My baby is THREE today!

Ethan's 3rd birthday! on PhotoPeach

1,000 Gifts #151-200 Happy Birthday {to ME!}

I think 33 sounds like a wonderful age to be!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. I am feeling extraordinarily grateful for the year behind me and VERY excited about what my 33rd year holds!

I am, as I always do, throwing myself a birthday party tonight to include lighting wood in my NEW fire pit, enjoying Chinese take-out food, eating pies (yes, plural) from Village Inn (I don't like Thanksgiving pie, so I waited!), playing Yahtzee and just hanging out with a few of my loved ones.

As much as I love celebrating my birthday, I'm super-excited about getting on with the rest of the year!

I've decided that my theme word for 2011 (11 is my favorite number!) is JOY and I asked my guests to bring items for me that will bring me JOY. Tonight begins Advent, too, so I'll be kicking that off at my party with the first installment from the "Jesse Tree Advent Devotional" from Holy Experience

I love this time of year!

November is THE CRAZIEST MONTH of the year for us. Of the 21 people that came to my son's 5th birthday party on Saturday, NINE of us have November birthdays. That's almost half! Wow-za. So, while I've kept up my pen-and-paper list, here's the latest for my cyber version:

151:: my vision for Thanksgiving coming to life {my mother-in-law and her sister just relaxing and being together}

152:: ladies' brunch for nine going perfectly

153:: pink gerber daisies from Drew, just "because"

154:: footie pajamas on my 18-month-old

155:: Grandma time for the boys

156:: crafting with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law in the treehouse room

157:: using Andrew's blue watercolor artwork to make bookmarks

158:: a new pink jacket

159:: staying in one booth at the antique store for half an hour

160:: a doily embroidered with a "D"

161:: milk glasses

162:: cousins having a blast

163:: a messy house

164:: The Dumas siblings, spouses and children all under one roof

165:: celebrating nine years ago, when Drew and I met at Aunt Sharon's and Uncle Charlie's the day before Thanksgiving

166:: goody bags for the ladies, paid for with my writing job

167:: getting all the shopping done beforehand

168:: 62 degrees in the house and wearing my pink fuzzy robe

169:: not throwing up like I did a year ago

170:: praying over my 5-year-old son, thanking God for 5 perfect years and expecting amazing blessing in the next 5

171:: coffee, coffee and more coffee {thank God for our Kuerig!}

172:: marrying into a family with three sisters, and adding another one this year

173:: being appreciated for working hard at making people feel special

174:: accepting that God created me to enjoy making people feel special

175:: thanking God for giving me the resources it took to pull this week off

176:: being a list maker who can get it all done

177:: feeling perfectly well, despite every reason to feel stressed

178:: football, Taco Bell and a nap on Sunday

179:: Andrew's birthday gifts being a big hit

180:: Drew and his brother orchestrating the party treasure hunt

181:: Lego creations

182:: group hugs with Ethan

183:: deep, peaceful sleep

184:: a warm, cozy home

185:: new make-up and feeling pretty

186:: Andrew's arm just being a sprain

187:: two rainbows in one day

188:: NOT spending our refund money on getting Andrew's arm casted

189:: a Gators birthday party

190:: a successful family photo shoot in beautiful weather

191:: three lovely handmade scarves from Mrs. Braddock

192:: the boys bouncing and bouncing

193:: A&W rootbeer floats and Long John Silver fish

194:: surrender

195:: trust

196:: serving a faithful God

197:: not living by a spiritual check-list

198:: freedom from over-analyzing

199:: freedom from fear

200:: free to live in JOY

For more entries, visit Holy Experience

1,000 Gifts: #101-112 Birthdays

101:: birthday parties




102:: using two containers of icing on his cake



103:: 33 candles



104:: The favorite Aunty and The Cousins



105:: The Siblings {who'd hardly ever see each other if I didn't get them together!!}



106:: Kids crowding around for present-opening {even when the present is bullets and a gun cleaning thingy}



107:: Getting a present on your dad's birthday



108:: Throwing him a party....more for me than him



109:: Enjoying his baby



110:: Never taking another year for granted



111:: Opening presents of my own on his birthday. My "Blessings Unlimited" consultant kit arrived!! Everything was BIGGER than I expected--a pleasant surprise!

112: Ethan thought the blocks were toys.



For more, visit Holy Experience

When you go....TAKE NOTE OF THE LOVELY ITEMS IN HER PICTURES....THEY'RE FROM BLESSINGS UNLIMITED (mentioned in #111 and #112, above)!! How cool is that!?! Ann is a BU fan, too! :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Ethan!

My baby boy is ONE year old as of 8:12am today!

I love you, Eipi Moo!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ethan Ryan!

on PhotoPeach

Monkey's 3rd Birthday!

Are you as tired of my family's birthdays as I am??? But we always say, "It sure beats the alternative." I'll take celebrating a plethora of birthday over the alternative any day. Or month!

But now I'm done!! Well, throwing them, anyway. I still have to attend my nephew's next weekend but that'll be a breeze compared to the month I've had!

First of all, I spent Friday night and most of Saturday at the Women of Faith conference in Glendale, AZ.

Here's me with my mom and my friend, Jen, who was drove us. I'm about 16.5 weeks preggers in this pic in case you're counting. I'm feeling large these days but in a good way.



Anyway, GUESS WHAT?? WOF had a surprise guest...

HER!!!



I posted this video the day before, how weird is that?? I just randomly saw it on another blog and thought it was SO funny. Low and behold, she ocassionally performs on the WOF tour and wasn't scheduled to be in Phoenix and just happened to drop in Friday night and PERFORMED THAT SONG!! I whispered to my mom, "I just posted this song on my blog yesterday!!" My row-mates cracked up as much as I did.

Whether you are a mom or have a mom (that's you), you should watch the video!!

Now you should know that in the interest of not leaving the father's out, she did a rendition for them. It simply went, "Go ask your mom, go ask your mom, go...ask...your...mooooom!" Stinkin' funny stuff, folks.

So we had about an hour to unwind from the conference and stretch our legs (we did that in Hobby Lobby, heehee) then hit the store for the party paraphanalia for

my son's 3rd birthday party,

held Sunday at a nearby park.

Oh, goodness, was he excited about this party!! And he really "got it," that it was all for him.

This is what he (more or less) arrived to...





...and this was his expression when he came running up and first saw the pavilion all decked out with Thomas the Train and his beloved Nana and Mommy waiting expectantly for him.



Then when he gt up close to check it all out, this was his expression. "Quietly Amazed," I'd say!



Our pavilion was located near the water with plenty of ducks to keep us amused.

(Yes, his rule is "get as close to the water as is 3-year-oldly possible)





Yeah, um, you're not supposed to feed them, "For Public Health Safety Reasons..." but...who can resist?? We could've been arrested. We even shared our bread with other park patrons!! Rebels, I tell ya! This was an actual party guest, however.



This is my dear friend and her 2-year-old daughter, whom I help out with part-time during the week. It's the best "job" in the world! :)



Ain't she cute?? She's as sweet as she looks. Throws like a boy, too!!



Here's my same friend's son, who my boy thinks is his best buddy.



Some folks tossed a football around, much to my son's amusement!!



There was a nice shady tree, too, for eating under. We served sandwiches and the fixin's.



And naturally, there were cupcakes. I, ah...kinda forgot the candles...so we wung it!! :) He ended up not eating even one bite and instead pummeled it to smitherines and played with it. He's not what you'd call "a neat freak."



He thought it was great fun to smoosh the train rings into it, though.





A highlight was, of course, opening presents. Our three nephews were veeeeerrrrryyyy interested in the Thomas stuff he opened. Do I feel some playdates coming on??





The girls preferred bubbles. Although one of the girls did like the bugs in her goody bag!



And I can't leave out my lovely SIL and only niece!!



And here's a rare shot of ME, with my son!!! He obviously couldn't have cared less but I just wanted to prove that I was there.



He was totally uninterested in me last year, too! He sure has grown up in a year!



Here's my hubby, helping him with his new scooter.



This was them last year with his new tricycle, which he has more than perfected since then.



Lastly, I'll do my favorite thing...comparison pictures!!

One week old, December 2005



His 1st birthday party (Elmo and trucks), November 2006



His 2nd birthday party (E-I-E-I-O and farm), November 2007



His 3rd birthday party (Thomas the Train), November 2008



Monkey, we love you more and more with every passing day!!

Here's to 100 more birthdays!

10 rules for a fun, cupcake-themed birthday party

Well, for a gal turning 31, anyway!

1. Make several types of yummy cupcakes. I had vanilla/buttercream with strawberries, chocolate caramel, vanilla/buttercream with cinnamon and chocolate/chocolate/chocolate!



2. serve a variety of hot and cold beverages (like coffee and sparkling apple cider)



3. ask guests to wear a color that goes with your theme--like PINK--and give prizes for the people who wear the most items (the two gals pictured won)





4. have fun games--like a bubble gum blowing contest (with prizes, of course)





5. allow cute little girls to attend, as long as they stick with the theme color





6. send your hubby a link for the cupcake necklace on Etsy you wanted and you just might get it right before your party! :) He was heading out the door with our son and when I turned to say goodbye, he was wearing it! I was so surprised!

P.S. the cupcake mug was from my mom for the party!





7. buy birthday candles ahead of time or you end up blowing out a tea light!



8. invite friends that will give you stinkin' amazing gifts (which they did)!! Thanks, girls!!! I was truly spoiled!!!



9. offer pampering pedicures to those who are interested (as my mom and SIL were...well, and my niece definitely liked the water!)



10. and it always helps to have beautiful, wonderful, fun-loving friends and family at your party!! Thanks, everyone, for a wonderful time!!











***Bonus!*** Belly shot of the birthday girl at 15 weeks pregnant! I look tired, don't I?? :)