Birthdays...

Hazel...

She's two... and she's a sweetheart.  Always trying to fix whatever's wrong.  She'll give Sawyer or Vera their blankets when they cry, get Dillon a tissue when he demands someone wipe is nose, and give anyone a love when they're sad.  She can tease and pester too, but we're really trying to encourage the softer side :)

Hazel loves animals... for her birthday she got both real and fake kittens.  Thank goodness for the stuffed ones... the real haven't really worked out.

Her cupcakes.  They look ok, but they tasted terrible.  Chalk that one up as a loss...

 She liked them...

Party and Grandma and Grandpa's!

Dillon...

... and Porter.  Dillon's bday falls in a busy birthday week.  Porter, Grandpa, Grandma Great, and Dillon all have birthdays in a four day span.  So we celebrated together. Love this kid! He's a little spit-fire and can raise my temper through the roof better than anyone.  But he is such a character, and he's kinda like a little buddy to me.  He really makes me laugh everyday.  Some of my favorite things he's said lately...

-"Hazel... eat your food.  It's really yummy, but I didn't taste any."

-"but mom... I had dinner yesterday..."
-He calls humidifiers "fire-humans" :)

-When quizzing him what he learned in school... "I don't want to talk anymore..."

-"Dad is the best Dad ever!"  He wants so bad to be "like a daddy"

-He has a crazy imagination too and is always saying things like "Yesterday, when I was a pirate (vampire, kid, monster, whatever)...."

Our little four year old has been very attached to one thing since he was about 8 months... His blanket.  The thing has a history.  And he has loved the heck out of it.  I keep finding pieces of it all around the house.  When he finds them he stuffs the tiny bits back into itself.  He must dream of it being whole again...  But... He finally gave it up.  He talked for months about throwing it away or giving it to the kitty, but would relapse.  Until one week ago.  He finally did it!  

It used to be in great condition.  

This is what it looked like on it's last day at the Dyreng house.

And Dillon finally biting the bullet....  He hasn't even asked for it since.  Don't know how we've been that lucky...  To be honest... I was sad to see it go too.  It was like saying goodbye to "toddler Dillon".  He's growing up.

Sporting some of his spoils from his birthday.  He can't wait to have a sleep-over and use his "pack-pack with wheels"

And... treats for preschool.  He loves going to school and says "miss Jen says that we can't throw fits at school." Where has Miss Jen been all my life?