Goodbye Two's

Let me start by saying WOW...it's been forever since I have blogged. I did finally change my Christmas background but have yet to post anything in over 2 months. Hector was home all January which means I'm on the computer less. And since he has started back on tour, I have been spending my evenings working on Cohen's 3rd birthday. Yes, I have been planning and preparing for a month. I love new projects, especially when it involves crafting so it was a welcomed use of time. However, I have not taken the time to sit and blog about life. I have decided to bullet point the last couple months instead of rehash what I had hoped to write about. So here goes...

- Christmas was low-key due to sickness throughout the whole family (both sides) but such a joy to watch Cohen graciously and unexpectedly receive his gifts.

- We have enjoyed Hector's time off through the end of January.

- Hector took a quick 9 day trip to Australia and New Zealand with the band.

- The tour kicked off the first week of February and will

go through the beginning of May.

I could elaborate about the ups and downs of life these past couple months but I'm going to just jump into Cohen's birthday party which we had last weekend. We had to work around Hector's schedule so we celebrated a little early in "farm" fashion at my parents house. I decided about 2 months ago to have a Farm/Barnyard theme for his birthday knowing that it could rain. However, I believed it was the best fit for him this year and forged ahead with plans. praying the whole time for nice weather. I began scouring the internet for ideas and came across some really cute but majorly over-the-top parties. I picked some reasonable and fun ideas and started planning. The invitations came together pretty cute and the other preparations followed suit.

I was pretty excited about it...and then about 2 days before I realized the forecast called for not just rain...but really cold rain. I accepted the inevitable and made a few adjustments to our plans. God was definitely reminding me He was in control and that I had to trust Him, regardless of my plans. (Side note: these tests have been rather abundant these days! But praise the Lord He is a patient teacher!) Thankfully the rain did stop about an hour before the party began, but the bitter cold wind and wet ground definitely put a damper on the outside activities. The other blessing is that kids generally don't mind cold so they were good sports and enjoyed the hay ride and pony rides anyway. My Dad even constructed a covered wagon for the hay ride in case it was still raining. And no we didn't rent a farmer to drive the tractor, that is my Dad dressed in his overalls and cowboy hat. He was awesome!!

The pony was also thanks to my parents. After realizing there wouldn't be much playing outside, they decided renting a pony would help give the kids something to do while only exposing them to short amounts of wet cold. As dirty as he was, he was a hit! And I am grateful for their generosity!

Inside, we dressed the house with farm animals and hay bales. I loved making all the decorations for the food table! And we borrowed a table from our church's children's ministry as a craft table and place for the kids to eat. It was pretty cute but had to be in the middle of the room because our original plans were to have it on the porch.

The birthday boy at the front door.

It was a great turn out!

So thankful for all our friends and family who braved the yucky weather!

All the kids bundled up for the hay ride!

The menu:

Pulled pork and chicken sliders

Fresh Fruit kabobs

Tractor Parts (pasta salad)

Pig slop (black bean and cheese dip)

Garden Vegetables

Cow patties (brownie covered oreos)

Haystacks

Cupcakes

Cupcakes! (Looked cute, but disappointed in the recipe!)

His long-awaited cupcake.

So, good bye twos! I'm pretty sure three won't be a breeze, but we are proud of the little man Cohen is becoming and pray this year is filled with love, joy and many cherished memories.