9.

Sunday was Taylor's 9th birthday.  And as cliche as it sounds, time really does fly.

Taylor has been so excited for his birthday so we celebrated in style!  Ashton made cupcakes the night before and they turned out great, as usual!

One of Taylor's favorite things is homemade waffles, so that's how we started the day.

Please LOVE the bedhead.  I know I do.  There are days when I come home from work and his hair still looks like this.  Love it!

After breakfast we went to church then Taylor chose Burger King for lunch.  I know, it's not glamorous, but it's his absolute favorite.

Joey and I had planned to take him bowling or to play laser tag, but I think he missed home just a little after being gone for a week because he passed on both ideas and opted to hang out at home.

After some relaxation, we loaded up and headed to Grimaldi's for birthday dinner with the family.

(He's making a 9 with his fingers, in case you missed it.)

Joey's mom and grandpa joined us, as well as my parents (but we have no photographic proof).  Ashton was also there, but you know how she feels about the camera these days.

Taylor had so much fun opening all his presents!  I mean, most kids enjoy this part, but I just love how genuinely surprised and thankful he was for each little thing.  I can't get over the look on his face either.  Such a sweet boy.

  

 

Ashton's cupcakes turned out super yummy.  She wanted to make a cake so she could decorate it, but Taylor wanted cupcakes so she improvised.  I think they turned out great!

Taylor,

Your daddy, Ashton and I love you so much!  You are so funny, super sweet, and always so thankful.  You gave me 2 kisses in the restaurant on Sunday night and I will cherish those forever.  I don't know when they'll stop, so I'll keep them with me.  You are such a loving little boy and still love to give hugs and snuggle.  You tell me you always will and I pray that's true.

I'm so proud to be your mom.

On Sunday night you told Daddy that he didn't need to tuck you in because you weren't a baby anymore *sob*.  I think his heart broke a little.  I know mine did when he told me.  But just remember, no matter how old you are, you'll always be my baby.

I love you more,
Mom

Definitely NOT a cruise recap.

We're back from our cruise and Taylor's birthday was yesterday, but right now, all I think about is this:

Sometimes 5am crossfit really bites.

Today, I'm mourning the loss of my lucrative shin-modeling career.  I'll be back tomorrow with cruise pics and a birthday recap.

(For those that want to know, it was box jumps.  My shins broke the initial fall.  My butt broke the rest.  Now I walk like an 80 year old woman.)

Cruisin'

If you follow me on Twitter this isn't news to you, but if you don't, then you should know we're heading out for our first family cruise next week.

The kids are super excited.  Joey & I are even more excited.  Trigger is not so excited.

He'll get over it though.  He'll be spending the week with his Uncle Ditto, who in turn will be spending the week explaining to Trigger (through a series of growls, I'm sure) that he is too old to play.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post.  The point is that I need to know the scoop on cruising.  We've never been, and I'm sure many of you have, so do tell.  What do we need to know in order to have the best time ever?