Party Time

Our house loves to party! Especially since we moved into our current home three years ago and we finally had the space to do so.

And especially in the summer. We love having our yard full of outside toys, people "hanging out" on the chairs set up in various places, yummy food, and lots of laughter and fun conversations as the sun shines and the yard looks beautiful in its summer splendor.

And what better reason is there to throw a big party than our becoming Ian's Mom and Dad? We couldn't think of one!!

So last Saturday we did just that. We invited tons of people to come over and party and celebrate with us. It was six months, to the very day, from when we had originally planned to have this celebration. And might I add, it was on a MUCH, MUCH warmer and more beautiful day. (Which is one good thing about all of this having been postponed for so long!!)

The day was wonderful. I was pretty busy, so I didn't take many pictures, but I did capture a couple.  

We had so many loving friends and family stop by to congratulate us on our little family finally being legal and final. At times our house was overflowing, and as much as I had feared this very thing when we were planning the party, in reality I LOVED IT!! I felt so abundantly grateful that we were finally able to relax and celebrate, and I am still feeling all that love now, a few days later. Like I said, it was wonderful.

However, a few things go into the planning of such a big party, such as baking about 5 bazillion cookies=) We didn't serve a meal, but we did serve punch and cookies, veggies, chips, and various other "snacks". We invited quite a lot of people and we weren't sure how many would show up, so we figured we had better be prepared in case everyone came. That meant two days of baking for me.

I didn't mind (too much=) because I really do enjoy baking. I did have a couple of offers to help, but I think somewhere inside I wanted to do this. I guess I thought that since these cookies were for a party for my little son that I wanted to be the one to make them. I know that probably sounds crazy and by the time I had finished approximately 20 or so dozen cookies, I began to question it myself!

But during the middle of all of this flour, sugar and chocolate chip madness, a funny thing happened. I had been spreading out all of the cookies on our kitchen table to cool, and Ian was circling it and pointing as he said over and over, "Want one! Want one! Want one!" I said, "just a minute baby" as I turned around to finish putting more cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. A few seconds later I started thinking, "He's quiet all of a sudden". Just then Mike came into the room and whispered to me "Shey, look." I turned around to find this.

Apparently he was done waiting for us to get him a cookie, so he got one himself!  Our kitchen table is quite high, and the chairs are much too high for him to climb up himself.  However, he figured out how to climb up onto them by getting up onto the middle portion under the table, then up to a chair, and voila! COOKIES!! He is a genius, so how could I be mad? Instead, I just grabbed my camera and let him enjoy the spoils of his climbing adventure!  However, I did have the presence of mind to realize that now that he has figured this one out, I am going to have to watch out what I put up there on the table!

Ian loves to help us out in the kitchen, and I LOVE that! Here are a couple more pictures to show just what a big helper he is.  (The first two were taken on Mother's Day when my two boys made me breakfast=)

Anyway, thanks everybody who came on Saturday to help us celebrate our beautiful son and the end of our journey to find him. It was certainly a GREAT day!!