Quinton is 3

Our little man has turned 3.  I am in a bit of denial on this one, just looking at that cute little face I can almost convince myself it didn't happen and that he is still 2.  But then he so efficiently reminds me, "Mom, I'm 3 now, I'm a big boy".  Oh yes, that's right buddy, and you are the sweetest little 3 year old ever!

We celebrated twice for this occasion as we were on family vacation with my family just before the big day and then with Chris' on his actual birthday.  

Quinton, we love you so much and are so proud of the boy you are becoming.  While you are stubborn and hard headed you also have the sweetest most sensitive little heart.  You are the cuddler of the family and I love that you always choose me each night to snuggle with (no offense Daddy).  You have changed so much over the last year!  Your vocabulary is awesome and you are amazing me all the time with what you pick up.  I can't wait to see what this year holds.

All our love,

Mommy and Daddy

Happy Birthday Chris

Today is my husband's 31st birthday...well technically, in a few hours.  But for the moment I have some time to sit and write so I will grab it and go.

Chris is right now out with all my brothers, his brother and a buddy for some good old guy time.   He didn't know about this outing this evening until 5 minutes before he was picked up at our door, but that's what makes birthdays fun.  Others making you feel special and letting you know how much they care for you.

Tomorrow morning he will be greeted by his 3 kiddos and his favorite coffee cake for breakfast - and they CANNOT wait to eat cake for breakfast, I'm pretty sure they think they won the lottery.  And hopefully as he goes through his work day others might hear its a special day and wish him well.

For me, well its kind of an emotional birthday celebration.  Something about this year that has caused me to fall that much more deeply in love with this man.  Something that makes me want to beg God to allow us to always continue this way, as man and wife, best friends, parents and partners in crime.  And I know on earth we will, but we aren't promised tomorrow and so...tomorrow I will do everything I can to convey my love and thanks for being married to and sharing my life with God's greatest for me....Chris.

I love you babe!  Happy Birthday.

 

(our engagement)

 

Captain America turns 4

Shayden is 4 years old!!!!

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe how fast those years have gone...but they have and this past weekend we celebrated in Superhero Style.

Shayden really wanted a superhero party this year and after grabbing a few costumes while I was out and about he landed firmly on Captain America.  A solid choice in my mind, I have absolutely NO CLUE about any superhero's, as there were no swords/guns/weapons involved in the costume.  :)

We gathered all our superhero friends and family members and embarked upon an adventure fit for any little superhero in training.

The evening started out with our Superhero Training Course which was demonstrated so well by Captain America's Grandpa (in full costume I might add).  And the kids grabbed onto the challenge well.  The course included, running, sliding, jumping, climbing under ropes and finished with a human tunnel formed by loudly cheering parents.

A Superhero meal was next on the agenda as each little superhero needed to power up for their upcoming challenge....The Superhero Strength Test.  Each child, if they so chose, could have their parents wrap them up in toilet paper and then break out using their superhero muscles!  It was a big hit with the boys.

The night finished off with a Captain America cake and plenty of sugar loading for the kiddos.  All in all a wonderful night to mark our little man's entrance into his fourth year.

A few pics:

Shayden, Happy Birthday buddy.  We love you to the moon and back.  You are an amazing little boy and we are so happy and grateful to be the parents God chose for you.  You continue to amaze us with your interests and knowledge.  And while your negotiating skills are improving a little too fast for my liking I know God has great plans for the wisdom you are gaining each year.  

All our love and admiration,

Mom and Dad

93 and Fabulous

On Tuesday we celebrated Grandma Lilian's 93rd Birthday!!!  And it was a celebration to remember.  We surprised her at her dance class....yes, that's right, her dance class - which she drove herself to by the way.  And boy was she shocked and excited.  Mom and Dad Testa had a beautiful cake and cards ready for her and her friends and everyone gathered around to sing and celebrate.  

She then topped off the celebration by dancing for an hour and half...the boys and GranDanna joined her for some sweet moves and I think she really enjoyed getting to show off her Great Grand Babies to her friends.

A few pictures to highlight the occasion.

We love you G.G.

The Beautiful Cake

Total Shock when she saw the family at class.

Singing and Blowing out the candles.

Happy 2nd Birthday Quinton

Today marks another year for Quinton!  He is a very proud little two year old, even though half of the time if you ask him if he is two, he says "no".

While he has been sick all week, poor guy, he perked up for a quick visit to the toy store this morning and picked his birthday present out all by himself.  To our joy and  appreciation it was a lovely $5 plastic chainsaw...well done Quinton!

Tomorrow we celebrate with the family and hopefully a happy and healthy little boy.

Quinton, you are a complete joy!  You have the sweetest and also orneriest disposition.  You constantly share with Shayden and are always willing to love on others.  You are the best cuddler in the family and your early morning snuggles are priceless.  We are thoroughly enjoying watching your personality come through as you learn to voice your opinions and desires more and more.  We can't wait to watch you grow and become a big brother.  

All our love!

A few pics to mark the last 2 years...

1 day

6 months

1 year

1.5 years

2 years

Shayden's 3rd Birthday

*Warning - Construction Site Ahead*

This weekend we celebrated Shayden's 3rd Birthday Construction style.  Yes, that would be two years in a row for the same theme, but what can I say he knows what he likes!

We were super excited that Uncle Tom and Aunt Beth were willing to host us at their farm so we could create a real job site for the party.  It was amazing and Uncle Tom outdid himself with the equipment, rock pile, caution cones and all the tools.  

We let Shayden skip his nap on Sunday so he could help us set up for the party and it was definitely a highlight time for him.  He dug in the rocks for a long time and even helped Uncle Tom drive the bobcat...his favorite part of the whole day!

A cool project, that Uncle Tom came up with, was mixing cement for the kids and letting them make hand prints.  The boys especially were total concentration when the cement mixer fired up and I am pretty sure you could have waved an ice cream cone in front of them and they would not have moved a muscle.

Dinner, for the kids, came in a brown bag complete with Twinkies and chips (I mean come on, have you ever seen a construction worker pull out a caeser salad on the job site, I don't think so).  You should have seen all the kids faces when they opened those up...sheer joy.

The evening topped off with a delicious cake and singing happy birthday to not only Shayden but his GG (Great Grandma Lilian) who turned 92 and his Aunt Nancy who flew all the way from Grand Caymen to celebrate.  All in all it was a great celebration.  We had so many family and friends join us, the weather was a total gift from God (after DAYS of rain and freezing cold) and we are so thankful for the blessing of Shayden that God has given us.

Happy Birthday Shayden - we love you so much, Mommy and Daddy

Quinton's Birthday Celebration

I am in the midst of uploading all the pics and video from last nights party but wanted to put up my top photo.  It makes my heart happy.

Birthday boys include Quinton, Uncle Sam and Grandpa

(note Shayden, he just can't help himself)

Quinton's First Year in Photos

Happy 1st Birthday Quinton

To my sweet little Quinton,

You are an amazing child of God and we feel so blessed to have you in our family.  From the moment you arrived you have added pure joy to our home.  I love how you light up when you see us (especially Shayden) and your loving nature is contagious.  Your hugs are amazing and watching the wind blow through your hair while you smile is a seared image in my mind. I hope you always know our intense and everlasting love for you and that you continue to grow to be the man God has called you to be.

All my love,

Mommy

A birthday breakfast - with a hint of syrup, a first.

Birthday smiles.

First present of the day...our amazing neighbors John and Jean bought Quinton his very own lawn mower so he and Shayden can 'cut the grass' together.

Shayden turns 2

Shayden celebrated his 2nd birthday today construction style.  All the family and a few close friends gathered to join us in a fun afternoon full of good food, a bulldozer pinata and a real life excavator - courtesy of Grandpa, which might make him the coolest one ever!

Shayden has been sick all week which made the party tough to pull off, we had to reschedule it once, but he pulled through and we officially kicked off his week of celebration.  Thank you to all our family and friends who joined us today and were super flexible with all the adjustments we made.

Birthday in Style

On Monday I celebrated my 28th birthday and it was fabulous. Everyone pitched in to watch Shayden all day and I was able to come and go as I pleased. I started my day with a workout followed by a pedicure with Momma T (while sipping my Starbucks, thank you very much) and then enjoyed a wonderful afternoon nap and hitting balls at the driving range.
For my birthday dinner I chose a menu of gourmet burgers, salad and sweet potato chips/fries...sounds delish right! Chris really stepped up to the occasion making homemade buns that were unbelievable and Dad brought a surprise from the clubhouse, homemade potato chips that came in the bag below....as you will see from the pictures they had a blast filling this entire bag which has turned into over 2 meals worth plus snacking this entire week.

It was a wonderful day and I was so blessed by all the love and affection!
Thank you.