Monkey

so i was looking at my super sad lack of pictures blog when i realized, i never posted the MONKEY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!  and i feel AWFUL about it.  so here it is.

i was ready to help monkey, and well- so was everyone else.  jellybean and chunk were so excited for monkeys birthday it was crazy!  they thought that it was so awesome that he was getting presents and cupcakes, and a special dinner.  when we took them shopping for monkeys present, they wanted to buy multiple things for him.  it was really cute.

but like most 1 year olds, he really didnt get the idea, and chunk was such a patient brother, trying to show him how to take off ribbons, and rip the paper.  he is SUCH a good big brother.

you can tell by the blank expression on his face that he really didnt get 'it'. and he really didnt like how after he went through all that effort to find the toy inside all that 'stuff' we would take it away, so he could try to find another toy that we would take away! at one point he got kinda frustrated. it was cute.

finally, when he was able to keep a present that he opened, he was really happy about it.  =)

we then had dinner, joe has gotten REALLY good at making fried chicken strips. and since that is a good finger food,  he made the chicken strips, and i made homemade baked french fries, and we had corn. some of our monkeys favorite foods.

and i LOVE the ^^above^^  picture of laura and monkey.  he LOVES her.  its really cute. 

after our delicious dinner- we had cupcakes.  no candle, the concept of blowing- is totally lost on him.  he looks so blankly at you that we opted not to.  and i had found this SUPER cute cupcake decorating in my Martha Stewart CUPCAKES book.  (i more then LOVE it!  thank you jessica and josh!)  and when monkey saw them on the counter, he squealed!  WAHOO!  it made me feel really good, that he liked them before he had them.  =)

the first impression......... (he really isnt into sticky things....)

then the realization of how good it truely was!  it was so cute!  he LOVED it!!

and he is so sweet he wanted to share!  heehee, that was his second one.  he thought they were fabulous.

all in all, i think he had a great day.  new and exciting.  and he LOVED all the gifts! 

now a little bit about my baby.  he is sweet.  he gives the BEST hugs, you go and get him in the morning, afternoon, while playing, most times when i pick him up, he gives me the biggest hug he can.  and that is promptly followed by nice slobbery kiss.  and he will give multiple kisses which are fantastic!  nice and slobbery.  i LOVE it.  he really does make sounds like a monkey!  it makes me laugh.  but his laugh- holy. crow.  it is hilarious!  how he does it, where he gets it from, and what it sounds similar too- i have no clue.  but his laugh can always make you laugh, not just smile, but laugh, out loud.  its great.  but all this sweetness masks 'the other side'.  when he doesnt want something.  he lets you know.  not happy, and boy you hear about it!  its happy or not, there really is no happy medium.  but honestly those... loud moments dont happen too often.  he only says mom, dad, hi, and done.  but he is babbling a ton.  and he is close to walking- his highest number of steps in a row- 3.  but i cant wait for him to walk.  i like the walking times.  anyway- he is such a sweet boy that can melt my heart with just the slightest of grins.  i do think he will be more....... adventrous then chunk.  and i am strangly looking forward to the many MANY expeditions he will be taking me on!  i LOVE him so much!  to make it even better, the older two LOVE him too!  they are kinda playing with him, he is still kinda young to understand how to play Cars or Transformers, but he might get to be the giant dinosaur occastionaly that the ponies and other dinos must run from in order to not be eaten by the giant one.  cute  =) . 

well- that is my baby.  they all are my babies.  i think i will forever see them as the cubby cheeked little babies giving the slobbery kisses.  =)  i dont mind, they will just have to deal with it.

<3

ummm..... rambling thoughts? joseph?

it been...... interesting, things have been weird.  and i cant lie, its been really REALLY hard for me.  i have to take it super easy which in turn has made me feel- well, rather useless.  i dont say any of this for pity or whatever, it is just there,  its been hard.  and i know techincally speaking i know i am not being lazy or whatnot, but i hate being so idle.  i know i am keeping a baby in, and that is a really good thing, but still, idleness, yuck.  i never realized how much i take advantage of what i do, or i guess what i CAN do.  i have such a limit of what i can do, and then the days that i really do feel good, i still cant do everything that i need/want to because it will wipe me out for the next day, and that night for sure.  but it will all work out, if joe can survive.  poor guy.  i definately married well  =)  but i think that he is getting tired of my MIA-ness.  just like me though, he knows it is necessary.  so he does it and deals with it.  he really is so amazing, i am so blessed that he is so hands on and supportive and understanding.  he really is great, i dont know if i could ever say how much i love him and how great he is.
being valentines day- i guess this is my mushy post about him.  we really didnt do much, we are exhausted, mentally, physicallly, and emotionally.  so my gift to him, he didnt have to do anything for me (even though its one of my favorite holidays, hes not much into valentines, i think he thinks its a hallmark holiday.  =) heehee)  and i think he appricitated it.  he did get me some chocolates.  he knows what i like.
so i think i might start babbling......
i have tried to do cheesy cute things for him.  ya know get the bag of Risen candies and then take a little thing that says 'Oh how i love thee, let me count the risens.' and on each candy have a reason.  and after about 10 things, i had to stop.  not because i couldnt think of why i love him,but because i knew i couldnt put paragraphs on the candy.  how can i not be smitten daily with joe?  not only is he really pleasant to look at, but we have great converstations.  and he knows me.  i mean he really knows me.  he can read me like a book, and he knows what i need and when i need it.  he knows what to say to me, and how to say it and how often to say it.  which right now, with number 4 coming, i will be honest i am freaking out.  4 is a lot.  that is crazy.  but he has so much confidence in me.  more then i have in myself most times.  but he has such faith in me, and i think he truly knows i can handle 4 kids.  the confidence he has in me, is so reassuring.  i know i can do it with him.  we can do it.
anyway.  that is my sappy post.  i love him.  i love him, and i am blessed he is mine forever.  =)  i will forever be able to say that he is mine and i am his.  i always thought that was the cheesinest thing in the world to say and think and whatever.  but i dont think i knew why it was said, until i felt it.  and i feel it and i know it.
happy valentines joey.  i love you.

(see that wasnt too long and cheesy was it?)