A Little Birthday Pie

 

It's tradition around here that Abby makes the boys each their own little pie every year on their actual birthday so they have candles to blow out and a special treat to enjoy even if it does happen to be a Tuesday. We even got Ben to join us on facetime to help us sing the Happy Birthdays.

 

oh, and sometimes you just wanna blow out candles twice ;)

Thanks, Ab!

 

and just for good measure, pies past...

 

four/three 

 

(two and one exist as well, but there was no blog then. So please allow me to supplement)

 

 

two

 

one!

 

First and Five

Weston Silas is five today! This lucky fella got to celebrate his big birthday by going back to school (another year of Pre-K for this little leo) and getting a whole slew of shots yesterday. And believe me when I tell you, he milked that situation for allllllll it was worth. Ice cream, a new book bag, a snorkeling mask, a stop at the pet store and dinner at the restaurant of his choice turned one trip to the doctor's office in to an extremely pricey proposition ;)

I have to say though, I like the look of five on this guy. He's just the right mix of cleverness and comprehension but still plenty of little boy. He's still the sweetest thing you'll ever meet and smart as can be. I think this year will be a great one for him. Reading, tying shoelaces, riding a bike without training wheels, I see it all on the horizon. And between summer swimming lessons and his babysitter's pool he has turned into a total fish these past few months. His growing confidence in the water has really boosted his overall bravery and self assurance. At five years old he's a good listener and (mostly) well-behaved, an excellent role model for his little brother. He's funny and considerate and fast at making friends. He likes bugs and books and legos and candy. He still sleeps with a light on and asks me to cuddle him in bed every night. He loves Oren deeply and hugs and kisses him almost as much as I do.  He's tender hearted and sensitive, quick-witted and sly. He's becoming more and more the person he was always meant to be and I love watching his personality unfold before me with all it's quirks and nuances. I sort of feel like I won the lottery as far as sons go and I can't help but love him more and more each day.

So happy birthday my sweet prince and thank you for making me a mommy five years ago, it feels like  the time has gone by in the blink of an eye. It was true then and it's still true now, you were the greatest gift I have ever been given and I thank my lucky stars for you every single day.

WMC Fest 2013

This weekend I took myself on a little date up to Cleveland for the Weapons of Mass Creation Fest. When I first saw the lineup for the weekend a couple months back I was floored by how many designers/writers/artists/makers and all around inspirational folks that I've long admired were going to be speaking. I also saw that the weekend started the day after we returned from Iceland. I bit the bullet and bought myself the three day pass because I knew I would be tired and crabby and likely to come up with a myriad of excuses to not go if I waited until the day-of to get my ticket. I also knew that no matter how jet-lagged and unmotivated for a weekend long conference I was probably going to be I wanted to make sure I got my butt there anyway, because I knew it would be totally worth it. And lucky for me, I was absolutely right.

Can I just say how awesome it is that this event happens in practically our own backyard? At only four years old WMC Fest is quickly becoming THE design fest/conference/networking event for the entire midwest, attracting not only local and homegrown artists and speakers but nationally recognized individuals as well.

Since we had just gotten home from a very long week of travel and I wanted to spend some solid quality time with the boys this weekend after so many days away, I ended up having to cherry pick the speakers I most wanted to hear and only went up for a few hours each day.  Lucky for me we live close enough by that this was possible and I was so pumped to get to be there for even the little bit each day I managed to squeeze in.

I caught Brandon Rike and Timothy Goodman's talks and both were excellent and totally inspired. But to be honest, I was mainly there for ma' ladies. Rena Tom, Ann Friedman and Lisa Congdon. All in the same place, at the same time, in my own hometown. (Fist pumps!)

Ann is a writer, blogger, midwest born and raised feminist extraordinaire and I absolutely adore her. She has a weekly newsletter that I highly recommend. It makes Fridays even better than they already are.

Rena Tom is a thinker, doer, innovator and the very definition of a go-getter and all around super smart lady friend. You're not happy where you are? If you're Rena, you change it. The job you want doesn't exist? If you're Rena, you create it. She kicks so much ass. Now go soak in the vast ocean of inspiration and wisdom on her blog if you know what's good for you. 

And then there's Lisa. Lisa, the brains and talent behind the dreamiest illustrations and artwork that's got it going on at the moment and with whom I am completely obsessed. It was such a pleasure to hear her speak about the recent illustrations she did for a collection of Gertrude Stein works. She also has a collection of artwork inspired by her extensive nordic travels that I have been unwaveringly lusting after for months. Icebergs and reindeer and swedish chairs and oh, how I want an original work by this lady to frame and drool on and stare at whilst dreaming of Iceland adventures past. I love her. Have I mentioned that? 

Next year I will most definitely be back for what will undoubtedly be an even bigger and better weekend of fun and inspiration.  And I would be remiss if I did not give a huge shout out of thanks to Go Media for bringing such an excellent event and hopefully now longstanding tradition to our little corner of the midwest. So much Ohio pride was coursing through my veins this weekend and I loved every minute of it.  

A (Sort-of) Surprise Birthday Party

Josh threw me a birthday party! We got home from Iceland on Thursday night and he let me know just as we finished dragging in all the luggage and dirty laundry that there would be a party happening in our house in less than 24 hours. Whoa. 

    

(please ignore this light fixture, it's replacement is just waiting to be installed ;)

It was soooo nice! Abby decorated the house with streamers and balloons and of course the obligatory Arrested Development banner. Josh's mom made so much good food, trays of homemade lasagna and bread and Abby made all my favorite treats, like ALL of them. Pumpkin pie, peach hand pies and lava cakes. (But there are no pictures of those because we ate them all too fast).

my mama made these cute cookies :)

And I have the sweetest friends who drove very far distances to attend this little soiree and then had to work the next morning.

and this is a little series I like to call "Marisa and Emily as Josh tries to get the camera settings right"

got it.

An Iceland Instagram Dump

We're here, we're here, we're really here! We finally made it to Iceland (give or take some luggage and lots of tears). Oh, and also an unexpected visit to Amsterdam, but that's a story for another time. So far we've been having the trip of our lives and there's so much I want to share with you all as soon as I have more time. But as I sit here typing this the clock has just ticked past midnight and we've got a trip here booked for tomorrow so we need to rest up. But, I couldn't go to bed without sharing some photos of our experiences thus far. If you've been following Josh or I on Instagram you've probably already seen these, but they're all I've got at the moment. We've got loads more photos on the good camera but those will have to wait until we're home. Until then, here are these to enjoy! 

  Much, much more to come :)

Signing Off

 

 

Pardon me for the next few days while Josh and I are off exploring the land of fire and ice. Wifi will be spotty and we'll be just a teense bit busy having our minds blown. I hope to be able to check in with some photos of the trip here and there while we're abroad, but if not, don't worry, I'll be back with more pictures and posts than you'll know what to do with.

oh, and if you're so inclined, follow along on instagram:  _iamemme #icelandicadventure

 

see you on the other side