This boy is EIGHT YEARS OLD!

Happy birthday to our number one son Daniel! Today he started the day opening presents at the breakfast table (as is our tradition). He was pretty happy as you can see. (And yes that is a Minecraft piñata behind him that Susanne is crafting for his pool party on Saturday.)

Once we got to school he hung out with his buddies then the whole student body sang happy birthday to him in English, Spanish and American Sign language. It was actually really awesome. Then it was off to his field trip.

  

They happened to be going on a field trip to the Smithsonian's Native American Indian Museum and I tagged along (at Danny's strong urging) as a parent volunteer. These kids have been together for almost 5 years now and it's almost as fun to watch them grow as it is to watch Danny grow!

The field trip was great fun and more singing ensued. The day is only half over as of yet though. After school he will have rehearsal for his upcoming musical, The Wiz, and then the whole family will be going on a fishing outing with his cub scout troop. It will be a memorable birthday to say the least. 

Party time happened a few days later at our local pool.

 

And to think it all started with a little tiny swaddled baby who stole our hearts eight years ago today and has refused to return them. ;-)

Happy Birthday to our dear Daniel! Love, Mommy and Mama

BFFs (like seriously, forever)

We are so lucky to have neighbors that we adore. Their family has two girls around the same ages as our boys and the kids all go to the same school. Let me explain. These are the best kind of friends--the carpooly, cheese platey, movie nighty, never ending play daty, go on vacation togethery kinds of friends. Which I highly recommend to everyone in the world.

With our oldest and their youngest both turning eight very shortly, I just wanted to post these two pictures showing Danny and Callagh when they were just a few months old and again the other day. There is something about these two that just makes me smile (when it doesn't make me yell.) ;-)

Danny was born in late May and when Callagh was born about 2 months later, I remember we went over to our neighbor's house to wait for the family to come home with their new bundle of joy. Danny was of course only two months old and so the girls' grandmother invited me to lay him down in the new Moses basket they had gotten for the newborn. He promptly "christened it" if you know what I mean. ;-)

After a diaper change and some quick clean up, little Callagh arrived home, and so on the first day of her little life, she and Danny met. And these two second graders haven't stopped playing yet. I think that might make them official BF Forever, at least so far. Here's to the next 8 years and all the many more to follow! Love, Mommy