Three

This past weekend, we celebrated Cullen's birthday with our family and friends.  The party was a great success, and by that I mean that there were lots of screaming kids, tired parents and one very happy Birthday Boy.

At times, it seems like my son was born with a spatula in one hand and a pot in the other, so I decided to have a cooking themed birthday party.  I made personalized aprons for everyone, the kids made their best rendition of personal pizzas and the cooking portion of the party hit a crescendo when the kids decorated their own cupcakes.  The ratio of icing to cake was definitely an issue with most of the kids, most of whom wisely decided not to eat their creations, but a $5 bet was on the table for any party guest that would; there were no takers.

Happy Birthday, Cullen.  We love you.

Glory Days

So, Springsteen's song goes: 

Now I think I'm going do to the well tonight

and I'm going to drink till I get my fill

and I hope when I get older I don't sit around

thinking about it

but I probably will

A few weekends ago, I did that, I relived my Glory Days; college.  It's funny, because I remember one of my best friend's sisters talking about someone that went to the same school and she said at first they didn't like it, but now they "bleed blue and gold."  And it's sort of like that for me.  I struggled in the beginning, making new friends, being away from home on September 11th and waking up to go to class, but then something happened about 4 months in: this crazy coal mining town with smelly streets, couches on the front lawn and the nicest, most carefree people ever won me over and I was hooked.

My four strongest friendships have continued to develop from the mandatory roommate situations to the type of bonds that help us support one another through marriages, kids, divorces, loss of jobs, 30th birthdays and the memories of all of those crazy nights spent living. it. up. college style.

So cheers to everyone that had the time of their lives in college and aren't afraid to admit that while the party may be over, the memories are legendary- if only in your own mind.

Happy Halloween

We survived FrankenStorm, now it's all about surviving Halloween night.

Happy Halloween 2012.

Really, Real

One of the kinda annoying things about me is that I tend to under report "realness" up on this blog, but let me just reassure everyone that things aren't always rosy-colored puppy kisses, and sometimes things just don't go as planned.

Now, let me tell you about one of those times.  Recently, we attempted to have the four of us be all cute and take some photos for our annual fall photo shoot; yeah, that didn't go so well... in fact, it was kind of a fail.

So here are the top 5 fails of the day:

#5

#4

#3

#2

#1

Okay, so it didn't work out quite the way I anticipated, but here's the thing: at least we were all unhappy together... at the beach, so it wasn't all bad.  (I just can't let the optimism go, right?)  In happier news, we rescheduled the photo shoot and got some fantastic pictures, which I will be posting soon.

Thanks for lettin' me keep it real, I'm sure there will be plenty more of this to come.

Family, Dirt Roads & Tree Houses

Watching any urban dwellers getting to stretch their legs in the great outdoors is always heartwarming, but when it's my kids, it's damn near exhilarating.  This weekend, we had the opportunity to visit my cousin and her family who live in a real log cabin- it was awesome.  The boys had a great time running down dirt roads and I got to experience something my parents told me about all too often- trusting that the older cousins will look after the younger ones.  The homemade tree house proved to be a nice family bonding experience as little ones were looked after by older ones while ascending and descending the ladder as a nervous Mama looked on.

We don't get to spend nearly enough moments together with my cousin who lives about an hour and half away, but each time we do, I feel rejuvenated and grateful that despite the distance, our family always has an authentically good time.

Cheers to family, dirt roads and homemade tree houses.

Major Props

This moment with my husband, surrounded by our good friends, eating barbque next to a fire was worth literally running out of the office for.  I've gotta give him major props, at least twice a week, my 8 hour days turn into 9, 10, sometimes even 11 hour days and he never complains.  When we missed the most important part of the party this weekend (the surprise of course), he didn't get annoyed; he went to get gas while I ran around like a crazy person getting ready.  He never once rolled his eyes and asked why I didn't get gas earlier (like I would've), cause he's just that nice.

So give it up for all of the nice husbands/partners/boyfriends/fiances out there who make life a little easier, it's much appreciated.

My Baby

This picture gets me every time.  

Every. 

Single. 

Time.  

There's nothing more that I can say and nothing more that can be written.