Daddy's Birthday

We celebrated Daddy's birthday a few days ago and the boys picked out this lovely (and tasty) ice cream cake.

Happy Birthday to you...

Brandon did quite the fine job singing "Happy Birthday" as well as the famous Farrelly second verse, "May the dear Lord bless you...." His speech and singing is expanding by leaps and bounds these days.

2 Patient Little Boys

Nathan is just dying to dig in! They've been getting into the freezer all day just to look at it:-)

Cake Time

Nathan was asking about Daddy's birthday party all day, and actually started crying when I informed him "Daddy's friends aren't coming over for this party." It took some convincing on my part, but I managed to relieve his concern that Daddy was okay with this plan. He did not want his father cheated out of a bounce house and 50 guests:-)

Yum!

Brandon eats every last crumb of his ice cream cake.

All Saints' Day & Mom's Birthday

Today is my Mom's birthday. So we miss her especially on this day. But it is certainly no accident that her birthday is on All Saints' Day as she is and was a Saint. I was emailed something that sums up much of what she taught us, but would add most importantly our faith in God and the gift of baptism in the Catholic Church.

"May you always believe in yourself. Never doubt your worthiness or your capacity for achievement, endurance and growth. In all that is important to you, persist with confidence that you are smart enough and strong enough to find a way through or around any obstacle. Never be without hope for within you is all you will ever need. And never doubt you are lovable. Don’t worry about the approval or affection of any who are unworthy of appreciating you.

May you feel and express gratitude. Appreciate people and the good things in life. Gratitude isn’t a debt to be paid but a key to a treasure chest filled with the fullness of life. Give without need or expectation of gratitude. Cherish every moment of happiness, and never let unkind or ungrateful people harden your heart or ruin your day.

May you be resilient. Resolve to bounce back from every setback, knowing your focused will is enough to overcome disappointments, frustrations and even great tragedies.
May you always love. Know that your heart may be wounded, but it will always heal if you love yourself. Safeguard the part of you that is loving, compassionate and generous. Be kind to those who don’t seem to deserve it. Don’t carry grudges. Forgive others, not only for them, but for you.

May you be happy. Remember, happiness is always within your grasp. Never underestimate the lasting joy of feeling worthy and finding meaning and purpose in love and service.
May you find a life mate who appreciates you and loves you as I do -- completely and forever."

Thank you Mom! We love and miss you.

Halloween Day

The 'Baby Bear' spends some time with Papa bear, before Mama bear and her cubs take off to a Halloween playdate!

The Dublin Ranch Halloween Parade

Here they are, my little Indian and The Hulk. Hand in hand they parade around the park.

Treat Bags

The boys helped Mommy put together treat bags for our visitors. They did a great job!

Mommy also had safety penlights which were also passed out with the trick or treat bags...I don't think the pre-teens appreciated the inservice they got as I passed them out (dog and pony show at the front door to avoid being a Level I trauma), but the parents' did:-)

Jack O' Lanterns

Daddy and the boys carved these beautiful Jack O' Lanterns. I had stencils for elaborate designs but Daddy said "No way! We're doing this the old fashioned way, 3 triangles and a mouth...just like when we were kids." We also had scary music playing via a CD player hidden in the plants.

Apparently, David and his brother used to go overboard on scary Halloween decorations featuring scary music blasting from the house (which we did as well). Considering our boys were still playing the music this morning and trying to scare each other, I'm sure in a few years we'll have a Haunted House at the Babby home.

So, here you are. The Babby Jack O' Lanterns...for now:-)

Trick-or-Treating

The boys were on a mission this year. Last year, Brandon was in the stroller but this year you should have seen him running to keep up with the big kids. Those little legs, skinny but fast...hysterical! David and I tag teamed for this candy hunt, it definitely took two to keep a good eye.

We we're fortunate to run into the neighbors around the block (Kyle and Taylor-Nathan and Brandon's favorites) who we've had playdates with, which made it all the better!

The Loot

The children take a look at the loot they've acquired from their hard and fast work (it's tough running from house to house)! However, nothing is eaten before through inspection from the parents!