Maddox Turns 10!

Our Mad Diggity Dawg turned 10 in August! We had a big weekend for him planned! He hit the Iowa Cubs game with his Uncle Tony and  Aunt Kelly, he hit the Solheim Cup with Gma and Gpa Coppola and Tony and Kelly's family, and a family birthday party at our house, and a friend party! Whew! It was a lot of celebrating....but also a lot of family and friends and together time!

The Iowa Cubs game was a HUGE hit! Maddox loved it! They got to know a baseball player on the Colorado team and so they talked to him all game. The guy even gave Maddox his hitting gloves and his baseball since it was his birthday! SCORE! They stuck it out the whole game and saw the fireworks. It was really a fun treat!

The cousins swam ALL weekend long....they were in their swimsuits nearly all weekend! It was so fun watching them all!

On the day of his birthday, we celebrated a little before everyone went their separate ways! I had the girls, Kelly and Tony had the boys, and Joe and Joey had football! In the evening, we all grilled out and swam some more!

 Joe and I kept his gifts pretty simple this year- a new baseball shirt, new hitting gloves and a Correa figurine!

On Sunday, we did his family birthday party.....he got so many great birthday gifts!

 Some really great gifts....Clue, Bags, Headphones, Michigan football t-shirt and sweatpants, t-shirt, and an iPhone

And, for Maddox's bday party with his school friends, we swam, played basketball, and yard games. No presents...no favors...pizza and scotcharoos. Pretty easy group!

I love how Saylor marched herself right into the birthday party photo! All and all, it was a good birthday weekend.

On a sadder note, my dad didn't get the best news at Mayo. The cancer is back. More scans, a biopsy and radiation on the schedule now. The bad news is it's cancer. The good news is that we hope this eliminates the pain. There is hope, and that's a good thing. It's just been a long, daunting, sad journey that I'm anxious for it to be over. But, if I'm feeling like that, I know my dad is feeling it times ten. It's time to get the treatment plan on the road.....so, here we go.....

Happy 5th Birthday, Saylor!!

Saylor turned 5! She was very excited for her birthday and the countdown began about 20 days prior! Since Joey and Maddox's bdays are prior to hers....she has a lot of built-up emotions over not getting her own party. Luckily, hers is in September! On the morning of her birthday, we got her up in time to have donuts with her brothers before they left for school. I took Saylor to the mall play place after school for something fun to do! And, on the night of her birthday, we had cupcakes and she opened up her gifts from us....we got her a baby high chair/swing combo and a new case for her ipod (my old phone). She really thinks she's big stuff with her own "phone" now!

As usual, Saylor's bday was fit in around her brothers' football schedules and Maya and Carter's soccer schedules! So, we ended up having it during the Iowa/Iowa State football game at night. I had HyVee chicken and pasta salad, baked beans, chips and most importantly- cake! Her party was a "gymnastics" theme....which actually just meant that we put gymnastics on her cake and Brynn and Saylor wore leotards. It's safe to say I won't be featuring this theme on Pinterest...

 She got a lot of great gifts....this "real" baby stroller from Gma and Gpa Remsburg might have been her favorite (and mine, too! It's so cute!) She also got a Build A Bear gift card that we will use in the dead of winter when we are bored. And, she got an "iHome" for her room so she can play music and have her own alarm clark! Some new shoes, new shirts, and a few more toys wrapped it up! Also, Kevin took her on her first solo shopping trip with him. They went to Target and she picked out a movie, a doll beauty chair and another toy. When she got home, she said "I told Kevin 'whoa, this is a lot of dollars. are you sure?' And, kevin just told me 'yeah, i don't care about dollars!" Her eyes were huge the whole time she was telling me. I think I had spent 30 minutes prior to her leaving telling her that she only could pick out ONE thing and if Kevin says it's "too many dollars" that she needs to pick something else. haha!

Brynn and Carter ended up staying the night for Saylor's bday which is always a treat. These two girls are two peas in a pod. I cannot wait to watch the girl cousins grow up together!

All and all, it was a great birthday! I did reflect at the birthday party though how much things change....Gone are the days of cute invitations, three weeks advance notice on when the party is, matching napkins and plates, balloons, themed decorations, themed food....the poor third child just gets things thrown together. But, hey, we were all together and she didn't notice a difference! That's all that matters.

Maddox's 7th Family Birthday Party

Maddox turned 7 this year on the day before the first day of school, so it was a bit of a crazy day. We had school supply dropoff, haircuts, Grace and Maya came over, my mom, dad & gma came, Carter had an overnight the night before and it was all a bit crazy. We decided to celebrate his bday that night at Pizza Ranch. Sadly, not ALL of the family could make it - Kyle & Emily, Tony & Kelly, Bobbi & Joe, Guthrey & Maya and Jeff could not come so that was a little sad for Maddox. He is used to wiffle ball in the backyard, cousins, a party at our house, lots of loudness, food and fun....and this party was much more tame.  And, to top it off, he was nervous about the first day of school & he was definitely missing his Papa Joe & Gma Bobbi.  So, I think his heart was a little heavy that day; and thus, my heart was a little heavy, and a little tired and a little frustrated.

We started out the morning with cinnamon rolls and candles and Carter was still here from an overnight!

After a full day of errands, school, haircuts, going to the park, going for a run, and picking up Maddox's cake, we headed to Pizza Ranch.

  

Maddox got a lot of great gifts: a Tigers t-shirt, a Michigan necklace, a Nike backpack, more MagnaTiles, Battleship, a KD t-shirt, and more.  Joe and I got him a new bike so now both kids are set with bikes for awhile! 

I really enjoyed myself at the party because there was no cooking or cleaning involved; and my Gma picked up the tab for the cake and the party which was just so nice of her. And, dad filled up our car with gas, so well, the party cost us nothing- didn't even have to pay to drive there! So blessed!

And, these little girls kind of stole the show. So far, Lia is just the best baby ever. And, Saylor and Brynn played under the tables nearly the entire party. 

                                             

Happy 7th birthday to my middle child. You can't begin to imagine how loved you are.

Surprise, Maddox!

For Maddox's 7th birthday, we decided to throw him a little surprise party with 7 of his friends from Sacred Heart. We had asked Maddox about having friends over and he just couldn't decide on the friends, and he wanted his cousins, and he wanted his baseball friends, and well, he couldn't make a decision. So, after that conversation, we decided that we would choose his friends for him and surprise him! It took the pressure off of him and also allowed us to shower him with a little unexpected love. I thought his Sacred Heart group of friends would be best so that it would help him relax a little about the first day of school and remind him of the friends he has to look forward to!

Maddox was definitely surprised...and, maybe a little freaked out too! The kids all came at 6 p.m. and I put them in the garage and Joe had taken Maddox out for errands so then he pulled up to the garage, got Maddox out of the car, and the door went up and all the boys were screaming "Happy Birthday, Maddox!" He stood in shock for a good 5 minutes!

 We then rounded up the kids to play football. Miss Thing put flags on and got in line as if "Of course, why WOULDN'T I play football with my brothers?" It was quite funny- she went out for the passes and she really enjoyed blowing the whistle.

 There's nothing cuter than little boys who huddle.

 Then, we took a break for hot dogs, water melon, chips and rice krispie treats!

 And, we finished the night with multiple games of knockout!

The party was from 6-8 which doesn't seem like a long time, but I have to say that after two hours with 8 1st graders....we were tired. Joey was great with all the kids, too - instructing them on the rules of football, throwing light passes so the kids could catch them, etc. He was very excited to have Maddox's younger friends here. I also heard Maddox's friends say to him "We know you from school" or "I see you at recess" or "I remember you." Maddox is lucky to have an older brother at school looking out for him.

Maddox continues to be a little shy and reserved in big social settings but I think he really enjoyed the night. And, the next day he said "Mom, thanks for surprising me." So, I think that's a good sign. We will celebrate his family birthday party on his "real" birthday - tomorrow night....which happens to be the day before school starts! Eeek!

Joey's 9th Birthday Party

We had a wiffle ball game planned for Joey's birthday party this year when rain struck! Boooo! The rain has ruined many games and outings for us this year. But, the show must go on and Plan B to go bowling was quickly implemented!

This year, Joey invited his Sacred Heart friends and his friends from his baseball and basketball teams so it was a mixed crowd. But, we told Joey how important it was to include both of them and introduce them to each other, etc and he did a great job. : ) It was an easy night all and all - especially after the rain sent me into panic mode!
Here's a photo of the whole group:

 Here's a photo of his Sacred Heart buddies:

 And, Joey decided to donate his gifts to Courage League Sports again this year. They were in need of small basketballs, baseball gloves, and sports wristbands! We got so much and felt so honored to give them to Courage League Sports.  We delivered them to the kids and Joey and Maddox both got to play with them....Joey warmed up right away but it took Maddox awhile. We will definitely be going back again to play with the kids soon!

I'm not sure when the kid birthday parties will end....but I will say, that Joey is completely in his element during them. He gets so excited to play with his friends that he can hardly contain himself. He got a little too rowdy on this night in fact....!

Happy 9th Birthday, Joey IV!

Joey turned nine on June 14, 2014! We had a little celebration at home and that's where he got his new set of wheels from the grandparents and us. Plus, he got a Yankees hat and a bike helmet from us, along with the annual photo book! It was a nice night at home and I think he was really surprised to get the bike! 

 We had our usual birthday celebration with family and friends at the Bud Open Softball Tournament in Carroll. I'm sad to hear this may be the last year for that as Carroll may be done hosting it. It's such an easy birthday to have and so close to my relatives, too....so it's always been nice. Joey had a Detroit Tigers bday cake and received lots of cool gifts including the movie Sandlot, Beef Jerky (his fave), a Detroit Tigers t-shirt, new books, art supplies, a new MLB video game and more! The rain and wind came in pretty fast so it was a short birthday party but it was still good!

Here's some things about my 9-year-old boy:

1- He loves working on art projects and makes up his own projects all the time. He went to drawing camp this summer and loved every minute of it! His art teacher told me that the boys were "flawlessly nice." I am unsure why that behavior doesn't happen every day at home....

2- His new thing is trying to learn card tricks and he will ask you to do the card trick 19 times with him and he will get it right on his 20th time.

3- He would play basketball over any other activity.

4- He eats every two hours and will likely cost me a fortune in meals over the years. He usually requires 4 pieces of pizza now and his favorite pizza is still cheese.

5- He's not great at playing with Saylor and when he does, it's for about 5 minutes at a time and then acts like he played with her for 30 minutes.

6- He loves to snuggle with me still and likes to give me hugs.

7- He moves at a very fast speed  no matter what he is doing. He can't sit still and constantly needs to be doing something. He will sit down and watch a tv show but other than that, his hands or feet almost constantly need to be moving.

8- He spills a lot and runs into things sometimes and breaks things a lot. This wknd in Ely, I asked him to clear the glasses from the table because there was red juice in one of them. My very next sentence was "Please do not spill, use both hands and walk carefully to the sink." Five seconds later.....two glasses spilled everywhere. Everyone else found it very amusing. 

9- I constantly have to say to him "Now, I want you to think about your next step before you do it" or "Joey, I want you to think about whether that is a really good idea" or "Joey, this is what I'm talking about....did you think that through?" I am trying to teach him to think before taking action immediately. So far, I'm not having much luck.

10- He just walked into the office and told me he wants to be a video game artist.

11- He overall is a good kid who looks out for others and his younger cousins. He's a good role model and is a good example for Maddox...especially as it relates to trying new things, not being scared, being brave, making new friends, etc. He can ease himself into almost any situation or group of friends...whereas Maddox needs his time and space. 

That's all I can say about my birthday boy right now! I can hardly believe that double digits is just around the corner....sigh. 

Happy 6th Birthday, Maddox!

We celebrated Maddox's sixth birthday last week at home on the day of his actual bday! We had waffles in the morning, and cupcakes that night and opened up gifts from mom and dad and Joey! He was turning six and starting kindergarten all in the same week so it was a big week for us! 

We then had a birthday party at home with family at our house! He wanted a baseball theme and really wanted all of his cousins to play wiffle ball with him so that's what we did! 

He still remains my child who gets the most giddy over getting gifts. I love watching him open gifts more than anyone else in the world. 

 All the cousins had a great time but Brynn and Saylor were the naughtiest. ; ) I found them in the guest room helping themselves to chocolate with wrappers all over them. You can see Brynn's look of "Who? Me?" as I opened the door to their surprise.

Maddox's favorite gifts: Monopoly Enterprise (we're all excited for that), new bases that were much needed, more MagnaTiles which are his favorite blocks of all time, a new scooter, new dry fit polo for school, iTunes gift card, a speed boat for our pond, an NFL board game, Sequence and some cash! This kid was spoiled rotten and loved every single gift!

What I love about this six-year-old: his smile, his drive, how when he loves something he loves it with his whole heart, his determination, his love for his dad, the way he looks up to Joey, his willingness to try new things (most of the time), how he thinks about things really hard, his empathetic nature, how he looks out for the feelings of others, what a great big brother he is to Saylor, his broad shoulders, his two little colics in his hair, how he is a "the more, the merrier" type of kid, how he loves it when we're all together as a family, how he opens gifts with such enthusiasm, how he needs his alone time, the sound of his laugh...and so much more.

Happy SIXTH birthday to my middle child.  Hard to believe you were ever this tiny.