Grandma Gates' Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Grandma Gates' 92nd Birthday! She's one amazing lady, and she'd have to be to carry on the mature conversations that one would have with a good friend like Hope as well as the crazy kid conversations that she has (er, tolerates) with Lincoln, Henry and especially Lydia. (Lydia is in a phase now where any word with an "ooooo" sound in it is hilarious, particularly "dude" and "poop.")

Jenn made the birthday cake, and it was her best yet. A chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling and a fondant covering with some beautiful flowers.
Last weekend we visited Grandma Laura & Grandpa Dave and went to the Columbus Children's Theater for a production of The Little Mermaid, Jr. The cast was made up of High School and Middle School students, and we had front row, on-the-floor seats. The kids were way into it, and it brought back all kinds of memories for Jenn of singing the entire soundtrack when she was a girl.
Prior to Sunday's trip to the theater, I had the kids all day on Saturday and we had a lot of fun playing on the playset.

Birthday With The Fam

Today we celebrated my birthday with my parents and Grandma Gates. The kids were in rare form earlier today coming off of a couple days of runny noses and less than ideal sleep. So a trip to Grandma & Grandpa's house was a welcome thing because everything always get's better at Grandma & Grandpa's house!

Here's a sampling of today's fun, concluding with a shot of the Goodyear blimp off in the distance. It was apparently coming back from the Cleveland area. Usually it passes directly over our house, but today it didn't. It was okay, though, because the kids got to see it as we drove alongside it on the way home after the festivities.
I've got to say, I love going over to my parent's house for family time. They're great with the grandkids, the food is always good, things are slow-paced which makes things as relaxing as it can possibly be with three crazy kids, and they're just so generous with their time and things. All of this makes Jenn and I look forward to our vacation time (along with the Hopwoods!) next summer.

Lydia's First Birthday

Yesterday was the big party. Lydia's 1 Year Celebration was a big, fun success, with lots of good family time, really good food, and a bigger pile of little girls clothes than you've ever seen! The distances that family drove to be a part of the festivities was humbling to Jenn and me, and we're thankful that we have extended family that takes such great interest in each other.

above: my apologies for the lighting and focus

Lydia woke up from her nap a while before things began, and because she's usually so tired in the late afternoon, we didn't know what to expect from her. Lincoln was a wild card, too. With this being the first big party that was all about Lydia and not at all about him, we were wondering how he would behave himself. Both kids were all stars. Lydia actually sat in one place (right next to me) for most of the gift-giving time, which is extremely unusual for her busy self. Lincoln was given little jobs throughout the party, and he was such a good boy that he was receiving compliments throught the evening. Lincoln "helped Lydia open her presents" and he did a great job at showing the observers what was just opened. Sure, he got distracted with some toys here and there, but he was obedient throughout.Lincoln stuffed himself with most of the dinner options. We made our award-winning chili, Grandma Paulette brought apples & a Heath dip (wow) & grapes (Lincoln's favorite), Aunt Kas brought fruit salsa & cinnamon chips, Grandma Gates brought her cornbread, and Great Grandma Mullen brought her meatballs. We all ate pretty well.

Jenn's cake was unbelievable. First of all, it tasted really good. But what was so impressive was the presentation. Check it out...Lydia seemed to enjoy her cake, but the whole smashcake thing is anticlimactic, in my opinion. For both kids I had visions of them doing to their cake what John Belushi did to the cafeteria in Animal House, but it never really happened. Her face got as messy as it usually does, but the fun part was watching her realize that what she was eating was really sweet, and the rate at which she grabbed finger-fulls of cake and icing sped up with each bite.Finally, this one's for Auntie Haley:It's hard to believe it's been a year with the cutest little girl in the world, and we can't wait to see what's in store for Lydia as she continues to grow up in our family.

Grandma Gates' 90th

Things have been ticking along at the Gates home. I've been busy with work: big surgeries last week, some big surgeries lined up this week, and lots of business things swirling around in my head.
Lincoln and Lydia have been on and off with sickness this week. Lydia especially has had a runny nose and hasn't been napping. Jenn's been off her game, too, and that makes for a worn-out house.

The Hopwoods came to stay with us for the weekend as the entire Gates family celebrated Grandma Gates' 90th Birthday! We had a great dinner, good catch-up time with out-of-town family, and a special time of honoring my Grandma Gates. (I say, "my Grandma," because she's also a fantastic mom and Great Grandma, too, for so many!) Here's a sampling of photos from our lovely evening at Papa Joe's:

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving with the Gates, Gates, Hopwoods & Watsons. The blessings were abundant and evident.