:::FIVE YEARS OLD:::

How can it be...5 years old...? Already???????????

It feels like just yesterday I was drinking gallons of raspberry leaf tea to speed up your arrival...but you held on until the very last moment...you silly monkey!

Karter James:::

There are many words that describe who you are. You are:
Strong
Tough
Easy Going
Joyful
Full of love
Peaceful
Over comer...that is the word given to you by God!

You have touched the hearts of so many and moved them to such love for you. Although you have never spoken a physical word, who you are and what you have and continue to overcome, draws people to you. I know I have said it before, but it really is the truth; you have taught me more than anyone else on this earth. You taught me who I was and who I could be in spite of things not going as I planned them. There is a very special place in my heart for you. You are my son, and no matter what, I will always be here for you in whatever capacity you need me.

This year is shaping up to be one that is full of blessings that are far beyond anything we ever imagined. Full of miracles we could have never dreamed and bursting with new adventures that will take you places we can only witness as they play out. God has put the most caring team in place for you, you have and never will go without the best!

You are an inspiration to many. You rest in the arms of Jesus and He has held you close all the way through the roller coaster of the past 5 years. You are more than I ever dreamed in a son and I am so proud of you. My love for you unconditional and so full, I fear it will one day explode out of my heart!

Happy Birthday my precious boy! You are a treasure straight from heaven to my heart. I love you!

Mamma

Karter's 5th Birthday - Bowling Party

Karter’s “friends” party was a bowling party. It was the first time we had done something other than a home type party. Since Karter had taken a liking to bowling, we thought it would be fun to do and something that he could take part in. The bowling alley supplied the hot dog and drink and I brought a few snacks for the parents to munch on thek ids to enjoy before we ate and while they bowled in the first hour. I made Monkey cupcakes and I was pretty happy with how cute they looked.

Due to the nature of the party and the age of the kids, we asked that parents stayed to help out and thus included the older siblings. There were 17 kids in total, so we took up four lanes of bowling; two for the younger kids 2 for the older siblings. The kids really seemed to enjoy the bowling; especially the older kids. Some of the parents told me it was their child’s first time bowling – how fun! The younger kids enjoyed it, but it was hard for some of them to understand turn taking, so at times it was a bit chaotic and there were a few tears.

For Karter...well, let’s just say this was not his day, poor guy. He bowled one turn and was done. He was not happy in the surroundings, we think in the end he just got overwhelmed and over stimulated. The music was quite loud and there was a lot of chaos. Between Kurt and I, we tried to make him happy but nothing seemed to do the trick; he spent most of the party in our arms of lying on the bench.In the end, the hour and a half went by really quickly and was a bit of a gong show (smile). We fed the kids at different times, we never really ended up praying for the food (I think God will understand) and then in the end we just quickly sang “Happy Birthday” so Kurt could take Karter out to the van (where incidentally he calmed down immediately) while I tried to get the goodie bags handed out and the party wrapped up. It was totally frantic in the end and if you know me...well let’s just say I like things a bit more in control – hahaha! But as we like to say in our house “It is what it is!”

After it was all over, Kurt and I talked about it and really, all the kids had a good time and they celebrated Karter and that was what mattered. It was another reminder that we can plan and plan yet we have to flow with it when it does not go our way. So not a perfect party and not the way I envisioned it for Karter, but in the end, it was a celebration of Karter’s 5th birthday, with the people who are in his life and who care for him, so we have to say it was successful.Happy 5th birthday my boy! We love you so much.

Karter's Family Party - The BIG 5!

What a great night we had! The weather was gorgeous which made for a wonderful evening in the backyard. The food (although WAY too much of it!) turned out really great. You can check out the pictures below. Lemon meringue pie at Kurt's request, mini cupcakes for Karter and various other confections to enjoy!

Karter had a great night! He was so happy and really enjoyed all of the action going on.

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Karter and he started to giggle. So we sang again, actually we sang three times because it was so cute! He then enjoyed his cupcake...

Here is the evidence of that...

And the gifts...a great new pair of kidz banz and some money to go shopping for something that he really needs.

Birthday Party Planning

June flew past me in a flash. With the calendar flipped to July, I am in high gear trying to plan Karter's birthday party for his friends and the one for the family.

Since Karter enjoyed bowling so much when we went, we decided that this year we would do a bowling party. I normally do a home party or swim party since the weather is usually so nice. However, this year I figured he would really be able to take part in the bowling party.

I love making the cake, I actually think that is my very favorite part of having birthday parties. I like being creative and seeing how far I can push myself. I looked for some bowling cake ideas but was not really thrilled with any of them. I have decided to go with Monkey cupcakes instead. Yes, I know it has nothing to do with bowling, but we always call Karter our little Monkey, so it is fitting.

The bowling alley will be providing the food - hot dogs and slushies. I will bring the cupcakes and that should take care of it. I am not sure I have ever had such an easy party for him. I almost feel like I am cheating ;-)...

The family party...we are combining that with Kurt's birthday since they are only 4 days apart. Kurt has asked for lemon meringue pie; I will make that for him. There is no real theme for that night, just fun!

I plan to make a few fun things. I saw this cute little chocolate dipped marshmallow treats, I thought I would do those


and for the cakes...I thought mini cupcake pops would be cute. In boy colors of course!



I also made this recipe of caramel pop corn for a girls nite once at it was a hit, so I think I will make that and pop it in individual brown bags for eatin'.



For the savory lovers, I plan to make a sun dried tomato, goat cheese and pesto flat bread. I had it at a restaurant once and I copied the recipe. That should do it for food.

So I plan to make my list today, get the goodies over the weekend and start creating on Monday. I love a party and more than that, I love to celebrate the ones I love! Stay tuned for pictures of the result.