Happy Birthday Explosion

As you know, Christmas and the week after offer a birthday extravaganza for our family. We start with MiMa Wade on the 25th.. celebrated by her traditional red velvet cake. (She threw in mint choc chip ice cream this year which I was a big fan of as well!)

 

Birthdays on the 27th are shared by both MiMa Cooper and Owen, of course. I'll never be able to give her as nice a gift as I did when she turned 54... sorry mom.

We took Owen to an AMAZING bakery (MacArthur's) and let him pick out his own BIG donut. Normally (infrequently) he gets 2 donut holes and that's about it.

We got a kick out of him because he ate around the perimeter of the donut.. his tiny little bites were hilarious compared to that big donut. I was glad that he only at about 10% of the donut and then tore it in to little pieces. Everything is a game, yes?

After mega donuts with MiMa and Papa Wade, O came back for a short (normal for him) 50 minute-ish nap, and MiMa and Papa Cooper came for lunch. Millie wore her 'Grandma's little cupcake' shirt in honor of MiMa Cooper's birthday. They got a few pics in at least before Millie blew that outfit right out of the water. This girl can poop.

 

I do love this pic of the 3 of them =)

Then we took off for the science center. I was a little unsure about how O would like it.. .thought it might be too old for him, but he had a blast. (Especially since he had his left hand man.. Papa C).

Exploring

He loved this major contraption that moved balls in every direction, and he held his hands up in an attempt to catch them. a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e.

He also laughed hysterically at this window over HWY40. He loved watching the cars zoom under him.

 



Learning about space with daddy. I absolutely LOVE that the science center is yet another free attraction for families in St. Louis.  This city is soooo family friendly. I love it.

 

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My birthday came on the 29th, and by that point, Mike and I were celebrated out.. but we had a great day. O and Mike made breakfast (even coffee) for me. I had to teach Mike that you measured the water in the pot but then you actually had to pour it in to the machine to brew. I love that guy! This cracked me up royally... especially since I was so appreciating the gesture. After breakfast we got ready.. I got to shower and get ready in one fell swoop without the accompaniment of children. Again, it's the amazing little things.

 

We dropped the kiddos off at my folks, and Mike and I went to the Fox to see Wicked. We loved the show, of course, and we also loved being the ones to be entertained.. not to do the entertaining. Sitting in one place for 2.5 hours was also incredible. We ran back to my folks, fed Millie, and then went out for a quick bite at an Italian joint down the street. We sat at the bar, had red wine, toasted ravioli, and a big salad. It was perfect because we still had home made espresso cheesecake (made by Mike!) to devour with both of our sets of parents. It was a wonderful day.

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Sunday brought Owen's 2nd birthday Choo Choo Train party. Just because his birthday is Dec 27 doesn't mean he doesn't get a party! (We kept it small with immediate family this year.. and had it at my folks so that I didn't have to clean on my birthday!)

He loved his Thomas the Train balloons and choo choo 2 t-shirt.

 

Still smiling and happy. I suppose we had just a little party left in us!

This guy sure did!

 

O and MiMa W playing with the new train set.

Ava walking alllll over the place! I LOVE this age.

'Open presents MiMa and Papa's house?'. We did this for a week straight, so now he expects that is a regular activity.

He was very good at it by the end of the week.

Cozy Coupe from MiMa and Papa Cooper.

Red Tricycle from MiMa and Papa Wade.

(We're having a blast with these on.the.move toys, by the way).

Loves his Uncle Ryan!

 

We finally feel recovered from our illnesses and party explosions, and we're looking back on all of it with fond memories, now =) We sure are proud of how well our O is growing and learning. After all of his holiday treats, donuts, and birthday cakes, he came in at a whopping 26lb 13oz (25%) and 35.5 inches tall (75%- 90%). He does at least have enough weight on him to drop down to 2% milk at least!