My Baby Bro, Happy Bday!

The quintessential John as a boy

 Happy Happy Birthday and St. Patrick's Day to my dearest baby brother!
John is 45 today, which means I'm getting old.
But so is he and for the record, he is grayer than I am!
But even so, he is still cuter and has those eyes that sparkle and laugh, to go along with his crooked goofy grin and his razor sharp wit.

I miss him so, but I know he's having a great day surrounded by his gorgeous wonderful wife and two beautiful brilliant daughters, not to mention sparkling blue water, tropical palms and no doubt some great breaks as he heads out to surf this morning.
He's in Micronesia, still.  But to our great familial joy, and my parents relief and giddy exhales, he is coming home.  His family returns for good in only a few days and we are all counting down to the moment they get to go hug on them at the airport.

John and I were always partners in crime, play, you name it.  We were "the little kids," which we now lord over our older siblings with relentless pleasure.
I was terribly jealous of him while I was young, because he was the baby and ridiculously cute and was terribly spoiled and I couldn't stand it.

 I was spoiled too, as the  youngest girl, but I didn't understand that then.  Now, having many kids of my own, I get it.  It's the baby thing.
And John was and is the baby and favorite in the family.

 It can't be helped, we all accept it now..and admit it's just true.
Even though I was terribly jealous and imagined great suffering because of him, he could and still can make me laugh harder than anyone I know.  He makes me laugh until I cry and one of my favorite things is when all of us kids can get together and reminisce around the kitchen table, start telling stories which get bigger and more um, vivid, with every telling.  Soon enough we are hooting and wiping tears.  Great stuff.

So, today he's on my mind and in  my prayers and I wish him a last tropical blast of a birthday.
I love you so much John, I miss you and wish you safe swift travels home.
Catch some great waves and I can't wait to see  you soon.

My new favorite pic of him, ever.

 Happy Happy Birthday Little Bro!

I love you!

Happy Birthday Little Man

Ah my little man is seven now.
Anthony, seven...and yes, a little man.
He is a wild and rascally seven year old, as all self respecting seven year old boys should be.

Today has been much anticipated and planned for….
precise orders on dinner and dessert and pleas for specific gifts.
It didn't land on the Super Bowl like some years (last year), which is just the pinnacle of birthdays in boydom...but it's still just a great bright spot in the winter of February.
It puts a smile on my face, knowing this boy and celebrating this birthday:

Anthony, Little Man, you came to us at three months old.
And I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw your beautiful sweet face.

You've been making us laugh and roar ever since.
You have a heart of sugar spun gold: sweet and good.
But tempered with a mischievous bent and a instinctual swift dive for the goofy joke.

You are a loving boy with compassion built in.

You race through your world like a comet.
You run fast and hard,
jump high,
laugh loud and easily,
smile big,
think deeply,
chew happily,
stay up late,
sleep in hard,
snuggle close.

You have developed, this past year, a really cool artistic side.
You have a great ear for music and already are fun to listen to as you play on the piano.
You sing in the car when you're happy; you did that as a toddler too and it's one of my favorite things.
You have a great eye for drawing, with terrific attention to design and talent to draw what you are imagining.
You have an eye to really see the world around you; to notice the details with an artist's appreciation.
This artistic blooming makes my art mom's heart swell with happy.

You love to play hard.
But you also love to dress snappy.

You are the most dapper seven year old I've ever known.

You have a temper to beat the band; it is almost bigger than you are.
You are learning to slow down that firecracker temper and find the gentle underneath.
It will be many years of lessons there.
But you will learn it, it's your nature.

You are so smart.
And this year you are taking off with your schoolwork.
You are becoming a terrific reader and that too makes your book loving mom proud.
Because reading is power and can open up the world for you.
You have big adventures ahead Little Man, I know it,

And so on this day, your birthday, you may be seven.
But I can still sing you your song from babyhood:
"Oh, my Anthony...
you're the one for me.
I just love you so, 
never gonna let you go."

Happy Happy Birthday Anthony!

We love you so!

Now he is four.....

Happy Birthday to my Gabey!

I would say, "Happy Birthday Gabey Baby!" but I'm not entirely sure I'm allowed to anymore.
Because this 'baby' is FOUR.
Four!
Well, as the mom, I retain certain inalienable rights, so I'm gonna shout it anyway (and probably will to his great chagrin, for the rest of his life):
Happy Birthday Gabey Baby!

I love this boy.
He IS the baby of the house.
But he is NO baby.
He is a big boy now and he knows and he relishes it.

Because at four:
Gabey goes to school, just like the other kids.
And he loves it.
He cries when he wakes up and it's not a school day.
He grins and does a little actual jump for joy when he wakes up and it IS a school day.
He tells me about his best friends at school.
He proudly shows me his "green card" for being good, the daily stamp.
He looks for me in the pickup line and grins and hugs me tight.

Gabey loves his big brother Anthony more than anything;
they are best buddies through and through.

 
Gabe loves to play with cars and trucks...
....and balls and sticks and bikes.
And, thanks to his big brother Jon, nerf dart guns. 
He loves to watch tv and read books.
He has been sucked into the recent zu zu pet fad, oh dear.
He loves to play games and insists even on playing bananagrams.
And so he does.

Gabey is a good eater.
He loves cookies beyond anything else that there is to eat.
Unless it's cake.
But that really means only the frosting...
He loves hot dogs.
But not the buns.
He loves ketchup on anything and everything, from fries to eggs to pumpkin bread.
No kidding.
Yes, it kind of grosses us out too.
His drink of choice is water.
Which kind of baffles his mom, knowing his penchant for unhealthy goodies.

He loves his dogs.
Sometimes too much.
They have learned to hide if he looks like he is in head hugging pulling tight like mad mode.
He will grow into a good dog buddy.
Perhaps the puppy and my boy will all grow into calm together?
It may take a bit; wild fun is the name of all games right now.

Gabey is learning to love books.
This makes me, his mom, do my own little jump for joy as I love them too.
His favorite time to read is bedtime.
It makes my  heart swell up, watching him read to himself in bed, kinda lazily perusing a chosen book.
But it can't last long, because Gabe is no night owl.
He likes to think he is, never wanting to go to bed.
But if you can just get him IN the bed, and things quiet for a few minutes...
he settles down fast. 
We sing our song, ending with a quiet soft "yay."
And then he lays back, his eyes drifting and then a flutter; to sleep.

But today he is up!
He will take cupcakes to school, oh boy!
And he will have his requested hot dogs for supper.
And we will have another Mickey Mouse cake after.
And we will sing and laugh with my big sweet four year old boy.

Happy Birthday My Gabriel!

We love you so much!!!

And today you are FOUR!

Happy Bday Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and Happy Bday to my beautiful, best and only sister!!

Happy Birthday Nancy!

What a way to start the year off right: to be able to wish my big sis a happy bday - for all the world (or handful of blog readers) to see and hear.  I love my sister!

I wish I was there to walk to the bagel store and yak along and buy some hot coffee and bagels to go;
blowing on the hot coffee and trying not to spill as we laughed and mosied back to her house, stealing time together before we were dunked back into the pool of loud happy kids at her house. 

I wish we could go to the spa and sit in the sauna and talk about girl stuff, then go across the street to Border Grill and have margaritas and mexican food. 
I wish we could shop and she could scold me on my frumpy fashion sense as I teased her about her ridiculous shoes, while secretly coveting the fabulous ones. 

I wish we could read the paper and watch the LA news, mocking the weather girls, and tssking about the current crop of teen movie star wannabees...in her quiet early morning kitchen before the kids found us up.
I wish we could solve all the family's and world problems as we drove around Santa Monica, sidestepping the political potholes and just watching the world go by.

I miss her. 
I think she  misses me.
I have one sister who shared my bedroom and ignored me and my dramas as I grew up...but she means everything to me.
I idolized her and wanted to be just like her.
When we get together the energy level skyrockets, then we both crash in happy exhaustion.
She has my back and I have hers.
We will call each other out, but also cheer each other on.
We are so different, in so many ways.
But she's my sister and wish I could give her big bday hugs in person.
I can't, but I'll do my best to in cyberspace and over the phones.
And we'll take a rain check on the spa and margaritas!

Happy Happy Bday Nancy pants!
I love you tons and tons!

Happy Bday Dad!

It's my Dad's birthday!
He's a still going strong 79!

I can't tell you how much I wish I was there with  him, to hug him and peruse the paper over good strong hot coffee...
to discuss the merits of coffee and coffeemakers...

(Yeah, we Mahan's really appreciate some good donuts!)

to drive down to VG's donuts as we discuss the merits of really great donuts...

to bring all the loot (Read; donuts.  Yep. We throw those diabetic worries to the wind on these rare mornings...ahem....) back to the house and wait for Mom to wake and pad out to the kitchen and join us...
and continue our lazy morning pondering.

I wish I could discuss the latest books we've read, what we liked, why, what we didn't and why....
solve life's ongoing problems,
plan the futures of all the grandkids,
fine tune the lives of the siblings,
generally save the world - all from our comfy spot on the stools around the kitchen counter.

I would make him tamales and pour him some wine,
we'd discuss why Notre Dame's team is gonna get better even though he is unconvinced.
But we'd watch today's bowl game today anyhow, I'd shout and he'd tsk at the fumbles and shake his head.
I know my sister would show up and we would all get a bunch of laughs and Dad would get more bday hugs.
We would all agree that hanging out for a quiet birthday is simply and truly the very best way to spend New Year's Eve; that there is no other place we'd rather be.
We'd both start nodding off in front of the television,
and I'd peck his cheek as he got up to head to bed, shaking his head at the goofy dogs he his "housing" for my brother {but that he secretly likes quite a bit}.
He would pat my head goodnight.

I'd wish him one more happy bday, and wish him goodnight.
Because I love him.
He's my dad.

Happy Birthday Dad!

I hope all your birthday wishes come true!

Sending you birthday hugs and wishes and prayers from the south!

Mi Amo A My Emmy....

Happy Happy Bday to my Emmy!

It's Emily's 12th bday today!!

It's a great day for a birthday, in the quieting week between Christmas and New Years, we have one very important day to mark: my sweet Emmy's birthday!

It might be easy for Emmy to feel lost in the shuffle of holiday festing frenzy.  But never, oh never, do we want that to happen...because our Emily's day is the sweet close to the year.  It reminds me, each year, of the goodness of God's abundance and makes me grin at the gift of this sweet wonderful girl!

Our Emily, virtually twinned with her sister Sarah, and yet so very different.  They share a special bond; but are so unique in their own ways. I can't imagine life without either one, but today, is my Em's day so this list is for her.

My Emmy, now you are twelve.
And you are still possibly the most stubborn, strong willed child in my house...though many would like to steal that crown. 

But I'm not sure they can, nor would I want them to. 
Because your strength of will means you will have one of the tools that will help you go far and do whatever you set your mind to do.  
You can set the world on fire, I daresay you will.

You are an animal lover:
Geckos, cats, horses, dogs - most especially jumping dachshund puppies.

You are a lover of sports as well: basketball, swimming, boating, volleyball.
Which works well since you are an impressive athlete.

You love to learn to cook, which works well since  you love to eat.
You have sophisticated taste buds: shrimp, pasta carbonara, toffee, berries, coffee drinks, antipasta salami and olives and cheeses.
Which would work well as you travel the world in your adventures to come....
except that you are a homebody and might be most content to hang out around the house, preferably in flannel pj pants.

You are a terrific friend, loyal and kind with a keen sense of justice.
Which makes middle school a little prickly and painful at times,
and will probably do the same for high school...
but will be a golden toolbox for college and beyond.

You are so smart, but don't always admit it.
YOu will make a most excellent marine biologist one day;
and I will come tour your aquarium and clap with amazement at your work, so proud I could pop.

In the meantime, I watch you growing, so fast, into a young lady.
And I am already so proud I could pop.
So is your pop.
You are good through and through, my Emmy....{despite your moody self sometimes}.

So on this  your birthday, we wish for all your birthday wishes to come true (except for the permanent pet gecko one).
And we want to  make sure you know, for now and for ever, how very much we love  you.

Happy Happy 12th Birthday Emily!

We love you so!

Merry Christmas Birthday Girl!!

Merry Christmas to all, but most especially to my best present ever: 

My Sarahbird!!

It's her birthday once again, she is twelve now!

And I think we are finally coming to terms with the jiving up of the Christmas fun and the birthday fun.
We've tried many many things over the years, variations and tweaks.  But what works best is what has become solid tradition: Christmas in the morning, Bday after noon.  And before you get all "aw, gee" about it all, lets look at this clearly:
My Sweet Sarah has the biggest birthday of the year.
It has a month of buildup leading up to it.
The entire world celebrates alongside her; because she has the best most awesome birthday companion possible: Christ himself!
Christmas babies are inherently special, they just are. 
She gets the best breakfast, homemade cinnamon rolls, every year.
She will never have school or work on her birthday.
And she gets the yum of the fancypoo Christmas dinner on the eve of her bday and then gets her pick of dinner and desert for Christmas day.  Even if she chooses hot dogs (and she has)!

 So, we think having a Christmas birthday is pretty special; just like her.
Because my sweet Sarah bird is twelve.
She was my tiniest baby, hands down, the tiniest baby I had ever held.
 I might have told you that before, I still can't get over it!

She is still petite and always will be.
That frustrates her sometimes, but it suits her perfectly.
Except perhaps when she is guarding in basketball.
Which is probably why she does such a fierce trash talking job of it!

She is a girly girl and probably always will be.
She loves ruffles and sparkles and bling...
and dolls and ponies and kittens...
but not wild jumping dachshund puppies.

She loves to be social and is making many friends at her school.
But  her best friend for ever and ever will always be her sister Em.
They shared a basket, they shared bottles (I know, gross, but try it w/ virtual twins, try keeping them always separate, I double dog dare you), they shared clothes, toys, snacks, baths, beds, and still share a room.
They are just each others best buddy.
Except when they aren't, because they are preteen girls and that explains it all!

Sarah is creative and loves to draw and craft and cut and design.
Which usually makes quite a mess.
Which makes her mom crazy.
Because Sarah is not and  may never be, a natural cleaner or tidier.
Though she can do a great job when motivated.

Storms and spiders scare her.
As do large dogs, and jumpy puppies.
She loves sugary foods beyond anything else to eat.
And has a knack for figuring out how to score them.

Sarah can be prickly, and moody.
But deep down, she is a sweet not so little (12 now!) girl who just wants to be liked, fit in, and have fun. 
Just like most twelve  year old girls.
Especially the have fun, preferably a party, part. 

So today we will hang the streamers and cut the cake.
We will open (more!) presents and we will sing the birthday song loudly.

And we will hug this special girl tight and tell her:

"Happy Happy Birthday Sweet SarahBird!"

"We love you so much!"

 "We hope all your bday wishes come true!"