Fabulous Army Life

Joshua added the Army men to his camo cake. The target practice area included paper plates stapled to trees, balloons with tanks on them, and the camo boxes. Welcome to the All-Out Nerf War Zone! All the kids received dog tags, arm bands, and camo or black neckerchiefs to prepare for the battles. Army themed tattoos and camo face paint for the warriors. Camo face paint from a local party store was available to help our warriors take cover when needed. Joshua greets his guests from behind a camo barrier.

Enjoying a fabulous pre-show dinner at La Masseria in the Theater District. Trey and I chose the "Black and White Pasta" ... dyed with squid ink. Nate went with fish ... a literal fish. Wicked is just amazing the second time seeing it! The boys thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Ready for a delicious dinner at Carmine's Italian Restaurant in downtown DC. Trey is ready to pick out his very own reptile ... his birthday wish. Joshua presents his brother with an xBox game. We order Carmine's signature dessert, "The Titanic," for Trey's birthday dessert! His top birthday wish?  A Facebook account!  :)

My Joshua turns 9 today.  I can't believe it's been nine years since he entered our lives, completing our family of four.  This is my youngest, my baby, my sweet boy and I am so very proud of him.  His laser blue eyes can absolutely sear my soul and his quirky sense of humor always makes me smile. He may have my blue eyes but his personality is all from his dad.  He is truly Dad's mini-me ... with a million wonderful qualities.  He is logical and intuitively understands more than many adults I know.  He has an amazing memory, 'gets' math, and has a wonderful way with words.  His dry sense of humor is always entertaining us, but he desperately avoids the spotlight.  He is competitive and works hard to do well. He makes up his mind quickly and is firm in his beliefs.  He has a great way of weighing pros and cons then sticking with the results of his decisions.  He is instinctively frugal and practical.  I think he was four years o...

Joshua decided on a "Capture the Flag" theme for his birthday party and really wanted to host his party before we left Texas. We were happy to find an area we could reserve at Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Center so we squeezed it in between the battalion change of command, packing, and loading our house. It turned out to be a really great time.  BIG hugs and thanks to my sisters-in-law, who insisted (based on the total panic on my face as I deliberated how to make this happen, I'm sure) on providing the cupcakes, napkins, food, drinks, decorations, and bandanas for the 'Capture the Flag' teams. You guys are the BEST!

Joshua and his cousin, Elizabeth, planned a very fun joint celebration for their 8th birthdays. We hosted it at BLORA in the Live Oak pavilion, which turned out to be a perfect location: lots of room, shade, restrooms, full kitchen, and a stage! We had 8 different games set out on various picnic tables for the kids to play when they arrived. We covered each table with a plastic tablecover then taped the instructions onto the table and set out all the materials needed for that game. We played two whole group games (Hanky Panky and Junk in the Trunk) then moved to the cupcake station where all the kids chose their cupcake and icing flavors, then had one minute to decorate their cupcakes with a variety of toppings. After that, we all cheered on the dads in the group as they competed in "Paper Dragon." Gift opening and goody bags followed. Goody bags were colored paper bags decorated with stickers that held a "Googly" watch, bubble wand, and balloon punch-ball for eac...

Trey had a wonderful 11th birthday party today. He chose Boulder's Rock Climbing Center in Harker Heights and it was so much fun. Unfortunately, icy storms in north Texas kept two sets of grandparents and a few cousins from being able to attend. We were sad to miss them today but are glad they are safe in their homes. Our family has been battling some flu-like symptoms so I am happy we all were able to make it to the party and really had a fun time. Happy Birthday, Trey! Happy 11th Birthday, Trey Cook! Trey loves rock-climbing right away. Joshua nears to the top! We were soooo happy Mr. Tito was home on R&R! Our fabulous friends, Tim & Amelia with Clayton (and Cecilia-to-be!) Yay that Nate's cousin, Jay and his beautiful family, Malin, Wesley and Emil, could join us! We love Uncle Mike and Aunt Carole Ann! We love Uncle Danny and Aunt Rachel, too! Abby jumps right into rock-climbing. Look how high Lizzie climbs! There's Emma on th...