happy birthday, toby!

toby is 5. no longer a baby or toddler or preschooler. a kid. it's official. there even was a fabulous party. the indoor swim party was a huge success. lots of fun. lots of dads, in the pool with the kids! how cool.
first, the place was private, just for us, with a sign on the door welcoming the friends and family of toby coates. everyone arrived, and jumped right in the pool. after swimming, it was cake and presents time. toby loved all the toys. we are still opening them- the last one is today. i like to space them out, one or two a day, so it's not so overwhelming, for him or me.

a really fun foam slide in the pool. buddies!!

presents and thank yous. he said thank you to the kids as he opened the gifts, then i had him go around and thank the grown-ups, too. he was a great kid all day. so excited, and really had a great birthday party. thanks swim kids!

holiday pictures!!!

triumphant in opening presents! i love that there's already a ring of shiny candy stain around his mouth.
at the nutcracker in symphony hall. he loved it. he even felt compelled to do a spin in the aisle. he's showing us the map of where the new train goes. he got to build a gingerbread house with grandma and daddy.

and did some art work on our sidewalk. it's supposed to be us, matthew on the left, me on the right and toby apparently riding one of our cats......

i know!

so it's been a really long time, blogosphere-wise, since i last posted. there was nothing about christmas, or new year's, or all the things that happened in between. i'm now at work, so i don't have any pictures on this computer to help tell the stories, so i'll wait until i'm home to officially post about our holidays.
but now, it's 2009, and so far, it's pretty darn great. i did not enjoy 2008, there were lots of things that i wish i could make disappear. but alas, i cannot. so i'm thouroughly enjoying that our lovely new year is trying to diminish the yuck by being super great so far.
my baby turns 5 in only 6 more days. that countdown clock is getting really short on time.
we picked the big party location, and have secured a swim party. in january. cool, right? don't be alarmed, it's an indoor and heated pool facility. with a lifeguard for the party. i ordered a cupcake cake of a swimming pool. and the cake is the only thing i have to do. i love that.
now if people will just hurry up and start rsvp-ing.
my baby is gonna be a kid. next thing i know, he'll be graduating high school and i'll wonder where the time went!