Jacob is THREE!

Last week was full of birthday celebrations for our sweet Jacob Thomas! He has been waiting so patiently for his birthday, and it finally arrived! On Tuesday morning, his actual birthday, I decorated his door with streamers and sang "Happy Birthday" to him as I got him up! He was so excited and told me it was Monkey's birthday, too.

For breakfast, I made raspberry muffins, which were perfect for holding a candle! Of course Monkey had to join in!

We spent the day playing outside and getting ready for Jacob's family party that evening. Meme, Grandma, Grandaddy, and GiGi came to celebrate with us!

The next morning we went to the library for story time, and they had a special guest. Ranger Matt, (who Jacob referred to as "Stranger Matt") from Chimney Rock State Park, came to talk about falcons. Jacob was enchanted by the bird!

His exact words were, "WOW! A BALD EAGLE!!!"

While the crowd of toddlers and preschoolers grew restless during Ranger Matt's incredibly long, boring falcon book, Lydia was the perfect student! She attentively listened the whole time!

On Thursday, Jacob received a special birthday package in the mail from Uncle Craig and Aunt Lori! Our mail lady, Mrs. Dee, gave him a sucker! He said it as "de-wish-us"!

We had Jacob's big birthday party on Saturday. He adores "Little Einsteins" right now, so we had a Rocket Cake and music cookies! He was so excited about both!

We had beautiful weather! Everyone seemed to enjoy eating and playing outside.

The kids were so excited to eat cake! Jacob had a little taste of the "3" candle, and Kason licked the side a few times!

Jacob received so many thoughtful, generous gifts! He had so much fun opening them. His expressions and exclamations were so cute!

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We were so excited for the Houston family to join us! They came all the way from Kernersville. Maddox and Lydia were a bit done by the end of the party!

We really wanted a picture of all four kids. While the Littles were less than cooperative, especially the Birthday Boy, we made it happen. Afterall, memories don't make themselves!

It was so special to have Ava at the party. Lydia enjoyed some quality time with her cousin!

Look at these carefree ladies, who aren't chasing after toddlers or carrying babies! ;) Karen and I daydream about getting to hang out one day kid-free!

Grandma, Granddaddy, and GiGi were such huge "behind the scenes" helpers! From picking up the cake & cookies to making peanut butter sandwiches - they did anything that needed to be done! We're so lucky to have all three of them! I also need to thank my mom! She helped with the food prep and made sure Lydia was diapered, fed, and napped throughout the day! Raising children takes a village, and so does throwing their birthday parties! ;)

Papa drove all the way from Alabama to celebrate with us! Jacob loved getting to take a ride around the neighborhood in his truck. Papa hung out with us the rest of the day and evening. Jacob told him, "Today's been a really beautiful day!" And it was! Happy 3rd Birthday to Jacob!!!

♡ Mother's Day ♡

I had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! On Saturday, Scott took care of the kids so I could leave the house by myself! I love my children and enjoy taking them places, but it's a lot of work! It was a treat to just walk out the door, get in the car, and go!

On Sunday, while the kids and I took at nap in the afternoon, Scott planted some flowers for me in our front flower bed. Then we finished out the day with ice cream. It was perfect!

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother. It is an incredible honor, and I pray for the strength, wisdom, and sense of humor to handle each day. My children push me to be better. They make me dig deep for patience and grace that only God can give. Loving them gives me a small glimpse of His love for me.

I am so thankful for my mom. She is such a great example of love, selflessness, and devotion. Since becoming a mother myself, I better understand, and more fully appreciate, all the sacrifices she has made throughout my life. I'm so grateful for all the ways she supports and encourages me in my role as a mother and for the relationship she has with my children. I could never thank her enough for all she's done and continues to do!

Aside from Mother's Day, the other big event of the week was Lydia starting solid foods! So far she's had bananas and a section of my grocery list...

She seems to like eating and really loves her spoon. She ended up holding it all evening after her first "meal" and even took it in her bath!

Jacob was excited about the whole ordeal and pretended to take pictures and videos with his phone. After Lydia was done, he decided it was time for Monkey to start solids, as well!

And finally, a few other pictures from our week...

Jacob started requesting to watch "Handy Manny" again and has found a renewed love for his tools. In case you're wondering, those are "work gloves," not snow mittens!

We had some chilly weather last week, but still made it outside. Believe it or not, Jacob is actually smiling for the picture!

We started cleaning up for Jacob's birthday party pretty far in advance. It's so nice to have little helpers, but chores take a little while longer to finish!

Happy Birthday, Kason!!!

It is definitely birthday season! This weekend we got to celebrate Kason's 3rd birthday! He had a Curious George themed party, and the kids had a blast playing outside. Its been so fun to watch this little guy grow! Kason was very excited about his cake!

Jacob was excited about Kason's cake, too!

I laugh every time I look at this picture! It doesn't get more real than nose picking and birthday scowling!

Jacob had fun playing with Kason's balance bike. We only had one crash...

This past week was absolutely beautiful, and we took full advantage of being outside. Most mornings we headed out around 9:30 and stayed out until nap time. I even managed to start planting some flowers and herbs!

I'm sure the neighbors appreciate my cymbal playing fireman!

Planting takes so much longer these days, but I'd say the cute helpers make it worth it! ♡