Happy Birthday (Happy Mother's Day)

A year ago, on Mother's Day, I got to hold my twin boys for the very first time. I'm not sure anything can top that. But, this Mother's Day, we got to celebrate Spencer and Kade's first birthday. It was probably the first time that I truly enjoyed a guilt-free Mother's Day. Instead of being reminded of everything I'm not, I got to focus on these two beautiful boys and rejoice in this past year. I cannot believe that it has been one full year (actually, I flat-out refuse to believe it)!

The day before their birthday, we (and by "we" I obviously mean "Jen") shaved off their mullets. It was getting pretty sad. The hair over the ears and the curling on the neck. It was beginning to look like we had forgotten to attach their toupees. It was time. They aged immensely as soon as their haircuts were over. As you can see, it went well (the first two pictures are of Kade, and the third pic is Spence):

For Mother's Day Dinner, we went over to my Uncle Mark and Aunt Jeri's house. They have a gorgeous backyard (if I were the envying type...), and for the past five or six years, they have had a few ducks come to their pond and have ducklings. This year, there are nine. The kids were captivated! It was so fun for our kids to play with my cousin's kids, and it is always fun for me to visit with my family.

Of course, the birthday wouldn't be complete without a bit of torture. We discovered that both boys HATE grass. They didn't cry, but they did everything possible not to touch it (even with socks on). Here is Spencer doing his best Tom Cruise impression in an effort to avoid that nasty, scratchy grass:

Kade simply stood there with his foot up in the air. Hilarious!

For their birthday, I made these little frog cupcakes:

I'm pretty sure this picture screams "Happy Mother's Day":

My mom and dad managed the fire safety portion of the evening while we sang Happy Birthday and they helped blow out the candles.

As is typical, Spencer was more interested in moving than eating. He played with the silverware, tried to crawl across the table to play with the two tins of cupcakes instead of the one in front of him, swiped the candy away from Kade, tried climbing to the edge to peek over and see what's down there, etc. He is a mover and a shaker - that boy!



I think they look like little gnomes in their birthday hats. Here is Spencer, finally focused on his cupcake (it took quite a bit of convincing from my Mom):

This is Spence's mischievous face. He wears it quite often. I love it with all my heart.

And then we have Mr. Kade. He takes his food very, very seriously. He sat in one place the entire time and was very focused on his cupcake. Heaven forbid he miss one little morsel. He is such a sweet boy; very "Go-With-The-Flow."

And here we have all three boys: Cash, Spence, and Kade (and my dad as the self-appointed Safety Marshal - he was a little nervous that they were going to fall off). Cash was born two weeks (to the day) before the twins. As you can see, all of them were nothing but cooperative for this picture:

Everyone told me that the first year with twins was "a blur." I admit that I can recall very little of last summer, but it has also been amazing. I love these two little monkeys more and more every day. It has been absolutely fascinating watching their personalities emerge. Being the mother to these five amazingly different children who are all incredible in their own right brings me so much joy and happiness. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life.

Happy Birthday Spencer and Kade! Mommy sure loves you!