Happy 17th to our Hannah!

Chris was out of town for Hannah's birthday on the 20th (Monday) so we waited to celebrate until last night :)

Dad brought home 17 beautiful pink & white carnations and we had some Cold Stone Creamery Peanut Butter Playground birthday cake. 

That was a mouthful ... literally ;)

Then we headed out to P.F. Changs (her choice) for a birthday dinner ... just mom, dad and the birthday girl.

We do a lot as a family and that has always included birthday dinners. Last year as I sopped up a spilled drink and refereed a WWF match between the boys while trying to make Emma's birthday dinner feel "special" I had an epiphany!

How about celebrating birthday dinners with just Mom & Dad? I mean really, Mom & Dad could use a little celebrating too and wrangling Bonnie & Clyde Clara & Benjamin is a lot of work! 

So that is just what we did last night ... and a new tradition was born!

She is 17 ... no cliches needed to 

sum up how ridiculous this is.

Birthday candles are just about the best thing in the whole wide world.

You can't see her little helpers in this pic but 

they are never far away from the candle blowing action.

Clara opened Hannah's gift for her ...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3! 

Just what every 17 year girl dreams about!

Later at the restaurant, I waited patiently for my Mongolian Beef.

Which was really more like, "WHERE IS MY MONGOLIAN BEEF?"

We took several pics with Hannah's phone ...

We blew the waiter's mind and asked him to take a pic with Hannah's good camera.

It might have given him a seizure.

Banana Spring Rolls!

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show 

that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 

2 Corinthians 4:7

Thankful that our fortune is not contained in a cardboard cookie.

However, Hannah does put up with quite a few small 

annoyances each day in the form of some short people who live here ;)

My big girl.

Our chauffeur.

AKA: favorite husband and daddy :)

TARGET!

We had a wonderful time celebrating our beautiful girl! Mothering her has been one of my life's greatest blessings but calling my daughter a precious friend is an abundant gift that I do not deserve. Thankful for God's continual redemption in my life.

"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you." - Joel 2:25

Happy 17th baby girl.

What a weekend! Oh so thankful for friends who see you through from those first years of marriage and diapers to grown (or nearly grown) children and a union solidified in grace. It is truly a GIFT. Some of the most joy-filled moments were spent matching socks with my sweet Lea Ann. While some of that joy came from being together, I must say that finding matches for several hundred thousand socks (give or take a few) is always freakishly therapeutic.

On another note, my baby is 17. I am so grateful for this sweet journey of mothering a daughter and she is a precious gem to me! Oh, bless the heart of every firstborn child and thank God for grace, right ladies? We tend to be a teensy bit hard & fast with that firstborn ;)

So I am praying that the next year creeps by cause she is awfully close to flying this coop ... and I can't think about that for too long without getting horribly weepy ... and there aren't enough socks in this world to console me ♥

In Other News ... Benjamin is 4!

So it's not all pressure ulcers and wound care around here! We have most definitely been doing a whole bunch of other stuff too! Including the celebration of a VERY excited little boy who turned 4 years old last month :)

I have never seen a child in my life so anxious and excited for his birthday to come. It was more fun watching that anticipation than Christmas :)

Because this post might hold the record for most pictures, I am really gonna try and let the pictures do the talking on this one.

Except this first picture.

Because it would be wrong to not give a little credit here.

Chris traveled for the better part of 6 weeks and was only home on Saturdays ... leaving out on Sunday after lunch. On this particular Saturday we celebrated our Benjamin boy but not before Dad did his duty and took care of the dooties in the backyard.

With his shorts on.
With his boots on.
With his coffee in his hand.

Once the poop was scooped, we were ready to party!

Pig-tailed Jessie thought this party was for her.

Making herself at home in the lap of Chris' long-lost bearded twin.

Emma & her beau :)

Don't credit me for too much. I was "inspired" by other peoples great ideas.

Pinterest is the best way to plan a party! We printed these from the computer :) 

They look just like the ones from the movie!

Picture collage from Disney World

Phenomenal weather made playing outside the order of the day.
I had plenty of games prepared but nothing beats warm weather in January!

Woody had some static issues.

Happy boy :)

Um. Has this boy already perfected the smolder? 

Sweet Ellerie!

Emily "Joy"

Sweet Sarah :)

Games!

Blindfolded race to fix the Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head ...

Her boots ;)

Prizes

Guess How Many Army Men?
(canister on the table)

PRESENTS!

It wouldn't be a party without an Emily & Benjamin Hug-Fest

She was so excited about her Benjamin's presents!

Treat Bags

Cake time!

I love this sweet little sequence ...

We had a lot of fun (maybe too much) coloring pics 

to decorate for the party! It became an escape of sorts ... 

"No, I can't do school right now! I need to get this artwork done!"

My favorite cowboy.

Thankful for sweet friends :)

Coleman has made himself a little piggy-tailed friend.

She thinks he is the best!

Discussing deep 4-year old thoughts.

Somehow (although I knew better) I actually

thought he would stay little a little bit longer.

We throw in pics of Sam Byrd because ...

Well LOOK AT HIM FOR PETE'S SAKE!

The night ended with MORE TRAMPOLINE!

It's like cowbell ... but more dangerous.

Party's over.

Thanks for comin' folks. 

I got some cowboy business to tend to ...