interesting in planes and flying- they eventually take him up in a plane and then teach him to fly) and then we will visit the EAA Museum (per Joe's request- he is SUPER obsessed with planes) in Oshkosh and visit with his godfather (and Todd's best friend). It will be a fun day for Joe. And he deserves it. 

This kid works really hard. He tries hard. He wants to be good. He wants to do good things. This world is a better place because he is in it. I am so proud to call this young man my son. I love him so very much.

Happy 14th Birthday, Joe!

Big Ten, Big Ben

Last week my Benny Bear turned 10. Double digits. My baby boy.

It was such a busy day that we had to wake everyone up early so that Ben had a chance to open presents. After school it was homework, three different basketball practices, and then play rehearsal. There wasn't even time for a special birthday dinner or cake! What a crazy birthday!

However, being that it is his big 10, Ben knew he had a special party to look forward to. Ben was very happy and excited about his present on his birthday morning but he was even more excited for his birthday party at the local waterpark the following weekend. 

Ben has an extra large class (it is broken into two classes) and he decided to just invite a handful of friends. And no girls (except for his sister). It was a very nice group of kids and everyone had a great time. Especially Ben!

Ben was so excited to finally get his big 10 birthday party. Unfortunately, it all went by so quickly. He said it was the best birthday EVER and he was a little sad when it was all over.

Ten years of loving this kind, funny, compassionate, silly kid. My gentle Ben. Wise beyond his years. I'm so proud of this boy. Always trying so hard to be good, to do the right thing, to do his best. I'm so lucky to have him in my life. So lucky I get to be his mama.  What a gift.

Happy Birthday, my dear Benny Bear! I am so proud to be your mama.
I love you so very much!

7th Heaven

Grace turned 7 yesterday and the whole weekend was spent celebrating her birthday. She was in 7th heaven. 

The weekend started out with a trip to the local indoor waterpark. Grace was finally tall enough to play in the big pool with her brothers. She also decided, on her own, to try out the big waterslides by herself. It was a big day for her. 

Then there was cake with the grandmas and presents, too.

Monday, on her actual birthday there were even more presents! Grace was thrilled with her doll twin and her angel necklace.

We even went to Bay Beach for the day. It was a blast. Grace added another first to her list and went on the Zippin' Pippin for the first time.

 It was a great birthday weekend for Grace. And I didn't even have time to get melancholy at how quickly my little lady is growing up.

Happy Birthday, my darling girl. I am so proud to be your mumma. I love you!

Forty????

I turned 40 today. Forty. Yikes. 

Still not sure how I feel about that. It is better than the alternative though, so I guess I won't complain.

Plus, I do get to do something pretty special for my birthday. I get to be on stage with my two oldest and watch them perform lead roles in The Lion King. That is a pretty fantastic way to spend a birthday!

I remember years ago when I figured out that my 40 birthday would fall on a Friday. I was very excited because I thought maybe I could have a party or go away for the weekend or even just have a nice night out with the hubby at a fancy restaurant. Well, that is definitely not happening. But this probably tops them all.  

 Being in so many plays and musicals over the years I always hoped my kids would have a love and respect for the arts. And they certainly do. I only wish my two little ones could get up on stage with us as well. Until they are a little older they will settle for helping paint the set and handing out programs.

I am so proud of them and all the hard work they have put into the show while maintaining their good grades at the same time. It hasn't been easy. Our schedule has been nuts. This week our rehearsals have run from 6 until 10 every night and this weekend will be even crazier. But it will all be worth it. 

Watching Tommy leave the stage as Young Simba and Joey enter as Adult Simba always makes me teary. What an experience. And what a birthday!


Side note: One of the funniest birthday cards I've ever gotten. Created by my youngest son, Ben. I think he has a future in greeting cards.

Apparently my being 40 is as funny as a deer farting on a bunny.  Who knew?  HAHAHA!

Eleven Is Heaven

Today my Thomas turns eleven. No longer able to show his age on his hands he is now officially in the tween stage. Luckily, this age seems to fit Tommy perfectly. With Tommy, eleven is heaven.

This past weekend we celebrated Tommy's birthday with presents, cake, dinner out on Saturday and brunch on Sunday with the grandmas. It was kind of a birthday weekend, if you will. And much of the time Tommy was helping me run errands, sharing his brand new toys with his siblings, and generally being full of sunshine and loveliness. You know, par for the course with this kid. 

On one errand to the grocery store this weekend Tommy mentioned to me that he is so glad that he is part of our family and I just had to respond in kind. I let him know that he is such a gift not only to our family but to this world. Tommy glows. It is like he is lit from within. We have always called him "Goldensbear" not only for his soft blond hair but for his golden heart. The kid is filled with compassion and kindness. He is charming as all get out and attracts young and old to him. He is confident in himself and makes others feel comfortable being around him. He is good at just about everything he tries. He is a hard worker and I have no doubt that whatever he wants to do in life he will be a success. But more importantly, he is a good person. I told Tommy all of this and let him know that his dad and I don't care what he does for a living. It doesn't matter if he gets married or stays single. He can be rich or poor or somewhere in-between. What matters to us is that he is a good person. And he certainly is on the right path already. We are so proud of him. What a joy he is. 

Happy 11th Birthday, Tommy! No matter how big you get you will always be my baby. I love you so much and I'm so proud to be your mumma.

The Proud Owner of a Teenager

Today my firstborn turns thirteen.

I am now in possession of a teenager. And I couldn't be prouder.

I don't know how this all happened so quickly but I am so grateful that this teenager is the same lovable, cuddly, funny, kind, weird, smart, talented, goofy, bossy, hard working, dramatic, analytical, silly, serious, odd, and sweet boy that he has always been. I look at this young man before me and I'm so thankful that he is the same person he was as a little bitty boy. He makes me laugh so hard. He tries so hard to be good. He works so hard to do well. He puts other's feelings above his own. He is an amazing young man. He brings me so much joy.

Joe has just about caught up to me in height. Soon, probably mere weeks, he will be taller than me. Yet he still wants to sit with me, give me hugs, and tell me about his day.

I am so proud of this boy. I am so proud to be his mama. I can't believe this baby of mine is now a teenager. But I am certain of one thing. No matter how old, Joseph, you will always be my baby.

Happy Birthday, Joey! I am so proud of you and love you so much!

Ben

Ben. My baby boy. He is nine years old today.

We celebrated Ben's birthday yesterday with pizza and cake and his grandmas', his godmother, and cousin at our house. It was a good birthday. Ben said it was his "best birthday EVER". I swear he says that every year. Sweet boy. 

This year Ben got a new bike (I think he gets a new bike ever other year, the kid grows so fast). He also got a BB gun and a few other small toys. He was extremely pleased. He had a pretty awesome Minecraft cake (if I do say so myself) created by yours truly. Of course, I took a million pictures but because my computer took a huge dump on me I can not even turn it on much less upload all the beautiful birthday pictures. Hopefully they will follow shortly (either when my computer is fixed or I spring for a new computer- right now I'm borrowing my hubby's work laptop).  I just couldn't let this day pass without acknowledging this amazing boy and his 9th birthday.

Ben is an extraordinary person and such a young age. The first week of school he received the "Compassion" award. The next week he received the "Responsibility" award. Much of the same has continued throughout the year. The kid is a gem. Let me give you an example. Ben's class gets "sand dollars" (his teacher is from California and went with a beach theme for their room this year) for good behavior. Ben earns sand dollars VERY quickly and has then bought many toys and treats (many of which he has chosen for his sister- a ring, etc., or his brothers). Last week Ben told me that he saved up 20 sand dollars (the maximum amount for the top prizes) and chose a pizza lunch with his teacher. For the lunch he was allowed to pick a friend to join him. Ben picked the new kid in class (brand new- he just started a few days earlier) because he wanted him to feel happy and comfortable in his new school. Ben wants the new kid to know he has friends. This is par for the course with Ben. I swear, this kid has such heart it brings tears to my eyes. I could not be prouder. What an absolute gift he is. Not only to me, but to this world.

Happy Birthday, my dear, sweet, kind, loving, and gentle Ben. No matter how big you get you will always be my baby. You are such a wonderful boy and I am so proud to be your mumma.

I love you more than you will ever know!

(Yay! Finally got some pictures in the post!)

A Very Happy Birthday

Grace turned six years old today. And boy, was it a fun birthday!

The festivities started yesterday with cake and presents with grandma. We all sang "happy birthday" a day early because we knew the next day would be busy. Besides, who doesn't like to stretch their birthday fun out as long as possible?

After the cake we all went to a friend's house for a fun little get together. Knowing all we had planned for the next day it probably wasn't the smartest decision to keep everyone up so late, but we were having too much fun to leave the party early.  We got the kids home way past their bedtimes and everyone slept in for a long time the next morning.

Grace woke up around 10:00 on her birthday. That sounds like a GREAT way to start out a birthday to me! Immediately she opened a few presents from us. She was very excited about her presents.

As quickly as we could we got everyone ready and hustled out the door and into the car. We drove an hour away to Green Bay to visit the Bay Beach and the Wildlife Sanctuary. It was the same thing we did last year for Grace's birthday and she had so much fun last time that she wanted to do it again.

It was hot, hot, HOT outside but that didn't stop us. The kids were so excited to get their bags of corn to feed the ducks and geese. Ah, good times.

After our corn was all gone (save for a few pieces we saved for the chipmunks) we walked on over to get a look at the wolves, cougars, otters, cranes, porcupine, bobcats, foxes, and owls. We really lucked out and all the animals were active and we got to see them up close.

Our leftover corn came in handy too. Tommy found a friendly little chipmunk and feed him out of his hand. Of course, once we saw that the rest of us had to try it out too.

By the time the birthday girl climbed down from the jungle gym the little chippie had his cheeks so full that he ran off into the woods to hide his loot. The birthday girl was the only one who didn't get to feed the chipmunk. Luckily, she was a really good sport about it. 

We were all over heating and in need of some lunch and lots of water. We decided to finish up at the nature center and grab something to eat. When we were done eating we went to Bay Beach to hit up some rides. Probably not the best idea after we had just gotten done eating but we took it slow and went on the Ferris Wheel first.

It wasn't long before we moved on the roller coaster and spinning rides. Luckily, our stomachs handled it all just fine.

Last year we tried to get Gracie on the swings but she refused. In her defense these swings do go pretty high and they kind of rock you forward and back a little bit too. It is a little more daring than most swings. I thought maybe now that Grace is SIX she would want to go on. She waffled back and forth and couldn't make up her mind. I reminded her that she went on Space Mountain and Disney and loved it. Still, these swings just looked so scary and out in the open to her. I told her that she could change her mind at the last minute if she wanted to (and she almost did a couple of times) but finally decided to give the swings a try.

The poor little lady was so nervous. I sat right behind her to try and sooth her nerves. Wouldn't ya know it, she loved it! She was laughing and throwing her hands in the air the whole time. "I wanna do that again, and again, and again!" she said as we got off the swings. I was so proud of her for fighting through her fear and having such a great time.

We finished up the evening with dinner at a restaurant of her choice. Grace chose a Chinese buffet restaurant. That girl certainly is good at trying new things.

Happy birthday, my dear sweet Grace. I am so lucky to have you as my daughter. You are sweet and strong. Independent and cuddly. Shy and bubbly. Silly and smart. You are such and amazing little lady and I am so excited for you and all the adventures that are coming your way this year. I know 6 will be a wonderful year for you. I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for being my little girl. No matter how big you get you will always be my baby girl. I am so proud of you. I love you.

The Big One

Today was a much anticipated big day.

Today was Tommy's birthday.

Normally, birthdays are pretty fun around here, but this one was extra special. Not only was it Tommy's birthday, but it was Tommy's 10th birthday and he was having a party. And not just any party, but a birthday party at the local indoor waterpark.

As I said, today was a big day.

It started out bright and early, of course. Tommy was never known for being a good sleeper and on such an exciting day the kid just couldn't stay in bed. Since we were all up early we thought we'd get a jump on the festivities and open a few presents.

Tommy was pleased. It was a lovely way to start the day.

Before we knew it a few hours had passed and it was time to go to the party. This was Tommy's first big birthday party (other than his 1st birthday, I suppose) and he decided that instead of inviting his whole class he just wanted to invite a few of his closest friends. It was such a great group of kids. They are all so sweet and got along so well. It was so much fun.

The kids swam and played, slid down the slides, body surfed, played basketball, and wore each other out. We took a little break for lunch, cake, and presents, and then it was right back out into the water for more fun.

It was four hours of swimming, partying fun. By the time it was over I think we were all pretty exhausted. 

Still, the birthday fun was not done. Seeing as how this mama was worn out and didn't want to cook, and Tommy wanted to get a birthday t-shirt from his favorite restaurant like all his siblings did on their birthdays, we decided to go out to eat. Let's hear it for buffet restaurants and no dishes!

Yes, it was a very exciting day. A big day. It's not every day you turn 10, you know. 

My dear Tommy. I am so proud to be your mama. You are such a good and kind boy. You always want to make people happy, and are always concerned about other people's feelings. You are a hard worker and I have no doubt that whatever you want to do in life you will be successful. Once you put your mind to it there is no stopping you. You are a natural charmer. Charismatic. You are dramatic, stubborn, and silly. You have a heart of gold. My darling, goldensbear. A boy so sweet and sentimental that just before bed he lamented that he felt a little sad. "I just realized, I'll never be able to have this birthday again." my melancholy Tommy had said. Just another reminder to treasure each moment I have with you.

Happy 10th birthday, Tommy. I love you!

A Dozen

Twelve. A dozen years. The last year before the teens. 

Today Joey turned twelve years old. 

My first born. The one who made me a mama. 

I watch his baby videos and I'm in awe at how much of Joey was there right from day one. Same huge eyes, round face, sweet cheeks. Same silly sense of humor. Same analytical mind, always watching, observing, figuring out. Same hambone who knows how to capture attention. Same clown. Same snuggler. My same affectionate Joey. 

He is twelve. But he still wants to sit with me. He still wants to ask my advice. He still tells me personal info and lets me in to his deepest secrets. He still trusts me. He still plays with his siblings. He still loves being a kid. He still asks for my help. He still has no problem being exactly who he is. 

I hope that never changes. 

Since Joey's birthday fell on a Tuesday and he also had his last basketball game of the season the same night, I knew we wouldn't have much time to celebrate. Instead we took the past weekend to allow Joey to pick his birthday activity. 

The kids had off of school on Friday, and Todd was gone for the weekend, so I took them to a nearby indoor bounce house. It was more to get them out of the house and let them get their energy out than to celebrate Joey's birthday. The kids had a blast bouncing and jumping and sliding and playing for four hours and by the time we got home they were worn out. Job done.

Joey's real birthday treat came on Saturday. I took the kids to the EAA Museum in Oshkosh. We haven't been there for a while and the kids had a blast. All afternoon they conducted experiments and flew plane simulations and sat in cockpits and looked at war planes. Joey was in heaven. It was a good birthday treat.

Today was Joey's actual birthday and of course there were presents (mostly LEGOS), dinner at the restaurant of his choice after his basketball game, and brownies and ice cream for dessert. It was a good birthday.

Now everyone is off to bed and I sit and watch more baby videos of Joey, completely confused as to how we went from 0 to 12 so quickly. 

Happy Birthday my dear Joseph. Thank you for making me a mama. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for your snuggles and affection. Thank you for being you and sharing yourself with me. I am so proud to be your mom. I love you.