an eleven year old you.

our sweetest max turned eleven last month.  we celebrated his special day a few weeks early with friends at the opening of the lego movie.  perfect timing for that lego-loving boy, who is adored by all who know him.  and for good reason. he is such a genuine and kind hearted person. smart, honest, and full of all kinds of information.  so handsome and getting to be so tall,  still i see him as that precious baby boy that changed our lives for the better.
he is something so special. and i am so, so lucky to be his mama.
happy birthday, my sweet boy.

8 years.

i was looking back at mad's old birthday posts (here, here and here.), and regretting not doing one for last year's (not too late). i love to look back at what seem like small changes over the year, only to see in pictures how big those changes really were. my chubby baby has grown into a bright, sensitive, and dedicated eight year old with a great sense of humor and a fierce determination.  he's amazing to watch master any new skill he tries.  he likes a clean house, a good adventure, and three square meals a day. you wouldn't know it from that sweet smile in those pictures above that we had to cancel most of his birthday activities because madden was sick with a pretty rough fever and cold that day.  he was happy with the humble celebration we threw and the promise of a trip to tepanyaki with his cousins at a later date.  a precious 8 year old boy. he makes us proud every day. 

seven sweet years.

our little madden turned seven years old last week, and we had a weekend long celebration to prove it. it started with a little family party on his special day,  a florida orange cake and a reading teepee that mark & i made...b/c reading is more fun in a teepee.  we surprised the boys with a day off of school and a day on the slopes, per the birthday boy's request. my sweet sisters and nieces put together a celebration for their mad complete with handmade decorations and doggy cake for madden's favorite living things. there were friends over, sleepovers, and enough left over cake to drive me back into the arms of hot yoga.  we love our sweet boy!

 some shark's teeth for our little sea child.

little angel in a skirt.

my pretty & petite niece, elly jo, turned 5 over the summer, and we celebrated her special day thumbelina style.   all fairies and humans were invited to munch on the appropriate sized refreshments. we painted the birthday girl pictures on tiny  canvases,  made her little birthday cards, and even serenaded her with "marry the mole". little fun was had by all.