Birthday Bear!

Yesterday our little Bear turned FOUR! He was 18 months old when we moved to Doha so he's definitely spent most of his life living in the middle east. How crazy is that? But, when you're from the country of Texas, its just always in your blood. And how awesome that Barrett shares his birthday with the one and only T.E.X.A.S. Our little cowboy has no doubt where he's from and he's got the gear to prove it!

Although you feel like your heart could explode the day your precious baby is born into this world, its really pretty minimal. The older they get the harder I fall. My grandmother, Dottie told my dad that same thing decades ago and now I've truly experienced what she and he both meant. Of course there are days I don't "like" my sweet children but the blessing of babies growing into little people is almost too much for me. This little Bear of our's is a irreplaceable piece to our family puzzle and we wouldn't be complete without him just the way he his. I want to remember every bit of him as a 4 year old so badly. Survival mode with 2 boys, 17 months apart doesn't allow for a lot of emotional connection in those first few years. God designed our family perfectly; maybe so that at this very moment, I would notice and fall in love with the little things that make him unique and special.

birthDAY!!
Birthday Greetings over skype from Honey and Tatty!


Birthday breakfast

Since it was his birthday he insisted on sitting at the head...its the honorable seat!

Shout out to FOUR years!

Oh the man of many moods, emotions, faces and expressions.
Truth be told he's a mini-me of his daddy. Wonder if that's why I'm so smitten with him?

Number 4 cookies iced, m&m'd and ready for a school party.

School party


Lucas and Barrett both share the 2nd for their birthday so we had a joint celebration at Apple Tree.


After the sugar-fest they played some fun games. I loved watching Barrett with his friends. Little Ham! This tender heart still cries sometimes when I drop him off. And then there are days I come pick him up and he asks me to come back in an hour. And I certainly do!

Daddy left work a little early and we had family birthday fun at Gondolania, an amusement park in Villagio Mall. Having never been there or seen the place, this was a fun surprise for both boys!





Took all I had to keep my mouth shut and let Barrett and Nick waste their time and money on this DuMb rigged game that never produces! Never!

G played and teethed on her piggies!


Oops...not a good idea. Bear bumped the other car AND his face.

Choochoo!


After lots of games and rides we grabbed McDonalds at the food court for the boys and camped out a Macaroni Grill for Mommy and Daddy.

Family photo...plus patient lady waiting to pass by.

Once we were home it was time for a few presents and cake.


Georgia wasn't happy her bedtime was delayed but she was standing for long enough to grab a picture of her impatience.

Bear blew out the candles and then opened his presents. Not pictured is the ever-so-loved Imaginext Batcave that Tracy brought from Houston in November. We hid it until last night. Such a fun surprise!! He also loves the new plasma car. Couldn't live in a better house for it!

He got a little help from behind.

Cake time! The rainbow cake was a surprise. The challenge was well worth it for Birthday Bear! Our house has gobbled it up and if you live anywhere in the country of Qatar, please come have a piece. There's plenty. It tastes a lot better than it looks.

I've been wanting to make this cake and Barrett was the perfect fit! Of course I ran out of Skittles and so did Doha but we survived. There are a few versions of this cake out there but I picked a pretty simple recipe, that started with Mr. D Hines. Icing from a can is a strange consistency in Doha so I made my friend Lindsay's homemade recipe. The best! It was the perfect texture and taste for the vanilla cake. And since I'm lacking in perfection"ism" the cake was slightly leaning. Other than that, I think it was a success since Nick insists on the rainbow cake for his birthday next year at age 34.


Happy Birthday Love Bug Barrett! I'm so proud to be your mommy and I wouldn't be complete without you. You are an absolute sweetheart and I love nothing more than when you climb in my lap. I don't want you to grow up...I really don't! I want you to need me like you do now! I love to hear you talk and sing with that little chipmunk voice. Some of my favorite words come from your sweet mouth (posta, duss, eediculous) I love that you still want to be carried and cuddled. You are so spunky but also very bashful. You know how to hold your own against your brother, who you consistently refer to as "Brooksie" even when you're mad. That being said you adore him and if he asks nicely, you would give him literally anything, even your new birthday presents. I can't wait to see what you're doing 10 years from now. At this point, you're very physical and competitive. If you're interested in an activity, you never give up and once you've decided you want to do something, you do. On the other hand if something bores you...you're out. T-ball wasn't fast enough but riding a bike...that decision was made and mastered in a matter of minutes. You're not so much interested in coloring and the alphabet but you could name all of the characters on Playhouse Disney and Transformers.
Bear, I love you forever, I like for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be!

Happiest Birthday!