Happy Birthday to Louie!

"Hooray! It's my birthday!"

One year old! I can hardly believe it. I have such vivid memories of this time last year, it seems that it couldn't have possibly been twelve full months already. And oh, how much our little sweetheart has grown. He is not a baby anymore! I'm not yet ready to call him a little boy, but that's probably closer to the truth than I'm willing to admit. Pretty soon I'll have two boys chasing each other around and keeping me on my toes.

We had a nice, simple celebration for Lucian's birthday- my parents and John, Sara & Anna joined us for dinner, cake and presents. Louie has a major attachment to Baby Anna- I think one of his favorite parts of the evening was seeing her. (here's where I start quietly humming "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match...")

Big Brother Max was very helpful all evening, from blowing out the candle (and spitting on the cake...) to helping with the gift opening. He even got into the giving spirit, understanding that it wasn't his birthday- he gave Lucian a set of blocks and a book of nursery rhymes... I helped out with the choosing, buying and wrapping parts, but he signed the card and helped his brother open them!

It was a perfect low-key first birthday party for our sweet little introverted son. Just enough excitement to make him smile, but not enough to stress him out! Happy birthday to my big one-year-old boy!

Here are the highlights of the evening, in pictures.

The Cake!

Although a little tentative at first, Louie got the hang of it after awhile. We all cheered when he stuffed his face, and now (as Sara pointed out) we will expect him never to eat like that again! How unfair!

"Mmmm...sugar buzz..."

"Think I can fit the whole thing in my mouth?"

The Damage- not too bad!

The Presents!

Lucian started to figure out this whole unwrapping thing- with a little help from his brother!

"I knew birthdays were cool, but..."

"...This is AWESOME!!"

Snuggling with his Pillow Pet from Auntie Megan

And now, the season of birthdays is coming to a close. I wonder if my kids remember a time before this two-month celebration/present-opening/feasting bonanza? If not, they're about to be rudely awakened. Life is going back to normal! (At least for a little while...)

Praying Pirate

True to form, Max has worn his pirate hat for the past week... pretty much all the time. He even wore it to The Blast on Tuesday! Remembering that the play area has a space theme, he was eager to exclaim to several unsuspecting moms that he was, for the moment, "an astronaut pirate!"

A few days ago, as we gathered for night time prayers, Max was still wearing the hat. Paul gently informed him that even pirates take off their hats when they pray. So Max set his hat on the floor and began. I was not ready for what followed.

"In the name of the Fatherrrrr, and of the Son! And of the Holeeee Spirit!" he proclaimed in his very best growly pirate voice. "Our Fatherrrr, who arrrrt in heavennnn..."

I had to feign a coughing fit so that Max wouldn't know I was laughing through prayers. Instead of chiming in quietly at the end of each prayer, as per usual, he prayed every word with heart and gusto.

"God bless Mommeeeeee! And Daddeeeeee! And Max and Luciannnnn..."

I was barely able to hold it together. No, I take it back. I did not hold it together. If not for Paul, prayer time would have totally fallen apart. I had tears in my eyes from trying to stifle my giggles. Thanks, honey, for being a stronger person than me.

There's a Pirate Party Shakin' on the Ship

Captain Max Salty of the Pirate Ship Scallywagg

"This pirate party's only just begun,
We're just a bunch of pirates having fun!"

-Captain Bogg and Salty

There's no such thing as too much celebrating, right? The problem with having three of our four family birthdays within a month of Christmas is that we run the risk of getting a little partied-out. We've been eating sweets and opening presents for an entire month. MORE celebrating?

YES. Emphatically, yes.

Ready to mail his very first birthday party invitations

We picked a date for Max's birthday party between his actual birthday (December 25) and his baptism (January 19), and sent out the invitations to a PIRATE PARTY! As if you could possibly not know this, Max has been pirate-obsessed for quite awhile. I thought the obsession was starting to abate when he got into Bob the Builder, but it came back with a vengeance when he received a real pirate hat and a stuffed parrot from Grandma and Grandpa Yantes. He talks of little else, and even when the subject is something other than "Pirate", he speaks in a pirate voice (more on that another day...)

So on Sunday morning, we decorated the house with pirate flags, gold, jewels and treasure maps, and we put out all kids of pirate-y snacks. As each party guest arrived, they chose a pirate name from among an assortment waiting for them at the front door. We had Mad Annie, Barnacle Bernice and Crazy Vinny Bonny, but one pirate came prepared with his own name: Captain Nobeard of the Red Sienna. (Any guesses as to who that was?)

After choosing names and snacking on hard tack (chips), root beer, ginger ale, Rold Gold pretzels and pistachios, it was time for the real piracy to begin. On long voyages, pirates were known to eat limes to avoid scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. Our pirates got to taste test lime slices, which resulted in some pretty funny faces!



Next was the treasure hunt! Simple clues and pictures led the four "big kids" around the house to find their very own treasure chest filled with goodies. Each pirate got to take home a little sack of "booty"- gold coin candy, chocolate treats, plastic jewelry and plastic coins.


Then we brought out the cake and sang happy birthday to Max Salty. The cake was frosted by Yours Truly, and while it didn't turn out how I envisioned (at all), I'm proud of my first real attempt at cake decorating! (Man, it's harder than it looks...) All the little pirates enjoyed chocolate cake and ice cream- yes, I did choose the messiest combination of sweets to offer, didn't I? Oh, well, birthdays come but once a year. And I was only in charge of cleaning up one of the children!



Max was itching to open his gifts the moment I wiped the stickiness off of his fingers, so we gathered for presents. His loot included, but was not limited to, a box of 64 crayons, coloring books, a cool "flippy" car that was a hit with the adults as well as the kids, a Three Little Pigs Play-Doh set, a Twins T-shirt, and a set of reusable Pirate stickers that Max has played with pretty much constantly since Sunday! Thanks, everyone, for your gifts and your presence! Max (and I) could not have wished for a better day.

The Party Guests in Action

Well, me hearties, that's the last of my pirate tale for today. So hoist the mainsail and weigh anchor, time to set sail for calmer waters. Time for Pirate McGraw to swallow the anchor.*

*Retire from the life of a pirate (learned from one of Max's many pirate books)

It's the little things

Today, Lucian spit up massively just as I was leaning over to pick something up, thus splattering the wood floor with what would have otherwise gone straight onto my sweater and jeans. A load of laundry traded for a simple paper towel wipe-up: if that's not something to be thankful for, I don't know what is.

Some days, I find myself in awe of the Creator, pondering high and lofty thoughts about the meaning of life ... and some days a puddle of spit-up on the floor is what makes me think of God. He didn't cause the spit-up to fall, and He didn't directly intervene to change its trajectory, but he created my adorable, messy child... and today he used puke to remind me to be thankful.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

I've got some good news.

Some REALLY GOOD news.

I (and that means just me, alone, no children... alone!) will be traveling to Vienna to visit these wonderful people!

My brother Tony, sister-in-law Catherine and nephew Alexander

Truly, words can't describe how excited I am about this trip. Tony and Catherine are expecting baby #2 in May, and I am going to help out with the kids and fly back to the states with Catherine so that she can spend more time here. Tony has job responsibilities and can only take off a limited amount of time. She'd like to come early, but understandably, she'd rather not fly alone with two kids under three. (wow, can you imagine??)

I am thrilled about the prospect of traveling by myself overseas: just me, a suitcase and a good book. (Any suggestions?) I am looking forward to the gorgeous city of Vienna in the summertime- something I've never experienced. Paul, Max and I visited T&C when Max was a year old, but most of our time outdoors was spent trying to make it from Point A to Point B without freezing our tails off! I can't wait to soak up the sun at the park with Alexander and enjoy Tony's favorite Gelato downtown.

Max in Austria... he fell head-over-heels in love with Auntie Catherine

But all of these exciting thoughts pale in comparison to what really excites me about this trip. Since I got married, Tony and I have never lived in close proximity to each other. When he was in the Twin Cities, I was in South Dakota. By the time we moved back, they were in Vienna. All of Alexander's life, I've been a long-distance auntie. When they do make it back to the States, they have a limited amount of time to divide among all of their family. Maybe it sounds selfish, but on this trip I don't have to share them! I can play with Alexander all day, I can chat with Catherine over a cup of coffee, and I can get to know my big brother again.

In high school, I was two years behind him... and waaaayyy less cool. We were involved in all of the same activities (theater, choir) and I probably cramped his style a bit. But from my perspective, however much I pretended to hate the label, I always felt safe (and a little bit "in") being known as "Tony's little sister".

The last time we lived in the same state/country was before my wedding

Now we're both married with children, and I want to be able to share my daily life with him. I want the cousins to grow up together, breaking things and setting fires together (you know it's going to happen...) and when they're teenagers, I want them to have each other on speed dial.

But for now, I will look forward to this week in July that I can spend with my brother and his family at their home in Vienna. I love the pictures, blog updates and occasional phone calls, but nothing can compare to being with them in person!

More Merriment

After Christmas Day and Max's birthday, the festivities didn't slow down in the least! I don't know about you, but I believe in celebrating every one of the twelve days of Christmas... and so we did, with more birthday celebrations (for Kelley and me), bowling night, ice skating, painting, cooking, mulled wine and more mulled wine!

Max got his first taste of ice skating when we took him to the arena for open skate, and he has officially been bitten! He started out clinging for dear life to Paul and Patrick, then progressed to a beginner's bar, and by the end of his debut, he was shuffling along totally solo. He has already surpassed me in skating ability (not that it took much...) and I believe he was the only one on the ice with a diaper (does that say more about his skating abilities or my lack of potty training abilities? Not sure.)


As is usually the case in late December, the weather was cold and windy for most of our trip. Don't ask me why I was surprised when Paul's high school friends decided that the perfect way to spend time together would be to hike Silver Mountain on a day when even driving to the entry point was treacherous. I waffled for awhile, but eventually decided to man up and join them. So, decked out in a borrowed assortment of snow boots, sweatshirts, mittens and other winter gear, I braved the weather and snowy rocks, repeating a mantra of "hot chocolate, hot chocolate, hot chocolate" all the way up the hill. Of course, it ended up being lots of fun, and the cocoa at the base of the hill (Thanks Mrs. Thompson!) was the best I've ever tasted.

On Dec 31, for the vigil of Mary Mother of God, we went to Cathedral for Mass and to hear Deacon Nathan preach. What a treat! He surprised everyone by coming home from Rome for Christmas. He's such a gift to the Church-- can't wait for the Ordination! After Mass we had a little New Years party with the Hofers and Kinyons- so great to see them! We munched on goodies for awhile, but the crowd cleared out before the ball dropped. The men headed elsewhere for some cards, so I brought in the new year with Megan, Elizabeth, Maryanne and Glee.

Yes, Glee. We kept an eye on our watches and paused the episode just in time to toast with champagne... then back to "Singin' in the Rain" a la Mr. Schuester.

We awoke to a closed freeway (due to drifting) on Saturday morning, foiling our plans of getting an early start, but when we got on the road around noon there was no trace of winter weather! No ice, no overcast sky, not even a pile of snow on the side of the road... nothing. The drive went smoothly and we arrived home late at night with Kelley and Megan, who spent the night on their way to the Carolinas via Chicago.

It is a little strange spending the days alone with my boys again after a full two weeks of constant company. However, I think they are ready to settle back into a normal routine. Only one more Christmas celebration, a Three Kings party, and three birthday parties before the month is over. No problem!

It was a blast spending so much time with family. I miss them already!

Merry and Bright

We've just returned home from a wonderful trip to Rapid City for Christmas. There is nothing quite like the Christmas season, in my opinion. Even though a large percentage of the population doesn't understand why we are celebrating this holiday, there is something different in the air. People seem to smile a little more, the spirit of giving overtakes us, and songs like "Silent Night" can be heard piping through the airwaves on the radio and in department stores.

All is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child ... sleep in heavenly peace

Of course, beautiful Christmas hymns are played alongside "Santa Baby" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", and the desire to give is warped into a desire to beat the other shoppers to the checkout. But every year around this time, I am hopeful.

As always, the time in Rapid flew by, but we actually got to stay for over a week, so we didn't feel quite as rushed as usual. Megan rode down with us squished into the backseat of the Matrix with two car seats (bless her!) and kept the kids happy so I could face forward for the majority of the drive (double bless her!) We made good time, arriving around 9 pm- early enough to not throw the boys into a tailspin for lack of schedule. Praise the Lord! Almost the whole family was there-- we missed Monica and Glenn a lot, but I hope they thoroughly enjoyed their honeymoon. We quickly took over every spare inch of space in the house as suitcases were hauled in, presents were put under the tree, and we all crashed on various beds/couches/floors... with that much of the crew at home, we sure filled the place up!

Christmas Eve day we made a quick run to the stores for some last minute gifts, then made our way out to the Great Grandparents house for a celebration with the whole family. Including Max and Lucian, I believe there were eleven great-grandchildren present... and nine of them were boys! What a crew.

Following the party, the Paul Yantes Sr. clan prepared for "Midnight" Mass (at 10:00 pm). We put the boys in their jammies and headed over to the same Mass at the same church where, three years ago, I went into labor and had to leave after Communion to go deliver a beautiful baby boy! It's hard to believe how quickly those three years have passed by. This is the first time I've been back to Cathedral for Christmas Eve since that day, and it was beautiful. What a way to celebrate the vigil of Our Lord's birth! (I'm happy to say we made it through the whole Mass without incident.)

December 25 was a cold, clear day, and we awoke to a wonderful breakfast! Max slept in and was the last one upstairs, but the poor kid was only half awake when he was greeted by a chorus of "Merry Christmas Max! Happy Birthday!" and various aunties and uncles breaking out into song. With a look of shock on his face, he wandered in a daze to the table to eat, but he began to work up excitement as people dropped hints of what was soon to come. Breakfast was followed by a frenzy of gift opening! It was such a joy to watch smiling faces as people opened gifts that were carefully and lovingly chosen for them. When the wrapping paper settled and many hugs were exchanged, we began to prepare for the Christmas Feast. Fr. Tyler joined us for a prime rib dinner, mulled wine (did I mention mulled wine yet? Oooohhhh...) and cards. It was a wonderful day, a true celebration.

In the evening, we had a simple party for Max's birthday. He blew out three candles stuck into Christmas cookies and opened his pirate-themed gifts from Grandma and Grandpa and ice skates from Mommy and Daddy. Our family is VERY heavy on birthdays surrounding the Christmas season, but we try very hard to make each celebration special!

Max received a box of hats from Grandma and Grandpa. His imagination was soaring this week!

Listening to his new CDs with Auntie Kelley. They sat like this for the entire length of "Mozart's Journey"

"Happy birthday to you!"

Trying out Liam's new fedora

More to come soon, including Max's first foray into ice skating! Stay tuned ...