Greyson's 12th Birthday

How in the world have we gotten to the very last birthday before he becomes a teen? It just does not seem possible.  I have watched him  change so much over the last year and have noticed the little boy slipping away and being replace by a young man.  It is bittersweet,  I am excited to see who Greyson will turn into, but sad to be saying goodbye to my first little boy.

We started the morning of Greyson's birthday off with a donut cake. We like to have candles with every meal on our birthday, so he started off his morning making a wish.

Later that afternoon he opened presents from us and from his Gigi & Papa. This year he is all about camping gear, ropes, carabiners, tools, & tool boxes.  He did get an awesome Lego architecture set from my parents that he was very excited about.  

Greyson requested a YouTube cake this year because he loves making videos for his YouTube channel.  I always get nervous when they request their cakes, because I really don't know how to decorate cakes.  Thankfully this one was easy.  

Greyson loves rollercoasters and has been wanted to get back to the amusement park after going with a friend a couple months ago, so we all made the trip to Fantasilandia. It's a small park, but had a pretty good selection of rides.  The boys got to ride all the coasters and rides they wanted without any wait at all.  

Lincoln went of his very first upside down ride.  

Britton taking me on an afternoon drive. 

Greyson and Ben are on there somewhere, 

And they finished our fun day with icecream.  

Happy 12th Birthday, Greyson!  Now, let's slow down a little, ok?

We have a 6 year old!

This little guy turned 6 a few weeks ago and I am not really sure how this is possible.  This is a photo of Britton the week we moved to Thailand 5 years ago.  I never thought that we would still be in Thailand 5 years later and I didn't think my baby would turn 6 so quickly.  Honestly, I just had him!! But, he is 6, So, here is how we celebrated Britton.  

The day before Britton's birthday we had to run to the embassy to get the boys passports re-newed, so my husband took the whole day off and we decided to start celebrating Britton's birthday a day early.

We stopped at the book store to check out a few books. 

Britton got to choose where he wanted to eat and he chose McDonald's.  It's so funny because kids just have a thing about McDonald's.  He has only eaten there a handful of times and this is what he really wanted. 

Then off to go bowling. 

And to finish the day with some ice cream from Dairy Queen. 

And a visit with a superhero.

It's Britton's Birthday

 Birthday Pancakes.  A tradition at our house.

 Me & the birthday boy

Science Museum with Homeschool Co-op

 We had a homeschool field trip scheduled on Britton's birthday, so he got to celebrate the day with friends.

 We took a chemistry class with our group.  It was a lot of fun. 

Cake & Presents

 Very excited about his snorkeling gear

 I told him I would make anything for dinner...he chose peanut butter & jelly!

Friend Birthday Party/ Swim Party

A few days later we celebrated again with his friends at the pool.  Brittton had a great week celebrating his special day!

Here was Britton's 5th birthday party.  It was a Jake and the Neverland Pirate theme.  

Now to get ready for Greyson's 11th birthday!!

One of my Favorite Things

With the holiday season around the corner, I thought I would share this great find with you.  I love finding  gifts for my friends and family.  I like searching for something that is meaningful and useful at the same time. Well, I found the perfect gift, especially if you are searching for a coffee or tea lover. It is personal, useful, and thoughtful!

Back in April, I was searching for a gift for my sister and decided to check out ETSY.  I don't use this site often, but I am so glad I checked it out because I found Girl After my Own Heart.  She decorates personalized mugs and I fell in love with her long distance mugs.  It was exactly what I was looking for.

Hayleigh, the designer behind Girl After my Own Heart, is a wife, mother, and teacher and started this business as a way to be creative. She started by making the mugs as Christmas gifts for her family and it blossomed into a business for her.   And she does a phenomenal job on these mugs! They are so professionally done.  Hayleigh doesn't use cheap dollar store mugs either. She uses beautiful Crate and Barrel mugs.  You are getting a great quality product when you order from her.

She is so sweet too.  After my first order and my mom and sister both raved about the mug, I went on to order two more mugs.  The mug I ordered for my mom was personalized with her name and the boy's names around each country.  Hayleigh sent me pictures of the mugs after she finished each one to make sure I was happy with it before she shipped it.  She gave me suggestions for one of the designs and was really easy to get in touch with. Hayleigh has a ton of designs and is willing to personalize the mugs for you.

One reason I loved her mugs so much was because this is a little reminder to our family and friends that even though we live across the world, we still think of  them everyday.  Sharing a cup of coffee with my family is something I really miss.  It's funny the things you miss after being away for over four years.  I ordered a mug for my best friend last month because coffee dates were our thing.  I miss sitting around with her, sipping our coffee, and chatting about our kids and life.  I know it sounds silly, but this mug makes me feel like a little piece of me is back in Ohio with them.


Now I am just trying to figure out who else I can order one of these mugs for because I loved how they turned out so much.  Think my family and friends would mind if they get these adorable mugs for the next few holidays?   Check out Hayleigh at Girl After My Own Heart and tell her that Sara sent you her way.  Happy Shopping!

*I have not received anything from Girl After My Own Heart in order to share her business.  I just loved the finished product so much and I wanted you all to know about it. *

* Photo Credit: Hayleigh- Girl After My Own Heart