Birthdays, Anniversaries and Dinosaurs... oh my!

September is always the month of celebrations and this year was no exception.  Even though life can get hectic, it always feels so good when we stop and smell the roses.  It's easy to get wrapped up in work and endless to-do lists, but it's so much more important to put the ones we love at the top of our list.
At the top of our list this month, was our darling Devon's 5th birthday...

Which started with a little "Mama & Devon" day at Fernbank (the dinosaur museum).
 
And of course Devon was telling me every dinosaur name before we even got inside. :)


This is one of my favorite pictures because I can still see that he's my little boy, even though he's 5.





He loved every minute of being around these huge dinosaurs!





Then a few days later, he got to open presents...



This look cracks me up...

And finally, the much anticipated dinosaur bones!



And then a few days later, Devon got to help me make his birthday cake.  Of course he had to have a stegosaurus cake!




And he was soooo proud of his cake!





And he made a wish and blew out his candles...




And we hope all his wishes will come true!


After all that, just a few days later it was time to celebrate our wedding anniversary and my birthday.  All I wanted was a day of peace and pampering and all my dreams came true...

At the Ritz-Carlton Lake Oconee!


It was indulgent, but oh so worth it!  Firoze knows how to spoil and pamper someone like a celebrity (after all, he does it for his job), but this day was PERFECT.  We had massages and plenty of spa time, fabulous food and best of all, time with each other to enjoy a gorgeous fall day in peace.



Happy Anniversary Love!  You are everything to me and my best days are with you.  XOXO



And what could be more relaxing that staring out over the lake on a beautifully sunny day, holding a perfectly chilled bloody mary?  Yummmmmm....



And no day could truly be perfect without an incredible meal...


And the Ritz delivered...  parmesan truffle fries, calamari, and chicken pesto sandwiches.... perfection!





On all the days when life is stressful, somewhere in my mind I am wanting to be here...


In a heated pool all to myself, overlooking the peaceful lake.



And on that day... life was good!









So we truly celebrated all the good things that day, but 3 other good things that made me happy recently...

1.  Stopping at a country gas station on the way home from the Ritz and buying ONE scratch-off lottery ticket and finding out we won $100!!!

2.  Hearing the boys talking while I was cooking breakfast in the kitchen.  I heard Devon saying "come here Deanie... come get warm under the blanket."  Then coming in the living room to find them watching Curious George together like this...



3.  Watching an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" that showed this and then going and buying everything to make it myself!  It was a work of art.  Seriously.  Look at this...


Shrimp po-boy with homemade jumbo lump crab mayo, avocado, tomato and arugula!

Burning off energy

Why is it that kids have so much energy to burn?  And I'm so tired all the time?  Even looking at Devon and Dean running around and jumping every five seconds makes me tired.  The only way to tire them out is to take them outside and let them loose.  Thank God for the playground!






I love how Dean is watching Devon in this picture. I know he's thinking... "Why can't I do that?"

And Firoze has energy to burn too, so we packed everyone up for a perfect night in Piedmont Park...



We got to see Firoze playing soccer! (He's the one in the black jersey at the center of the photo)



And the boys were mesmerized...





But Dean couldn't sit still for long. This boy has a need for speed!



Do you ever see a photo and say "that is sooooo Dean" and something about that photo is their personality? Well, this is that photo. This is Dean... mischievous, playful, fast, independent, dangerous and happy-go-lucky!



And he made it about halfway across the field before I could catch him! How is it possible that a one year old can outrun me?



It was a perfect night because we were all together...



And that's what matters most.

To my 5 year old...

Dear Devon,

Happy Birthday to my you, my darling Devon!

I can't even believe you are 5 today. These 5 years have flown by. Everyone says "Enjoy every minute because it goes so fast" and they are right. I remember the day you were born and all those emotions - nervous, scared, excited, happy, exhilerated, tense, overjoyed and in love! I was in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you. You were the sweetest baby I had ever seen.



Your first year was a hard one. Sometimes I would watch the seconds tick by.... tick, tick, tick, tick... and would listen to you crying helplessly for hours on end and think "is this ever going to end?"  The crying finally did end, but it took a long time.  You were so cute - even strangers would stop in the street and tell me how cute you were! By the end of the first year, we knew how smart you were. If we asked you "who is the President?" - you could say in the cutest little baby voice "Barack Obama" and you melted our hearts!



By your second year, you were running around and talking up a storm. You called me "my darling" whenever you really wanted something. You batted your sweet eyelashes and you had us wrapped around your finger. Everyone says "terrible two's," but when you turned two, I got to know you and you were so much fun to be around. I thought two was my favorite age!



By three, you were not a toddler anymore. You turned into a boy overnight. You talked like a little grown up and knew so many things. You were a little sponge... absorbing every little detail about life. You constantly asked questions and wanted answers. Not kid answers, but the real answer. You lined up all your animals according to type, hundreds of little figures organized on our coffee table with such precision. You loved airplanes and we loved you!



By your forth year, you were growing so fast. Every few weeks, your pants would be too short. You were the ultimate big brother, watching out for Dean and listening to make sure he wasn't crying. Every morning, you would wake me up and whisper "Deanie's up. I hear him." Your favorite thing was and still is dinosaurs and your knowledge is impressive. You surprise me with the amount of details and the scientific words you know about dinosaurs. You are confident, careful, dipomatic, expressive, careful, and loving. You are my sweet boy.



And now you are five. You are such a little man. You amaze me with the things you say. Even yesterday, I asked you to be careful wrestling with Dean because Dean is just a baby. And you stopped and said "But he walks now and has all his teeth. He looks like a human." A human? Where do you get these things?! You make me laugh, just by being you. You have started to be independent and to make your own decisions. Sometimes you don't even want to give me a hug and I see how you are becoming my little man, not my cuddly boy anymore. But that's ok, because I'm so happy to be around you. I feel so lucky and blessed to have you.



So, to my sweet 5 year old... I love you.

Happy Courtney Day!

It's September 17th and that means it's Courtney's birthday!
Happy Birthday to my sister and my best friend!




Reasons why we love you so much...

You are a true friend, always caring and always supportive to everyone in your life.  You can make me laugh harder than anyone else!  You are a great mom to your boys.  You are way more photogenic than me. :)  You show love to all your friends and family and wear your heart on your sleeve.  You are not afraid of bugs or criminals, or things that go bump in the night.  You always write comments on my blog and are always there to pick up the phone at 8:45am to chat.  You are the glue in our family and we love you so much!



And you know how to keep 4 kids under control better than me!  Devon and Dean send hugs and kisses to you, Aunt Coco!!




I'm so thankful to have you in my life. 

Happy Birthday Court! XOXO