Henry's 6th Birthday

On Henry's 6th birthday, he came bouncing in our room at 6:15AM. He had been counting down to his birthday for weeks. He found Star Wars masks, plates, and balloons in the kitchen. His brothers and sister were still sleeping, so he enjoyed a quiet breakfast of sprinkle pancakes with Mama and Daddy (John really enjoyed the Chewbacca mask once he woke up though). Then it was off to school, where Henry was celebrating his birthday with someone special - his teacher, Mrs. Barnes! He brought her a homemade card and a bouquet of her favorite flowers, "because girls love flowers", as Henry put it. I make Henry's lunch every day (except Thursday's because that's pizza day) and every day he asks for the exact same lunch. But this birthday lunch had a little something extra - a Ferrero Rocher hidden in the front pocket.

That afternoon, I went into Henry's classroom for the double birthday bash. The cookie cake was a hit! The kids were calling dibs on who got to eat Mrs. Barnes head or Henry's arm. Henry wanted a corner piece "with lots of chocolate frosting". Later Mrs. Barnes put on some music for the kids to dance too. I have a new appreciation for Henry's teachers after witnessing the craziness of 19 six year olds on a sugar high! The best part was watching Henry and his "not a girlfriend but a best friend who is a girl", Reagan, plugging their ears. My boy likes his peace and quiet.

After school, Henry came home to even more treats - a candy basket from Mimi, Papa, and Zia. He split a snickers bar with Pa. After a couple bites, he said, "I think that's enough treats. I don't want a tummy ache." My little, responsible, old man.

For his birthday dinner, Henry chose Moe's. He finished his tacos and asked to sit on my lap and snuggle because he was cold. My big 6 year old boy still likes to snuggle, thank goodness. Not that he needed any more treats, but after dinner, Henry picked Yogli Mogli instead of birthday cake. We still sang and put a candle in his candy filled yogurt cup. Frances watched the boys chow down. Her toes weren't nearly as delicious as frozen yogurt, but she made do.

We came home to open gifts. Henry was specific about what he wanted from us, "a playground ball, a Darth Vader hoodie, and Connect 4". We (or rather Amazon) delivered. He also received a new lego set from Grandma and Papou, and a basketball hoop from Nanna and Pa. I think Daddy enjoyed the new hoop as much as the boys did. And there was still more fun to be had at Henry's birthday party later that weekend!

34!

On April 20th, I celebrated my 34th birthday. Henry guessed that I was turning "733 years old", but he made up for it with his sweet card. Gus brought home an ice cream cake after work, and the kids sang to me. Gus snapped a quick photo of us. I am certain that this is the only photo I have where all four kids are looking at the camera and smiling. And of course, I am in sweaty gym clothes with no makeup on. And it's a fuzzy iPhone pic. But I'll take what I can get, y'all. Later in the week, Nanna babysat and Gus took me out for a proper birthday dinner. We went to a new restaurant in East Cobb. I was busy checking out the menu and didn't notice my birthday shout-out right away. My sweet husband made this 733 year old feel pretty special.

John "Crazy Eyes" Makris

Words cannot explain the cray cray that y'all are about to see.

Frances is 6 months old!

Likes: Squirming backwards across the floor to get around, trying to sit up on my own for a few seconds at a time, putting all the boys toys in my mouth (time to lock up those little legos), blowing raspberries, being held as much as possible, sucking on my two fingers or my toes all the time, laughing at my crazy brothers, and gnawing on anything that you put near my mouth (including Mama's iPhone).

Dislikes: I do not like drinking from a bottle. Mama has spent hundreds of dollars buying different bottles for me to try. After a complete bottle refusal, Mama put me in bottle bootcamp, where I had to drink one bottle a day.  I'm tolerating it now, but I still prefer the real deal.

Growth: I weigh 15 lbs., 13 oz., and I am 27 and 3/4 inches long. This puts me in the 50th percentile for weight and still off the charts for height.  I am one long and lean baby! We are starting solid foods this week, so we'll see how much more I grow once I start eating my fruits and veggies!

Soccer Stars

Henry and John have been playing soccer this Spring. This is John's first time playing a sport. He takes it very seriously. He listens well to his coach, and he does not like it when the other team scores. This is Henry's second time playing soccer. He likes to practice often in our backyard. His practice paid off because he scored a goal in his first game. Henry likes to win, but I'd say that he likes the end-of-game snack more.