Valex's Birthday Gift

Valex's birthday gift arrived in the mail the a few days before our big move. I threw it into one of the many boxes in the front room and decided to deliver after we moved.

 

As I was unpacking, I noticed a few things missing. It was as I was going through the last few boxes in our spare bedroom that I found those items. Our old modem (the phone company had me convinced I left it plugged in at the old home), Gaby's pet "String" (yes, our cat has her own pet), and the birthday gift.

 

 I took it over this morning. I wrapped it in 2 packages, but I should have done three since that is how old he is now. He opened the one with the outfit and pj's while his brother opened the other.

I can never express how much I love those little boys. :)

Preston's last T-ball game

Last Wednesday, was Preston's last T-ball game. A lot of his games were during the day, so I was glad this one was a night game so I could go.

 

 It is so fun watching him play.

 Don't let the "t" fool you. Preston can hit the ball when it is pitched to him. But that night, the sun was RIGHT in their eyes. I felt so bad for them because they were squinting to hard to see the ball, but the sun was so bright they couldn't see it.

I can't wait for next summer. Tyler will be old enough to play. And Preston seems to get better each year! 

My New Office

The first of June is when I officially moved into my new office at Moon Lake Electric. I have loved my new job. Working the front was ok, but being a billing clerk seems to be a little more fulfilling for me. At the front desk, I would have busy days, but then I would have slow days, and those would drag on and on. Now my days seems to pass quickly because there is always something to do vs. waiting for people to come in and need to pay their bills.

 

 

 

I also love that is has a real desk, instead of working on a counter top. And its not so much in the public eye, so I felt like I could decorate it more to my taste. I had some pictures up front, but now I have even more. I joked that some people have beach themes, or horse themes, or contemporary  themes with certain colors, etc. My office was going to have a nephews theme. I don't think anyone knew how much so. I wanted to be able to see a picture of them, no matter which way I turned.  

 

As I was packing for our other big move, I set some stuff aside to take to the office. Then I was able to find a few picture frames at a yard sale. The biggest addition was a picture frame collage I found on Amazon. Every time I look at it, I think "this is my happy place."

 

 

 I also decided to keep my office a little girly by adding a few flower decorations. But mostly, its all about the nephews. This is one proud aunt and she isn't afraid to show it.

 

 

Valex's 3rd Birthday

Valex turned 3 on Friday, but Vanessa decided to do his party today. Moving has made my life CRAZY, so this day really snuck up on me. I forgot to order his present in time, so it won't be here until next week. Then I forgot to get something for my dad for Father's Day. And Vanessa and I forgot to figure out a cake early enough to order a new pan. 

 

 Since we currently don't have a washer, I decided to do my laundry at my mom's and spend the entire day with them. It was a blast! We started the morning by making the birthday cake. The birthday boy LOVED liking the batter off the mixing blade.

 

I told Vanessa what pans I had on hand and she let Valex choose one. He choose the tractor one. That night, I found a few pans at the grocery store, but when he was given new options, he still wanted the tractor pan.

 

I'm glad he did! I feel like this is my best cake I've made so far! The last time I made it, I tried to follow the directions to the letter, but I hated how it turned out. So this time, I just went at it on my own. I love, Love, LOVE how it turned out!

 

The party ended up being pretty small. My dad had a stomach bug and my brother Alden was camping. So it was just the boys, Vanessa, my mom, my brother John and myself.

 

Uncle John got him a basket ball hoop, which he loves! When he would miss a basket, I would hear him tell himself "too hard" or "too fast" and then he would try again.

 

When I realized my gift wouldn't arrive in time, I thought about buying something else. But in the end, I just bought a big ball and decided to wait for the rest to come. (Buying a house seems to make me a little more conscience of how I spend my money. I still want to spoil my nephews, but try to control myself a little better.)

 After dinner, he opened the presents from his mom.

 He's really been wanting a helicopter, so she got him one.

 Then she got him some Leap Frog books and a pen that reads them to you when you scan the pages with it.

 The last present was a wagon from my mom. My mom didn't have her camera ready, so Vanessa covered his eyes to keep him in suspense.

 

He loved it. And so did Daxsen. Daxsen has to do EVERYTHING his big brother does. When he saw uncle John putting his brother in, he went and climbed right in too.

 When it got windy, we headed inside for birthday cake. (Notice the Spiderman tattoo on my shoulder. Valex and Vanessa each had one, so I needed one too.)

 What a fun day. I love spending time with my sister and her kids and I can't wait until we live closer and I can see them more often.