Max's 5th Birthday

Max turned 5 last week and we had celebrations galore.  Being the middle child,  I worry about Max being the forgotten one.  I think I compensated for that over the course of his birthday weekend.  I maybe went a little overboard but he deserved it.

He was the leader in preschool so I made a poster to represent all things Mino!

I came to school to share the poster with the class and watch Max's awesome leadership skills.

He was a little worried the clown hat he got to wear was going to ruin his hair.  It was also school picture day.  The class sang to him and offered their birthday wishes.

He called on Bree (the one in the pink shirt) to share her birthday wish.  She said she hoped he got a strawberry cake for his birthday.  Later when we picked out his cake he said he wanted a strawberry one, ha!

The following day was a Bear Hollow field trip to Thanksgiving Point's Farm Country.  I love me a field trip.

Spending one on one time with Max is always fun.

He was a little disappointed Bree didn't get to ride with us but he quickly made friends with Eden and Gracie.  He's quite the lady killer.

He really loved the goats for some reason.  That smile gets me every time.

The next day was finally the big day.  He woke up to soccer decorations everywhere.

Hank was so excited to give Max the awesome Poke'mon cards he picked out.  Max loved them.  

He also loved his Koosh gun.

The grand finale present was a new bike.  It's high time Max learns how to ride a bike.  

Hank hated going to school on Max's birthday, so I checked him out at lunch.  I'm such a push over.

Max's outfit had to be properly documented. Amazing.

We took several trips around the neighborhood to try out his new bike.  I predict it won't be long before those training wheels come off.

Later that afternoon, we headed to Jack and Jill's for a little bowling with the cousins.

Max loves his cousins.  He told me he wanted to invite his friends too so when I asked which one's he replied "I forgot their names, let's just invite my cousins." So funny.

Dyson had a soccer game and couldn't make the party.

Max could really generate some power with his bowling ramp and awesome wind up moves.

Sam and Tucker made their presence known but opted out of bowling.  They didn't have bowling shoes small enough.

Sam decided to take a little rest on Grandma Jackie.  Thanks mom for helping out.

After bowling we met the rest of the family back at the house for pizza, cake, ice cream and presents.  

Max has had lots of candle blowing experience over the past year from all the various birthday parties we've attended.  He had no problem tackling all these candles.

He received so many awesome gifts from everyone

Grandpa Griff gave him an electronic bank with money in it.

Grandpa Sherm and Grandma Vona gave him money.  He even indulged them with a hug after.

The Ross family gave him a sweet dragon and ninja toy and the Royster's gave him poke'mon cards.

The Jones family gave him the Leonardo sword you can see properly stowed in his shirt!

He can be such a little punk sometimes.  Grandma Jeri gave him a poke'mon game for his DS which he was so excited about, although you can't tell from this picture.  Jeri looks cute though!

Grandpa Curt and Grandma Jackie gave him a Razor scooter and some new shin guards.

I'd say he was one spoiled 5 year old.

 The following pictures represent Max perfectly.

Max's dance moves are hilarious.  He loves to jam out to any song on U92. 

He is becoming quite the little soccer player.  He loves to have his fans cheering him on.  He's always looking over at the sidelines for a thumbs up from me. 

He named their team the Snakes. A perfect name for this crew.  They are undefeated so far.

Max has a way with little kids.  They are drawn to him.  Jack, Tucker, Lennon, Owen, and Sam can't seem to get enough of Max.  Hank gets frustrated when Sam will only laugh at Max.  I caught Sam reaching for Max's hand in the car the other day, just to hold it for awhile.  Every morning when Sam wakes up he anxiously looks around the corner for Max.  They play for hours together upstairs.  Also, Max has an obsession with Mario Smash Bros on the Wii.  He usually makes me call him a character from that game, Falco, Lucario, or Rob to name a few.

   

Max is such a ray of light in our crazy family.  He gladly takes a back seat to shine the light on his brothers.  In fact, he wasn't that comfortable with all the birthday attention he got.   He is Hank's #1 fan and gives him praise constantly.  He is content with very little, never really asking for the newest toy or game.  All he asks for is some quality one on one time.  He has grown up so much this year.  I can't believe how confident and outgoing he is at preschool.

This picture put the finishing touches on a perfect birthday.  Max is my little buddy.  He helps me so much during the day while Hank is at school.  Our family couldn't function like it does without our darling Max.  I love you with all my heart buddy.  I hope your 5th birthday was your best yet!

Team Hank Walks!

It's taken our family over a year to become active members of the diabetes community.  It just seemed too overwhelming last year but with an incredibly supportive family behind us, I realized we could really make a difference.  We set our fundraising goal at 1500.00 not knowing what to expect.  Our friends and family totally stepped it up and we managed to raise nearly 2800.00!  I couldn't be happier about it.  Not to mention the fact we had 40 people show up to walk with Team Hank.  It was such a special day for our little family.  We felt so much love and Hank was given the recognition he deserves for doing everything it takes to manage this horrible disease every day.

I had some Team Hank shirts made for our family.  They turned out pretty awesome.

The night before the walk, Hank received a special delivery from Rick and Anna.  Nothing says good luck like a delicious edible bouquet! 

I took the car to Brett later that night and had him decorate it for the big day.

It was perfect, a bit morbid, but totally Hank.

This being my first event, I went a little overboard.  I'm not sure who I thought I was buying breakfast for! I thought a little tailgate party would be fun but didn't realize how early everyone had to get there to enjoy it.  Oh well, my neighbors had a lovely breakfast the next day.

My dad told me it was his favorite part of the morning!  Between him and mom, Sam was well taken care of while I was running around doing who knows what.

Hank's buddy Jimmy was there to give his support.

Here is Team Hank!  The only people missing are the Yates family.  They drove up 15 seconds after we snapped this picture.  I felt horrible since they had made the effort to get their entire family there. 

Everyone is wearing their custom-made Team Hank skull stickers, courtesy of Sarah and Brett.

My adorable little family looked awesome in our matching shirts.

Hank and Auntie Sarah

Right after this picture was taken, Hank took off running.  He thought it was a race so he was determined to win.  I didn't realize he had taken off on a dead sprint until 10 minutes into the walk.  Everyone wanted to walk with Hank so I ran ahead to find him.  He was a good 1/2 mile ahead of our group.

Here he is, sweaty and red faced at the front of the pack.  I stopped him and informed him it wasn't a race so he waited for his team.

Sam was a real problem.

Max would sneak a ride anywhere he could.

Poor Dan probably carried him half the time.

I just have to mention how awesome Jeri is.  Even though she is fighting her own battle with breast cancer and undergoing chemo, she walked the entire 5k.  So impressive!

Batman was on the scene.

Hank posed for a few pictures after the walk with his adoring fans.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again, my family and friends are the best there is.  I feel so blessed and lucky to have these amazing people in my corner.  I can't thank everyone enough. We certainly made our stand against diabetes that day and it felt awesome.  It won't be our last!

Sam is One!

Sam turned one last week, I can't believe it.  I am proud to say I've done a monthly update every month since his birth.  I've done this as my attempt to savor each moment of his babyhood.  I can honestly say, I've enjoyed every second I've had with Sam thus far. I'm not sure if it's because he is my last baby or because he really is such a joy to have around.  My trial and error with Hank and Max have also helped me relax about the things that really don't matter.  That is why having three children is so genius, you finally have it figured out by the time the third one comes along.  Sam is walking with confidence now.  You will most likely find him with a binky in his mouth and a spare one in his hand.  His other hand is probably holding either his green comb or a carrot.  He loves to try new foods, some favorites lately are eggs, spaghetti, cheddar cheese, and rice.  He loves music, preferably something with a strong beat.  I love to watch his little head bounce in his car seat when the radio is on, the kid has rhythm!  He still sleeps like a champ and takes 2 naps every day.  I can't remember the last time he was up in the middle of the night.  It's amazing.  If I could be guaranteed another Sam, I might be tempted to have another one!  I realize a baby like him only comes around once in a lifetime though.  He is such a ray of light in our home.  My boys adore him in every way.  His mama's boy tenancies don't seem to be fading yet.  He loves me and I can't say I mind his constant desire to snuggle.

Here are his stats at one year:

21.89 lbs 36%

29.5 inches 41%

Hank and Max were so excited for his birthday and helped me pick out all his gifts and his cake.  Hank insisted he open all his presents before he left for school.

Sam stood by and watched his brothers excitedly open his gifts.

Hank was so disappointed he had to go to school on Sam's birthday.  I assured him it would be just a regular day and he wouldn't miss anything.

However, we decided to go to Rubios for lunch and I couldn't resist checking him out for the rest of the day.  He was so surprised to see me in the office when he came down to check his blood before lunch.  I just couldn't make him go back to school.  It was fun having him home and made the day feel a little more special.

My boys might be the most adorable around.  I'm not sure what Max is doing in this pic but he's still cute!

After a brief nap it was party time for Sammy-Boy!

Sam still love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

That's one proud papa right there.

His birthday outfit is courtesy of the Shawn White Collection for babies at Target.  Nothing cuter, skinny jeans, skater shirts and hoodies...amazing.

Speaking of amazing, Sam has some pretty amazing grandparents. 

Sam is always on the move, looking for the next thing to get in to.  This is the best picture I could get of him with his great-grandparents.

He couldn't be bothered to take a picture with Sarah and Tuck.

He had presents to open and play with!  I've never had a child of mine actually look at each gift and play with them like Sam did on his birthday.  He was amazed by every present he opened.

The lawn mower toy was a hit. He could even mow with one hand!

He had no problem sharing his loot with Lennon. 

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." I realize he can't blow out candles but I had to serenade him with my beautiful voice.  Next, the cake...

Sam had his very own cake to devour.  He was a bit timid at first.

Then, all hell broke lose!  He was far more entertained by smashing it and smearing it everywhere than actually eating it.

He destroyed his cake and then was ready to get it washed off.

He hated his scrub down.  He had frosting in his hair, his ears, and even between his toes.

After his bath, I put on fresh jammies and he was ready to play and take a few more pictures.

I told you he is always carrying a binky and a comb!  Kunz managed to get him to hold still for a second.

Lucy even got a little cuddle from the birthday boy.

Sam shared a tender moment with Grandma before the party ended.  It was such a fun celebration for my amazing little boy.  He is growing up so quickly but each milestone he reaches is even better than the last.  I am truly blessed to be this beautiful boy's mama.  I love you so much Sammy-boy, my darling angel baby.

He has my eyes!