Beckham's birthday extravaganza and Father's Day

I feel like all I ever do is catch up on this thing. The past week has been packed with birthdays, fathers day, end of preschool, and family in town. I guess I will go with the birthday and father's Day fun first! My parents came up for the weekend to celebrate and party like the rock stars that they are. We hit the Mariners game, Snoqualmie falls, XXX Root beer, and a good old fashion train ride! We made yummy gluten free wheat free dinners and then stuffed our faces with a train birthday cake, rhubarb crisp, and watermelon galore!!! My dad made Beckham the coolest train table and my mom painted it with many sweet and personal details. It is such a treasure and something that will be loved and used for years to come. Thank you mom and dad, you guys are amazing! We always have fun when nana and papa come and I always wish they could stay longer. The kids love it, we love it, and hopefully they love it too! Now bring on the pictures! (as always, you can click on a photo to enlarge it, I think you can even see the names of the buildings on the train table if you click on it.)

The Mariners pretty much stink lately but that didn't deter us from enjoying an evening at the ball park. We love the atmosphere, the view, the company, and the game is alright too I guess...

For Beckham's Birthday we decided to take him to ride the train from Snoqualmie to North bend, over the waterfalls, and back. It was so fun to see him get excited about the big Choo-Choo. He is pretty obsessed with trains right now and loved hearing and seeing them up close and in person. However, the excitement soon wore off and half way through the ride we were trying to find things to entertain him with.

After the train ride and lunch it was home for a nap and to bake the cake. I have always loved decorating the kids' birthday cakes. For this one I found a great cake pan in the shape of a train. I really liked it because everyone could have their own little train car and decorating it was better without covering it in gobs of frosting. I just used enough to attach the candy and it was perfect! Madison LOVED helping me and was so excited to give it to her brother.

And last but definitely not least, we opened presents and played, played, played! I think the hit of the night was his custom made train table. My parents did such an amazing job on this table and I am beside myself with true gratitude for all their hard work. It was definitely a labor of love and one that didn't come easily... Thank you, thank you, thank you! My mom painted a city scene and personalized the buildings with all the people who love our little Bex. It is now our very own family heirloom that will be handed down to grand kids and great grand kids. Beckham is playing with it as I type this and is happy as a clam.

As for Father's Day, my parents drove home that day so I made the boys omelets for breakfast and then gave them their gifts. My dad said he would just have my mom do all the driving home as his father's day present. Ronnie got the day off too and didn't have to do dishes or cook. He got a little nap and then I made him dinner. It was just fun having my dad here to celebrate with. His birthday, Beckham's birthday, and father's day are all within a few days so it's a perfect excuse to get them out here. We had a great weekend and are excited to see mom and dad again in July and then August. I sure do love living so close!