His presents and the bumble bee pinata on our hutch.
the party table
"dirt" cups, with gummy worms. yum!
Sebastian's tower of cupcakes, adorned with bugs galore!
Sebastian and I...all ready for the party to begin. Helena was ready, too, and thought the party was really for her.
Michelle Bergman arrived and the kids were happy to see her!
Alan and Annie Gatward were happy to see us! Sebastian, as usual, shows his indifference.
Jill and Frank Daly, our nanny and her husband, also came to help us celebrate. Frank was a life saver for me and blew up all the balloons. Yes, Frank is VERY tall, and Jill is tiny.
Last, but certainly not least, were Melissa Tronolone and 2 of her 3 children--Ellie and Jack. Sebastian and Jack are just a few weeks apart in age.
We started the party off right, putting on the hats and taking pictures of the kids.From left to right:
Ellie and Jack Tronolone, Helena Tomaszewski, AddyAnn Black, and the birthday boy, Sebastian Tomaszewski
Annie is always happy to hold the kids. She and Alan have helped me many a time in church when I thought I would lose my mind trying to shush/entertain/pacify my children.
I couldn't have pulled the party off without my fabulous sister, Christy, there to help me. She helped me keep my cool, dressed the kids, did the girls' hair, and made the pb & j butterfly sandwiches. She and Addy LOVE to ham it up for the camera!
Jill and Sebastian getting in some cuddle time.
hmmm...I think Addy just told Helena that the birthday party was really for Sebastian and not for Helena!
when taking a picture with Helena, you take what you can get. This is her 'looking' at the camera with Annie.
After everyone arrived and got settled in, we sang happy birthday to Sebastian. Helena is already in position to 'help' blow out the candle!
Next comes the eating of the first cupcake. Sebastian was a little unsure, at first.
He decided to try it...
still deciding...
better take another bite
it's kinda sticky...all over my fingers
smoosh it around a little? That's what I'm supposed to do?
It's great! I do like it!
After we cleaned Sebastian up and he had his birthday outfit on again, it was time for the opening of the presents. Note Helena is nearby...she still thinks it's all about her.
Opening up the cloth name book from Mommy and Daddy.
Excited about a fire truck push/ride toy! (I think I may be more excited than he is??)
Helena was really excited about all 'her' new presents. You try and convince her that they don't belong to her! =)
My sweet boy...
Our last activity was swatting the bumble bee pinata. We tried blind folding the kids, but with the mirror/wall right there it didn't seem like the best idea. So...we just spun them around and made 'em dizzy and handed them a bat!
Helena loved this and Sebastian was very animated as he watched the kids swat at the bee.
I soooooo wish I had a video to post of the pinata bashing, because Michael was the one upstairs holding the rope. For those of you who know Michael, you know that when he starts laughing, his belly laugh is musical. His laugh is one of my favorite things...and while he was holding the rope he was laughing the entire time.
Here he is...grinning away.
Happy birthday sweet boy. I am sooo proud to be your Mommy. I love your thoughtfulness...how you think about everything you do before you do it. I love that you are slow to smile, but when you do smile, it is brilliant and lights up the room. I love that you love your sister and how you giggle with her more than anyone else. I love how independent you are and how determined you are. I love that you crawl around the house, calling for your mama. I love how excited you get when your Daddy comes home from the fire station. I love how you bury your face in my left shoulder to be comforted and then carry on with playing or whatever you are doing. I love to watch you learn...especially to see when you 'get' it. I love how you enjoy music and how you like to clap and help me clap to the beat. I love how you help me change the pages in a book, at your pace, when I'm reading to you. I love every little thing about you son, with a fierceness and intensity that just keeps growing.
