Eli Turned 5, Nobody Cried

There are a few things that are actually a pretty big deal.
1)  Eli, the heart child, has turned 5 years old and is amazingly healthy.
2)  Niether him nor I cried before, during, or after his birthday.

Eli can become really emotional when it comes to his birthday.   He gets really torn about which present he wants, what kind of cake he'd like, and what theme he wants it to be.  MONTHS before his birthday (I'm talking 11 months before) he starts trying to figure out what he's like… Then he changes his mind.  And then he changes his mind again.  And then he's in tears whenever he thinks about it.

Well that's how his 4th birthday went down, and I was preparing myself for his 5th birthday to be the same.  All the tells were there for tears:  can't decide on the present, can't decide who he wants to come to his party, can't decide what theme it should be.   But it all came together the last week before his big day.

He (me) decided that he'd have two parties; one "friends" birthday at a park during lunchtime on a weekday, and the other at Grammie and Gramps' home during our visit Easter weekend (which is to come), and the theme will be IronMan with the cake chocolate with a vanilla buttercream.
And he said, "Yes," and didn't cry.

-So a few days before his actual birthday we celebrated at the park and it went awesome.  Pizza, cupcakes, play with friends, and presents.

-During his baseball game on Saturday we brought some mini cupcakes and handed them out to the team and then they sang him happy birthday.

-On Sunday we handed out mini cupcakes to his Primary Class, then that night we watched home videos.  Once again: HE DIDN'T CRY.  (The last time he tried to watch the home videos he cried and cried and cried.  Just couldn't take looking at himself all hooked up to machines and recovering from open-heart surgery.)

IronMan-esque cupcakes.
I'm gonna try and do an IronMan cake this weekend. 

Titus and his girl.
They love each other, therefore they fight with each other all the time. 

Eli patrolled the party making sure everyone had a good time!

I made those candy necklaces for the party favors.
They were IronMan colored candy (red and yellow) and had IronMan stickers attached around.
Eli didn't want to wear his, nor a hat. 

I found that "birthday boy" pin.  He loved wearing it!
He also wore it on Sunday. 

And I didn't cry during the whole week.
It's kind of a big deal.  I'm usually such a mess when his birthday starts coming around.  All those memories flood back, and the emotions that come with it:  fear, happiness, anxiety, joy, sorrow.  Having a sick newborn is the pits, man.
But I'm okay, I think I'm doing well.  Honestly, the 3rd birthday was the hardest for me.  To get to 3 years old was such a big mile stone.  We knew he'd do all three of his surgeries before his 3rd birthday, and you just gotta hope he'll survive till then.  And he did!

Eli is awesome, and wonderful, and healthy.  Yay!

Opening Day, 2014

A week and a half ago was the open ceremony for spring baseball.  The boys were so excited to be able to wear their baseball uniforms--all except Titus, who is too young this year (poor guy!).   It was even better that Grammie was able to attend everyone's first game.  

Isaac belongs to the Atlanta Braves, Eli is with the North Carolina Tar Heals.  (Isaac's age are the pros, and Eli's age is college.)

2 (or 3?) Really Busy Weeks

Honestly, these past few weeks have been jammed packed.  I'm actually shocked at how fast it's gone.


Highlights:

--  Saturday, March 22 ::  On a whim, I drove to Orlando FL's IKEA.  We needed dressers for the boys, so I was going to make it happen.  Especially when I had been looking around for a month and nothing was showing up.  I was also able pick a lot of things up for a very pregnant friend of mine.  So it was worth it, even all the crazy stress!  I mean, it's a 4 hour drive one way.  Then I arrived at IKEA with only an hour more open, and I picked up all the furniture and things by myself.  I was sore for days!  Haha.

--  Thursday, March 27 ::  Very Pregnant Friend has her baby!  Yay!  I tasked with the very enjoyable job of watching their two year old daughter.  This daughter is dropped off at 2am, Very Pregnant Friend's water breaks in my house, and they rush out the door!   Happily the baby wasn't born in the car or parking lot, but it was a close call.

-- Thursday thru Sunday, March 27-March 30 ::  My mom comes for the weekend!  Amazing!  Me and Matt were able to on many dates, Mom and I were able to talk a ton, the boys had wonderful Grammie time, plus Mom was even able to a Miss Annie program for Isaac's class.

-- Saturday, March 29 ::  Opening ceremony for Eli and Isaac's baseball season!  (Titus is too young.)  And the games begin.

-- Sunday/Monday, March 30/31 :: I plant our garden!

-- Tuesday and Thursday, April 1 and 3 ::  Baseball games for the boys.

-- Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5 :: No Longer Very Pregnant Friend drops her 2 year old off, and I watch the little girl for two days since my friend needs to be with her newborn in the hospital (things just need to be looked over).   PLUS… more baseball!

-- TODAY :: I have no idea what's going to happen.  General Conference and snuggles and ice cream--that's my best guess.


But what I really think that's been making my life fly by is my new commitment to running.  For the month of March I logged 60 miles, and this month I hope to get 100 miles in.  So I'm more tired, but more energized too.

Alright, best get going.
Pictures of the garden, and many more pictures of baseball season, to come!