seasons of change

it's here. 

fall.

the crisp-air-shorter-days-scarf-wearing-hot-apple-cider-days are here.

i love me a good season change.  it's inevitable.  as much as i love summer and the hot, lazy days in the sun, picnics and park dates, sand volleyball, the lake...every good thing must come to an end. 

and although around here it can be super abrubt, change is good.  it gets overshadowed by the thoughts of pumpkin picking, sweatshirts, leaves changing colors, and little boys who never want to come inside to put on their jackets because it's just so much fun crunching around in the yard.

in north dakota, if you want the weather to change, just wait for roughly an hour.  it will. 

so we know its coming.  fall. 

change. 

a new begining.

Construction Overload

{a long, overdue recap of the big birthday bash.  a day full of w's: windblown, wheels, and wishes}

it was awesome. 

no, really.  it was really awesome.  i was in my prime.  i loved planning it, executing it, and seeing the smile on my boy's face.  i had to fight back tears when i stopped to realize how many people truly love him.  my boy.  my two year old.

james celebrated his day in true james fashion.  i asked him when we woke up what he wanted to do for his birthday, and he responded with dancing and shopping.  well, since those are clearly things i hate to do {ha!}, we set out for the farmer's market downtown.  between the puppies, {f}ire truck, and mooo-zik, he was in his element. 

and so we danced. 

see that awesome customized dump truck shirt? 

yep, this mama made it! :)

and not like 'go shorty, it's your birthday' kind of dancing.  it was more elaine-from-seinfeld kind of dancing.  throw in a chicken wing move and you have it down.  again, he was in his element.

from there we went shopping at the baby store, had a photo op in the park, and had an all time favorite lunch of mac & cheese. 

after pleading with him for a nap, james woke up refreshed and ready for his party.  daddy was home to get him ready, and i was off to decorate.  picnic tables were turned into roadways, construction trucks everywhere, and all sorts of goodies to eat.

construction goodies

i know, i know.  i promised a green bike.  however, there was a small glitch in that.  i did due diligence to my type a personality by reading reviews, finding the right bike and for which age group.  so i go ahead and ordered a green mini, because that's what they said for 2 year olds.  

then aaron was putting it together, and i noticed it looked more mini than i expected.  

then we held drew up to it. they weren't kidding when they said mini. 

now, i know i have monster children, but damn, it was mini!  i panicked and made a quick return for a regular, but they were out of the lime green bikes, so blue had to do.  as you can tell the regular bike fit juuuuusssstttt right :)

all in all it was awesome.  nothing like gale force winds and sand to make it a party, right?  thank you to everyone who made it a smashing success.  james loved every second of it, which fills my heart even more.  maybe enough to forget all of the annoying trucks with noise that he got as presents and continues to annoy me with...maybe.

two!

james-

you and drew are napping, so i thought i would take this rare quiet time to sit and write a little note to you. 

it is your second birthday, and i can't believe how awesome you are!  well, i can, because you have a GREAT resource of awesomeness {and it ain't your daddy!}  i always knew i wanted to be a mom, but from the time i saw the two pink lines, to your first ultrasound, to feeling your first kick, and then when i held you for the first time two years ago, i never fully understood what being a mom really was. 

you have accomplished and grown so much in just two years, and these days it seems as if you learn something new everyday.  i love watching you become an individual, trying new things, and be a sweetheart to everyone.  you are genuinely a sweet boy, and you take after your uncle mark and are the life of the party.  you not only look and act like him, you have his awesome personality and that makes my heart smile.  really smile.

in a few short hours, we will be in full swing of your awesome construction party.  you will have a ton of friends and family around, presents and cake everywhere, and two proud parents who won't be able to stop beaming.  so many people love you.  daddy and i love you.

two years ago at 4:45pm, a mama was born. thank you for making me a mama.

i love you.

love,
mama