Choo Choo Train Birthday Party!

Although his actual birthday isn't until December 3rd, we had Jack's birthday party yesterday evening!

I used the rhyme {all my kiddos' birthday cards rhyme. i have a problem.}: "Choo Choo! Can it be true!? Conductor Jack is turning two!"

I was so, so, so excited to celebrate this sweet boy of mine!

I had a lot of fun decorating for the party. Here are a few of the details:

Baggage Claim area for party favors!

Conductor hats for the kiddos! {I bought them on Amazon and got a great price for them!}

I decided to serve dinner and have the party in the evening. So, I rented a table and chairs; I had to for 13 kiddos!

The color theme was blue, red, and brown. I ordered a custom-made banner from Rachel Unlimited (who has always done a fabulous job for my boys' parties! You can find her on etsy.}

For snacks, I did "Train Track Kabobs" {fruit kabobs}, "Choo Choo Train Wheels" {sausage pinwheels}, "Coal" {chocolate oreo rice krispy treats. yes, you read that right.}, and "Choo Choo Train Smoke" {marshmallows}. We ordered pizza, and of course had cake!

Jack had such a wonderful time being the center of attention: the big birthday boy! He soaked up every moment. I'm so blessed to be the momma of this loud, cuddly, messy boy!

The craft I planned for the kiddos was a huge hit! I made individual train cars for the kiddos to decorate!

Happy second birthday, Jack Bean! :)

A little about you:

1. You weigh 34 pounds. That's approximately 2 pounds less than your big brother. Also, not surprisingly, you're larger than many 3 year olds.

2. You love to be LOUD! No one--and I mean no one--is as loud as you are! :)

3. You love to snuggle. Every morning, you say, "Mommy, 'nuggle?"

4. Chatter box central! You're already using complete sentences multiple times a day! Forget the whole "two words together by two!" That's small potatoes for you! :)

5. You are a great eater. You always eat a big breakfast and lunch, and a small dinner.

6. You go to bed at 6:45 and wake up at about 6:00.

7. You love for me to kiss your toys. You bring them to me one at a time and say, "Kisses, p'ease."

8. You're so polite! You ALWAYS say, "Thank you," and "Yes, sir," and "Yes, ma'am," and I don't ever have to remind you! Can you teach your brother that, please!?

9. You are LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. We cherish you, we adore you, we're so glad you're our son! God has incredible plans for you, Jack. Happy birthday!

Halloween

Yes! It's completely normal to blog about Halloween on November 10th {when you have a full time job, two kiddos, and a doctor hubby}!

We had such a fun Halloween! My mom came in town, so of course the boys were in heaven!

I had a firefighter:

And I had a "great hammerhead shark" {he absolutely would correct me if I only called him a "hammerhead"}:

The chances of rain were only going up, so I made the executive decision to start our trick-or-treating a bit early. I felt a little silly walking outside before it was dark, but boy was I glad I did! It started raining after the second house!

We have the most precious, considerate neighbors in the world! I mean, I really love the people who live around me. I know they'd do anything for us! They all had special goody bags for the Ryan boys, so my boys got some serious chocolatey goodness!

Scott was able to go with us, too. He's on nights right now, which worked out perfectly, because he has every Friday night off.

I just love Halloween! The yummy/silly food, the candy, dressing up, the excitement! 

When we got back to the house, we were soaked. But man oh man, did the Ryan boys get some good candy! Jack went RIGHT to town chowing down on his treats. And Nathan, true to form, picked through his, nibbled a piece here and there, but basically wasn't interested. {I was elated; his bucket had a ton of Snickers, Twix bars, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Hello!}

I hope you had a fun, safe Halloween! Oh, and happy November! :)

Family Pictures

Well, I figured that since it had been. . . oh. . . four years since our last professional family photos, it was time to take some pictures! I used Lesley Harrop Photography, and I am so happy with how they turned out! I can't wait to hang one of these in the living room, and start designing our Christmas card!

Playing In The Leaves

Oh, I'm so, so sad to see the leaves falling! Why? Because autumn in Virginia is the prettiest in the world. Sorry, it's true. AND, winter in Virginia just stinks. Snow. Cold. Stuck inside. Bleh. So, we're soaking in these last golden days of autumn!