Troy turns 40!

A week before Madelyn turned 3, Troy turned 40.  He had a hard time deciding what he wanted to do to celebrate the beginning of his 4th decade.  So, two weeks before the big day, he decided on a party! (Yea for Pinterest!)  We had close friends and family come to celebrate with Troy, which was hard.  If he could, Troy would have invited a lot more!  Nevertheless, he had a blast!  Here are some highlights of his party and his birthday!

The chalkboard has been one of my best purchase out of the Target dollar section.

 One request of his was bottled coke...you know...the Mexican ones with the real sugar!

 A movie themed seemed to be fitting for Troy, so behold the "backyard film theme!"

 Striped bunting and hanging mason jars.  

 Troy's mom was kind and rented a popcorn machine for the party.  We were so glad she did!  It was such a fun thing to have!

 Homemade yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

 Semi-homemade red velvet cupcakes. (I made the frosting and added some "special" ingredients to the mix!)  I made all the toppers in Adobe Illustrator.

 CAKE!

 Getting ready for the showing of Pee Wee's Big Adventure!

 My 40-year-old hubby doesn't look 40, does he?

 About to blow out his candles!

 Us.  With Cake.

 One of my favorite scenes...

 Silly boys.

 Good friends.  Just missing Scott!

 I gave Troy a year of dates for his birthday!  Looking forward to going on them!

 In N' Out!

 We ended Troy's bday weekend with a trip to the park.  The kiddos enjoyed it...

...and so did Troy!

Missouri in Photos: Days 1-3

Our Missouri trip started out with a full day of travel, with a flight out of John Wayne Airport and a short layover in Denver. We landed in Kansas City around 8pm. I'm sure most of you could take a guess at where the family went first. Yup. Cracker Barrel. We sat in Cracker Barrel and ordered what we could of what they had left. They were out of meatloaf, roast beef, pot roast, hash brown casserole, and a few other items. Never the less, I ordered the "wholesome" breakfast meal, although I wasn't so sure it how "wholesome" it really was! We ate and watched the most amazing lightning storm I had ever seen. Day two was a nice day of relaxing and swimming in Terry and Jan's pool. In the evening, we headed over to Liberty, Missouri's old town and ate Mexican Food. It wasn't bad for Mexican food in Missouri. On Day three, I woke up to the news that Robyn's water broke. We were so bummed that miss Ivy was deciding to come early, when all the family was away!!!! With Robyn heading to the hospital in California, we headed to Kansas City for a day out. I got my first look at the Missouri river. Very muddy and murky. We went to Union Station and walked around. Word has it that there was a shoot out there to free a mob criminal that was being transported to a prison. The mob guy was killed on accident during the shoot out. Bummer. Next, we headed over to the Hallmark Center and walked around there. (This is when we found out that Ivy was born!) Jackson and Madelyn got to play in a Clifford exhibit they had there. We finished off the day with BBQ that was just okay and a walk around the shops in the heart of Kansas City. Stay tuned for the next few days in Missouri...

Jackson, our little traveler! This was his 5 time flying and he did great! He even carried his own luggage!

Firsts: Madelyn's first Cracker Barrel buttermilk biscuit and her first time in a bathing suit!

Liberty, Missouri....the bank where Jesse James and his gang robbed a bank in broad daylight for the first time.

Our sweet set-up in Terry and Jan's basement, complete with beds for our family of four!

Union Station, Kansas City, MO (Where's Jackson?)

The clock @ Union Station

Jackson's interview w/ Daddy.

The fam @ Union Station

Clifford, The Big Red Dog, with Big Jackson and Little Madelyn

Jackson's first "Build-a-Dino"...he named him "Roar." :)

Madelyn sporting Build-a-Bear sunglasses, which fit her perfectly.


Kansas City, AKA, the City of Fountains

Dinner and Shopping...



Me and my guy. :)

Troy @ Home

Troy's last day as a "9-5-er" was June 26th. For some of you who may not have heard, Troy is now a full time Professor of Communications at a Christian college close to us. It is such a blessing that he got this job! He gets to be home with us through August 27th, minus a few days of meetings for the new school year. He has to work on his syllabuses for his classes, but other than that, he is a free man! Starting August 27th, though, he will teach, which is one of the things he loves to do the most. I am so glad that he has been blessed with the opportunity to do that!Last week was the first week he was at home....and it was so much fun! We spent so much time together! On Monday, we made a day of getting Jackson a hair cut, getting a cold summer drink at Starbucks, and just hanging out. Sometimes you just need time like that, you know? I am going to enjoy, yet cherish, and not take for granted these sweet summer days spent together!