Birthdays Galore!!

In my last post I mentioned how many birthdays we celebrated this month--eleven to be exact!  For all four weekends in a row, we had parties to celebrate both on Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes we even had two on the same day!  Since these parties are for both good friends and close relatives, I'm realizing that October will always be labeled as the birthday month for us!  Now, in all honestly, we probably won't have another party to celebrate until March!

The month of November is already shaping up to be baby shower month.  I have two scheduled...one for Saturday and one for Sunday...on the same weekend!  Sometimes I wish everything could be spaced out evenly...like it would be nice to celebrate one birthday a month instead of eleven right in a row, but life doesn't work it's magic that way...  Sometimes it's either all or nothing!

Here are some random pictures from our birthday parties.  The kid birthday parties were the most fun; we went to a bounce barn, Chuck E. Cheese, a hall with a DJ, and a house party with face painting and balloon animals.  I need to diet from the amount of cake I ate this month.  Ugh!

My mom and I started the birthday month by celebrating ours together. 
(Hers in on the 8th and mine is on the 3rd.)

Wyatt's 3rd birthday at the Bounce Barn.

Lewie and I at the bounce barn.

The two Lews at the bounce barn.

Maya's 3rd birthday party at her home.

Lewie enjoying yummy cupcakes at Maya's birthday party.

Lewie's cousin Sarah celebrates her 6th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese.

Lewie patiently waiting for pizza.

Sarah, the birthday star!

Lewie's first driving arcade game.  (He looks way too excited about driving!)

On the merry-go-round.

Riding the mechanical horse...

"Slow down there fella."

Our Second Field Trip!

This month has been a complete whirlwind!  Every weekend we have celebrated somebody's birthday.  After celebrating mine on the third, we then celebrated my sister-in-law's, my mom's, my six-year old niece Sarah's, my husband's boss's, my father-in-law's, and now my mother-in-law's.  Then, sprinkle in a few more kid birthdays parties of Little Lewie's friends.  I think Little Lewie now expects that we have a birthday celebration at least once a week.  Just yesterday, he started asking about when he can have some more birthday cake!

This month has also been quite busy at Little Lewie's pre-school.  There have been projects for us to complete at home, an Open House, and a field trip!  Since I volunteered to chaperone, which basically means I volunteered to watch my own kid, I made sure I took the day off from work so Little Lewie and I could have some mother-son bonding time.  I knew he was going to enjoy taking the school bus from the last field trip we had, but other than that...I had no idea what to expect.

Enjoying the school bus ride!

The farm.

Hanging out with Miss Kim (Lewie's teacher from daycare last year).

Bonding time.

Lewie and one of his little "pumpkin" friends.

Nice horsey.

"Hey, you can't eat my sleeve!"

Driving the apple truck.

Picking out a pumpkin.  (Mommy had to pick it up since it was "too heavy.")

I love my boy!

First game of "Duck, Duck, Goose!" 

In some cases, this field trip was a lot like the one we took in the spring.  Little Lewie loved the school bus, he still got impatient with the 15 minute hayride, and he didn't always listen to given orders either by his teachers or by me.  However, there were signs that he's getting older too.  This time we used the potty, and Little Lewie had a chance to test out his camera taking skills.  (He's become just as fascinated with the camera as he is with the phone--hmmm...I wonder who he's learned that from?)   He also learned how to play "Duck, Duck, Goose" for his first time.  When he was picked, he didn't know what to do, so I had to ask him to stand up and show him.  Unfortunately, like all kids, he didn't want his turn to come to an end, so even when we told him it was time for him to sit back down in the circle, he still continued to tap everyone's head.  Evidently, his little friends didn't know the exact purpose of the game either, so then some of his other little boy classmates got up and started chasing each other around the circle.  It was pretty silly; only the girls stayed in the circle and actually followed the directions (Ha!)

It was nice to have some mother-son bonding time at his school.  Ten years from now, I picture myself chaperoning his field trips to NYC or his first school dance (gulp).  Okay I'm going to stop thinking about that for now...

Another birthday?!

This week I turned 36.  I feel pretty ambivalent about it, except I look back at pictures of when I was in my twenties, and then it hits me--I've aged.  I have wrinkles.  I have cellulite.  I have aches and pains.  I'm tired.  Since the clock is ticking, I still wonder if Little Lewie will ever have a sibling.  One part of my brain says I have to try now, and another part says I may not have the stamina to keep up...  Little Lewie is already a whirlwind of energy that keeps both Mommy and Daddy on our toes.

Courtesy of Google Images

Yes, the signs of aging are there in spite of my best efforts to exercise and eat right (at least most of the time).  Still, I'm a year wiser and a year more experienced.  I've learned a lot in one year--this must count for something.  I've grown a little more tolerant of my messy house.  I've learned how to stretch a dollar.  I've learned to be patient during three year-old temper tantrums.  I've learned that marriage is worth fighting for, and I've learned to accept imperfection at most every level.

However, I've also learned that gratitude is everything, and if we ask enough, our prayers are answered (even if they are answered differently than our expectations).  I have a lot to be thankful for, and so while I'm "aging" and "learning" , I'm also celebrating moments both big and small.  This year, I suppose, will go by just as quickly (or maybe even quicker) than the rest, and no doubt, I will find a new laugh line that never appeared before, but as long as I've got an attitude of gratitude, and I've created a new laugh line instead of a frown line, 36 will be a wonderful year.