Brody's 8th Easter Birthday

In 2019, Brody's birthday at the end of April fell just a week after Easter.  Because we had just celebrated Easter and it was fresh on his mind, he requested a bunny cake for his birthday cake.  Done!  Mommy made him a yummy chocolate on chocolate bunny cake complete with a masculine blue bow tie.  Eddie said my bow tie looked like a 1980s tuxedo but whatever.  Brody also got to choose what we did for his birthday while his big brother was away for Spring Break.  He chose putt-putt.  The day of his birthday fell on a Monday which is kids' night at our local Mellow Mushroom so we invited some friends to join us for make your own pizza night.  I think Brody had lots of fun celebrating his birthday over the course of several days.  Brody has always loved birthdays and just enjoys celebrating with decorations, balloons, and cake.  He doesn't usually care about presents very much although he does love a brightly wrapped package as much as anyone.  Brody has been such a wonderful gift to all of us since he was born as our biggest baby and was named the "best baby in the world" by his big brother Evan.  I remind Evan of that all the time these days when he acts like he doesn't like Brody.  Haha! 

Bunny cake for the 8 year old. 

Such a handsome 8 year old. 

Singing the birthday song and blowing out his candle.  

Everyone enjoyed the cake, but Mattox loved it the most and licked his plate clean.  Haha! 

Brody loved eating lunch at the Salty Dog Cafe on the way to play putt-putt on Hilton Head Island. 

We are limited in our putt-putt choice here, but this one has been a favorite.  The boys got put in the stocks. 

Then, they put Mom and Dad in them.  

Grayson refused to go in the stocks and preferred to play putt-putt instead. 

Mommy taught Grayson to play, and Brody showed us his expert skills. 

Mommy and Grayson

Mattox was pretty adept too. 

Pictures of the birthday boy with his pirate pal. 

Daddy helped Grayson.  

Mommy takes over driving the pirate ship. 

Grayson helped me steer. 

Just some of the fun pirate decor around the course.  Some poor man was hung in the tree and another had to walk the plank.  Pirate deaths are harsh.  

Putting professionals. 

Uh oh, Brody got in trouble again and landed in the stocks.  

I love those boys!  Parenting them really is a dream come true.  

I played this time while Daddy watched baby Maggie. 

Celebrating a good game. 

I even got a hole-in-one.  

Mattox was very serious about his putting. 

Grayson was a little upset when his ball disappeared on the final hole.  Ooops! 

Brody hanging with his two girlfriends, Ava and Amelia, and making his own pizza. 

The girls had not experienced this treat before.  Eddie helped them because the mothers were talking.  

Taking a group picture with the minion was a must.  

It was a fun birthday.  8 is great! 

Jolly July {2018} ~ Part I

Summertime is always such a nice slower time with no sports and school obligations.  We really just enjoy our slow days at home together.  Traveling is nice but with four young boys, it isn't always easy.  So for most of our summer, we just enjoy staying home.  Here is a look at how we spent our July: 

Our little town's 4th of July decorations were up at the beginning of the month, and we enjoyed one of our regular visits to Mellow Mushroom for kids' night. Brody always makes me some art while we wait for our food. 

This kid found some interesting places to sleep this month.  He fell asleep while eating his lunch and then fell asleep on Brody's top bunk.  

These boys cannot resist a drink...primarly sweet tea. 

A visit to our neighborhood pool helps cool things off. 

The boys love playing in the water with daddy. 

Brody practiced his underwater swimming while Mattox and I rode on the float. 

I caught Evan jumping in. 

Evan wishes our pool had a diving board or slide, but he has to content himself with a pool float for fun. 

I made us smoothies and homemade coffee cake for breakfast.  Whenever I sit down to put lotion on my feet, I have two little gremlins who insist they need lotion too. 

Lunchtime can get crazy with this crew.  Mattox and Grayson dancing in the restaurant. 

Evan has a blast at our church's fun summer events.  They were playing kiddie pool kickball. 

Soaking wet boys.  Better than sweaty boys.  Haha! 

Evan brought his best neighbor friend, Lee, for the fun.  These two are almost twins.  They both have the light reddish blond hair, love sports, very close birthdays, are super smart, and have younger brothers. 

Evan and his church friend, Coby, who is also a 6th grader and also almost exactly the same age born in March 2007.  

Evan was so fast even on the slippery plastic that he never got thrown out. 

I love my days with these babies...even potty training one of them.  Grayson wanted to use the potty for daddy too.  I enjoyed my coffee and homemade coffee cake for breakfast. 

The kids enjoyed our church's version of Vacation Bible School. 

It had a very beachy theme this year. 

Chick-fil-a is one of our favorite places to be.  Our kids always eat well there. 

Yay for the beach with good friends!  I am so glad we got to meet up with Kelly's family again at the beach in Hilton Head.  Lance was just loving the water and the waves. 

Mr. Matt and Brody enjoyed swimming together.  

Mr. Matt found a living sand dollar to show the kids.  Brody and Lance were very curious about it. 

I love when I get to swim with all my babies.  Evan and Brody joined me and Grayson.  

Playing in the sand is fun too.  Mattox and his bucket of water...haha! 

Evan and Brody were play fighting or something. 

Just a fun day at the beach. 

Sand castle building with my babies. 

On Sunday, our boys' VBS was completed.  Brody decorated his shirt with a picture of Jesus and his sister Mattie and all of his family.  I also captured a shot of France winning the World Cup for Evan who missed it for a fun church outing.  

Evan and his group of teenagers enjoyed going to a waterpark after church.  Evan had fun and didn't mind that he lost his flip flops.  Haha!  

Enjoying some ice cream at McD's. 

All of the kids at shirt wore color coordinated shirts for their groups that they decorated themselves.  They put on a show for the church. Brody really gets into his performance as seen on the far right of the picture in blue. 

Evan enjoyed his last year participating in this elementary age event.  He looked like he enjoyed himself on the far left side of the picture.   

Mattox and Grayson love playing dress up.  What a cute cowboy and pirate! 

Then, they switched. 

Grayson decided to be a construction worker.  I just enjoyed my ice cream while watching their show. 

I thought their themed costumes reminded me of the YMCA song and video.  

Mattox enjoyed using his "new to him" bike that Mrs. Kelly passed on to him.  I had always wanted to try a balance bike.  Mattox got the hang of it really quickly. 

These babies love playing outside even when the bugs are terrible.  Sigh.  They look like teenagers heading off in their BMW.  Yeah, probably not a totally accurate view of their future.  

Dinner time.  Yep, I have always mixed peas with my mashed potatoes.  Who needs gravy? 

Brody and I did some reading on the kindle.  Mattox and Grayson put on an impromptu concert with Mattox playing the bongo drums and Grayson on the xylophone.