One Hot Birthday!

I apologize for the delay in getting this post done. We have had one chaotic week around here. Bear with me this is going to get loooooong. Friday night we discovered our AC was not working properly again(it had been running not quite right so we had a friend of a friend come and look at it, it seemed to be working fine but by Friday night we knew it was still not right) So Saturday we decided to take advantage of my parents AC and cable TV as we didn't want to spend the extra money for the HVAC guys to come out on a Saturday. Gabe and I ran errands for his party in the afternoon while Ty napped under Daddy's watchful supervision. We took my Dad's truck as the kids and I are driving the Flyin Ford Fairmont(you can read the story behind that if you click on Flying Ford Fairmont) in which the air conditioning does not really work because we are trying to keep the mess out of our Jeep which we are trying to sell(so if you know of anyone who would like to buy a 2002 Jeep Liberty...) Gabe had lots of fun helping me pick out the stuff for his party, especially the chips and pop:) He also loved riding in the front seat of Grandpa's pick-up. Saturday night we headed to church as I had nursery and Carl and the boys went to church then we went back to my mom and dads to sleep as it was extremely hot in our house and they were gone for a wedding that night anyway. Sunday we woke up and started all of the party preparations(after we wished Daddy a Happy Fathers Day!) We got all the food, balloons, and party supplies loaded and made our way to the garden to set up. It was so nice to have it there especially since we didn't have air! Andrea and Alan arrived with this cake and cupcakes that Gabe absolutely loved and we got everything set up in time for all of our guests to arrive. We had lunch and then Gabe blew out his candles. The kids came swarming when it was time for cake and everyone enjoyed the T-rex cake and dinosaur egg cupcakes. We let Gabe open presents shortly after cake and ice cream and he loved everything! After presents everyone was free to go check out the dinosaurs and the garden. Some friends graciously took Gabe with them to look at everything while some of us stayed back to start cleaning up the room. Grandpa and Bone took Ty outside as we had been making him stay in most of the time since he can't be trusted not to jump in the fountain next to the building quite yet. After we got everything cleaned up and loaded back into the vehicles we dropped things off at our very hot house and took the leftover food back to my parents house. We got to spend a little extra time with my grandparents and Carl's Aunt Sara. That night after supper we went to Aunt Sara's motel and took advantage of the pool. Gabe and Ty both were somewhat apprehensive about it. We hadn't been to the big pool in awhile so I think it was a little intimidating but once they got in they had a good time. We stayed the night at my parents again in hopes our air would be fixed on Monday, no such luck! Monday between 1 and 4 turned into Monday at 7 and then they came and thought it was fixed but unfortunatly it wasn't. So Tuesday morning the day of Gabe's birthday we woke up at my mom and dads and had to do a makeshift birthday breakfast. Normally we do pancakes and little smokies but we had to imporvise and do birthday cinnamon rolls this year instead(with scrambled eggs, as Gabe requested) He didn't seem to mind too much. After the brief rain storm we packed up and headed down to Huxley to pick up Brady, Bree and Heather and then headed to Big Creek to play at the beach and swim. Gabe and Ty both loved the beach and the water. Gabe was my little fish and sometimes got a little too brave for my liking in the water. He was floating and trying to swim and going under all the time. Ty loved the water too and I shudder to think about how much of it he probably swallowed(along with sand...yuck) We had a picnic on the beach and then played a little more in the water. Brady and Bree loved the water too and they all did such a great job! We went back to mom and dads for naps and then when everyone woke up we headed to Hickory Park for the annual birthday sundae. After dinner we took Gabe to Perfect Games for some bowling. We then let him open a few presents we had saved from us and from Aunt Em. He loved the space shuttle Em brought him and has not let it out of his sight since Tuesday night. In the meantime the air conditioning still has not been fixed they called Carl Tuesday afternoon and said it would not be done until Wednesday so we stayed another night at Grandma and Grandpas. Wednesday morning they finally called and said they were on there way and our air was fixed by late morning Wednesday! We finally got to sleep at home last night and get the important 4 year old picture in our big chair, I still can't believe he is 4, he looks so much bigger then here, here, here, and especially here. It amazes me to see how much he has grown and learned in the past 4 years. He is truly a blessing from God and we are so thankful for his goofy grin, his funny phrases, his contagious laugh, his outgoing and friendly personality, his love for us, his brother, his family and most importantly God. We love you Gabe! Happy 4th Birthday!