G-man's 7th Birthday Party

Traditionally we have birthday dinner and dessert of the birthday person's choice.  On your 6th, 12th, and 18th birthday you get the "party" of your choice.  Last year Gavin had the Lego extravaganza and loved every minute of it.

As the summer got hotter and hotter thinking about having  dinner with the oven, stoves, people, etc. in the house just didn't sound appealing this year.  So rather than dinner we skipped right to Gavin's favorite thing - DESSERT!  Sure we had the traditional cake of choice for the family, but we also had a Hawaiian ice truck to help celebrate with the neighborhood and attempt to stay cool. 

All you can eat frozen ice and pure sugar syrup...does it get any better?  We topped that off with a 500 balloon water balloon fight.  Great day bud, glad we got to celebrate another wonderful year of life with you!

Fearless Liam

Our second trip to the ER with our little peanut.  His head is a magnet for accidents.  That's okay, scars are cool.  And now he has one on each side to even it out.

He has managed to avoid stitches each time though.  And nothing a little cuddle time with dad, raspberry slurpie, and lego's can't fix (plus the magic glue from Children's Mercy Hospital).  He's back to normal now and ready for his next adventure...which will more than likely happen with a bicycle.

Turn 40, climb a mountain

To celebrate this big birthday Jason wanted to do something different, more challenging, bigger than the average road race.  So why not enter a trail run that's the distance of a half-marathon but goes uphill and ends up at 14,115 ft?  Sure!  It's symbolic of the whole "over the hill" right?

The weather had us guessing for a bit.  Friday night it rained so hard the streets were flooding.  Rain down below means potential snow up top.  The talk about clothing, gear, possible turn arounds, and even maybe cancelling the race had the runners in a flurry.  Luckily God stepped in and the sun shined on everyone for a beautiful day full of accomplishments.

We are all so proud of him!  He trained hard and worked diligently to be successful in America's most challenging trail run.  He's setting great examples for his kids (and wife) about being healthy, enjoying the outdoors, sticking to your commitments, always pushing yourself, and celebrating accomplishments.  As the kids get bigger it's fun to have them participate in these events with us.  May be a few more years before any of them are ready to tackle this mountain with dad.  I (Barb) will gladly offer to be the official photographer and cheerleader of this race.

The stats!

Little man isn't so little anymore.  So handsome, so funny, and the biggest heart of any human I've ever met.  Love watching him grow and becoming an even better human every day.  He makes us all better people by being in our lives.

STATS
Weight 58 pounds
Height 48.4 inches
Head - really big, because he's really smart :)

He's most excited that he doesn't have to get another shot until he's 11 years old.  It's the simple things in life.

Happy 4 years old Liam

Liam's favorite food is currently pizza.  So we had a few friends over for a pizza party not the actual day of his birthday.  The usual suspect, and a friend William from school.

You may notice a small bandage over Liam's left eye.  Yes our little Mr. Adventure slipped in the shower the day before and had to go to the children's ER.  Luckily no stitches were needed, but he did get some fancy glue to close it shut. 

Batman forever!

The stats

Liam turned 4 in December.  

He may not be the biggest kid in size in the family, but his personality is often the biggest.  And we love him to pieces for it.

	Height	Weight
Liam	41” - 59%	36 lbs - 50%
Gavin	42” - 74%	42 lbs - 90%

Miss Lola 2 yr Birthday

Not trying to take away from Lola's day, but 5 minutes before her party was to start I (Barb) grabbed a pan handle that had just come off the BBQ.  No photos or gory details are necessary, just mentioning it because it definitely was a birthday to remember - I missed the entire thing because I was at urgent care.  Thanks to Joe for taking me and sitting with me, and then all my "mom" friends for stepping up and helping at the party when I couldn't be there:  Mel, Brooke, Patti, and Jamie ~ you guys are the best.

Now, back to Lola who definitely does not like sharing the spotlight.  She loved the attention of her friends singing and enjoying a day all about her.  She's allowed on her birthday.

 

The Stats

Lola seems so much more grown-up as a 2 year old than her brothers were; but I supposed that's what you get with the third child.  She's always trying to keep up with her two big brothers.  She is by far the best eater in the house (ok, Jason is really #1, but Lola is a close second) but you would never know it based on her weight stats.

Here are the comparisons:

2 YEARS OLD

	Height	%	Weight	%
Lola	35.43”	85%	24	25%
Liam	35.04”	65%	28	50%
Gavin	35.75”	83%	32	95%

She's still running for first place in height in this family.  She is SO girly loving to play tea party, color, and play with mommy's jewelry.  But she is also SO tough running, climbing, getting bruises & cuts trying to hang with her brothers.  We say it all the time, but she was and still is the perfect addition to our family!!!

Gavin Scott 2 years old

Liam Patrick 2 years old