Pros and Cons of a Boy's December Birthday

As experienced today by our own December 14 babe Gavin. (TWO ALREADY?!?!)

"Ooo!! [Two!]"

 

Con: Most people's time, and budget, are spent already planning for Christmas.

Pro: Most people's time and budget are spent celebrating the holidays and spending time together!

Living the life of the baby brother, he tagged along for all of his big brother's events today. Sounds terrible right? But, no! It was all part of my master mommy plan! All of the day's events were also special occasions for Gavin! It was as if a perfectly orchestrated second birthday event list had fallen into my lap!

While everyone else was planning the special events, we got to just attend and give him the best day ever! (I owe you one Leslie!)

We began with Gavin's first pony ride. Yup, I said it, he rode a freaking pony for his birthday. Okay, it was part of Ethan's school's holiday celebration. But don't tell Gavin! He was THRILLED to go INSIDE his big brother's school like a big kid and ride a PONY!!

Look at those little legs!!!

You can't tell, but he was making clippity cloppity noises the whole ride, he's obsessed with horses!

Ethan didn't mind it either!

"I'm getting away with murder here! The perfect gift for him fell into my lap!"

Even his best friend Malcolm was there!

(Who is only a couple of months older, look how much longer his legs are!)

Amazing right? Well that's not all! Instead of napping after the two hour party, we then moved to another awesome event!

A bowling birthday party! In the same day Gavin got to play with a horse and balls, two of his all time favorite things!

Con: Mommy and Daddy are also consumed with holiday preparations!

See, we got Gavin a police car cozy coupe for his birthdays. He's going to LOVE it! I he runs around the house making siren noises and saying "Dada! Car! Weee ooooo weee ohhh!"

I couldn't take it out of the box and assemble it because where the heck can I hide a CAR from these boys!? Nor did I have the time! So last night, after an evening with friends (and a couple of glasses of wine later), I pull open the box ready to assemble his gift.

What the ?!?! Inside I find a Webster's size book of directions that detail the need for a hammer, a power drill, TWO adults, and THREE HOURS for assembly. I thought I'd seen a lot of pieces with last Christmas' toy, but this car took the cake.

So instead Gavin got an empty box and a promise, mommy swears she'll build this for you!

Pro: I got the toy on a Black Friday deal, and bonus win, Gavin IS only two so a box was a pretty spectacular gift!

Con: There's so many sweets all season it feels silly to bake more cakes (he already had gingerbread cookies at the first party and birthday cake at the second!).

Pro: Seeing your chocolate loving boy light up for his own cupcakes is a great excuse for more sweets in your house!

 

Happy birthday to my favorite stocking stuffer!

How much you've grown from two years ago!

 

 

Best Snow Day Ever!

We started the morning meeting our neighborhood friends for some sledding.

Back when we were pregnant with Ethan and house hunting, we discovered this 2.5 acre park on the other side of our future home's backyard fence. When we opened the fence and saw it, we dreamt of sledding down its big hill with our children. Little did we imagine the fun neighborhood friends that we'd have to join us!

Check out the grown ups snowball fighting here.

Ethan helped me build MY very first snowman!

(Whose head was later used in the snowball battle.)

After almost two hours of sledding and snowballing, we were all wiped and took a nap!

(Well, Chris went to work, poor guy. But the rest of us napped!)

We then kicked off our afternoon with some hot chocolate and a movie! Then opened a craft box and did some artsy fartsy fun!

(You can see the chocolate mustaches still on their lips)

Ethan signed his work.

While Gavin drew one of his two favorite subjects, fish (the other is horses). Don't see it? Neither do I! But that's what he signed it was. And yes, he's definitely a lefty. Yet AGAIN, he's just like his Daddy.

 

Wonderful day with the family enjoying a snow day. And now, LET'S GO BACK TO SCHOOL ALREADY! ;)

 

Love my biggest boys!

This is how my car likes to be cleaned off, with Gavin and I warm inside in our cozy pj's! And yes, she's wearing antlers!

(Admittedly, Gavin was dying to get out there and join the "fun", but that would require Mommy getting out said cozy pj's!)

 

Our First Thanksgiving at OUR Home

This year we weren't able to travel to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, but the boys are finally old enough it felt like a family meal with the four of us!

Executive Chef Chris cooked a full feast for us, including spinach artichoke dip, deviled eggs, Tom the Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and individual pumpkin pies. Yum!

While Chris showed the boys his passion, I shared one of mine and did a little art time with the boys.

Notice when Chris gives the baking lesson how Gavin "helps".

Helps himself that is!!

I even snuck in teaching Ethan my one Thanksgiving specialty, my childhood's honey buns.

I have the cutest turkeys and head chef!

 

If you notice grey hairs or a cowlick...

The cowlick will be Ethan's from the haircut he gave himself after finding a pair of scissors, in a LOCKED closet, while everyone else had gone to bed.

(Just a sample of his handiwork)

The greys will be mine figuring out how to preschool proof our baby proofed home.

 

Where's my baby?!

I don't know where he went because my son Gavin just peed on the potty TWICE today! Who is this big boy that took his place?!

 

He was so proud of himself he wouldn't put his diaper back on and carried the toilet to every room to try again.

 

Gavin gives me a lesson on "Selfies"

Gavin grabbed my shades on a shopping trip and this little ham taught me how to take a perfect "selfie".