Broncos birthday

We have maintained the unorthodox tradition of celebrating Zach's birth on his half birthday, and yesterday he turned 6 1/2!  He has grown up so much this past spring.  He is reading extremely well and independently spends time each day reading books that I would have said were too difficult for him.  He also had a great baseball season this spring.  He is hitting the ball well and also beginning to field the ball.  In fact during one game he got 5 outs during the 3 inning game!

But the biggest, most alarming, sign of his advancing age was the day that he looked in the mirror after a shower and told me that he wanted his hair "cool".  When I asked what he meant by "cool" he replied, "You know....sticking up".  So this week at the barber he was shown how to make the front bit of hair spike.

Zach asked for a kid's cookbook for his birthday
and then insisted on making lunch for us!

Eli also prepared his sandwich today!

Free at last!

Last week we enjoyed a vacation at the beach.  While the weather was not ideal for swimming, or some days even sitting on the beach, we all managed to have a wonderful time.  Steve was more free from responsibilities than he has been in a long time.  His Mississippi trips (yes, that is plural) are behind him and his workload has lightened considerably, in fact while we were away he only spent a couple of hours during the whole week working.  The rest of the time was spent with the mere responsibility of being a 'dad'.  Towards that end he played a great deal of baseball with Zach and Eli.  I can see that in a few more years all three boys will ignore me for the greater fun of playing with daddy!  I cannot begin to compete.  (Plus, that will leave me on the beach. Alone. Reading.)

Really, for our whole family, the week marked the end of a crazy, stressful year.  While mainly it was Steve who has needed the relaxation for the first time in 14 months,  it was also significant for me with the 'return' of Steve and with my sister's wedding being behind us.  But, I feel certain (In fact, I think it's guaranteed) that the next few months will produce a different kind of stress as we prepare to build our new house this summer/fall.  I am looking forward to the process but I am also taking the time to enjoy the decreased tension and more relaxed pace of right now.

Another year...

In the midst of wedding prep, my sweet baby turned one year old!  We all paused and 

took a moment to celebrate his birth!!

Happy Birthday, Marcus!

 

Wedding Bliss

This past Saturday we hosted my sister's wedding in our yard.  After months of preparation we spent the final week in a frenzy, cleaning up and decorating for the big event.  The end results were incredible.  Not only were Julie and Aaron pleased with how everything turned out but I believe it was the most fun I have ever had at a wedding! (It was also the most work I have ever done for a wedding too...)

Julie wanted a small, meadow wedding and we all imagined it as a scene out of Tuscany with outdoor dining at long tables filled with platters of fresh food!  I appreciated how much Julie let me take part in the planning and if I were to be having my wedding now I would do the same style.

The boys (especially Zach) were so excited about the whole event.  They soaked up each aspect from the day: seeing Julie for the first time as a bride, the ceremony and cutting the cake.  Plus it didn't hurt that after the sun went down there were glow sticks and sparklers!

There are so many pictures that I love from the day and the events leading up to it, that I am going to post quite a few, enjoy!!