Happy Birthday Uncle Cory

It's a big birthday weekend around here.  Uncle Cory's (Scott's brother) is today and John Paul's is tomorrow.  I'm so happy I can hardly stand it.  Planning birthday parties is definitely my cup 'o tea.

Cory, may today be filled with a short commute home from work, sweet time with your family and thankfulness for another year.  I have a feeling it's going to be a good one.  You are a really fantastic dad and a superb uncle.  I'm thankful God's path led you, Jennifer and Alex back to Texas.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Christmas Catch Up

Oh blog, I have missed you.  Mwah, mwah, smooch.

Blame it on technology, lazy mornings and the inability to find the right words.  I know, me?  I just wasn't feeling it over the break, so I decided to slowly back away from the computer and just enjoy time with the fam.  Well played, I think.

At any rate, I'm back. Christmas break was absolutely lovely.  Scott has a job where they break for the holidays - as has been the case ever since we were married - and it is such precious time.  We usually sneak in (ok, *I* usually coax him into doing) a home improvement project or two.  Just before his time off, we loaded up the van and headed to Granny's house in Bowie for the day.  It was a long day (fun times 9 hours in the van is), but totally worth it.

We stopped and said "hi" to Poppy.  Very sweet.  Then, we enjoyed some lunch, playing with cousin Alex, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Cory, a good game of marshmallow bingo with Granny and opening presents.  We did attempt a nap with Luke and it was a total bust.  Just in case you're wondering, it makes for a fu-un drive home :)  It's tough to get six kids, ages 9 and under, under one roof, all happy and smiling, but I think we did a pretty good job.  The kids were totally wired and that is a trend that continued until last night, just before school started up again!

Luke's Big Day

Oh September 18, 2010 was so different than the one in '09.  Similar in some ways, though.  At any rate, we prepped well into the wee hours of the morning getting everything ready.  What can I say, I'm a planner.  My mom is a meeting planner, so if you ever wonder where I got it from, BLAME IT ON HER!!  Love you, Mom.  You always have my back.

I was inspired to do a Superman theme for obvious reasons, but the aqua/red theme was totally a gal in the hood who has great design sense - you must check out her design blog.  Thanks Jayme!

My parents and cousin Mickey got here early on party day to help us with all the little details and then we began the most awesome day with Mass at St. Vincent de Paul.  For a split second I was really worried we'd walk in and see like 10 people, most of whom would be relatives.  It was such a lovely Mass, surrounded by some really amazing people who have supported us in our journey with Luke this past year.  Interestingly (to me I guess), the only tears I shed were during that hour.  To me, that seemed appropriate.  We joked that with all the babies in attendance, and how chatty they were, that Luke's support group came out in full force.

 

Loved.  It.

Fr. Dean, Dominican Sisters and Mrs. Lake - thank you for adding to the beauty of the Mass.  It was just as I had hoped and even more beautiful than I imagined.  For those that joined us in prayer from all over the country, thank you.  Christine, these photos are just beautiful.  Thank you for being so thoughtful.  Daniel, thanks for documenting everything on camera.  Love you, bro.

Then, we partied.  Lots of good fellowship, food (hat tip to the hubby for the ginormous bowl of guacamole that lasted like 10 seconds), hugs, smiles and singing.  At first, Luke was totally keen to the singing.  That quickly turned sour when we placed his smash cake in hands reach.

Um, nothankyouverymuch.  Big tears.  If memory serves me correctly, Anna-Laura did the same thing.  Oh, and if you are loving that cake as much as me (yes, it tasted even better than it looked), then you can see it in all its pre-party glory here.

Shortly after the party, Scott left on a jet plane for San Diego for his once-a-year conference.  No getting out of it, but he was able to delay the departure.  So, the kids and I enjoyed a rare afternoon with Uncle Cory, Aunt Jennifer, nephew Alex and Granny.  That was fun.

Operation Celebrate Superman Luke?  A success!

Eight IS Great!

A very happy eighth anniversary to Uncle Cory and Aunt Jennifer.  It's hard to believe eight years zoomed by that quickly.  Here's to many  more years of wedded bliss...

We miss seeing y'all.  Here's hoping we can finally have Christmas in July :)

Birthday Boys

Luke is still recovering today and all seems to be falling in place. After a rough night of pain and an awful morning, we got his pain management under control with a new drug in the epidural, he received blood and plasma, oxygen, new leads for his apnea and heart rate monitors, cleaned his face with a sponge, antibiotics and visits from several nurses and doctors. K said he was sleeping about 10 pm and she was about to do the same. Continue to pray for a smooth recovery and healing. Praise and thanksgiving for doctors, nurses, hospitals and the wonderful gifts that God has given to them.

Short update on Luke today because today is all about two very special boys. Well one today and one yesterday! My brother Cory has a birthday on January 21 and John Paul's is today, January 22. We are known as the birthday stealers in our family as all our children share a birthday with another close family member. We consider Cory and John Paul close enough...

If you look closely at this picture you can tell that John Paul has his shirt on backwards. These were family photos that our friend Shannon took in the blistering heat in August. If you know JP, you know this is absolutely normal for him. Kathryn and I say...THIS KID...a lot around the house. He is funny, smart, fast, quick witted, skinny, a savvy negotiator and just a complete joy to be around. One thing's for sure, he is sure to do the opposite of everything you say. If you tell him to hurry up, he will slow down....I actually overheard him negotiating his "time out" sentence from a friend's nanny the other day...."Now how about I only sit two minutes in this spot here instead of the usual one?"

John Paul, we love you. We are sorry your day was not as great as it should have been. I am sure you will terrorize Luke one day for messing up your 6th birthday....such is life at Team Whitaker.

My "little" brother stands a good 4-5 inches taller than me but as I like to say - "I can still take him!" I can't believe he is a year on the other side of 30. He is brilliant, a good father and husband, a worrier, probably wealthy because he is so cheap and loves a good joke like our dad. It is nice to have them close in Dallas but we still don't see each other nearly enough. I miss our annual "brother trip" and hope to take another one soon. Happy Birthday brother!

Top Ten: Things I Admire in my BIL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE CORY!

Most of us are blessed to have one, a brother-in-law, that is. I met Cory way back in 1992 which seems like a whole other lifetime ago. I was actually taller than him - now he towers over me at 6'7"!!

In honor of said brother-in-law, he's lucky enough (or not!) to have his big day fall on Top Ten Wednesday. So, this one's for you, Cory...

TOP TEN: THINGS I ADMIRE ABOUT MY BIL

1. His smarts. He and my hubby were both tops in their high school classes. Those are some good genes, I say.

2. His laugh. It reminds me of his dad...everytime.

3. His attitude. Cory has never been one to listen to the critics. If he set his mind to it, you might as well consider it done.

4. His love for Jennifer and Alex. It's obvious he loves those two...very much.

5. His faith. Cory and Jennifer have made it a point to find and get involved in a church home no matter where they were living.

6. His pro-bono work. Yes, he's our financial planner and a might fine one at that. If Jerry Maguire lost the love of his life at "hello," then Cory lost me at "hedge fund." Seriously, though, I think it's an amazing gift.

7. His guts. Not many folks would've packed it up and moved to Manhattan for 5 years or Boston for 2 or back home to the Lone Star State. I'm sure those moves came with their fair share of anxiety and excitement. They took a leap, though, and it made them better people.

8. His athleticism. I can't even dribble, ok, let's be honest. I'm severely athletically-challenged. So, anyone that can do more than me has my utmost admiration.

9. His love for his brother. He and Scott share a special bond. I hope my boys are taking notes.

10. How much he enjoys being an uncle. I think it's fair to say we broke all the aunts and uncles in well before they had their own brood. Cory reminds us to loosen up a little bit and have some fun. Now we get to do the same for nephew Alex. Wahoo!

Top Ten: For the Love of Christmas

Yes, we had an amazingly fun - albeit slightly chaotic - Christmas season. I had high hopes to hit today's top ten with our ten best moments. Clearly, that is easier said than done. So, you're in luck this week. We'll have top ten, part uno, today and dos tomorrow. Enjoy!

Christmas in Bowie
Stop with the cuteness...

Hello reality.

Christmas with Uncle D and Aunt A before they went ski tripping.

Christmas Eve

Prayer before opening all the Baby Jesus'

And, on that note, your fun for today has ended :-)

A whole lot of joy

I think our Christmas season - and yes, it's technically still Christmas until January 6 - can be summed up in one sweet word: JOY. I pray yours was filled with the same. Here, I'll give you another word: LOUD. Another: UNFORGETTABLE. And one last one: NUTS. That pretty much sums it up...joy, loud, loud, nuts, unforgettable, joy, joy, nuts.

We started the season by heading up to Bowie the weekend before and celebrating the Whitaker family Christmas. Amazingly, we didn't freak out nephew Alex. He and Clare had a great time with the wrapping paper. The kids - and by kids I'm speaking specifically about John Paul and Anna-Laura - had Academy award-winning reactions. There were lots of "Yes!" and "I knew it" and "AHHH". Classic. We even filled up a whole pew (and then some) at Saturday evening's Mass. Granny, thank you for hosting such a joyful get together.

Then, it was back home to celebrate Christmas with Uncle Daniel and Aunt Amanda. It was pretty much the same scenario of oohs and ahhs and performances. Scott felt like the pits, though. So, we ordered in Chili's while he slept on the couch. Aren't we nice?

Christmas Eve, we met my parents and cousin Mickey at Mass. Will was in the choir and did a fabulous job. I must say, at the end of Mass Msgr. Bill dimmed the lights in the church, we hugged those next to us and sang "Silent Night." That was when God let the peace in. It was a precious moment. Afterwards we tried for a kid picture in front of the Christmas tree out front. Exit unforgettable. Enter nuts. The pasta dinner at home was eaten in lightening speed, then it was on to present opening. Yes, we open them all after Mass. This year, we did something different, though. We wrapped all the baby Jesus' and placed them under the tree. We prayed together as a family and then the kids opened the package. The excitement was contagious as they ran through the house placing Baby Jesus in his rightful place. It was also dangerous as one lost his head. Remember this post?

We dutifully spread reindeer food out front and baked delish cookies for Santa. What sweet innocence. I now know there is a God who performs miracles - our children did not get out of bed until 7:14 AM. Did you see that?? 7:14 AM!!!!!!!!!!! We enjoyed the rest of the day at my parents and then hit the sack with a heavy head that night.

Oh, but the festivities didn't stop there. 3 Christmas celebrations were not enough.

We decided it would be fun to head up to Amarillo. In a car. With 4 children. For 19 hours. Enter loud.

I've bored you long enough, though. Check back in tomorrow for the evidence that we survived, had a blast and made it back home in one piece.

Too Cute

Just got this photo from Uncle Cory last night. It looks like he and Alex had a great time at Harvard graduation!

Bragging Rights

Well, it seems as if there's a celebrity in the family...

Cory, (Scott's younger brother) is graduating from Harvard Business School tomorrow. Yes, that's pretty awesome in its own right. But there's more. He was also named a Baker Scholar, given to the top 5% of the MBA class each year.

Uncle Cory, we're proud of you. Have a GREAT graduation!!!