Three's a Breeze...

 ...or since it's Frankie we're talking about, it's more like hurricane force winds.  Frankie has been our little storm since day one, and he hasn't slowed down since.  He really is a force in this world - a goofy force, a smart, sweet, loving, force, and definitely an unstoppable, talkative force.  That kid never stops talking - even in his sleep!

He loves his brother, his cat, Bo-Bo's, and his Broncos.  You will almost always find him in orange shorts and a Broncos jersey.  His favorite thing to play is football, and he knows a lot of the Broncos players - Emmanuel Sanders, Von Miller, Demarius Thomas... you name 'em, he knows 'em.  He is obsessed with Peyton Manning, and it's only fitting since the two share a birthday.  (And as much as he loves the Broncos, he hates the Patriots, as any good Broncos fan does.  He even says, "Tom Brady is a crybaby.") He loves Power Rangers and Paw Patrol, and Ninjago. Oh!  And we can't forget Animal Mechanicals.  He'll play anything his brother plays, and he'll do everything his brother does. He does gymnastics, preschool flag football, basket and soccer.  Football is his favorite, of course. He definitely holds his own out there on the flag football field during Daddy and TJ's practices. He loves pizza, donuts, and broccoli.

Frankie was adamant about having a Broncos birthday party, and he really wanted Peyton to come to his party at gymnastics.  Unfortunately, Peyton was contemplating his retirement, so he had to settle for a Broncos party with all his friends.  In typical little brother fashion, most of his friends are the siblings of his brother's friends.  So, we're lucky, TJ has so many wonderful friends! Of course, Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt G were there to celebrate, too. Frankie did pick a friend from daycare, and Colton was a little shy around all these new people.  That's when I saw the true heart of my crazy little Frankie. When the coach let the kids loose to run around the gym and go nuts, Frankie didn't. Instead, he went to Colton, took his hand, and walked with him, taking him to go play.  It melted my heart, and to this day, makes me tear up.  What a sweet boy. After that, everyone was having a blast, and we are so happy Frankie had the time of his life at this party.

When asked what his favorite part of his birthday part was, Frankie said, "Eating cupcakes."

Things didn't slow down there.  Frankie's birthday fell during Spring Break - a spring break covered in snow.  A blizzard had hit the day before, so it took us a little while to get going that morning.  But, when we did, we didn't slow down.  Frankie had an epic birthday complete with a Happy Meal, Cold Stone, Zootopia (with M&Ms and popcorn), and we finished it off with his favorite -- pancakes at IHOP!  If you haven't caught on, Frankie loves to eat!

It was the perfect, crazy day for our perfectly crazy three-year-old.

Quick Six!

And just like that... TJ is six!  January 18, 2016 came in a blink of an eye.  Even though he's closer to 6 and a half now, it's still hard to believe he's so grown up!

TJ had an epic birthday party at Xtreme Challenge - an indoor gladiator arena.  He had friends from school, friends since birth, their siblings, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt G and Nana there to celebrate with him.  Everyone had a great time... from the giant ball obstacles, to the "Tom and Jerry" harness station, to swinging on the ropes, there was fun everywhere you looked.  It was such a joy to watch TJ having the time of his life with his friends and family.

When I asked TJ what his favorite part of his birthday party was, this is what he said - "The obstacle course because it was fun.  You had to try to get across the other side without falling or else you had to start over again."

Once all the presents were opened and his Army-themed ice cream cake was eaten, we had a few days of downtime before celebrating his actual birthday.

We decided to head to the National Western Stock Show from some old-fashioned country fun.  The boys rode ponies, TJ made a lasso, and we saw the Super Dogs show.  It was a jam-packed day that was full of wonderful memories.

TJ has grown up and changed so much, but so much has stayed the same.

TJ is... sweet, kind, thoughtful, funny, smarter than all of us, and a joy to be around.  TJ is... a good friend, a busy kid (basketball, soccer, football, tee-ball, Tae Kwon Do, Lego class, you name it, he does it).  He's an excellent reader, and he loves learning about science and history.  He loves to draw and play with his cars and Legos.  He loves super heroes, Star Wars, and Call of Duty mega blocks sets.  He's a good and patient brother, a wonderful son, grandson and nephew.  He is such a blessing in our lives, and we are so lucky to be there for his journey.

According to TJ, the best thing about being six is you get to learn Spanish.

snow snow

Since it's snowing on April 30th, it seems appropriate we write about Christmas.

Christmas seems like so long ago, well, because it was.  We've been so busy, it's been impossible to take a moment to write about the holidays.  Christmas is always a magical time, and that magic grows with our family each year.

Little Frankie is obsessed with Santa, or as he calls him, "Ho Ho."  Even during the summer, it's all about "Ho Ho," so that Christmas Spirit is on steroids in December!  TJ's excitement is just as great. We were all able to have a few days off to spend at Grandma & Grandpa's, and we had a special white Christmas this year.   Since I haven't done a very good job of chronicling the last few months, I decided to ask the boys what they remember about this Christmas.

Here's what came out of their mouths -

TJ:
Presents
Getting my cowboy set from Grandma & Grandpa
It was snowing
When I woke up I was so excited
Grandma & Grandpa's, and my toys were the best and I got to play in the snow

Frankie:
Going to bed
Getting toys
Playing with toys
Driving to Grandma & Grandpa's
Paw Patroller
Broncos Helmet

That pretty much sums it up!  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! :)