Matt's Fourth Birthday!

It's so hard to believe that our little baby is already FOUR! Could it really be so long ago that we were with him in the NICU, watching him struggle to breathe, waiting to see if he would be okay, wondering when he'd be able to come home and be with his brothers and sisters? In some ways, it seems like it was only yesterday, but, in other ways, it feels like an eternity.

All the kids get a special breakfast on the day of their birth, and Matt's was themed after one of his current favorite things: Angry Birds!

This was, by far, the most difficult breakfast I've made.
(Note to self: pick something easier next time.)

No matter how hard it was and no matter how long it took, the look on this sweet boy's face made it completely worthwhile!

I hope he wished for something awesome!

(Maybe a maid service for his incredible mother?)

Instead of throwing the kids a birthday party, we've recently begun something a little more personal that I think will be a lot more fun. Each kiddo gets to choose whatever fun activity or event they would like, and we plan it out for them. Matt was very insistent that we all go to Chuck E Cheese's to play and eat pizza, so that's what we did!

No "cheese" for Mom, except on the pizza.

The looks that Zoe and Nicky have on their faces are the best part of this photo.

After several hours of games and food, we headed back toward home. There was, however, one more quick stop we had to make.

What's a birthday without cake?

And the cupcakes from Simply Sweet are definitely the best!

Open wider, Nick! Wider!!

I think Matt had a really great day, and he seemed to be overjoyed with everything. He told me several times how much fun his birthday was, and thanked me for every tiny little thing he could think of.

"Mama, thank you for driving me to Chuck E Cheese!"
"Mama, thank you for letting me wear this shirt."
"Mama, thank you for getting me a cupcake!"
"Mama, thank you for letting me eat some pizza."
"Mama, thank you for not making me take a nap today."

I'm just happy that my birthday boy had fun. I remember this day, exactly four years ago, and how unsure I was that my baby would even see his first birthday.

We are so incredible grateful that he's here with us today, four years later, happy and healthy! It's just as if those terrifying few days never happened at all.

Happy 4th Birthday, Matt-Matt! We love you so much, buddy!

Matthew's First Birthday!

Last Saturday, we had our whole family over to my parents' house to celebrate Matt's big birthday! It was lots of fun, and I managed to only get choked up a little bit as I remembered his rough beginning and thought about how insanely lucky and blessed we are to have him here with us.

Random stats: Matthew is currently 21 pounds and 29 inches tall. He is cruising around on all the furniture in the house, and can walk with assistance. He hasn't taken independent steps yet, but I think it will probably happen soon! He dances to music, waves "bye," claps his hands, babbles like crazy, and is getting into everything! His current favorite "trouble zone" is the kitchen drawer where I keep the plastic food storage containers. I spend a lot of time tracking down lids these days. He also likes to throw things (usually soft, bouncy balls, but he'll also throw more dangerous items if we're not watching him carefully!). He has the sweetest personality, he's incredibly laid-back, and he loves to hug and cuddle with me. Cutest baby EVER!

Anyway, on to the party!

A few months ago, I asked the kids what kind of birthday party we should have for Matt, and Ethan's immediate, enthusiastic response was, "A zoo party!" I thought it was a super cute idea!

Here's the cake!

I couldn't resist.

I set up a hot dog bar with a ton of different toppings. We also had a menu with some suggestions for creative hot dogs, like the "Chicago Dog," the "BBQ Dog," and the "Salty Dog." I think people had lots of fun making them! Some were really pretty good! I chickened out when it came to the sauerkraut, though. So much for my German heritage.

Matt with his Grammy, Great-Grandma, and Grandma.

(That's just funny, actually.)

Grandpa and Matt.

Arturo and Zoe.

(I think she might have a bit of a crush. Sorry, Hannah.)

 One lucky mommy!

 Zoe was ready to blow out the candle for Matt!

 "Wait, what was that I just ate? It was good!"

"Hmmm..."

"Oh, yeah. I can totally clean the plate! This stuff is awesome!"

Then we opened some presents (with a lot of helpers)!

 

I think he really enjoyed all the fun boxes and paper, though he had no clue what was inside.

And, after a little nap, he found some balloons!

Matthew had a great first birthday, and the party was awesome. Thanks to everyone who came and brought him a gift! We love our Matt-Matt, and can't believe he's already ONE!

Matt is ONE!

I already posted a photo on Facebook, but I wanted to post here as well. Just to be thorough, and to help in fulfilling my personal vow to blog more this year. On with the show!

Matthew hit a big milestone today - his first birthday!! This is a big deal for any kid, but when it comes to Matt, we are beyond excited to be celebrating the big "1" with him. We weren't sure if he'd make it to this point, quite frankly, after all the difficulties he had at birth. Those of you who don't remember, feel free to read his extremely wordy, four-part birth story that begins HERE. 

One year ago today:

 Just a few hours old, in the NICU.

About a week later, once he was home with us:

 One of Matt's gorgeous newborn photos by Stacy at Sugarbee Photography.

(Check her out! Not only is she a great friend, but she's a great photographer, too! She also has a Facebook page.)

And, one year later:

Mommy's little kitchen "helper."

Taken this afternoon. It's hard to believe how much difference one year can make!

We've had so many people tell us how blessed we are, in reference to our children (and our family as a whole). As much as we agreed, we never really understood the depth of our blessings until Matt came along and blew us away with his strength and ability to overcome. He is such an amazing little boy, and we are so thankful that he's here with us, happy and healthy.

So, to our precious baby boy, Matthew James (Matt, Matty, Matt-Matt, Mattimus, Mattster) - we love you so, so much!! We have enjoyed watching you grow this past year, and we are looking forward to all of the things the future holds.

Anna's First Birthday Party

We had a big monster bash for Miss Anna Beth on Sunday, and were able to celebrate Mother's Day with all the mommies as well.

We ended up having the party at about 1:00 so I could feed everyone lunch. It turned out to be a lot of fun, because we had some monster-themed munchies.

Like these little guys that I made for all the kids.

We also had monster eyeballs (meatballs), monster toes (pigs in a blanket), and monster juice (water and tea). I got a big platter of deli meats and cheeses, different kinds of bread, and my mom made ham and chicken salad. Sharon brought chips and dip (including some yummy salsa that Hannah made), and we had more than enough to feed everyone!

Decorating was a lot of fun. 

I made a monster banner by cutting these cute little guys out of felt.

The kids decorated a few balloons with monster faces (and Anna LOVED them!).

And crepe paper is a must for all kids' birthdays, I think.

It makes a good backdrop, if nothing else!

And here's the cake!

I have to say, this may have been the easiest and most cooperative of all the birthday cakes I've made thus far. 

I like this fuzzy guy.

I also made these!

Cute, right? The kids liked them.

After lunch and some time to visit, we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Anna, Ethan blew out her candle, and we got ready for some cake. However, it wasn't just Mother's Day on Sunday, it was also my nephew Ian's birthday! So, we had to sing again, of course!

I made him a mini monster cake like Anna's.

He thought it was great!

CAKE TIME!

She immediately started to smoosh it with her hands.

Check out the look in her eyes. She's super excited!

 "You mean I can eat this?!"

That's more like it!

She ate the entire thing! Thank goodness it was small, or the child would have been in a sugar-induced coma. Then, we cut the cake so everyone else could have some as well. The inside was colorful!

Death by artificial coloring.

Next up - presents! Anna got some really fun things, and a couple of adorable outfits. The toys were a huge hit with all the kids.

"Open it, Mom!!"

 My big girl, with a pink-stained face.

Zoe has to teach her how to use it.

Or maybe she can just play with Daddy's sunglasses.

Ian got to open presents, too!

Yay for birthdays! I have to say, though, I am so glad it's over. I get a break now until next December, when I have to do the boys' again. I'm going to enjoy my time off, for sure! It really was a lot of fun, and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves (or I hope they did!). I miss our family when we're not together, and this gives us all a reason to hang out, so it's totally worth the preparation and planning!

Happy birthday, Nanner!