If time would only slow down...stand still... if only...
That's not possible, but memories are precious and pictures capture such great moments in time. I love sitting and looking through all the tons of photos, remembering when...reliving life in my mind with the stories that flow. I love writing this blog. Time to take a little trip and capture another set of special moments.. November 2010.
As I continue on my reflecting back blogging, November 2010, William had just turned 3 and Griggs was 4 months. Such happy boys. Our days were filled with fun times hanging out at home, playing outside as a family, taking walks down to seaside to enjoy the fresh air and quiet 30A life and making some road trips.. The weather had started to drop, so it was also time for extra cuddles, blankets and long sleeves! I spent lots of days home with my two boys, playing and singing and reading. I took lots of pictures, wanting to capture every little detail, knowing how fast they change. I enjoyed our little routine.
Seemed like a lot went on during November, yet it still seemed very relaxed and low key. I love when I can see such happiness in my boys, when I can feel God's love in their little embrace. That was most certainly the theme during the days of November (and honestly is every day). Although it was quickly approaching the holidays, which can bring hustle and bustle, hurry-scurry, I can remember feeling such peace being with my boys, just doing family things, knowing we were doing exactly what God was calling us to do. I can remember being so aware of His blessings all around me during this particular time of year. I love to sing to my boys and one of my favorites is "count your many blessings..."
So...
looking back on the blessings in my life captured during November of 2010 (William 3 yr, Griggs 4 mths)
**William wrote his own name independently while doing a fall leaf keepsake
**Holden's love for his nephews and the sweet connection they share
**Griggs and his giggles over seeing Maggie
**Well check doctor appointments (3 year and 4 month) healthy boys
**Griggs' quick discovery of "eating" his first foods and William's desire to help teach
**Time spent catching up with family
**William and his love of cups and liquids, helping him recover from strep throat
**The gift of a play tent, providing a fun, exciting new environment for imagination to grow
**The little chubby fingers learning to hold up the #3 to show his age
**The endless snuggles and cuddles from adorable boys
**Adorable cousins, who are dear to our hearts
**Griggs' fascination with "kisses" to my chin
**William's healthy foods and eating habits
**Sweet friends for our boys
**Milestones reached with little arms learning to stretch and reach and grab
**God's mission work and the chance to make an impact on others in His name with The Angel Tree
**Fall weather for picnics and giving thanks together
**Huge leaf piles to jump
**Contentment in giggles and smiles from Griggs, just seeing our faces and being near us
**William's love of caring for his baby brother
**The kisses of my boys and the love we share
**William learning to help make his own PB sandwich
**The American Veterans we honor
**Walks with daddy to spend time together
**The healthy happy faces of Griggs
**Griggs and his many versions of pushups and tummy times
**The love of family in the gift of a favorite hand made blanket (made by his great-aunt nanci griggs)
**Brothers together
**Griggs and his excitement and giggles with his Christmas Stocking from Mommy and Daddy
**Having playtime on mommy's baby blanket (Thanks to Maggie for saving it all these years)
**Healthy playtime outside and learning sports
**Having a playset in our backyard for family time
**William's excitement of his tricycle and our family walks as he rode around the block
**Nearby playgrounds for afternoons out and about
**Being with friends for childhood traditions of Santa
**Capturing healthy happy sleepy baby boys
**Thanksgiving moments with family
**Family recipes and cooking together
**Holden and William making special Thanksgiving treats together
**Cool weather for bonfires
**God's protection and healing of Papa during his heart attack and our quick trip to visit
****Best best blessing of all is always family***
I am forever blessed. My cup runneth over with blessing too many to count. Simple blessing, multiple blessing, gigantic blessings, tiny blessings, enormous blessings, hidden blessings, detailed blessings... you get the picture. Everyone is blessed. We all have much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. I love to slow down and reflect on how God has blessed and how we should be thankful and how we show others we are thankful. I love to be with family. I love to capture time together. If it's time of my own little family or my extended family or time with just friends. I love to capture time with those important to me. I honestly try to carry out Thanksgiving with me throughout the year. It's not something that should be only on one day of the year.
I love a tradition my family does on Thanksgiving. This is a tradition Philip and I have also shared with his parents on Thanksgivings with them. It's something we carry family to family and also do at Christmas with family if we weren't with a set for Thanksgiving :) After the meal has been prepared, before the blessing has been said, we gather together, holding hands and we all take a moment to go around and share one thing we are thankful for from the year. It most often brings tears, but it reminds us all to slow down and value others and never take for granted. It reminds us to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Christ and his mission for us. We pray together and bless the meal before enjoying the infamous spread of vegetables and casseroles. But, while it is fun to cook until you drop and eat until you pop, it is most important, most crucial (to me) that we first spend the time to give thanks to God for all he has given, will give and does for us, remembering all and sharing with others. I love moments like this where we come together and share to encourage one another. My prayer is that my children will take heart to what they are experiencing with family and let it grow with them as they grow and help them go into their world to serve others, giving thanks always to God.
*****I could go on and on and on with the many blessings, however, these are what stand out from those moments. I love capturing them in pictures and writing the stories for my boys.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Halloween 2010 (Memories for Journals)
Having a 3 year old who loved everything about firetrucks and firemen made the decision about what to be for Halloween very, very simple!! William wanted only to be a "Kireman" (fireman). He loved being in his fireman jacket, hat and boots. Every day. He wanted to wear his fireman costume, which I just loved!! So, when we asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween, he answered a "Kireman" and that Griggs was his little "Rescue Dog" named "Spots". That part I had to work on.... Only thing I could think of, given Griggs was just 3 months and needed to be warm (meaning a long sleeve shirt and pants) was to sew black dots on a white onesie and white pants and sew black floppy ears on a white hat :) I had some black felt and I did just that!! I thought it turned out so cute!! William had his fireman suit and had his little rescue dog right by his side (well, as long as mommy held him in my arms or pushed him in the stroller!)
We had fun trick-or-treating at Destin Commons as well as with friends in their neighborhood. It was fun to watch William run up to the doors, and know just what to do! He'd hold out his bag and say "trick or treat" and say "thank you!" And, he'd always make sure to tell the person he had a baby brother that was his "rescue dog", and that made me smile. He wanted to make sure his baby was included!
Very cute times together!
William couldn't wait to visit the pumpkin patch and pick out his special pumpkins! He wanted to line them up like his favorite "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate". We visited the pumpkin patch with our 2 pumpkins and captured some fun and exciting pumpkin hunting pictures. I love how simple things like pumpkins can bring such laughter and excitement to a child.
We also had fun carving our family pumpkin with William...expect he didn't care at all for grabbing the seeds! He'd say it was yuck, but couldn't wait to do the face with the pumpkin. He decided to use his beach bucket and shovel to scoop the seeds. Very cute to watch a 3 year old use beach toys to scoop out pumpkin seeds! It was fun to watch our 3 year old enjoy the traditional pumpkin carving time and be so excited about the face of his pumpkin! Moments of childhood not to be passed or forgotten!
Until next post...stay tuned :)
We had fun trick-or-treating at Destin Commons as well as with friends in their neighborhood. It was fun to watch William run up to the doors, and know just what to do! He'd hold out his bag and say "trick or treat" and say "thank you!" And, he'd always make sure to tell the person he had a baby brother that was his "rescue dog", and that made me smile. He wanted to make sure his baby was included!
Very cute times together!
William couldn't wait to visit the pumpkin patch and pick out his special pumpkins! He wanted to line them up like his favorite "5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate". We visited the pumpkin patch with our 2 pumpkins and captured some fun and exciting pumpkin hunting pictures. I love how simple things like pumpkins can bring such laughter and excitement to a child.
We also had fun carving our family pumpkin with William...expect he didn't care at all for grabbing the seeds! He'd say it was yuck, but couldn't wait to do the face with the pumpkin. He decided to use his beach bucket and shovel to scoop the seeds. Very cute to watch a 3 year old use beach toys to scoop out pumpkin seeds! It was fun to watch our 3 year old enjoy the traditional pumpkin carving time and be so excited about the face of his pumpkin! Moments of childhood not to be passed or forgotten!
Until next post...stay tuned :)
Family Game Day~Troy (State) Oct. 2010 & WPJ 3rd Birthday Day
Most of you know how much we love college football!! We love Auburn football!! We can't wait to have William and Griggs at games with us, cheering out our beloved Auburn Tigers. To ease them into the big stadium and excitement of games, we decided we'd start with a family game day to my school...Troy (State) University! It's Troy University now, but will always be Troy State in my heart. We took William and Griggs to their first game the weekend William turned 3. Gameday was Saturday, October 16, 2010. It was a great day, full of sunshine and perfect fall chill in the air. We walked around the campus some, took the boys by my sorority house so I could get my picture with my letters and my babies! I loved that moment! Just special things around town, like lunch at a favorite spot from college years (Mexican!), a visit to the bookstore, walking around the campus, telling William about when I was in college...Then, when he couldn't wait any longer, we went on into the stadium!! We did get suite tickets (perfect for me, a nursing mom of a 3 month old). William was so fascinated by the huge windows and how big the field looked! He was ready to cheer and watch football...then he discovered the treats and cookies in the suite :) Haha! It was fun to watch my old team and do some of the Troy cheers with William. I did walk down with William during half time so he could see and hear the band and walk around the inside of the stadium. We found some of my sorority sisters and sat for a while with them, letting the boys scream and jump for Troy. The best part, thanks to my husband and his connections, we were able to walk down on the sidelines...I still laugh a little that although I'm the Troy girl, he knew the right folks :) William was so excited to be down on the field, near the big players!! Baby Griggs was a perfect little angel the entire day and game! He was so sweet and quiet in the suite box and just hung out in our arms on the field. He was along for the ride...bless him! I also loved the fact that I still had my little brother's Troy State University sweatshirt and William was able to wear it! I love making memories with my little family. Yes, Auburn had a game that same day, but my husband, didn't complain. He spent the day with us, cheering on Troy (well, we did watch the Auburn game!!) making sure I had a fantastic day with my 2 boys back on my campus. It's little things that capture my heart over and over....
So, "here's to ole' Troy State, we are with you all the way....so, get out there team and fight-fight-fight and win today!"
"T-T-R-O-Y-S-T-A-T-E-U-NIVERSTIY---TSU"
Thanks, Troy! A great first college game for a 3 year old and his baby brother. (Yes, William wanted his brother with him! He has never really liked being apart from him)
The day after our game day was William's actual 3rd Birthday! We took him to eat at Cracker Barrel in Dothan for a favorite of waffles and eggs before heading home. Bless his heart, he spiked a fever of 103 on the ride home and was just a sick little boy.. We made it home and all took a long nap on birthday boy's big special day. When he woke up, his fever had come down a little so, we took him out to run a little for sunset on the beach before doing birthday cupcakes at home on our front steps. It was a sweet ending to our celebrations of our 3rd birthday! And, in our family...birthday nights are meant for sleepovers with mommy and daddy!! Happy 3rd Birthday William! We loved celebrating you in so many ways!!
So, "here's to ole' Troy State, we are with you all the way....so, get out there team and fight-fight-fight and win today!"
"T-T-R-O-Y-S-T-A-T-E-U-NIVERSTIY---TSU"
Thanks, Troy! A great first college game for a 3 year old and his baby brother. (Yes, William wanted his brother with him! He has never really liked being apart from him)
The day after our game day was William's actual 3rd Birthday! We took him to eat at Cracker Barrel in Dothan for a favorite of waffles and eggs before heading home. Bless his heart, he spiked a fever of 103 on the ride home and was just a sick little boy.. We made it home and all took a long nap on birthday boy's big special day. When he woke up, his fever had come down a little so, we took him out to run a little for sunset on the beach before doing birthday cupcakes at home on our front steps. It was a sweet ending to our celebrations of our 3rd birthday! And, in our family...birthday nights are meant for sleepovers with mommy and daddy!! Happy 3rd Birthday William! We loved celebrating you in so many ways!!
WPJ date night Disney Live (3rd Birthday Date)
So, to keep with updating and remembering a fun night with William as we celebrated his 3rd birthday.........
When your little boy turns 3...why not take him on a date night!! We also celebrated William turning 3 by having a Mommy-William-Daddy date night and took him to see his first Live Show of Disney Live! He was star struck! We walked in the auditorium and the excitement was everywhere! His eyes got so big and he was smiling from ear to ear! He was taken by all the songs and characters and had such a fun time singing and watching Mickey and all the Disney characters perform. When his favorites would come on stage, his sweet face would just light up!! It was a crazy and loud fun night, but his excitement of having time with just Mommy and Daddy and being in the same room as Mickey, Woody, Goofy, Buzz and Donald...just priceless! He really loved getting to pick out a special keepsake at the gift shop! He selected a Handy Manny toolbox, so he could do work with tools, like Daddy! How sweet is that??
I'm just posting about this fun night to capture a fun memory of William's first Live Show. We missed having Griggs with us, but Gram and Grumps were enjoying babysitting him and said he slept like an angel. I still can't believe how time has gone by...seems like yesterday, we were sitting with William...waiting on Mickey to come on stage...and to William, Mickey was there only for us!! What a priceless night, a memory of a fun childhood favorite with Mickey, a wonderful "date night" with our little 3 year old!
When your little boy turns 3...why not take him on a date night!! We also celebrated William turning 3 by having a Mommy-William-Daddy date night and took him to see his first Live Show of Disney Live! He was star struck! We walked in the auditorium and the excitement was everywhere! His eyes got so big and he was smiling from ear to ear! He was taken by all the songs and characters and had such a fun time singing and watching Mickey and all the Disney characters perform. When his favorites would come on stage, his sweet face would just light up!! It was a crazy and loud fun night, but his excitement of having time with just Mommy and Daddy and being in the same room as Mickey, Woody, Goofy, Buzz and Donald...just priceless! He really loved getting to pick out a special keepsake at the gift shop! He selected a Handy Manny toolbox, so he could do work with tools, like Daddy! How sweet is that??
I'm just posting about this fun night to capture a fun memory of William's first Live Show. We missed having Griggs with us, but Gram and Grumps were enjoying babysitting him and said he slept like an angel. I still can't believe how time has gone by...seems like yesterday, we were sitting with William...waiting on Mickey to come on stage...and to William, Mickey was there only for us!! What a priceless night, a memory of a fun childhood favorite with Mickey, a wonderful "date night" with our little 3 year old!
WPJ and his 3rd Birthday..with the Big Red Firetruck!!
How the cutest Fireman turned 3!! WPJ and his 3rd Birthday...October 2010
William loves anything fireman and firetruck related, so when it came time to celebrate his 3rd birthday, we knew exactly what his party would be...Firemen and Firetrucks!!
When I say he loves firetrucks, I mean He.Loves.Firetrucks. When I say he loves firemen, I mean He. Loves. Firemen!! We visit the fire station often and have to speak to any fireman we see anywhere! We play firetrucks all the time and have many conversations about how when he grows up, all he wants to be is a fireman. His favorite color is red, because it's the color of firetrucks. His favorite pair of shoes to wear are his "fireman boots". For Halloween, he had to be a fireman, with Baby Griggs as his Rescue Dog, Spots... So, like I said, when it came time for us to throw his party for turning 3, our thoughts were Firetrucks!!
The biggest part of his party would be a surprise visit from our local fire department!! I made a few calls and discovered the fire department will come out and do an "educational visit" as a community outreach!! First and biggest deal of the party had been secured...as long as come party day, there were no fires or emergencies!!! I was constantly praying!! William had no idea until party day about his surprise!
After securing the firetruck, I began planning all the details...the foods, with labels relating everything to the party theme, the decorations, the banner sign, the balloon colors, the party favors (being complete with fireman hats for every child), the "games", the guest list, the invites.. I think the invites were my favorite!! One afternoon, while he and I were playing fire rescue while Griggs took his nap, it dawned on me to have him dress up in his fireman costume (that was my baby brother, Holden's costume) and sit on our front porch, surrounded by his collection of firetrucks. He loved our spur of the moment photo session because we were taking pictures with his favorites!! I told him his picture was the big part of his party and that we were making invitations to send to his friends so they'd know to come to his party. Well, that was all it took! He was so excited to help me stuff the envelopes and drop them in the mail! For days and weeks, he'd ask if his friends got his card and if that meant they knew to come over and play firemen!! How cute...
For my party planning (which I pour myself into to make each party special and unique...and to occupy my mind over the fact that my child is turning another year older...) I love planning a party and creating all the details. It is something I enjoy and love to do. I just about bust at the seams with excitement when it comes to party time!!
As party day came, our party foods included the following:
Sirens (candy corn)
Water hoses (twizzlers)
Ladders (pretzels)
Gears (m and m's)
Firetrucks (rice crispies)
5 Alarm Chili (Philip's special chili recipe!)
Our party activities for our little fireman and his friends...
***Firefighting a "burning" building! I picked up a build-a-bear house, spray painted it red with a white roof, and stuffed the windows with orange, yellow and white tissue. I had spray bottles of water for the kids to use as their water hoses and "put out the fire"
***Building a firetruck! I made individual baggies with all the "pieces" of a fire truck and had bowls of icing for the kids to "build" (decorate) their firetrucks: rice crispy as the truck, red icing, mini oreos as the wheels, twizzler as the hose, candy corn as the siren, pretzels as the ladder, m and m's as the gears, all ready to assemble, then gobble up!!
***Keepsake picture frames! I had the foam frames and tons of foam peel and stick stickers of mini firetrucks and letters, balloons and stars. Once the kids made their frames, they got to take them home, with a picture of the party to be mailed.
Decorations:
Red and Yellow streamers all around the yard and playground
"Happy Birthday William" banner letter signs in Red
Red, yellow and white balloons
Red and yellow table cloths
Food label signs with each party food to name the food for the party
Goody Bags with Thank you cards attached. Bags stuffed with William's favorites: firemen stickers, crayons, bubbles, playdough and m and m's!
The cake:
Publix cake, marbleized yellow and chocolate, with a picture perfect design of a firetruck, labeled engine #3 for William's 3rd birthday. The truck was driving down the highway. I added William's favorite toys...his toy fireman and toy spots-rescue dog, along with the #3 candle. He loved seeing his toys on his cake!!
The Huge Party Surprise...
A Huge Big Red Firetruck and Ambulance pulled down our road and stopped right at our driveway!! The kids were in awe!! The firemen gathered around and gave a demonstration on what firemen do, how they dress for a rescue, what tools they use, how they help rescue during a fire/emergency. They let every child (who wanted to) climb through the truck, sit in driver seat and passenger seat, stand on the bumpers, crawl through the ambulance, hold the tools...then they presented every child with their very own Fireman hat!! During their talk, William and my Moma had the same thought and both took off for the house...to return with William wearing his Fireman Costume! He said "now I match the real Firemen!" It was so sweet to see the firemen embrace William and all the kiddos! As they finished their demonstration and all the kids had checked out the truck and we took our group pictures, William turned to the Firemen and insisted on inviting them to stay at his party and help him celebrate and open presents. He said his party was for firemen and so they all stayed for the last hour and a half of the party! They even helped stuff the remaining goody bags with all the firemen stickers, pencils and safety books from not only their department, but from the Dothan Fire Department. My parents surprised me with extra firemen goodies from their neighbor, who is a firemen in Dothan. He even sent another set of firemen hats!! That meant every child had two firemen hats to take home, a goody bag from the firemen and William's party goody bag. So many special touches went into pulling this 3rd birthday party together.
I can't begin to tell you how excited William was when that huge firetruck pulled up with the ambulance! He was in complete amazement that his. favorite. thing. in. the. world. had just arrived at his party!! We couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our William turning 3!! The party was such a fun afternoon, complete with family and friends all celebrating with us. William still talks about his 3rd birthday and how much he loved the firetruck and firemen...and for that excitement, I am thankful. For all the planning that went into his party, I loved every moment of late night detailed work. For every detail of decoration worked on to make the scene, I am grateful. For friends and family who came to celebrate with us, I am thankful. I wanted his first birthday since becoming a big brother everything he wanted. He'd been such an understanding and easygoing brother, giving us all the time we all needed as we adjusted to our new family of four, that I really, really wanted to celebrate him in a big way! I felt he deserved a huge celebration for his accomplishment of understanding "new baby", success of potty training and everything new that had been tossed at him. He'd been such a trooper, and I wanted to celebrate, so celebrate with the Big Red Firetruck we did!! His sweet face was so priceless! He wanted his baby to be part of his party the whole time! That meant the world to me. That made everything perfect. William, you truly are the best 3 year old and we love you dearly! You have an heart of gold! Hope you loved your 3rd birthday!
Much Love,
Moma
Below are some of the pictures from the party. I had SEVERAL others, but they are film pictures, and I don't have them on a cd to upload (yet)...I do have them in a snapfish album, so I will try and include them that way...
William loves anything fireman and firetruck related, so when it came time to celebrate his 3rd birthday, we knew exactly what his party would be...Firemen and Firetrucks!!
When I say he loves firetrucks, I mean He.Loves.Firetrucks. When I say he loves firemen, I mean He. Loves. Firemen!! We visit the fire station often and have to speak to any fireman we see anywhere! We play firetrucks all the time and have many conversations about how when he grows up, all he wants to be is a fireman. His favorite color is red, because it's the color of firetrucks. His favorite pair of shoes to wear are his "fireman boots". For Halloween, he had to be a fireman, with Baby Griggs as his Rescue Dog, Spots... So, like I said, when it came time for us to throw his party for turning 3, our thoughts were Firetrucks!!
The biggest part of his party would be a surprise visit from our local fire department!! I made a few calls and discovered the fire department will come out and do an "educational visit" as a community outreach!! First and biggest deal of the party had been secured...as long as come party day, there were no fires or emergencies!!! I was constantly praying!! William had no idea until party day about his surprise!
After securing the firetruck, I began planning all the details...the foods, with labels relating everything to the party theme, the decorations, the banner sign, the balloon colors, the party favors (being complete with fireman hats for every child), the "games", the guest list, the invites.. I think the invites were my favorite!! One afternoon, while he and I were playing fire rescue while Griggs took his nap, it dawned on me to have him dress up in his fireman costume (that was my baby brother, Holden's costume) and sit on our front porch, surrounded by his collection of firetrucks. He loved our spur of the moment photo session because we were taking pictures with his favorites!! I told him his picture was the big part of his party and that we were making invitations to send to his friends so they'd know to come to his party. Well, that was all it took! He was so excited to help me stuff the envelopes and drop them in the mail! For days and weeks, he'd ask if his friends got his card and if that meant they knew to come over and play firemen!! How cute...
For my party planning (which I pour myself into to make each party special and unique...and to occupy my mind over the fact that my child is turning another year older...) I love planning a party and creating all the details. It is something I enjoy and love to do. I just about bust at the seams with excitement when it comes to party time!!
As party day came, our party foods included the following:
Sirens (candy corn)
Water hoses (twizzlers)
Ladders (pretzels)
Gears (m and m's)
Firetrucks (rice crispies)
5 Alarm Chili (Philip's special chili recipe!)
Our party activities for our little fireman and his friends...
***Firefighting a "burning" building! I picked up a build-a-bear house, spray painted it red with a white roof, and stuffed the windows with orange, yellow and white tissue. I had spray bottles of water for the kids to use as their water hoses and "put out the fire"
***Building a firetruck! I made individual baggies with all the "pieces" of a fire truck and had bowls of icing for the kids to "build" (decorate) their firetrucks: rice crispy as the truck, red icing, mini oreos as the wheels, twizzler as the hose, candy corn as the siren, pretzels as the ladder, m and m's as the gears, all ready to assemble, then gobble up!!
***Keepsake picture frames! I had the foam frames and tons of foam peel and stick stickers of mini firetrucks and letters, balloons and stars. Once the kids made their frames, they got to take them home, with a picture of the party to be mailed.
Decorations:
Red and Yellow streamers all around the yard and playground
"Happy Birthday William" banner letter signs in Red
Red, yellow and white balloons
Red and yellow table cloths
Food label signs with each party food to name the food for the party
Goody Bags with Thank you cards attached. Bags stuffed with William's favorites: firemen stickers, crayons, bubbles, playdough and m and m's!
The cake:
Publix cake, marbleized yellow and chocolate, with a picture perfect design of a firetruck, labeled engine #3 for William's 3rd birthday. The truck was driving down the highway. I added William's favorite toys...his toy fireman and toy spots-rescue dog, along with the #3 candle. He loved seeing his toys on his cake!!
The Huge Party Surprise...
A Huge Big Red Firetruck and Ambulance pulled down our road and stopped right at our driveway!! The kids were in awe!! The firemen gathered around and gave a demonstration on what firemen do, how they dress for a rescue, what tools they use, how they help rescue during a fire/emergency. They let every child (who wanted to) climb through the truck, sit in driver seat and passenger seat, stand on the bumpers, crawl through the ambulance, hold the tools...then they presented every child with their very own Fireman hat!! During their talk, William and my Moma had the same thought and both took off for the house...to return with William wearing his Fireman Costume! He said "now I match the real Firemen!" It was so sweet to see the firemen embrace William and all the kiddos! As they finished their demonstration and all the kids had checked out the truck and we took our group pictures, William turned to the Firemen and insisted on inviting them to stay at his party and help him celebrate and open presents. He said his party was for firemen and so they all stayed for the last hour and a half of the party! They even helped stuff the remaining goody bags with all the firemen stickers, pencils and safety books from not only their department, but from the Dothan Fire Department. My parents surprised me with extra firemen goodies from their neighbor, who is a firemen in Dothan. He even sent another set of firemen hats!! That meant every child had two firemen hats to take home, a goody bag from the firemen and William's party goody bag. So many special touches went into pulling this 3rd birthday party together.
I can't begin to tell you how excited William was when that huge firetruck pulled up with the ambulance! He was in complete amazement that his. favorite. thing. in. the. world. had just arrived at his party!! We couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our William turning 3!! The party was such a fun afternoon, complete with family and friends all celebrating with us. William still talks about his 3rd birthday and how much he loved the firetruck and firemen...and for that excitement, I am thankful. For all the planning that went into his party, I loved every moment of late night detailed work. For every detail of decoration worked on to make the scene, I am grateful. For friends and family who came to celebrate with us, I am thankful. I wanted his first birthday since becoming a big brother everything he wanted. He'd been such an understanding and easygoing brother, giving us all the time we all needed as we adjusted to our new family of four, that I really, really wanted to celebrate him in a big way! I felt he deserved a huge celebration for his accomplishment of understanding "new baby", success of potty training and everything new that had been tossed at him. He'd been such a trooper, and I wanted to celebrate, so celebrate with the Big Red Firetruck we did!! His sweet face was so priceless! He wanted his baby to be part of his party the whole time! That meant the world to me. That made everything perfect. William, you truly are the best 3 year old and we love you dearly! You have an heart of gold! Hope you loved your 3rd birthday!
Much Love,
Moma
Below are some of the pictures from the party. I had SEVERAL others, but they are film pictures, and I don't have them on a cd to upload (yet)...I do have them in a snapfish album, so I will try and include them that way...
a little note to our boys...
To William and Griggs...
Mommy is working on getting caught up with our family blog. It's all here, just not posted. I have our family stories collected to compile and continue on with our family blog. Even small events and everyday fun times, I'm capturing. It is September 2012 now as I continue to update, and I'm wrapping up October 2010, but it is part of this gift to you that I keep our blog in chronological order and post the memories as they happened, not to get lost in how far behind I am in blogging.. I love you both, and love doing this blog for you. It's a window in my heart...I love spending time with you two and daddy, living and loving the moment, capturing pictures and videos, jotting down all the adorable things you say and do, so I can remember, when time comes for "my time to blog". I love waking in the mornings and being ready for adventures, ready for fun. I will never put those moments aside. Instead, when I can find quiet time, after you both are tucked in bed, I sit with my computer and quietly and with much determination, work on our blog. Lots of love, always~always! William, you about 3 weeks from turning 5. Griggs, you are 2 years and 3 months. You two keep me on my toes, constantly loving life and full of happiness. I am thankful for this chapter in my life, this chapter of "our time"...What a gift we have. You two are my blessings and I cherish you. I thank God for you, always.
Love you dearly,
Moma...
Mommy is working on getting caught up with our family blog. It's all here, just not posted. I have our family stories collected to compile and continue on with our family blog. Even small events and everyday fun times, I'm capturing. It is September 2012 now as I continue to update, and I'm wrapping up October 2010, but it is part of this gift to you that I keep our blog in chronological order and post the memories as they happened, not to get lost in how far behind I am in blogging.. I love you both, and love doing this blog for you. It's a window in my heart...I love spending time with you two and daddy, living and loving the moment, capturing pictures and videos, jotting down all the adorable things you say and do, so I can remember, when time comes for "my time to blog". I love waking in the mornings and being ready for adventures, ready for fun. I will never put those moments aside. Instead, when I can find quiet time, after you both are tucked in bed, I sit with my computer and quietly and with much determination, work on our blog. Lots of love, always~always! William, you about 3 weeks from turning 5. Griggs, you are 2 years and 3 months. You two keep me on my toes, constantly loving life and full of happiness. I am thankful for this chapter in my life, this chapter of "our time"...What a gift we have. You two are my blessings and I cherish you. I thank God for you, always.
Love you dearly,
Moma...
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William 2 years old
William 2 years old
William loves swinging on our front porch. 15 months old
I love this picture...he's looking up at his daddy
