BIRTHDAY!! - The Boys are 1!

   Wow, we made it!!!!  I feel like Drake and Bodhi's first birthday party was as much for my wife and I as it was to celebrate them.  I know that is not how it's supposed to be, but we survived the first year of having twin boys, and three kids and under 3!  I'll have a bourbon on the rocks for that!
   My wife did have a great theme for the party, "The Circus," which is very appropriate.

Drake & Bodhi - "The Main Attraction"

Anna - "The Ring Leader"

Sheila & I - "Circus Staff"

     Perfect right?  This is truly how it feels, even though we try and organize it and have routines each day.  We are finally (knock on wood) starting to come out of the fog and sleep through the night regularly.  However, our support network has made this journey amazing!  My parents, in-laws, Grammy, & Bunky, brother's-in-laws, sister, and MANY friends have truly helped us make it through this first crazy year of having three kids under the age of three!  If you are at the beginning of the parenting journey, figure out your support network, it makes all the difference in the world!  I don't know how we would have made it through this year without the support had.
    The other part of parties that I really love is that our friends get to show off their talents.  We try to always use our friends businesses and talents who hiring, or paying, someone for a piece of our party.  Our food, which was burgers and hot-dogs, with chili and all the sides, were from our awesome friend from my wife's Bible study, Kristie.  Kristie is the head chef for a wonderful local deal named Stein's by Addie's.  If you're in Lexington, KY, check them out (have to plug them, right?!).  And our shirts were made by another friend of my wife's.  She is crafty, creative, and loves coming up with cute things like that.  We also had a wonderful friend of our's take some pictures to have memories.  And this friend is a real photographer, not an iPhone photographer 😃.  Your friends have talents, use your friends businesses, but don't use your friends. 
     We aren't guaranteed birthdays with our kids, so cherish and enjoy each one!  It's so easy to get lost in the frustration of making sure the house is clean, buying the right decorations, having the right silly shirts, making sure you have this or that, but we GET to do all of those things for our kids, and with our kids; or whoever's birthday or celebration it may be.  It's all about perspective and attitude.  Our kids see that and watch us.  It doesn't seem like a big deal when they are one year old, but it's hard to change as they get older, and they model what they see.  What kind of example are you setting for your kids?  Enjoy all parts of the celebration, not just while it's going on, or when it's over.  Enjoy life, it's worth living.