Wrapping Up Birthday Celebrations in Long Beach, WA

My dad has a friend who has an amazing beach house in Long Beach that they rent out.   We went two summers ago over my dad's birthday and this summer he decided he wanted to do it again.  This time we decided to stay two nights, which was nice since it's such a long drive.  It was nice to have a full day of playing to look forward to. This home is perfect for our family.  There is a really fun game room downstairs as well as a bedroom that's perfect for the boys.  So Friday evening we unpacked and spent some time playing downstairs.  Our boys really had fun with the air hockey table this year.

 Tristan and I got in a few games of pool while the boys played air hockey with Papa.

 Saturday morning we headed into town to walk through a few shops and make a trip to play in the arcade.  Grandma and Papa treated the boys to actually playing the video games!

 Carter had fun with this version of "Whack-a-Mole".

 Teaming up!

 By the time we got back, the clouds had burned off and it was looking like it was going to be a beautiful day--which is impressive for the last weekend in September!  The view from the house is wonderful.  You can see the water and it's a short walk to the beach.  Since this area is all residences, the beach has very little traffic, too.

 Ashton had so much fun running around on the beach.  He loved having no limits!

 We found this fish skull.  Yuck.

 The boys all had fun digging and building in the sand.

 It never ceases to amaze me how much Ethan loves getting out in that COLD water.  That's him in the distance with Tristan, diving in!

 Carter decided to stay closer to shore and play with me and Ashton.

 Ashton really wanted to get out there with Ethan and Tristan.  Tristan did end up taking him out later and he would just lay his head on Tristan's shoulder.  Maybe it was nap time, but I think the liked the sound of the water.  :)

 Papa pulled out some kites and we did some flying while we had a little picnic on the beach.

 Ethan spent some time digging in this little trench he found.

 Ashton decided to eat some sand.  Yuck.

 The boys trying out our kite

 That afternoon we went back for some playing and my dad's birthday dinner.

 Tristan decided to take the riding lawnmower for a spin and mow their lawn for them.  Carter was a great helper.

 I simplified this year and just got some carrot cake cupcakes from Costco for my dad's birthday cake.

 And a special cupcake for Ashton.  Since it was only a week after his birthday, I decided to just wait to do cake for Ashton when Tristan was home.

 We had a beautiful sunset that night.

 Time to make a wish!  Papa cheated with some helpers!

 Here we go!

 Hmmm....what is this?

 Oh!  This is good!

 This is really, REALLY good!

 I want to gobble it all up--even the plate--because it's so good!

 Birthdays are AWESOME!!!

It was so fun to watch Ashton's excitement grow and he got more and more into his cake.  The next morning we got up and went to church.  We came back and did a brunch and packed up to head home. We really have come to love staying in Long Beach and my dad would really like to do it every summer.  I'm so grateful for time spent with family celebrating!

Ashton at 1-year-old

This little boy is such a JOY to have in our family.  He is busy, busy, busy and always into trouble (the good kind, of course).  He usually smiling (mischieviously), giggling or trying to copy what his brothers are doing.

 I'm so grateful for the energy and the happiness he brings into our home.  It's hard not to smile when he smiles and laugh when he laughs.  From an early age he has made his presence known and made it clear that he WON'T be left out of any action without a fuss.

 He started walking at 9 months old--I'm sure just so he could keep up with everything!   Now, if only I could keep up with him!

 But truly, truly, I just love this sweet little face so much.  I'm so grateful for him.

 Things to know about Ashton at 1-year-old:

 

::  Favorite person in the whole world:  I would say it would have to be his brothers--especially Ethan

 ::  Favorite food:  Ashton really is not picky at all.  He mainly loves whatever anyone else is eating and always wants to try it for himself!

 ::  Favorite book:  Ashton loves board books and books he can interact with.

 ::  What he thinks he's really good at:  Anything his brothers are doing!

 ::  Vegetable he hates the most:  Cooked Green Beans

 ::  Favorite ice cream flavor:  Any flavor I will give him!

::  He loves to see his Daddy over FaceTime when he's away.

Ashton fits into our family perfectly.  His personality balances the other boys' out so well.

Ashton's 1st Birthday

So, all three of our boys' birthdays fall within a month-and-a half.  It's a little crazy.  So a few days after celebrating Carter's birthday we dove in to celebrating Ashton's.  Tristan still wasn't home so we decided to take a trip up to the zoo.  My dad came along to help me wrangle all three boys and he got this monkey for Ashton on our way in to see the animals.

My big birthday boy!

 My kids have always been fans of the aquarium exhibits, and Ashton is no exception!

 The sharks were very active that day because there were people who had paid to go down in a shark cage for the shark feed.  It was fun to see them swimming around so much compared to normal.

 The boys always look forward to petting the sting rays.

 A picture with Grandpa

 The octopus was also out more than usual that day.  Very fun to watch.

 We stopped and had a little picnic in the grass with our peacock friend.

 Grandpa got some kettle corn to share with the birthday boy and he gobbled it up!

 The boys were also treated to food to feed the birds.  They all loved it and Carter was especially focused on feeding them.

 Ashton kept trying to grab them, but the birds held their own.  Haha!

 As usual, we had to stop and play at the playground.  I think I have a picture of each of my boys in this log at about this age!  Probably wearing the same shirt, too!

 And, if you're going to the zoo, you have to stop for a Sonic treat on the way home!

 We enjoyed a quiet evening at home that day and Ashton opened a few presents.

 It's always nice to have a big brother to help out!

 Ashton loves Carter's Taggie Blanket, so the boys decided Ashton needed one of his own.

 It was a big hit!

We had a fun day celebrating our newest one-year-old.