Ben Turned 7! (...like, seven weeks ago...)

Yes... I'm continuing the make-up posts.   This should do it.  I hope.  

There is a downside to having an August birthday when you live in Tulsa.  Anyone care to guess what that is???  It's a 4 letter word, I'm warning you.  That's right.  It's the

HEAT.  

Ben was born premature (just by 4 1/2 weeks) and he had to stay in the NICU for a week after I was released.  The day we could finally bring him home from the hospital it was (no lie!) 104 degrees.  For real.  I'm serious.   That is NOT an exaggeration or even a 'heat index' that makes it 'feel like' 104.  That was the actual temperature.  So when I walked into the NICU with his car seat and nothing else, I couldn't figure out why his sweet nurse nearly flipped out!  "Where is his blanket???"  she asked.  I replied, "Uh, it's 104 outside."  But she seriously couldn't imagine sending a baby out of the hospital w/o a blanket.  So she gave us one.  Welcome to the world, Sweet Ben!  It's freaking hot.

The upside to having an August birthday?  I have another 4 letter word to start this one off:

POOL PARTY!!!!

Here are some much-belated pix from his special day.  Actually special night.  Yeah.  It's just too hot to have a daytime birthday party in August.  Even at the pool.

Okay... how CUTE is this boy???

The cake was a pool.  With Jello in the middle.  And  Life Savers for, well, life savers.  And gummy bears swimming. And a stick of gum for a diving board.  And Chicklets for the tiles.  And will you think more highly of me if I tell you the boys did the decorating???  'Cause it was kinda a disaster.  But the kids loved to eat it!  I mean... a cake w/ gum on it AND jello??? How can you go wrong???  

Oh, except the back fell off of it about 15 minutes after we got it to the pool.  

But... it was dark.  See?  Broken cake and happy boys.  ;-)

Ben blew out the candles as soon as we started singing.
Yep.  That's Ben.

That's right Baz.  Show us what you got!

No idea what is happening here.  Really.  No idea.

And when your sister is *this* cute, you have to have a pic of her in your birthday post.
 It's just, like, a rule or something.  :-)