Paul turned 6 on the 24th and I just...it's amazing. If you have a boy, or any child for that matter, who will neither sleep nor eat despite the experts telling you that babies will sleep when they're tired and/or eat when they're hungry and you feel that you will forever live in a vortex of tsk-ing pediatricians treating you like you are an incompetent ninny,
have faith! He will survive. YOU will survive. Then one day he'll even start sleeping all the way through the night. And then he'll learn to read real words. And pretend to be a seagull at the beach.
Seagulls totes wear life jackets. It's the new thing.
It was a miraculously gorgeous day for our first visit to Van Buren State Park (State Park annual recreation pass for all the parks and beaches in all of Michigan-land just $11, whut whut.) and their pristine Lake Michigan beach.
We're so super glad he was born.
Edited to add that the chocolate cake you see up there was as incredible as it looks. Maybe more so. The recipe for both cake and frosting came from your soon-to-be favorite cookbook The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Are you tired of me recommending that book yet? If you buy it, you will forgive me! The best evah.
Oh, wow, that beach looks so relaxing and beautiful! You're so lucky to live near such nice lakes with pretty beaches. I would be kinda to afraid of what's in the water to go swimming in our Dallas area lakes.
ReplyDelete215 pictures? Sounds like a slow day to me.
that was the sweetest. Love your Paul.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Paul! (And that comment about sleeping and eating does give me hope, Dwija. HOPE!)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Paul! And hope for all mothers of difficult (shall I stick with the PC-esque "Challenging"?) children.
ReplyDeleteOh, say this to Paul- a birthday joke.
Knock knock?
(he says, "Who's there?"
Strawberry Shortcake
(he'll say "Strawberry Shortcake who?"
Strawberry Shortcake pooped her pants for your birthday!
What a beautiful day Dwija :) Congrats to Paul!! He seems like the sweetest boy.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to my birthday buddy, Paul!! He sounds a lot like my son, only four-something years older. But right now he's sleeping, and I am whispering "Thank You" prayers. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great, beautiful weekend. No wonder you took so many pics!
cuties. I love Miss Polka Dots with the windswept look. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Paul! Looks like such an awesome day. My Joseph's birthday was today, turning 3!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Paul! Looks like it was a great one! I'd love a piece of that cake! ;)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story, tell it all again next year, and don't cry that everyone is just a weee bit bigger!
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks fabulous. Do you have a link to the recipe?
ReplyDeleteIt really was SO good and I'm not even much of a cake person. I can't seem to find it online yet, so I do believe I shall write it up for y'all and post it :)
DeleteHappy birthday, Paul! Looks like such a great day!
ReplyDeleteYou have SUCH beautiful children! And I love the pix you share that show how much they love each other! Yeah, they probably sometimes look like they don't, but they know deep down that they do. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat cutie pies! And seriously, these pictures make me really wish I lived in Michigan!
ReplyDeleteI just love seeing big family birthdays! Ya'll know how to party!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until I convince my cray cray self that kids don't have to have a theme birthday party. Joe turns 3 in a week and it's going to be DINOSAUR-PALOOZA! I'm stressing myself out too much, although he already has like a bajillion dinosaur toys, so decorations are pretty much taken care of!
ReplyDeleteLove these photos. I can just feel the fun and love popping though the page! (I originally wrote pooping. Can you tell we're potty training around these here parts?)
Happy Birthday to your guy! And thanks for the hope of sleep and eating, we are still working on our two year old! And the 6 month old wants to be part of it too so No Sleep For Anyone!!!! Hooray!...
ReplyDeleteLove that recreation pass! We use ours allll the time!!
I have 4 boys and I still maintain the 6 is THE BEST age for boys. I was so sad when my youngest turned 7! I miss Lake Michigan from my Chicago days. So lovely on the Illinois side, too. And I have the cookbook called The Best Recipe - also from the Test Kitchen people. My fave also.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to big Mr. Paul!! You know I have mega love for boys!! Your pics are great (really, you can't take too many), and the cake...oh the cake looks fantastic!! Seeing it reminded me that I have liqueur-filled chocolates in the pantry......I must go!!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Paul!! I'm glad he sleeps and eats now.
ReplyDeleteI currently have the ATK cookbook sitting to my right, as I checked it out from the library yet again. (I want to buy it, but I'll probably just wait until Christmas to ask someone to buy it for me??)
If I could take awesome photos like you, I'd have 215 in one day, too. You rock woman! Thanks for sharing these beauties with us!
ReplyDeleteIt's all the camera's doing! Fancy camera- snazzy photos :)
DeleteI had to laugh because the pic of him being a seagull was right next to your blog pic (on the right) of you jumping- and I'm not sure when I'll stop seeing that pic as you imitating a seagull! :D
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever tried Van Buren State Park. Is it usually pretty empty? We were just at Hoffmaster last week and it was gorgeous. BUSY, but gorgeous.
Happy day and blessings on your little ones!