Happy 7th Birthday, Casey!

Casey chose EPCOT for his birthday adventure.  Right now they have an interactive Phineas and Ferb quest where kids the kids are deputized as spies or some such intrigue inspired enterprise.  It's pretty fabulous.  And takes a long time.  Which is perfect for a birthday romp.  It was a wonderful day complete with a surprise visit from Grandma Mimi.  I love when things work out.

Casey continues to be my quirky contradiction of a child.  He is currently obsessed with football, both watching and playing.  If his pro-football plan doesn't work out, he's thinking about pursuing a career in science.  Or writing.   His whining still makes my ears bleed, but he's also incredibly sweet.  It is simultaneously endearing and infuriating that he is utterly incapable of walking past his baby brother without giving him a kiss or poke.

We adore you, Casey.  You gave me the title of 'Mom' and probably also my first gray hair. Both hard earned and a long time coming.  Happy Birthday, Face.

Go back in time: Casey turns SIX, Casey turns FIVE (part I, part II), Casey turns FOUR (part I, part II), Casey turns THREE, Casey turns TWO (part I, part II, part III)

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I am Thankful to NOT Be Shopping on Black Friday. Okay, I Totally Shopped. But It Was In My Jammies From My Computer. Totally Not the Same.

I am also thankful for: Curious little boys. Sweet smelling baby girls. On demand television. Big families. Digital cameras. Doting husbands. Okay, just one of those. Battery operated infant swings. Play-doh. Grandparents. Sleep. Not that I get much these days. Holiday music. Good food. Yarn. Friends. Friends that really aren't friends any more, but actually family. Family. MY family. And, of course, coffee.

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Road Trip Adventures... Part II

After our pit stop at Mammoth Caves, we hopped back on the road toward Marion, Indiana to meet up with the everyone for Grandma Bonnie's Memorial Service. I would be lying to you if I didn't admit it was a seriously depressing little town, but there was a beautiful park and seeing the family made it totally worthwhile.

Getting into the hotels late at night, knowing the kids would be up in just a few hours was probably our biggest struggle on this trip. But, truly, they were so well behaved about getting straight to bed, it wasn't so terrible. If only they would sleep in, then it would've been golden!

Matter Park in Marion was honestly spectacular. It had an enormous kids play set, ponds, picnic areas and even a game room. I've heard that it once even housed a small zoo! The weather was warm, but not painful like Florida, so we were able to take full advantage and spend plenty of time outdoors burning off energy.

Naps were so crucial for maintaining our sanity. Before the trip we stressed a lot about how we would coordinate them, knowing all of us in one room would likely present a challenge, but as it turned out everyone was so exhausted by afternoon that no one (not even Mommy!) put up a fight.

The service was equal parts sad and lovely. We sat in the room adjacent to the pictures and video, because I was on the verge of ugly crying pretty much the whole time. That and it was closer to the food. The boys had fun running around being hooligans and hopefully lightened the mood a little bit for everyone. Tracey made sure to remind me that horizontal stripes probably aren't my friend at this point in pregnancy. She was totally right, so I'm sparing you the photographic evidence.

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Wondering what on earth I'm talking about? Check out Part I of our Road Trip Adventure, and be sure to stay tuned for Part III and Part IV!

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