Let's rock 11

Something about turning another year older is just so exhausting. 

But why wouldn't it be? We celebrate for days. 

Doesn't the Queen of England celebrate her birthday like a month or something? WE RUN A CLOSE SECOND.

Of course we went to Indiana to celebrate with the family. PLEASE NOTE, ONLY THE GRANDCHILDREN GET PICTURES ON THE TABLE, IMMEDIATE OFFSPRING KIDS DO NOT RANK.

I'm fully aware I'm biased, but he's just cute.

As always, there was a celebration with his Neena.

Pierce came two days before her 60th birthday.

And he loves sharing a celebration with her.

This is the year he asked for Nerf guns, and all things Xbox.

Mom prefers finer gifts like Target gift cards.

As with all mothers you wonder how life can pass so quickly....

Only a handful of years left and he will driving.

But for now, let's rock 11.

And just because it's mandatory...

A week of carrying on

In unrelated news to anything, I am continuing to transform into an elderly woman. Last week I started feeling really wonky, and just awful. I assumed of course, it was a disease. Tracey also came down with shingles around the same time, so we mutually began to plan a joint funeral. 

We both may have been overreacting. 

Did you know that part of having a bad thyroid is a bad memory? Uh yeah. Turns out I just THOUGHT I had taken my meds, but in fact was forgetting. So all those wonky symptoms all were because I wasn't taking my medication. 

So now one of these beauties sits next to my side of the bed. 

I think Jimmy Fallon describes them best.

And when I'm wonky, I certainly don't feel like blogging. So here I am, still blogging about Hope's birthday. I might be behind, but I want her to have all these things written down so one day she can read about it, so here goes....



When the kids wake up on their birthdays, I always give them a donut with a candle.

I looked for a cute little single candle but all I could find was a tealight.

Kinda goofy I guess, but it put out really good light!

I also always go have lunch with them at school on their special day.

I really miss doing this on the regular.

And no birthday is complete without a crown

OR a Skype call from Meemaw and Grandpa.

They always sing and we have a nice chat.

Hope loved showing them the outfits they gave her for American Girl dolls.

SUCH cute outfits!

And to end the celebrating, we had a special day with Hope's best friend Emerson.

Okay, that was almost the end of the celebrating, and definitely where Hope wished the celebrating stopped. A group of us went out for Mexican last Sunday after church, and we decided it was time to initiate Hope into the Mexican birthday spectacle!

I don't think she even knew they did such a thing, so when they plopped a hat on her head and sang really loudly? SHE WAS MORTIFIED. Then the whipped stuff on the face and up the nose? Well she told me she didn't want to talk to me the rest of the day. Ha!

We always have such a fun week carrying on! So here's to news ways I can think of traumatizing her at NINE!

Our April peeps

As we do every April, we set aside some time to all get together and celebrate our April peeps. 

Some April peeps are more excited than others to celebrate....

While others would rather we not acknowledge their age...

And others turned a monumental age this year....

But only ONE had their picture on the table.

Yeah, she's spoiled.

But you are only young once, let's celebrate it up!

Speaking of young, I'm gonna eat this little guy up with a spoon BECAUSE HE IS DELICIOUS. But he doesn't really like me, he prefers his mom. Whatever.

But yes, we celebrated our April loves.

I wonder if other families do all this? The birthday person has to sit in the chair at the front of the room while the rest of us watch on as they open their gifts. Then we oooooo and ahhhhhh over what they got. Is this normal?

And yes, some people in the family get more gifts than others.

Jo's sad face, and Hope's happy face, are a dead give away 'bout who that might be.

Some members of the family are less amused with presents and find the stairs more appealing.

But for the rest of us, we enjoy the show.

But the show really takes off for us when we head over to sing and have cake.

Or pie. Whichever it is you prefer.

My brother sings at the top of his lungs, and it is AWFUL.

Like THIS awful.

But the kids think it's HILARIOUS.

I guess we are a little crazy, but I happen to love it.

Happy Birthday my April loves! Life would sure be boring without you three.