Birthday Recap

Gabe is a popular kid...

Last night we had a small party for Gabe with some close family friends; pizza, pasta, soda, and of course, a Chicago Blackhawks cake and ice cream.

He had a blast and I have pictures, I just have to upload them :P

Tonight is bowling night, which means the kiddos will head over to Grandma and Grandpa's house...and Grandma is having a small party for Gabe there...

Then tomorrow his other set of grandparents is coming over, we're picking Gabe's best friend up, and we're going to Portillos (yummy!) for lunch and then over to the bowling alley for a few games.

Sunday, thankfully, will be a day of rest. Gabe's "official" birthday party isn't until March, really, because we are combining parties for Gabe and Bits. Two parties in the span of one month is not only pricey, but exhausting.

We were a little worried that he'd feel like he had missed out on something not having a big birthday party...looks like we were wrong :D

Thank you to everyone who called, sent cards, or wished Gabe a happy birthday-he had a wonderful day!

On The Day You Were Born...

(I'm posting early since tomorrow will be a busy day)

One of my favorite birthday books is called "On the Day You Were Born"* by Debra Frasier, we used it in our classrooms when celebrating birthdays and I've given it many times as gifts at baby showers. It's a beautiful book that reminds us of the day we were born.

Tonight while tucking Gabe in, he asked me to tell him about the day he was born. I told him about being so big I could barely fit in the car (very true, I couldn't fit behind the wheel of our car after about 36 weeks) I told him about all the people who had come to meet him (there were lots) and I told him about how gorgeous he was and how I was so happy to have him for my son (and I still am)He went to bed, peacefully, with a smile on his face while I tried not to cry thinking about what a big boy he's become.

I read "On the Day You Were Born" to Bits tonight, because I couldn't read it to Gabe...I'd like to share my favorite part:
"Welcome to the spinning world," the people sang, as they washed your new, tiny hands.

"Welcome to the green Earth," the people sang, as they wrapped your wet, slippery body.

And as they held you close
they whispered into your open, curving ear,
"We are so glad you've come"

Gabriel Alexander Witkowski, I am so glad you've come and I'm so lucky to be your mom...have a wonderful birthday little bird.











*find it on Amazon

*pop*

Oh poor Gabriel...the child has never been allowed to play with balloons because we were told he was allergic to latex (and since I break out/swell when I come in contact with it, we played it safe) Last night, however, we were out having ice cream and there was a magician at the ice cream shop. He was making balloon animals and Gabriel and SarahAnne were staring longingly at them, practically drooling. They were more interested in the balloon animals than their ice cream.

The magician came around and asked if they could have an animal. We figured what the heck, we have benadryl if he starts to itch we'll give him some. He and Bits got animals and were soooo excited about it. No itching, no swelling-definitely a good thing.

Today Gabe has decided to pull apart his animal and make his own. No big deal, just balloons, right? Well...because he isn't really familiar with balloons, he didn't understand that you cannot manipulate them the way you might think you can. What a shock when the balloon burst and flew across the room. Talk about heartbreak...the poor kid, what a shock.

Today he has reminded me, at least a dozen times, that tomorrow is his birthday. TOMORROW not a week from now, not two days from now, but tomorrow. He told anyone within listening range last night that he had a birthday coming up and has been bouncing all over, talking about it today. It must be fun to look forward to a birthday like this, huh? Goofy boy.

Blast from the past picture of McGee...he was about 18 months old in this picture...what a cutie!

Ha ha :)

I saw this quote on a plaque today and it made me chuckle, thought all you married folks out there might like it too...

"Marriage may be made in heaven, but so are thunder and lightning

Oh really?!

I think our life may be a sitcom, all we need is a theme song.

Take today, for example, we went to go buy a car. (note to those reading: bad credit is bad, m'kay? take care of your credit so you don't end up like us and Jimmy V-more on him in a minute)

We went to buy a car, thankfully we CALLED before we went to the dealership because the car we wanted was sold on Saturday. No big whoop, we thought, cars are easy peasy to find. We went to a dealership a few towns over, granted it was small and looked a little seedy, but how bad could it be, right?

OH blog readers, let me tell you! We told Jimmy V what our price range was, what we wanted, etc and the first car he points us to is a HUGE old ford hoop-d. For those unfamiliar with the term "hoop-d" it means a big old gas guzzling car. Granted, six or ten people could have fit in the car, but uh, no thanks. We decided to take an Explorer out for a spin. Yes, there were some scratches on the paint, but whatever, it was purely cosmetic.

We opened the doors and were hit with an awful odor-dog-no offense dog people, but dogs stink. Ok, again, we can fix that. We took it out for a spin. Um, yeah, no. It was AWFUL. Every bump we hit, the truck rocked and I nearly fell out of my seat. The kids thought it was hysterical, us not so much. Geo then noticed that the "service engine" light was on. We brought it back to the lot and Jimmy V asked what I thought. I said "well, it's kind of bumpy and the service engine light was on" he looked at the truck, looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said "m'eh"

We took another vehicle out for a ride and were scared to death...of it running out of gas. It was literally sucking fumes, I think I felt it die when we pulled in the parking lot. Nice car if you don't mind that the people in the back can't move their legs. Note: Gabe and SarahAnne LIKE to move their legs, this car was NOT for us.

Not wanting to be rude, Geo went to the "office" and took a business card. He came back looking scared and I think I heard banjos a la "deliverance" Turns out there was a giant dog chained up in the office and it was barking like mad.

The whole thing was so absurd, we couldn't help but laugh. Good ole Jimmy V and the dealership from hell...

As for a car, we're still looking and I know we'll find something soon, but man oh man, I hope to never repeat today's experience...next time the dog might NOT be chained up :P

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy V-day to all of you who celebrate it :D We had a huge breakfast this morning together before Geo went to work and the kiddos and I have done nothing but watch movies, make popcorn bird feeders, and relax today. Geo and I don't really celebrate V-day (it always seems to be some sort of disaster when we do) so for the past couple of years, we've just gotten the kids a little gift. This year was no different, except that it's a whole family gift this year: a 15 month membership to the Brookfield Zoo!! Back in my teaching days, we'd get the educators membership (cheap cheap cheap!) and used it a LOT. We decided to get one again because it was a good deal and because the kiddos are BOTH to the age where the zoo is the most amazing place ever, even though we've been there a zillion times :) The membership is also nice to have when friends and family visit-who doesn't love the zoo?!? We're very excited about going to see the new Bear exhibit that's opening up on May 8th, though I have a feeling we'll be going MUCH sooner than that!!

I'll leave you with this--a reminder of what love IS and should be :)

Valentine's Day Miracle part 2??

After Gabe and my conversation the other night, I've been pretty worried about him. It's unusual for him to be so "down" and like any good momma, I was worried that he was going to stay in this funk.

Not so much. Gabe is, in a word, awesome. Today, while playing the role of CRAFT MOM™, I was able to really observe Gabe in his classroom. He didn't pay much attention to me, but I was paying attention to him and his classmates. Gabe is the go to guy in the classroom when it comes to having something read. If someone cannot read something, they go to Gabriel. Gabe is an excellent reader and apparently his classmates recognize that fact.

For some unknown reason, I thought that Gabe would be quietly (HA HA HA HA) sitting in his chair, limited by his cast. My God, could I have been any more off the mark? He was ALL over the place, helping EVERYONE with their things (he was finished with his work and his Valentine's day cards-it pays to be able to read, you can pass those suckers out QUICK!) Anyone who looked like they were struggling with something was approached by Gabe with a "hey buddy, can I help you with that?"

Man, he's amazing. I mean, he is just AMAZING.

I would have fully understood if he was crabby and cranky today; he's sore, he's sick of not being able to play in all of the awesome snow we have in the yard, and he hates having a huge cast...but he was up and around helping those who needed it.

I'm so lucky to have him for a child; they always say children are here to teach you a lesson, I'm fairly certain Gabe's lesson for me is that helping others, even while we are struggling with our own issues is the right thing to do. We should always help others, no exception, no questions asked, and there are no excuses for NOT offering a helping hand, because if a five year old in a bulky cast can make his way across a classroom filled with other excited five years olds to help someone who's in a panic because they can't read something, then what reason do WE have to NOT help someone who needs it?

Thanks Gabe, for being a reminder to do what's right :)