The Princess and the Ant
My belly button is swollen from ant bites. Apparently a lone ranger got lost in that sucker and bit me 5 times. Five. In my belly button. (Just a fun fact in case, you know, you were feeling like an awkward human being today or something. You aren’t.) Let me back up. On Saturday, Beckett and I went to a princess-themed birthday party for a set of twin girls. We met these friends at reading time at our local library when Beck was maybe 5 months old. (5 months old, because you’re much more active in fostering your child’s intellectual development when there’s only one of them. My second child doesn’t even know what a library is. Just…
To the 4-Year-Old Who Made Us Parents
4 years and 9 months ago, two tiny pink lines altered our lives forever. As a 23 year old newlywed with zero interest in small children, exhilaration wasn’t my first response. Hyperventilation, a blood test confirmation at LabCorp, and a panicked call to my best friend followed by a literal Googling of “how to be pregnant”…these were my first responses. 4 years and 9 months ago, I had absolutely no idea what was in store for our family. I had no idea what parenting was or how hard and joyous it would be. How infuriating and rewarding. How scary and overwhelmingly beautiful. But then came August 22, 2011. And I looked…
Party Your Tail Off
3 out of 4.5 members of Team Brooks either had or celebrated a birthday this weekend. That’s a lot of cake. Friday was my favorite human’s birthday, and he was perfectly undercelebrated as requested. He can’t control me though (modern woman) so allow me to state, for the record, one more time: Taylor Brooks is the most loyal, loving, patient, compassionate person I know. I not only get to call him my husband but also my best friend. So happy birthday to that guy. If you don’t know him, you are sorely missing out. If you’ve followed this blog for more than 1 second you at least know his offspring,…
A Bugsday to Remember
I recently posted a really sappy Facebook post about Taylor and what a sweet spot our marriage is in. The truth is, I still feel like I should butter him up after last week. Some of my favorite humans invited us to go to the Hillsong concert here and, for once in the past 3 years, we were on time. Showered, dressed, kids handed off, and pulling up to the venue with 20 minutes to spare. I’d never been to the American Airlines Center, so I didn’t know what to expect, but apparently the lot was pretty empty. Taylor: Why isn’t anyone here? Me: I don’t know. Maybe it’s a small crowd. Taylor:…
A Fiery 2nd Birthday
Apparently grandparents run on a different type of fuel than normal people. They never run out of energy. Ever. In the case of a certain little boy I know, endless energy made for a perfect week with his out-of-town admirers. I should devote a whole post to our fun, non-birthday-related adventures, but until then… It’s firefighting time. Because Beckett loves his f*&$@s. And, seeing as he turned 2 this week, we included as many of them into his week-o-celebration as possible. First up, the coolest fire station visit ofalltime, offered so kindly by my friend Katie on behalf of her husband Ethan, a fireman at the airport here. (When I say “airport”, I…
A Monsterous Affair
Yesterday was Beckett’s first ever birthday party. First ever. He’s been alive for a whole year. What do you do when you keep your child alive and well for a whole year? You celebrate! Monster style. First you invite all your friends. Then you decorate. The key to decorating for a monster party is to googly-eye everything: picture frames, drink dispenser, serving spoons, family dog…everything. Also, check the cupcake picture. No, I didn’t let the 3rd grade class at church decorate those. I did it all by my big girl self. I had a sobering realization that my dreams of opening my own cupcakery will probably not come…
My 14th birthday, Crustaches, & Cannibalism
Everyone in our family has a birthday in August. Taylor’s is the 7th, mine is the 9th, and Beckett’s is the 22nd. Also, when we were adopting our dog, Mack, they told us his birthday is the 5th. 5, 7, 9, 22. August is an expensive month for us. Last year I made a birthday hat that I made everyone in our family wear on their designated day of birth. I even took it to the hospital to put on the freshly delivered Beckett: “Before you cut the cord…can you just snap a pic of this on his head real fast? Thanks.” I did it again this year because it’s…
