krew's 4th "bird"-day!

At the end of October, Krew turned 4! As I was helping him think of theme ideas for his birthday party, as soon as I thought of this idea, I knew it was perfect for him: a "Bird"-day party!  Krew has always liked birds, and has spent a lot of time the past several months, going "birding" with his brothers.  Every time we go to the library, he wants to check out a book about birds, and usually he has a specific kind in mind.  First, it was bald eagles, and then it was ostriches, and so on.  So, a bird-day party it was!

Aren't these bird cupcakes the cutest?  Let me tell you, there are not a lot of ideas on Pinterest for bird themed parties, unless you want Angry Birds, or little baby bird parties for baby showers, or something.  So. instead of copying everyone else's ideas, this time I had to actually be creative on my own.  

The morning of his birthday, we had a little birthday party playgroup with a few of his little friends.  He was so excited to play with his friends, and he was completely excited about each gift he got.

For party favors, I gave each child a little bag of gummy worms that were labeled as bird food, some bird stickers, and one of those bird warbler whistles that you put water in.  I remember getting one of these when I was young, and I kept it forever.  I was so excited to see that someone still makes and sells them, because they were perfect for the bird birthday party.

Later, we celebrated his birthday will our little family, and I let Krew decorate his own cake.  He asked for help writing a 4, but otherwise he did it all by himself, and he could not have been more pleased with his birthday cake.

We sure love this little guy.  He so perfectly fits in our family, and I don't know what we would do without him. I love that I get to celebrate all his birthdays with him!

2015 wisconsin physician assistant of the year

In October, Bart was informed that he was one of the five finalists for the 2015 Wisconsin PA of the Year award.  So, we were able to attend an awards banquet where all of the finalists were recognized, and the winner was announced.  Well, it should surprise no one that Bart was named the 2015 Wisconsin Physician Assistant of the Year!

 Before it was announced that he was the winner, he kept saying that he didn't deserve to win.  But he was wrong.  He couldn't be more deserving.  Everyday he works to serve the minority groups in this area, he has mentored and taught several PA students, he serves on more than one committee to help improve the care that his patients receive.  He is well liked by his patients, and staff.  He loves learning more about medicine, and is always striving to improve as a PA.

 He got up after his name was called, and gave the most perfect acceptance speech.  I cannot believe that he didn't have it planned out word for word beforehand, because it was amazing!  He made people laugh, he made them cry, he was inspiring, and humble and confident.  I know I'm biased, but his acceptance speech was the most interesting part of the whole evening.

 I am just so proud of him, I could burst!!

It was a really special night, and I feel lucky to be married to such an awesome man!

fall apple picking

In October, we found the cutest little apple picking farm and spent the afternoon in the crisp, fall air, enjoying the warmth of the sun.  We picked apples as the little ones ran around, hiding behind the trees, and sneaking bites of our harvest.  It was one of those picture-perfect family outings, and we will have to make sure we repeat the adventure next fall.