Happy 5th Birthday James!

I love you, my dear boy, and am just amazed that you are five.
Five years of great big smiles;
big, warm, hugs;
hundreds of bedtime stories, silly knock knock jokes and impromptu songs;
hours and hours of Mario on the Wii, the Nintendo and the DS;
a million jars of peanut butter;
a bizillion donuts worth of "I Love You's."

You are a sweet, kind and caring young boy
that is pretty good (most of the time) to your sister;
you do a great job being the "man of the house" when Daddy is on the road;
you never, EVER forget to clear your plate;
you are the best little reader I know
and you stole my heart from the very MOMENT I laid eyes on you.

Happy 5th Birthday, my Love.

XOXO Mommy

Scenes from James' 4th Birthday Party

I think I am still in shock that my son is now 4.
His party was this past Saturday and his actual birthday is today.
WOW.
His party was a total blast, which is what I was going for,
as the kid is so interested in space right now.
Check out that cake. FANTASTIC. Gotta love the rocket.
My husband's cousin's daughter made it.
Emily--you are brilliant.
Oh yeah--and that bouncy house?
That HUGE bouncy house?
Best.idea.ever.
While the kids (and adults) bounced,
I got to enjoy the party guests and have a beer or two,
but most importantly I didn't miss
a single smile that spread across James' face
ALL DAY LONG.
So really, that bouncy house was a gift for ME.
I'm not quite ready to do my typical, look back through the years
post about my boy, you know--the one where I weep
in writing about how he's not a snugly little baby anymore.
But maybe that's because I am really enjoying him at this age.
Independent but still a Mama's boy;
inquisitive about the world around him but still cuddles his favorite
stuffed animal at night;
loves all of his new friends but is still happiest
around his cousins;
happy to receive all of the latest gadgets as gifts,
but it was the collection of arrowheads, fossils and rocks from his Grandpa
that he arranged on his bedside table tonight when he went to bed.
I love that boy.

Happy 4th Birthday, James.

XOXO

Happy Birthday to My Best Friend

Here's looking at you, Babe!!!


Every time I look at this picture I giggle like a school girl
who just got her pigtails pulled on the playground by a boy.

Every year you continue to bring that kind of fun and laughter
into my life, and I am a happier woman for it.

My best friend, my husband, my rock--
I hope you keep pulling my pigtails for years to come!

Happy 36th birthday!

XOXO

Allison

Just for fun, here's a look at your
2009 birthday
2008 birthday