"I said a hip hop, the hippie the hippie, to hip hip hop...

...and you don't stop!"

So what if I'm squinting - we're ALL looking at the camera at the same time!

A little Rapper's Delight, appropriate for Easter, no?  No?  Ok, moving on.  (Sorry, churchs hymns just weren't as catchy for a title...)



Cousins

Well "you don't stop" indeed.  Less than twenty-four hours after we had Charlie's first birthday party the whole crew (minus Tio Luis and Nannny and the boys) was back at the house to celebrate the Risen Lord.  Or, as Beau called him, "My friend Jesus."  How stinkin cute is that?!  (Sidenote:  I often play the "name game" with the boys - you know, "Charlie, Charlie, Bo-Barlie, Banana, Fana, Fo-Farlie..." - well, after going through the rest of the family Beau now asks to, "Do Jesus, Mommy!  Do Jesus!"  You can't make that stuff up.) 

More cousins.  Please note the unbelievably adorable outfits the boys are in - custom made by Dee Dee.  Thanks Dee Dee!



Appropriate - Marc is contently sitting and my boys are about to leap off the sofa.  How I am not 100 lbs from all the running and catching and lifting and stooping I do, I do not know. 

 

GQ.  Go figure - Marc LOVES hats!  The only way I think my boys would wear hats is if I stapled them to their heads.  And no, I'm not planning on doing any stapling any time soon.  Ok, ever. 

Our celebration included excess in all forms...seven different roasts. Yes, SEVEN; and if you were wondering, two veggies... We had an Easter egg hunt with 138 eggs. I guess everyone was worried we wouldn't have enough and so they came equiped with their own loot. And no, they were not all accounted for after the hunt. I'm sure Billy and his lawnmower will be finding the rest over the next few months. And finally, we had enough candy to put any man into a permanent sugar coma. 

With a little assistance, even Charlie was able to participate in the egg hunt!

Marc didn't mind the grass and did a little hunting of his own...

...until he realized it was even cooler to hunt eggs in his sweet ride. 

Got it...oh and this one was full of coins!

It's the perfect egg to beat over Mommy's head.  Don't worry, her wine will dull the pain. 

Ok, so maybe we needed all 138 eggs. 

Why don't we do this everyday!?!

Leave it to Aunt Kelly to provide NO candy to the kids.  :)  Baskets full of goldfish "carrots" and sippy cups full of puffs. 

That's a pretty good bounty right there. 

After the hunt Charlie grilled up a few burgers on his new grill.  Oh, and a phone.* 

Look at the ridiculous amount of baskets and gifts in the background.  It was like Christmas...can we say spoiled? 

Alas, the day did come to an end and everyone went their separate ways.  The boys passed out around 6:30p.m. much to our delight.  And the only question left for Billy and I at the end of the day was, "Should we have had the maid come AFTER our celebration instead of before?"  Oh well.  Happy Easter y'all! 

* In an attempt to avoid any jealous fits of rage by big brother Dee Dee, after giving Charlie his grill, gave Beau a plastic picnic set and a set of veggies and fruits to grill.  These sets also came with knives.  The boys LOVE these knives.  They play with them all the time.  Now, there's something about a knife-wielding toddler...I can't decide if it is endearing (their like my little John Beshes) or terrifying.  Que cera!

It's my party!

So, because I am a masochist  delusional an over-acheiver I decided to not only host Easter at our house (more on that to follow) but Billy and I threw Charlie's first birthday party the day before as well.  What?  It's not normal to throw two parties in less than 48 hours?  Says who?  (Oh, everyone?  Ok.) 

Beau at the breakfast table that morning:  "Mommy, I'm sad because it's not my birthday."  He got over that pretty quick. 

Well, we learned that Charlie hates - HATES - the grass. 

Yea, so I've got a mullet.  I'm letting my hair grow out.  Leave me alone. 

OMG.  What is this sweet deliciousness in my mouth? 

 

Rare family picture.  Three out of four looking at the camera ain't that bad! 

I LOVE CAKE!!!

You've been holding out!  

The rainbow cake was beatiful even in this "deconstructed" mode. 

Charlie actually enjoyed opening up his gifts (Beau could not have cared less at his first birthday party.) 

A great turnout and lovely weather.  The party was quite the success. 



Oh My God!  A plastic hotdog!  I don't know how to contain my excitement!



Notice Beau's face just behind the jeep...

 Despite his lamentations that morning about how this wasn't his birthday party, Beau did really well all day sharing the spot light.  Until that is, when the BIG present came out.  Once again, for his first birthday, Nanny bought our child a car.  Beau got a big red cozy coop.  But Charlie, Charlie got a big blue Jeep.  As expected, jealousy ensued. 



"Ok, Charlie, I think I've got this from here."



"Oh Hell no, big brother. This is mine!"

And the race to the driver seat continues. 

This highly unflattering photograph of myself is included in this post purely to illustrate the sheer melee that ensued. 

"Fine, I'll ride on the tailgate!"  (And he did...)

Cousin Marc enjoying the party with Andrew...counting down the days until his own shindig! 

Oh well, I guess the Mickey Mouse train will do for now...or until Charlie falls asleep. 

One Year Old!

Can you believe it's been one year? One year since we welcomed our Charlie. One year since we became a family of five - yep, haven't forgotten Murphy. One year since I discovered that your love for each child runs just as deep. One year since our house became blessedly chaotic. (Ok, one year ago Saturday...I'm a little late, forgive me.) 

And away we go! (PS - this is, of course, before Billy nearly passed out. I don't want anyone to forget the fact that at one point during Charlie's birth Billy had the attention of more medical staff than I did.)

 

 "Oh, I can tell you're going to be trouble."

 "Is that mine?"

 "Hmmmm...I'm not so sure, Paw Paw."

 I can happily say that one year later, Beau still loves Charlie this much.

 About one month later (Still a little yellow, no? But so so sweet.)

 And at two months...Don't worry, I have neither the time nor patience to add a photo from each month.

Being silly in his co-sleeper. What a ham. At least that hasn't changed.

So, Happy Birthday Charlie! We love you! I can't believe how incomplete our lives were before your arrival. We're so lucky to have you here with us. Love, Mommy