A Great Day . . .

We have a bedtime ritual: before daddy takes Kaden off to bed each night I tell him that I love him, that I hope he gets good sleep and that tomorrow's going to be a great day. And it's true. Every day IS a great day. But today was super great and I hope we get a lot more just like it!

We're having a surprisingly beautiful run of warm weather and Kaden and I took the opportunity to have a very special picnic in the park between therapy sessions.

Just me and the sweetest little boy on earth. Heaven.

It was especially wonderful because Kaden's just now recovering from a sinus infection, cold and croup. It's been a rough couple of weeks but he finally seems to have gotten back on track.
Back at home, the little princess is recovering from a cold of her own. That doesn't stop her from wanting to play with Kaden though, not one bit. Here they are perusing some books, trying to decide which one mommy should read to them first.

And here they are playing Kaden's new favorite game: Tea Party! Sydney got a tea party set for her birthday and she likes it, but Kaden, he LOVES it! It's a pretty big step for a boy who's never been into pretend play. So we'll have tea parties. Everyday. Many times a day . . .

And they'll all be great days.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Sydney GIrl!

Today was a beautiful day filled with balloons, cupcakes, birthday hats and smiles in celebration of the most awesome little girl in the universe. Sweet Little Sydney is no longer a baby. She's a charming, fun loving, mischievous and delightful 1 year-old little lady who somehow manages to get cuter every single day. See for yourself . . .

The day got off to a lazy start. Sydney wasn't really digging her first birthday hat. Too generic.

She needed something fit for a queen. A crown. A custom crown with her name and her very favorite Sesame Street character, Abby Cadabby.

Yes, much better.

(By the way, a big thank you to the very talented Ms. Melanie for the beautiful birthday crown. If you have a little one that might like a custom crown, check out her work at www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/BetterThanNormal).
When daddy got home from work it was PARTY TIME!

Sydney mostly enjoyed herself but got a little overwhelmed by the time we started opening presents. Surprisingly, she didn't really seem to like cupcakes but maybe she was just being loyal to Cookie Monster. I have a feeling that's gonna change.

And what did Kaden think of all this? He was extremely happy all day long. He really seemed to enjoy our day of celebrating his sister and, for the first time ever, he sincerely enjoyed a birthday party. It was a beautiful thing . . .

A really beautiful thing.