Austen @ 6 Years

Austen Lee, you are 6 years old!

 

 



Just a few days old, you were such a laid back baby.

Our baby boy turning 1, you loved your cake and still have a thing for sweets!

At 2, we celebrated on the back porch and you shared a party with Aiden.

At 3, we took you out to Dorey's (your choice).

Four years old and another hot July party on the back porch.

For your 5th party we went to the community center. You requested a tractor cake and were very disappointed when it showed up and didn't have a trailer with it! You also requested strawberries, watermelon, and apple pie. You love to eat fruit!

 

We can't believe you are six years old! It seems like just yesterday we were waiting to meet you! You bring so much joy to our lives. You keep us smiling with your funny expressions and your sense of humor. You love to ride bikes with your brother although you are not a fan of the heat and sneak inside sometimes when Aiden is not looking. ;-) Your favorite inside toys to play with are cars or animals. You will be starting first grade this year. You actually enjoy school and do not give up easily. If something is difficult, you keep a positive attitude and keep on going (just like your Daddy)! Your brother is your best friend and you always think of him first. You are a busy boy! It is very hard to take your picture because you are always on the move. You are mechanically minded like Daddy and want to know how everything works. You amaze me with your ability to fix things and problem solving skills. You love your baby sisters and are their protector. You recently told me you were so glad we have Arynn. You still love to cuddle and even though we don't hear it as often, we still get requests to sit in the recliner and rock you. We love you baby boy! Happy Birthday!

Party Time Take 2

A few days after Jacob's party, it was time to celebrate this precious girl turning 4!

She got a couple of packages in the mail from some sweet friends. She was so excited and I had to grab the camera, Ava could hardly wait to open her gift!

I love this face!

All the Mashburn men + 1 sweet baby girl

We love having outside parties, but the bad thing about our back porch is that it gets direct sunlight after 6:00. I'm hoping our new house won't have this problem! ;)

Ava asked for a puppy dog cake and she picked out a cake pan at the library. She even picked out the colors. This was the best her Momma could do, but she didn't seem to mind.

Nanny and Arynn enjoying themselves at the party.

Her main request for her birthday was a ring like Momma's. Daddy picked out a ring for her and she loved it! We had to get it sized down to a 2, but she has not taken it off since she got it back!

Showing off her gift from Daddy.

Enjoying her cake and ice cream!

We partied so late, we had to move inside to eat cake. She had a wonderful night with her family. It was so fun to watch her excitement for her big day. Ava later told us it was her best day ever!

Party Time

Our family was invited to a birthday party for a special little boy whose family attends church with us. Daddy had to work, but Momma and the kids went to celebrate Jacob's first birthday.

There were lots of outside toys which kept the kiddos very busy, my kids didn't even want to stop to eat cake!

The Barbie jeep was a big hit, even for Aus!

Aiden enjoyed riding the scooter.

Looks like trouble!

The puppet show was also a big hit!

Patiently waiting for his cake.

Baby Jacob is so cute and we feel blessed to know him and his sweet family! Happy Birthday Jacob!

Happy Birthday Poppa Kenneth!

Poppa's birthday was at the end of March. He usually heads to the lake around his b-day time, so I made sure we got to celebrate before he left. We like to take the grandparents out to eat for their birthdays, just because we are quickly running out of room to entertain at our house. One of our favorite restuarants we like to go to for big events closed this year. So we decided to cook and we took dinner to Nana and Poppa so he could stay in his comfy chair.

These kids were waiting as patiently as possible.

Jake grilled steaks, which were wonderful, the girls and I fixed a salad and copied a cake from our Fort Rock trip. It was so yummy, I had to try it! It was a pretty big hit, you can't go wrong with chocolate cake, condensed milk, cool whip and heath bar!

Daddy held Arynn while I was serving cake.
I caught him tasting it before he had a free hand to eat with!

Arynn was being sweet and cuddly.

Poppa doesn't like to hold "new" babies.
I think this is only the 2nd time he held her.

Nana, on the other hand, can't get enough of her grandbabies!

We ate too much and stayed too late as always. We hope Poppa knows how much we love him. Happy Birthday Poppa!

Momma's Birthday

On Tuesday night, we went to celebrate my birthday with Mimi, Poppa, Keith and Cabrina. Unfortunately, Arynn was pretty fussy and I didn't even get my camera out of the bag. :-( But the food was wonderful, she made an awesome dessert and I got more photo albums! I only need about 500 more!!!

On Wednesday, my actual birthday, we celebrated with Nana and Poppa Kenneth. Nana wanted to have it on my birthday even though it was church night. We went to their house for pizza, went to church, then we came back for cake. They got me a gift certificate for a much needed pedicure! I feel so blessed to have wonderful parents and in-laws!

Aiden's favorite spot is with Poppa is his chair. (Poppa is thrilled that I am taking his picture!)

Can we say "cheese?"

Not to be outdone...

Our crew waiting on cake, everyone except Arynn, I think Poppa was holding her.

Taken by Aiden, it was supposed to be of me unwrapping my gift!

My last birthday in my 20's. Where has the time gone? Somedays I feel like I should still be Aiden's age! I can't imagine how my parents feel to know their baby is almost 30. I remember when my Mom turned 30 and it was a big deal, black balloons and I was thinking..."I'll never be that old" and now I'm almost there. Birthdays are a blessing and I am thankful for everyday, no matter how young or old I am! Although to hear my kids tell it I should be getting mail from AARP.

Austen asked the other day "Momma, are you really old?" Me- "Pretty old." Aus- "Like really, really old?" Me- "Yeah" Aus-"Are you like as old as Ms. ______?" (An elderly lady in our church) Me- "Not that old, but pretty close!!!" Out of the mouths of babes. :-)

The Boys' Party

Aiden and Austen's birthdays are 10 days apart, we split the difference and have a family party on the Fourth of July. They still think the fireworks at the end of the day are just for them!

Addy provided the entertainment, she was so funny jumping around!

Two peas in a pod, they both like to talk to their food.

Daddy fired up the grill and we had Nanny, Papa, Nana, Poppa Kenneth and Mimi over for lunch, cake and homemade ice cream. YUM! Poppa Gary couldn't make it because he had to work. But we met up with him later for fireworks.

Aiden and Poppa Kenneth, I am sure they discussing a hunting/fishing story.

The weather was actually not too hot, we started around 11:00.

Since we were on the porch, we put the ice chest under her feet so she could touch. She would walk to the edge and hold on with her little monkey toes. It was pretty comical.

The boys holding up their new shirts Mimi made for them.

The boys were very excited, (obvious by the looks on their faces) they received clothes, books, fishing poles and of course toys!

The dragon cake. 

Nana gave me the instructions on how to fix this, it turned out pretty cute. I told if it did not turn out well, it would be all of her fault ;-) Next time I will do things a little differently. I am by no means a cake decorator, and have no desire to be one, in fact this was my first attempt. Talk about stressful!

My brave knights! 

I know swords, shields, helmets, bad idea!?! So far no bloody noses or broken bones. These swords are used to reenact Chronicles of Narnia on a daily basis. This was a gift from Nana, not Momma and Daddy. We opted for a safer gift, bikes! We had a great day with family and enjoyed celebrating our boys!

Ava's Party

Ava's 2nd Birthday fell on a Friday, so on Saturday morning we invited the immediate family over for burgers and cake and ice cream.

Aiden, Ava, and Austen

The brothers posing with the Birthday girl before the guests arrived.

Ava would not sit still for me to get a picture of her, she was just too excited! This is the best I could get.

Daddy grilling for our guests. I am so glad he volunteers for this! He always does a wonderful job.

Two of her favorite gifts. The baby is almost bigger than her, but she drags it everywhere! The ride on toy was a big hit too. Nanny Lee got it for her because every time we are at her house, Ava sits in my old Barbie car and tries to drive it. This has already been in a few accidents, but no major injuries.

Sampling the cake ;-)

We opted for a store bought cake so I could relax and enjoy the party!

The best part of the whole day! This girl loves her chocolate, she is truly her mother's child.

Addy did attend the party (well, somewhat). We had to party during her nap time because of Dad's work schedule. We had a great day celebrating our oldest girl! Every thing went so well, that we decided to do it all over again for the boys' birthdays. More on that later.