Teag's Birthday

It being a big one, I decided to surprise Teag by arranging an overnighter for us at Daniel's Summit Lodge. It was a very rustic looking place, full of stripped logs and woodcarvings, and the snow came up to the rooftops of several buildings. We got to spend a lovely kid-free night together, and even sleep in the next day. It was fabulous, and probably one of Teag's favorite presents. Thank you to Tris and Kris for making that possible, especially given the fact that Maisie threw up, Dany had a coughing fit in the middle of the night, and Rory woke you up before the sun.

The next day I prepared Teag some baby-back ribs, new potatoes and asparagus for his birthday dinner. Dany especially dug the ribs.

By the time we were done, there was nothing left but a big pile of bones. Mmmm.

Next Teag opened his presents. One of his favorite gifts is any sort of book that involves airplanes, especially autobiographies of wartime pilots. So he got a bunch of those.

Here he is trying to indoctrinate his kids early.

Every year Teag always talks about how he remembers these chocolate pudding cakes that his mom would make him for his birthday. Apparently they don't make the mixes anymore, but thanks to a helpful tip from Carolyn, I tried my best to replicate it by marking off the cake into squares and sticking a syringe full of pudding in each square. Pretty tasty actually.

Happy birthday to you Teag. To quote Napoleon Dynamite, I hope this year "all your wildest dreams will come true." ;)

The Big 3-Oh

Tomorrow Teag turns 30. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little bit pleased that his birthday is before mine, so he can be the first one to reach this landmark age. The age when you must leave all youthful pursuits behind to focus on being "an adult".

Despite the fact that Teag and I have been married for over 11 years, I have seen very few pictures of Teag as a child. This is due (in part) to the fact that his sister has been laboring for years to scan, date, and label all the family pictures and albums. As such, I never knew until very recently what Teag looked like as a baby, when his sister emailed us a few pics.

Isn't he cute? And the green shag carpeting really sets off his eyes :). As he grew up, he began to look more and more Teag like, until he was unmistakably himself.

Teag will most likely be embarrassed that I'm putting these on the blog, but since I was kept in the dark so long, I have to share what I've seen with the world!  I mean, check out this sweet Cosby sweater!

In all seriousness, it's been a lot of fun to see how Teag's aged over the years, and to get a few glimpses into his past. And despite all my teasing, he's very lucky not to have gone through an extremely awkward phase like his wife did. He always looks like cute, little Teag.

Happy thirtieth, Bird. I love you more than words can say, and I look forward to spending the next thirty-plus with you.

18 Months!

Rory is eighteen months old tomorrow. We've been counting the days until we could put her in nursery, and actually ended up sneaking her in a week early. Shhh.

This little gal is a spit-fire. She is full of it, and I think will more than likely give us a run for our money on many a future occasion.

This kid is always getting into things. Literally, in this next picture.

Rory can eat almost anything, including an entire piece of pizza, apparently.

She loves Wheat Thins and GoldFish Crackers, and drinks milk almost exclusively. She also signs quite well, and is learning her colors, and animal sounds. She's also very into reading books. If you sit down for more than three consecutive minutes with her in the room, she'll most likely bring you a book, and demand to be pulled up on your lap. She's always pulling books out and perusing their contents.

What can I say? She has letters on the brain :).

Pretty hot stuff.

February Fun

We've had some rather balmy days lately in what is usually a terminally dreary month, and our kids have been making the most of it.

I think Rory was so excited to be outside, she didn't much care what she was doing. Poor kid doesn't get to leave the house enough. Dany had taken her new bike out for a spin, and is making good progress.

After a hard days work, I have two little Masseuses to help me relax.

And I got to have a great little snuggle with Baby Lucy.

I know it's rough, but you've just got to make the most of it. Really. :)

Happy Birthday #4!

A week ago we celebrated Dany's 4th birthday. We were very thankful that she reached that landmark without any additional hospital visits, and even managed to be relatively healthy for the occasion. Hurray!

Just like her big sister, she wanted Harry Potter Lego's.

We let her open that present in the morning, then saved her other big present for her birthday party later. She spent the morning eating waffles, building Lego's with Dad, and helping make her birthday cake, while Mom took Rory to see the doctor. Then that afternoon, all the Roger's cousins, and one of Dany's little friends came over for a little party. We packed all the kids (including four four-year-olds) in two cars, and headed to Kangaroo Zoo.

For anyone who hasn't been there, Kangaroo Zoo is a building full of giant inflatables, and the kids just run wild. They love it there.

I actually had a pretty hard time getting any good pictures, because they slid down so fast.

Dany's coughs got the best of her for awhile, and we had to make her sit down for a few minutes. She was a good sport about it.

Once the kids started winding down at the Zoo, we headed back to our house for presents, and cake and ice cream.

Among other things, she received coloring stuff,

More Harry Potter Lego's,

Plastic food, and a Strawberry Shortcake Doll,

And her other present from Teag and I, a new bike.

She seemed very uncertain at first, like she didn't realize it was hers. We figured she was probably due for something bigger, as her knees are currently up to the handlebars on  her tricycle. Before all the kids left, we gave them little treat bags with some toys and stuff inside. Check out all these cool kids with their sweet shades.

Even though Rory wasn't feeling good, she was determined to get in on the cake.

Dany told us many times that it was the best day ever, and that her presents were the best ever. Thanks to all the cousins (and aunts) who helped make it so! Happy Birthday Dany, we love you lots!