Boys 2nd Birthday

I'm writing this a little later than the birthday but it's taken me a few days to let it soak in that the boys are 2. I'm proud of and emotional about it.

We celebrated the birthday early on September 7 since the girls were here for Labor Day. I had ordered ice cream cakes from Marble Slam Ice Cream early. Each cake was heart shaped and had their names written on them. So cute. Ryan had chocolate, Ben was strawberry and Gary was sweet cream ice cream. I had also bought another small cake for the rest of us to share. Since the boys love ice cream I thought ice cream cakes would be fun. Kaitlyn and I picked them up on Sunday, September 6 and put them in the freezer.

I had to work Rib Cook-off, so I was gone a good part of Sunday and the girls, for the second year in a row, ran around the cook-off doing whatever made them happy while mom worked in the village. Good for everyone. They had a good time roaming and I enjoyed the company of my clients.

It's so great to live here because it feels much safer with fewer people than Vegas. I also had those girls "tethered" to their cell phones every 30 minutes, with the requirement that I see their faces every hour. Probably anal but hey, it worked for all of us. Everyone had a good day and off we went at 8p to get on home.

On Monday Sept 7 (Labor Day) there was a lot to do. The girls wrapped gifts and Chip did a little last minute shopping. The girls and I had gone to Trader Joes and Toys 'r Us on Saturday after I picked them up at the airport to shop for the little guys. We had fun shopping. Chip wasn't with us so he took the opportunity to go shop a bit on Monday morning. We also needed candles and the paper goods to make it a party. Chip chose Mickey Mouse. A great theme with ears as well as intertwining the Mickey Mouse Club cartoon with a party. The boys really enjoy the song "Hot Diggety Dog" from the cartoon. We celebrated early Monday between breakfast and nap time so that both the boys and girls would enjoy the celebration before the boys nap and the girls departure. The boys had an absolute blast! The cakes went over very well. Each little boy had their own approach. Ryan tried to take Ben's strawberry cake even though he had plenty of his own. Didn't matter. Ryan wanted Ben's cake. Gary dug right in, as did Ben. Each one liked the cake. After the Ryan/Ben struggle with the strawberry cake we cut a piece of everyone's and shared it among the 3. All of them enjoyed the experience. Then it was into the "zone' in our family room to open gifts. Kaitlyn and Gillian started the gift opening showing their brothers how to open gifts. It was a mixed reaction as to what to do with the gifts. Ryan and Gary wanted to hang out. Well Ben did to, but he's far more understated.

We moved on to the gifts. 14 in all. No gifts were directly given to each boy. At this age we thought it would be the best if we set all the gifts in the family room and just let them go. Each gift and opening it was a new experience to the boys.

It has forced me to reflect on the days that have passed since the little boys birth. So much has changed, so much has happened, both positive and negative.

First, the positive: these boys are just amazing. They have grown up so much. I enjoy hearing Ryan say HAP PEE. He says it so succinctly. So warm and true. Ryan is like a parrot who just wants to say everything when you tell him what things are. In his sweet little voice after you read a book to him he says "awwwdon". It's very cute. "glogbaw" (golf ball) is another favorite. He's got his letters down and in particular says the letter "O" with lips in a perfect circle. Loves to call them out. Ben is exploring more and more. Lots of babble, but not nearly as many words as his brothers. He's getting braver every day. Happy little guy for sure. Still in love with the blanket and the bottle. Gary is as curious as ever. His mind is going a hundred miles an hour all the time. All the letters are old hat. He in particular loves to say the "Q". You just cannot believe how clearly he can say that letter. "Car" is still the main word of choice.