Observations.

1. My little baby turned two this month and it was tough. Watching your kids grow up is both amazing and yet, totally depressing at the same time. I want him to grow up and be a big, strong boy. But I also want him to be my baby forever. I want to sing him to sleep (he only wants books now) and I want to hear him say he loves me all the time (he usually says "no" when I ask him if he loves me) and I want him to wake up from a nap or in the morning and just want cuddles (now he immediately yells, "watch Cars!!!") I basically want him to stay this little person who sleeps on nap mats covered with bulldozers FOREVER. Blah... Observation....Time moves too fast.

2. Trying to copy birthday parties that you see on Pinterest is both exhausting and expensive. I threw Matthew a Cars birthday party and, while it turned out great, it was exhausting. And I spent more money than I wanted (but lets be real...I am turning so cheap lately, spending ANY money is too much!) Honestly, I do this crap because I want to. I like doing as much as I can to spoil my little guys on their big day and make them feel special. But really.....it's stupid. Matthew didn't really care or notice and none of the other little kids did either. Observation.....This is all for me. Not even for my friends or the other parents....All for me. And that's okay I guess. (I wish I had taken better pictures of the table...the names of the foods were pretty cute!)

3. My parents drove in for the party, as almost all  grandparents do. However, my dad come in the middle of his seriously busy season (he owns a CPA firm) and with terrible cedar fever (they are from Austin) and my mom didn't just show up empty handed....even though she was a guest in MY home, she brought dinner for Saturday night (homemade taco soup!) AND helped make delicious dips for the party, decorate, entertain the boys and get everything clean and ready before our other guests arrived. Observation.....my parents beat your parents.

4. Jonathan is still three. Matthew is now two. For nearly two, very scary months of the year, they are much closer in age than I would prefer. Matthew woke up on his birthday as if the "terrible twos" fairy came to him in a dream and taught him everything he needed to know. Jonathan is still in the throws of the "even more terrible threes." I swear they have competitions every day to see who can be lose their brains first. Observation....those of you with kids closer in age are saints. I don't know how you do it.

5. Last week, some of my closest girlfriends and I committed to hold each other accountable....in life, in our marriages, as parents, as Christians. We have been a group for years, but getting together and actively praying for each other has often taken a back seat to everyday life. But last week, we were honest with each other and all decided to truly hold each other accountable about meeting face to face. I think this is CRAZY important. It is easy to say, "I'll be praying!" over email or text.....but there is something so powerful about praying for each other face to face. You know, the whole, "where two or more are gathered in my name..." thing. Observation....I have the greatest friends in the world and I am pretty sure they will slap me in the face if I try to say, "I'm really tired tonight, I can't meet." And that's exactly why I love them. 

6. Observation...not working on Monday is so incredibly amazing. It gives me time to stay up late and write blog posts :) I leave you with some cute pictures of cute kids :) Oh, and another observation....I eat too much birthday cake.