{1 birthday boy and 3 sick kids}

February 25th is a wonderful day at our house!  

It is the day we celebrate Keaton!  

This February 25th allowed him to "become" 17.  I think keeping our traditions alive is important . . . he was really great to pose with THE birthday cake.  He probably outgrew the excitement of this picture long ago but he's a sweetie and kept with tradition.

Friends are wonderful!  Some of HIS wonderful friends arrived EARLY - as in before 6:30 a.m. early - to decorate his room.  We had already left for seminary and they did a great job.  

As a mother, good friends for my children are priceless!  Thankfully, Keaton has the BEST.

His expression says, "You've GOT to be KIDDING me!  Toilet Paper!"

 Just joking! Actually, he LOVED it and was all smiles.

HUGE thank you to Keaton's friends!  The entire day was FUN!

Rachelle is his darling cousin.  She brought green milk and cookies to seminary for him!  

I'm SO thankful they are close friends.

We LOVE these guys!  They really made Keaton's birthday special.

Mark, Michael, and Jay - along with Amy, Britten, and Rachelle made fun plans!  They invited him to IHOP and a movie.  (I really wish we had pictures of their outing.)

These guys had plans that continued all the way through Saturday night!  A BIG thank you to the Crossley's for hosting a good deal of their impromptu planning.  

Jay was the MOST excited about Keaton's choice of "cake" - homemade ice cream cake!  He decided to enact blowing out the candles before we even lit them! FUN!

The birthday boy did get his chance!

I really hope his WISH comes true!

Life has a way of taking the fun out of things at times.  Poor Landon.  He didn't get to go and do all the fun things to celebrate Keaton's birthday.  He had the flu.

He tends to run really high fever when he is sick and we battled 105 and 106 degrees frequently over the past week.  He is such a great patient.  He listened to audiobooks on his ipod when he was feeling decent.

He became close allies with that thermometer! 

How grateful I am for Sir Thomas.  He's a wonderful dad!  His help with these sick children is another priceless gift in my life.  I should mention how much I love him . . . A LOT!!!

Of course, when I show up with the camera they start cracking jokes about "making the blog."

Yep, he might have been sick but he was still making wisecracks.

Congratulations guys . . . YOU made it!

 Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE being a mother?  I'm especially grateful I'm his mother.

My teenagers are sweet . . . even when they're sick.

Landon finally decided that he'd had enough.  He was weak.  He was aching.  He might have even been delusional and he was definitely tired of being sick.  He was lying on the couch for a change of scenery when he stood up and announced, "I QUIT!  I'm tired of being sick so I just quit."

I LOVE that attitude . . . and it's working.

Happily, Landon is recovering from his week long illness.

Apparently misery really does love company.  Landon was still a bit sick when Sunday morning arrived and India awoke with fever and felt terrible.  Poor little girl.  

"Lucky" girl managed to get some sleep and then enjoy some computer time.  Being sick really isn't ever lucky but she has a way of making it appear better than it is.  India is the kind of girl that can do that.

Keaton's birthday weekend was officially and completely over on Sunday morning.  Like India, he also awoke with fever and felt terrible.

He never lost his sense of humor!  He had me laughing when he said, "Well, I guess I'm glad I got sick too so I could make the blog."  

Being a mother is the best decision I've ever made . . . of course that is AFTER saying, "YES!" to Sir Thomas so I could have a chance at HAPPILY EVER AFTER.  

It isn't always happily ever after but then again . . . it isn't THE END.

{get-away}

Sometimes a girl just needs to get-away.  It's not my kids.  They're wonderful!  It's not my life.  I love it!  But sometimes I still feel the need to run away from home and pretend there are no schedules, no expectations and I'm still alive.

Last weekend was it - our little get-away!  Sir Thomas was wonderful to help me escape.  We took the ferry to Galveston and it wouldn't have been complete if we hadn't fed the birds.

It was SO foggy!  We've never seen such fog in the afternoon.  Fortunately, technology allows us to brighten our pictures to ensure our memories are particularly rosy. 

 I'm still amazed at the difference in the landscape post Hurricane Ike.  

Believe it or not, behind those boats and through the fog . . . the waves were crashing on the shore.

It was particularly thoughtful of "Ike" to deposit a few boats on shore for photo ops.  The cost of removing the boats is $$$ high $$$ so the owners typically leave them for a few years until the government condemns them as abandoned.  The boats then belong to the government who gets to pay for the clean-up.  So . . . if you want pictures with random boats you should go now!

Fog at 3:00 p.m.?  It actually made for romantic walks on the beach.  The view up close is really good, don't you think?  Sir Thomas is much better to look at than miles of beach and surf.

I've never been one to carve my name in a tree.  Terrible idea!  Drawing in the sand . . . that's totally different!

The temperature dropped and the breeze was blowing.  I was wishing we had a personal photographer.  It would've been so nice to have great pictures of us together.

The following picture is for Keaton!  He LOVES Jack-in-the-Box.  Although it was only across the street it was tough to see through the fog.  We knew Keaton would've been able to spot it!  I should mention: 

1.) Today is his birthday so I'll be blogging again soon  

2.)  Although he LOVES Jack-in-the-Box, he doesn't eat there very often since he's figured out it's not healthy.

From Galveston, we drove to Kemah.  I love Kemah.  Sadly, everyone else has discovered our little secret and so it gets rather crowded.  

Good marketing, I assume.

  The fountains are the best!  It was cold.  I was wet.  

It was FUN!

This is my favorite necklace right now.  I think it says everything!  

{Except, Melissa hearts Thomas too.}

We ate at the Aquarium.  Yummy.  The atmosphere is a bit loud but we particularly enjoy watching the fish.  We were disappointed that Lefty no longer has a residence at the Aquarium.  He was a sea turtle and we felt like he was our friend.  He had lost his left flipper in an industrial accident and was being rehabilitated.   Originally the "experts" working for the government said he couldn't survive on his own.  They changed their minds.  Being an endangered species,  Lefty was released.  Good luck, Lefty!

It's fun to be a kid!  Sir Thomas enjoys playing in the fountains even more than I do.  I'm so glad he's teaching me how to play.  I've never been very good at that.

The rest of our little get-away was wonderful!  I'm so thankful for an amazing husband.  

He loves me.  I love him. 

That makes me one happy girl.

It also made me a girl that was ready to go home to my sweet kids.

{sandcastles, birthdays, and big plans}

Last year, when Keaton turned 16, he had some great friends that decorated his room and really made his birthday special.  He knows how nice it is to be thought of and so he likes to make other people feel good too.  

Today, one of his really great friends turned 17!  He decided to surprise her with a cake.  All I can say is . . . I'm impressed!

He borrowed my iPad to do a little research and found the perfect design.  A Sandcastle!

Due to appointments, I was gone when he started this process and he was on his own!  He obviously didn't need me.  (Well, maybe I'll help with the laundry.)

He's decorated a cake before and decided that he definitely likes the sand effect - much better than trying to keep the crumbs out of the icing.

This wasn't going to be just a plain sandcastle. 

I really hope this made her birthday feel extra special!  I'm also really glad that he has great friends that deserve great cakes!

I thought his juggling, unicycle, gymnastics, and piano were impressive enough but now he has serious cake decorating skills!  

He's amazing!

I'm so thankful that I get to be his mother.

I'm also thankful for all the time I get to spend with him.

(I do love homeschool.)

Nothing could be any better than being a mother!

Fabulous!  However, I don't think the pictures do it justice.

My very sweet & very talented Keaton will be 17 next week!  He's only requested a plain homemade ice cream cake so the pressure is off!  I'm thankful! How would I top his creation? 

However, I still have "birthday" on my mind . . .

I'm FINALLY going to be 40 this year!

Crazy pictures!  Can you even guess what's going on?

I'm having a 40th Birthday Ball!  Yep, we're going to wear formals and dance and have a magical evening! Yesterday, I met with my wonderful party planner and it will be so fun!

The above pictures were kindly taken by my sweet 11-year-old photographer who feels its best to keep you guessing . . . 

and she's right. . . 

stay tuned! (Or send suggestions!)