Stay Classy

4!

Last month, this guy turned 4. He made his big-boy birthday wishes...

I should explain the cake. It's... pretty, right? You're dying to know how I made a thing of such beauty?

Here's my secret-- bake a chocolate bundt cake, and (now here's the secret part!) make sure the entire top sticks in the pan. Make a glaze, drizzle it over the whole thing, and then tell your kid it's a "mountain cake". He will seriously freaking love it, and tell everyone about his awesome birthday cake.

Even more awesome than his mountain cake was his awesome pirate party at the Lincoln Children's Museum. Brady does love his pirates. (That blue stuff is the 'beard' he painted on.) 

All his best buddies were there.

And yes, he does count his brother among his best buddies. Brady and Zack are honestly BFFs these days, and it is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

And no, I did no make another mountain cake for the party. We had cupcakes made by an actual professional at an actual bakery (not that the kids noticed or cared!).

There were, of course, plenty of presents. Brady enjoyed this part just a little.

We got half of the kids there in costume and into a photo, which may be the closest to a successful group picture I've ever gotten at a kid's party.

They're pretty cute, right? I love that Brady already has such great friends that make him so happy.

Mostly, though, I love my sweet, smart, adorable, creative, happy 4-year-old! 

Crazy Uncle Andy

I already mentioned that it took my brother coming to visit from California to finally get me to suck it up and really play in the snow. I immediately felt bad that we haven't done more of it, because Brady seriously may have had one of the best days of his life. 

Can you tell? Could his smile BE any bigger (insert Chandler Bing inflection)?

It wasn't just the snow, though. My boys love them some Crazy Uncle Andy.

Plus, he's content to let the boys jump on him. Wrestling, as it turns out, is a sure way to their little boy hearts. And not having to be the one getting jumped on goes a really long way with me.

Come back soon, Andy! Please!

Better late than never!

Yeah, so... Christmas. It wasn't THAT long ago, right? And it's definitely not embarrassing that it's taken me over two months to actually upload the photos I took.

Actually, I waffled on whether to even post these at all, given how old they are now. But I figure it's a 'better late than never' situation, and the grandparents will love them even in March!

With that, I give you... Christmas 2011.

I still can't believe Zack let Santa hold him. He didn't smile, but he didn't cry either, which I consider a victory. Santa told me it was because he's the real Santa, and kids can tell. I'm pretty sure it had way more to do with Zack's fascination with the candy cane Santa gave him.

Whatever... Zack didn't scream.

Out of focus, but too much happy not to share. Apparently, Christmas Eve is exciting.

Brady's request for Santa was very specific: a pirate hat, pirate sword, and pirate telescope. Santa threw in a pirate shirt for good measure (because if you bought the whole set, it qualified for free shipping).

My dad's fiance got the boys a fort-building kit, which has become a near-daily activity.

So there you have it... Christmas did come for the Durbans this year (even if it took me until March 4th to share it)! (Belated) Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Halloween...finally

So, I'm perhaps a little behind once again. It's so far past Halloween that all the good candy has already been picked through, and we're at the point where I rumage through the bag over and over, tyring to convince myself that I really do like Smarties and hoping that an overlooked Twix will magically appear. 

But, hey! Look! Halloween adorableness!

It's a bird... it's a plane.... it's... SUPER BRADY! (He's super strong!)

And his sidekick... Zachary, the tiny tiger!

(Click here for a look back at our other favorite tiny tiger.)

Our neighborhood was, as always, awesome for trick or treating. Lots of candy, lots of kids, lots of fun. Zack started out walking, but it didn't last long. The first time somebody had the audacity to answer their door after we knocked on it, he insisted on being picked up... and he didn't let me put him down for most of the evening. My left bicep nearly exploded. 

 

He seemed to generally enjoy himself, save for when anyone spoke to him. Without fail, he'd put his head on my shoulder and tell them "Mama" in a complete dead-pan. You have to cut him a little slack, though-- the whole concept of being spoken to by dozens of strangers dressed in all kinds of strange costumes must be a little confusing when you're 18 months old. 

Brady, on the other hand, was all kinds of excited about the whole trick or treat experience. The costumes were exciting. The jack-o-lanterns were exciting. Every single piece of candy was exciting. See? (That's not actually candy, by the way. One of our neighbors gave out microwave popcorn, which is one of Brady's favorite things in the universe. The kid loves him some popcorn.)

We trick or treated for easily an hour and a half, well past dark. Thankfully, at some point Paul took over Zack-carrying duties and saved my arm from falling off. 

Halloween is one of the many things that I find myself falling in love with all over again now that I get to share it with my kids. I remember how crazy exciting trick or treating was for me, and it makes me so happy to try and make it equally exciting for them. And the best part about Halloween? The next day marks the start of Christmas! (I know, I know-- not really. But count me among the people who secretly has no problem with 2 months of Christmas.) 

The rest

We didn't spend all of Poppi Ken & Mishka's visit at a farm, park, or zoo. Sometimes we just stayed home and watched the boys climb my dad.

Happy boys. Plenty of attention. People who are not burned out on their same favorite toys, books, and games over and over and over.

And then there was this. Mishka described it like being in one of those laughter yoga classes. The boys would laugh hysterically at us, and we'd all laugh back, progressively louder and louder. This went on for quite a while.

But all good things must come to an end, and we had to say goodbye.

Brady wouldn't give Poppi Ken a hug, which was obviously very upsetting.

Finally he relented, and all was well.

And that was that. Lovely, lovely that.

The definition of a grandparent...

...is someone who spoils their grandkids, sugars them up, gets them accustomed to 24/7 attention and activity, and then goes home. Right?

It is also someone who loves their grandkids so much, and is loved so fiercely in return, that it amazing to watch.

My dad just left after an 8 day whirlwind visit (his fiance Mishka joined us for 4 of those days), and I think the boys are still coming down. It was full-on grandparent party time.

We went to parks...

...and the boys took their first trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. Seriously, Brady's head almost popped off from excitement. Games! Rides! Tickets! Random plastic crap that he was SO EXCITED to take home and had forgotten about by the next morning!

We went to Arbor Day Farm for hiking and apple picking. There was the usual failed attempt at getting all four of us looking in the same direction for a family photo...

I like this kind better anyway.

We went to the Lincoln Zoo...

... and to Roca Berry Farm, where the boys met this strangely adorable bull.

I pushed Zack on the tricycle that was too big for him but he was determined to ride...

...and let Brady ride on my lap on the tricycle-thingy that was too big for him but he was determined to ride.

And we bounced.

All of us.

It was awesome.

We went on the hayrack ride, but were too hot and tired by that point to care enough to get off and pick pumpkins.

See? Brady has assumed the "hot, tired, and grumpy" disposition. Time to go!

We went to the Omaha Zoo...

...where Zack perfected his "cheese!" face.

We visited the Lincoln Children's Museum...

...where Brady's charm worked magic as always. It's amazing what a 3 year old can get a grandparent to do. How else do you explain this? :)

I have even more pictures to share, but I'm thinking your retinas are already bleeding at this point. More soon!

Thanks for everything, Poppi Ken and Mishka! We love you!

 

Surplus

We had a major surplus of cute in the house this past weekend.

My best friend of 25+ years (yikes!!) dragged her husband and 10-week-old baby halfway across the country so that we could all hang out, and it was the one of best weekends I've had in a long time (despite the blistering heat that kept us inside nearly the entire time).

This is Mari. The adorable is strong with this one. 

That's one happy 2-month-old! Did I mention that she already sleeps through the night and only seems to cry when she has an immediate need? If I didn't, it's only because I am crazy jealous. My boys seemed to miss that particular memo.

 

Also, Mari is the reason I now believe I am psychic. Heather and Bob didn't tell anyone what they were going to name her, but two days before she was born it suddenly popped into my head that they were going to name her Mara. Only one letter off! (Her full name is Mariana, but it sounds better when I tell it that way.) Weird, right? Soul sistas, I tell you.

 

And Zack was very interested in the tiny person whose presence relieved him of the duty of being the smallest person in the house. "Baaay-bee," he kept saying.

 

 

Of course, we attempted the obligatory "all the kids together" photos. It was a little like herdng cats.

 

This was about as good as it got.

 

And then Zack decided he was done.

 

So I cropped him out. Look at the little angels! :)

Years ago, Heather and I used to promise to be best friends even when we were adults. Even when we lived in different states. Even when we had husbands and kids and had to drink wine and stiffle our crazy laughter after they were all asleep.

I'm really glad it all came true.

  

1st Birthday Photo-palooza: Part 1

One year ago (well, one year and one week ago now), this sweet face appeared on the scene. The world (at least our little corner of it) has been a better place ever since. 

We spent the morning of Zack's first birthday at the zoo. Paul took the day off of work, the weather was beautiful, and we just had a quiet little morning as a family.

What did I ever do without my boys?

Up next: cake smashing!

Scenes from Easter

You'll notice there's a distinct lack of Easter bunny photos this year. It's not for lack of trying.

Apparently, 3 is the age when Brady noticed that there's something fairly unnatural about a 7 foot rabbit wearing suspenders. We went to the mall, talking all the way about going to meet the Easter Bunny. From the car, up the escalator, and past all the stores, Brady yammered on and on about wanting to ask the bunny to bring him candy.

When he actually spotted the bunny, he stopped dead in his tracks. He was a good 30 feet away... and that was as close as he ever got. He didn't cry or scream... he simply refused to get any closer. "Sorry Mom," he told me later, "I had to hide behind the stroller. Maybe we'll try to see the Easter Bunny again some other time."

We had ice cream instead. No harm, no foul.

We did, however, dye eggs. He was a much bigger fan of that part of the Easter experience.

We also did Easter baskets this year, which was a first for us. We did an egg hunt last year, but the baskets acted solely as egg receptacles-- purely practical. This year, however, Paul informed me in no uncertain terms that our boys would be getting real Easter baskets-- you know, the kind filled with random junk fun goodies from the dollar bin at Target. :) I will admit that it was pretty wonderful seeing how much Brady loved his basket. Who knew that a chocolate bunny, a bunny head Pez dispenser, some sand tools, a foam football, and sidewalk chalk could be so exciting? 

And then, of course... the hunt. He broke open the very first egg he found and immediately consumed the chocolate eggs inside, so he has a chocolate-smeared mouth in every single picture. I think I love that part most of all.

Zack's eggs had tiny bunny-shaped graham crackers inside. Maybe next year he'll graduate to jelly beans and chocolate eggs. For now, he didn't seem to mind. 

It was a happy Easter indeed. 

And now, of course, I am locked in constant combat with the massive amount of leftover Easter candy in my house.

Wait... was I supposed to save that for the kids?!

My Favorite Faces