Bday Barrage!

We are very blessed to have lots of awesome little people in our lives. :) We've had a lot of bdays to celebrate lately, so I have combined 4 parties into one post. I need a diet after all of the cake, cupcakes, and cookies I've indulged in during the past few months!

Party #1: Corinne Paige Thompson

Corinne is one of my best friends, Kara's little girl. She turned 2 on April 1st. I feel like Kara just had her! Corinne is a spunky little peanut who is full of energy. She and Holden are very similar, both in size and personality, and giggle a lot together. It has been so fun watching her grow into a little person. Corinne had a Dora the Explorer theme this year. Here are Natalie, the boys, and Corinne ready to start partying.

Some party pics. I love how Kara is completely surrounded by kiddos "helping" to open Corinne's presents. :) Holden and Corinne spent a good amount of party time running in a big lap around the house with balloons. They were so quick that I was able to get ONE shot in which they weren't too blurry and they were both in the frame.



Kara made these cute (and very yummy!) Dora cupcakes,

AND made the purple frosting herself. Too cute!

The bday girl with her #2 cupcake.

I love her little smile as she watches everyone sing to her. :)


The partyers: Holden, Aidan, Natalie, and Corinne

Party #2: Natalie Marie Scott

Natalie is one of my best friends, Bridget's little girl. She turned 3 on April 18th. Natalie is all-girl; princesses, tutus, and tiaras. She and Holden have a love-hate relationship at their current ages; they hug and hold hands one minute, and fight over toys the next. Holden adores her though and nobody better mess with his Natty! Natalie's party was, of course, princess themed.

Here is Miss Natalie in her new big girl bed!

Holden and his girlfriend. (Bridget and I have an arranged marriage in mind.) :)

Could they be any CUTER?!

Kara and I got there a little early to get pics of the kids together. None of the ones with Hunter turned out; he was very crabby during this party and is crying in every one. Corinne, Natalie, and Holden sat very nicely watching Natalie's princess video that her daddy taped when they were in Disney World. As you can see, Natalie was VERY excited about it, and even got up and danced/cheered about it.

What's a princess party without a little dress up? Holden is very secure in his manhood and doesn't shy away from a tiara or two. (Or tutus, necklaces, and heels. Ha!)

Apparently he draws the line at clip-on earrings though. Love the expression! Hunter thoroughly detested the Minnie Mouse ears with veil that Natalie gave me to put on him. These pics should make Daddy feel a little better. ;)

More dancing. I love how Zoe the dog got in on this one.

A little "pin the tiara on the princess" with the other party guests.

And one of the few happy pictures I got of Crabby Pants Hunter. :)

The babies at the party: Atley and Hunter (He's my baby but he looks huge next to her!)

Lauren, Holden, Corinne,and Natalie eating lunch with their tiaras.

Singing happy birthday with 3 candles!

Cutie pie birthday girl! Love her curls!

Birthday Party #3: Ava Cunningham

Ava is another of my good friends, Stephanie's, little girl. She turned 2 in May. Ava is a sweetheart! A little shy and sensitive, very verbal, and the trendiest 2 year old I know. :) Her party was a "milk and cookies" party! So fun!

Here is the bday girl, stylin' it with her big bow and her pink shades, with her mommy and daddy.

Steph goes ALL OUT when she has parties! I look forward to seeing what she does. The theme was cookies and milk, so there was basically a "cookie bar;" jars with all types of cookies, and the old-fashioned milk jugs with white, chocolate, and strawberry milk. There were even flavored straws! I love how her cake even looks like a giant cookie.

Some of the party guests.

My boys enjoying the party. Holden got a squirt gun AND gum in his take home bag. I have always told him you are old enough to chew gum when you go to kindergarten, so Steph really made his day! Ha! He thought he was HOT STUFF. Isn't the "C is for Cookies" sign fun? Holden was real thrilled with it as you can see. :)

Breaking out the party hats with the Cunningham boys.

The bday girl and her cake. She was very interested in those cake pops! (Smart girl!)


She is just too cute for words. She reminds me of a live doll.

Some more pics with the sign.


Opening presents with Mommy and Daddy

Party Number 4: Chase Cunningham

Lastly, my good friend, Annie's littlest guy, Chase, turned 1 in May. Annie and I were preggers together with our youngest boys, and it seems like yesterday to me. I can't believe how quickly time is going. I need it to slow down! Chase is the most laid-back, happy little guy. He is small and wiry and walking like a pro, with the most adorable curls. I love that Hunter already has a best buddy...even if at this age it consists of Hunter biting Chase, and Chase grabbing Hunter's toys and walking away while Hunter stares at him like, "Hmm...how does he do that?" Here are Annie's three blond, blue-eyed cuties, Colin (6), Cade,(3), and Chase. Love these boys!

Some of the little party guests.

The bday boy enjoying some bday moments




Love this of the three Cunningham boys with the cake.

Annie got a new trampoline for Mother's Day. Yes, you read that correctly, it is ANNIE'S trampoline! I love it! She has always wanted one and was "deprived" as a child, so she made Steve buy her one. I for one think she is well-deserving of this as the mother of 3 active boys! Holden and Colin spent a good deal of the party on it.

"Peek a boo!" (Colin's cast, for the record, was not a result of the trampoline. He fell on it while running. He sported two different colors for a total of 6 weeks and just had it taken off. It did not slow him down!)

As much as Hunter loves people, I learned through all of these parties that he gets very overwhelmed with big crowds. That never really bothered Holden. Hunter got very clingy during times at all of these parties. Annie's house was packed with guests, so I took him out back for awhile and he calmed right down and became fascinated with the woodchips and dirt between her little stepping stones. Love his little concentrating face here.



And so ends my birthday barrage. We love celebrating with all of the special kiddos in our lives!

Four year/One year checkups

Jay is usually off on Mondays, but he had court to attend, so I took my remaining personal day to hang out with the boys and take them to their four and one year checkups.

Waiting at the Dr.'s office. I know, they have way too many matching shirts. But I just love dressing them alike while I still control the wardrobe! :)

The fish tank is always a big hit.

Holden decided to sit like "the men do" and brush up on his medical info. Crack me up!!!

Waiting in the patient room. The nurse did all of the regular things first; weight, height, an eye test for Holden, head measurements, etc. Kids over 2 get the nifty little gown that you see Holden sporting. Hunter was fine in his diaper. His favorite way to be. I always cringe when they play with the toys in there, because I'm not sure how often they are cleaned between patients. But Dr. Dewey was behind schedule, so we were in there for about a half hour. Luckily they had a grand old time playing and exploring.

Hunter even resorted to playing with the sunblock out of the diaper bag. Holden did some posing in the astronaut gown for me. He is such a skinny minny! :)

The boys' stats in comparison with each other are humorous.

At age 4, Holden weighs 33 lbs and is 39.5 inches tall.

At age 12 mos, Hunter weighed in at 24lbs, and is 31 inches tall.

Yes, there is only a 9lb difference between them, and Hunter is less than a foot shorter than his older by 3 years brother! They are both happy and healthy, and that's all I care about. They were LESS than happy with me by the time we left, though. They both had to get shots...3 for each of them. Holden was particularly ticked off because I had told him that he didn't need any until next year. That is what we had been told at our last appt. Apparently, they have changed the requirements since then, and now have a pneumonia shot that they felt that he should have due to all of his allergy/wheezing issues. And it is required for kindergarten, so if he didn't get them now, he'd have to get SIX shots next year. I just don't think his little body would handle that well. He just kept yelling, "YOU SAID I DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE ANY!!!!" Hunter did really well with the first two; I gave him his bottle and he flinched but just kept sucking away. The nurse warned me that the third one was pretty painful, and sure enough, he started screaming. By the end I was holding two wailing boys and the nurse was apologizing for upsetting them when they'd been so smiley when she walked in. :) I did have to crack up on the way out. I had them calmed down and we passed the nurse's station, where the said nurse was conversing with another. My sweet baby, Hunter, glared at her, shook his finger, and said, "NO, NO, NO!" He has just recently learned how to "scold" but usually it is reserved for the cats or his brother. Apparently he is not a fan of that woman now.

Easter Sunday, 2011

I am WAY behind in blogging, so yes, here is my Easter post on Memorial Day weekend. :) Better late than never. There has been so much going on with the end of the school year. I have 3 days and one hour left, but who's counting? It is always bittersweet saying goodbye to the kiddos. I am thrilled to be gearing up for summer with my boys! (All three of them.) ;) With Jay's schedule, it has been wonderful for our family in that he has been able to stay home with them, but hard for he and I at times because we see each other less. This summer, we will have Mon, Tues, and Wed off together, and will see each other Thurs and Fri's until he goes in for second shift in the afternoons. He works dayshift on Sat./Sundays. We are really looking forward to doing things as a family!


But back to Easter. Holden was so excited for the bunny to visit. We woke the boys up so that Jay could see them find their baskets before he left for work. Holden needed very little prompting to wake up; in fact, he shot out of bed and I had to make him wait at the top of the stairs while I got Hunter up. The bunny left us a trail of plastic, candy-filled eggs to follow.

The boys had some neat things waiting for them. Holden got the Barney DVD that he told the bunny at the mall that he wanted, and also "Over the Hedge," and a Max and Ruby Easter book. Hunter got his own little soccer ball just his size. They both got the Fisher Price tornado golf set. We still have to set it up (literally a month later) because for awhile the weather was not cooperative anyway, and then we realized we should have asked the bunny for batteries. ;) It should be ready for summer soon.

The bunny also hid eggs all over the living room for the boys to find. Holden was all about the hunt this year. He took it very seriously and got very indignant if Daddy decided to try to "help" him find any of the eggs.

Hunter was a big fan of the eggs, too, especially when he caught on to the fact that there was candy inside of them. :) He doesn't miss much. Right now he is really into containers and things that he can put items in and out of, so these were right up his alley.

My little jelly bean fiend. He was a BIG fan! I had been helping Holden with his eggs and didn't realize Hunter had figured out how to open these. Holden pointed and started cracking up, and I see him sitting there chomping away and grinning with pink and purple jelly bean drool running down his white pajama top. Thank goodness for Shout! He was quite pleased with himself. Jelly beans for breakfast is ok on Easter, right?

He moves VERY quickly...here is the aftermath of my living room!!! Love how he is just sitting in the corner with his loot.

Taking a bath with their plastic eggs before church.



I have the sweetest pics of the boys with these ears on last year, when Hunter was a newborn. Let's just say they did not go over to well on him this time around...crack me up!!! Love how Holden is holding his hand so that he can't rip them off his head.



My sweet four-year-old "bunny."



Much happier now that the ears are gone.



The boys and I all ready for church!




This one is out of order but it makes me laugh. I am mean.



After church, Grammy, Papa, and Uncle Eric came over to hang out until it was time for our Colfax get-together. Holden loves to be read to. He hit Grammy up with his new book. I think they look so cute together in their pastel greens.

Jay's family get together every year in Colfax at a church hall for a big lunch, games, and an egg hunt on the lawn. I was excited to go this year since last year I had to stay home with a newborn. It was Hunter's first year going, and both boys had a great time! I brought my parents and brother along with us. Jay's family is very welcoming and has the old adage, "the more the merrier." We all had a really nice day. (My dad won the jelly bean contest by having the closest guess as to how many were in the jar! He was very excited.) ;)

The boys with Aunt Allie and Memaw

Some more out of order, but thought these were cute of Uncle Eric and Hunter playing ball before we left.

Grammy and Hunter playing through the screen door.


My family (minus poor Jay!) :)

Back to Colfax...Holden and his buddies, cousins Morgan and Emma. Great Grandma Maureen is in the background. Holden and the girls have so much fun. It's nice that they are so close in age.

The boys surrounded by the many lovely ladies in their lives: cousin Kelsey (with Hunter), Aunt Allie, cousins Emma and Tiffany, cousin Chelsey, and cousin Morgan (with Holden)

Hunter is still working on walking. He is very close; can stand up from a sitting position, walks along things, walks with push toys, and will take a few steps on his own, but then dives back down on hands and knees so that he can crawl at lightning speed to whereve he needs to get to. I think he's still top-heavy and figuring out how to balance. He loved exploring the church hall. Here he is with cousins Bella and Evan, and cousin Kyle. I love how Kyle got down and crawled with him...Kyle has been walking and running for over a year now. :)

Family

Holden was very proud of his full bag of eggs this year.
My sweet baby boy. He was thrilled with being outside. He loves the grass and had a great time crawling around and playing with eggs. So easy to please.


More Easter egg hunt shots

Fun with Cousins Kyle and Chelsey

The many faces and moves of Baby Hunter

Holden playing Bingo with Aunt Allie and his cousins. (Great Grandma Velma in background. ) He won several rounds and got to pick from the little "Bingo store" the aunts set up.

Finally, this was taken at the end of the day when Jay got home. Hunter is in his pj's, Jay is in his mowing clothes, and Holden has his rain boots on...pretty typical of our house. :) I wanted a pic of them with their Daddy on Easter.