Birthday Party

Here's a snippet from LT's birthday party last week.  We had a small, low key family party with good food and good company.  And the Super Mario Bros cake wasn't bad, either.  :-)

A Life in Pictures

Four years ago today, Little Ted made his grand entrance into the world.  He's grown and changed a lot since then.  Here's a look back in honor of his fourth birthday:

First week

First birthday

Second birthday

Third birthday

Fourth birthday

Happy birthday, Little Ted!

When you visit your 9 yr old cousin

You learn new words, like "X-box" and "Zombies."

You also discover cool toys like these:

In other words, you have lots of fun and get to enjoy all kinds of new things.

Independence Day, Texas Style

When you live outside the city limits, as we do, the 4th of July is a great time to put on a backyard fireworks show.

But before you get to the main event, BBQ is a must.  This year, Ted's dad made us fajitas, finger ribs, lamb chops, and grilled corn on the cob, and his mom added a salad and chocolate cake to the menu (yum!).  Then, when the heat of the day dissipated and the sun was setting, we all worked our way to the backyard, slathered ourselves in bug spray, and set up shop outside.  Matt and Little Ted had fun throwing poppers all over the back porch and cracking open confetti poppers.  Then, Ted opened up the fireworks we had purchased to put on our own show.  The boys had a lot of fun watching the sparks fly.

Little did we know that we were soon to be outdone.  Once the sun had set and the sky was dark, the real show began.  Neighbors all around us had purchased their own fireworks, but these were more like the ones that you might see at a professional show (no kidding).  For a good couple of hours, we enjoyed watching the fireworks from the comfort of our own backyard and without the hassle of driving to an event, parking, and dealing with the crowds.  

I could get used to this tradition . . . 

How to Create an Angry Face. . .

Step 1: Place your index fingers on the outside edges of your eyebrows.

Step 2: Applying pressure to your eyebrows, move your index fingers towards the bridge of your nose.  Your eyebrows should now be scrunched together.

Step 3: Use your index fingers to check your eyebrows and make sure they are appropriately "scrunched"

And here is the final result:

LT uses this method to distract mommy and daddy when he gets in trouble.  It's hard not to laugh when he makes his angry face - it's just darn cute!

But I have to say, his happy face is my favorite:

Baby Birds

Back in March, with the help of Ted's parents, we added some potted plants to our porch.  Shortly thereafter, I began a battle with the birds, who were determined to build a nest in one of the new hanging pots.  I successfully removed the first nest before the birds were able to lay eggs.  But it took some effort.  As soon as I realized what was happening, I began removing the nest.  In the process, the birds discovered what was going on and attempted to stop me.  They swooped overhead while I wildly waved my arms and told Little Ted to duck.  He, of course, thoroughly enjoyed all the excitement while visions of Hitchcock's The Birds ran through my head.  No injuries were sustained in the process, and the birds left us alone . . . for  awhile.

I discovered the second nest only after there were eggs in it.  Knowing that the eggs would not survive if I moved the nest, I left them alone and watched as my plant was torn to shreds.  Birds have no respect for hanging gardens.

Yesterday, while LT and I were watering the plants, I discovered that the eggs had hatched and there were now three (maybe 4) little birds sitting in the nest.  We showed them to LT, who now calls them "my baby birds."  This morning, we had to check on them, just to make sure that they were still there and to try to wake them from their slumber.  I exepct that this will become a daily routine.

The Personal Trainer

Do you need a personal trainer who is energetic, a good motivator, and lots of fun?  I have just the person for you . . .

Congratulations to the budding scholar!

Perfect attendance, straight A's, top reader . . . I wonder what he'll achieve next year!

Congratulations, Matthew!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Today, my grandmother turns 80 years old.  We weren't able to visit her to join in the big celebration the family had this weekend, so we are celebrating her here.

LT's first (and only!) visit to Great-Grandma's house.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Return of Spiderman

Halloween is a long way off, but Spiderman has already made a return appearance.  We found some Spiderman pjs at the Disney Store yesterday, and, of course, we bought them.   LT thinks they're wonderful, and I doubt we'll be able to peel him out of his new get-up any time soon

Happy Mother's Day

From our little mad scientist.