Maverick and Everitt's Birthday Party

Last night, we hosted our very first birthday party for the boys! Maverick was SO excited. He was anxious for cake and candles and singing!! He even sang Happy Birthday to himself and Everett. It was a great evening, and we were so blessed to have our family there to help celebrate. And, of coarse, the boys were spoiled rotten!Stan, Carolyn, Oma Carola, Pookey, Gma Sue, Papa Greg, Jesse, Everett, Kathy & Maverick
Maverick showing off his Toy Story 3 cake. It's supposed to be Andy's bed with some of his toys.

I had my first experience with fondant. It went pretty well, and I was pleased with how the cake turned out. I'm just thankful the boys were not home or I think I would have pulled my hair out.

Everett enjoying his "Fun to be 1" cake. He got right into it. Luckily, we got it all on video. Maverick loves watching home videos, so we can watch it anytime you want to visit.

Yum, yum.

Getting every last bite.

Maverick opening his presents. It was so funny because his favorite was the $1 boat from Wal-mart. We were joking we should have all just gone in on it and saved our money!

More fun and presents!

Having cake. Maverick had a bit of a belly ache after all that cake and ice cream, but that's ok. He had a fun night. It was kinda crazy because everyone was gone by 6:47! You know it was a rager.

Darla exposing Maverick to the world of technology and apps. He was having a blast playing with some alley cat. Jesse had to download the app on him phone.

Well, until next year, when the boys will be 4 and 2. Now, that's a crazy thought!

Almost One

All I can say is, "He's just too darn cute!!"

Happy Almost Birthday Everett!

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone, but here we are in 2011!! As fun as it was, I'm glad to get back to normal routine, especially for the kids. This was the first time I didn't see my family for the holidays, so that was tough, but fortunately, we were able to see all of Jesse's family. It was great catching up and laughing until our sides hurt. Always a good workout. We were SO excited to get our first real Christmas tree. Our perfect frasier fur fit perfectly in our front room. We got to pull out our few but meaningful ornaments to decorate. Each year we add one for each child and a family ornament. Each one has a special meaning. I'm particularly a fan of Maverick's bee because it reminds us of when our apt in Vermillion was infested with bees for 6 months...seriously.
We also hit up some holiday parades at Thanksgiving time. Maverick hit the jackpot at the Hudsonville parade. He got a chip clip, candy, a jimmy johns sub and this huge SpongeBob! It was quite the adventure since we had just been at the Grand Rapids parade that same morning and walked away with nothing because this guy sat right in front of us and hoarded ALL of the candy. The candy is meant for the 2-year-olds!!!

We still looked cute at the parade though all bundled up!

Everett is turning into such a big boy. It will only be a matter of time before he takes off walking. Right now, crawling is just so much quicker than taking the time to learn something new.

My new baking apron to add to my collection.

Christmas Eve.

At the bowling alley.

Not sure what Everett is doing, but it's funny.

Always enjoying new trucks.

And, the sit and spin.

Maverick opening his new backhoe. I swear we keep the CAT company in business. We have at least one yellow toy in each size-dump truck, backhoe, roller, etc.

The boys at Maverick's Christmas program.

And, a personal favorite. Let's hope it's just a phase! Either way, it's good for a laugh!

Happy New Year!