It’s your birthday! W00t! So because I love you ginormous, I want to share with you and everybody, three of what I consider (some of) your best traits:

You are extremely funny. Nobody can touch your Sean Connery impression, the SNL version or the one where he is singing how he left his heart in San Francisco. Plus, you just make up stuff that’s real funny.

You are incredibly sweet. I have never know a father that has spent as many nights as you have trying to calm their crying baby (while the mama slept like a log) or spent a night on the floor with their wife’s sick dog. And it’s not a strain for you, it just comes natural.

And your best trait, as it applies to me, would be an encourager who has pushed me (and sometimes dragged if it was necessary) through college, pregnancy, labor, and LOTS of not pleasant stuff. I have given you lots of experience on this one and you have mastered the art of encouragement in my book. You calm me with your gentle and loving spirit.

You are an excellent son, brother, husband, uncle, and now father (might I add friend) making great strides at figuring it all out AND always providing a laugh for others along the way.

I hope you have a wonderful day and it begins one of the best years of your life.

When she was al ittle girl they would call her Jacko-Lantern Colslaw. I call her J. She is my best friend, my wife, and the mother of my beautiful son. She is the only person in the world who “gets” me. Today my J turns 30 years old. I have now known her half her life now. The day she walked off the big yellow school bus and walked down the hall of WRHS, was the day my stomach jumped a little, and my heart skipped a beat. I thought it was because she had a cute butt, but in fact it was because my soul knew before I did that she was the one for me.

Today is her Birthday! So your mission is to leave a comment for her This is her facebook. I am still working on her.

Happy Birthday Honey, I love you.

Greg.

p.s Head over to www.easycheese.net and wish Kelly Happy Birthday too! Happy Birthday Kelly!

I have thought of a 100 different ways to write this post. A million different emotions go through my mind when I think about this past year. Jackie and I were talking about 2008 on new years eve, and how this past year has been the most stressful, eventful, joyful and emotional year we have ever had together. It has also been the BEST year we have ever had together. The main reason for its success was our faith in God to always provide for us and give us exactly what we needed to make it through the hard times. The other reason is that little boy you have all watched grow so much in the last 365 days, his name of course is Desmond.

I have never talked on here about the day of Jackie’s delivery. Maybe I will share little bits as the years go by. I remember little things like the night before staying in the hospital. I remember the nurses and how awesome they were. I remember being scared, and I kept telling myself to “be a man Greg, this was it, it is all going to change from here on out, she needs you, he needs you, its not about you anymore, its going to be OK“.  When I first saw him he was crying and I remember his little cry when he came out into the world. The look on his face is something I will never forget. I had just seen Jackie cry and go through all she went through, and as soon as I saw his face and him crying I saw Jackie in him, they cried the same. He grabbed my finger with his hand, and instantly I fell completely in love with him.

I did not feel any different after Desmond was born. I did not feel like a Dad or anything like that until much later. I knew things were going to change, and I had to welcome the change, I did not have a choice. Today I do feel like a Dad, everyday of being a Dad is an amazing feeling. It is my favorite job, and maybe job is not the right word, maybe gift or opportunity, or privilege? I do not know. I do know I can’t remember life before him. I remember life of course, but now its just better. It is never dull or boring, it is always go, go, go. Much different from how I remember life before. Jackie and I have grown so much closer as a husband and wife, we take care of each other, and love each other more then I could have ever dreamed.

So Happy Birthday Desmond, you are now ONE! You are walking, talking some, you want things, you play, you make us laugh every single day, you keep us up at night sometimes, you poop and pee on us, you puke on us, throw food, bite, laugh, smile, wave and say heeeey, lean your head to side like a little flurt, have beautiful curly hair, love to dance and play music, and most of all you love us with all your heart, and for this we love you too. Happy Birthday buddy. Thank you for so much joy.

I have put together a little video of some of my favorite photos over the past year, added a little music by Kenny Chezbutt, and WALaa! Instant Video Cheese So grab a tissue and sit back and have a cry, our baby boy is growing up.

(click here to download video)

Today is Danny’s birthday! He turns two today. As a special treat just for him, I will do a Limerick. I can’t believe he is two! It seems like yesterday he was 1. Ohh……he was 1 yesterday.

I know a wee boy named DB
he likes to chase dogs around the tree
soon he will be a big bro, to a sister we don’t know
OMG next year he will turn three!

Happy birthday big boy!

Guilty on all accounts!

Any family outing that involves 14 to 17 people can cause plans to change 100 times before something is set in stone. There was no exception this weekend for Momma Colson’s Birthday. What started out as a Sunday morning breakfast idea, turned into a 7:30am cracker barrel breakfast idea, that it turned into a Perry cracker barrel lunch, that turned into a warner robins cracker barrel breakfast lunch that turned into the final destination of IHOP. What was the reasoning behind the changes? Mostly because cracker barrel takes too long with their service. We thought ihop would be different. So after sitting in the lobby for 45 minutes with 300 kids, the hostess came out with crayons and paper. I knew then it was going to be a looooong wait. Getting seated finally happened sometime after my third gray hair grew. Another 45 minutes later food came out, but I was already too weak, my end was near. My final resting place was going to be ihop on Watson blvd. I do have to say though, the food and service was great, so kudos there.

Once I regained my strength again, we celebrated and made as much noise as one would expect from an army of Colson spin offs. Soon, we owned the place. we put the HOP back in I again. Enjoy some photos from this fun filled event!

1. Bob and Danyelle debate what is better, Pancake or Waffle?
2. Ivy thinks they are both ridiculous.
3. Clearly she believes whip cream beats all.
4. Can you feel the love from these kids?
5. When asked to sit like a lady, she did the best she could.
6. Still waiting…

Today is my moms birthday.  I dug up some photos to share as it is Memory Monday. Are you still wondering were Desmond gets the tongue thing from? Must be a Hogan thing. The proof is in the pictures. Happy birthday Mom, way to turn 60! You don’t look a day over 55!

Just kidding, she does not turn 60, but that will teach her for telling Jennifer she did. Poor Jenn called me last week freaking out, because 60 was a big deal, and we needed to do something HUGE for it!

4 Months and 11 days. It is incredible that we are this far in and so much has happened. Desmond is by far the happiest, laid back, easy going lovable little guy I have ever known. We are truly blessed to have such a joy in our lives. I don’t even mind changing his poopy diapers. Of course I have not gotten to what we call “Man Poop” yet. When solid food comes into play that just maybe a whole blog entry of itself. Jackie had a case of PPS tonight, she denied it. The thing is, we all deny it at 1st, that’s why its called Phantom Poop Syndrome. Another interesting fact, I get A LOT of Google traffic searches for “Phantom Poop Syndrome” that is hilarious if you ask me. Wow what is up with me and the graphic blog entries, I swear that was an accident. Moving on.

Today was 4 month visit day. He weighs 17.3 lbs. He is 27 inches Long. That puts him in the 95% range. I believe the doctors exact words were “he is a big baby”. He also got his shots, he did really well, just a little holler and he was done. Not even any tears. Yesterday he rolled over. A big mile stone for him, now as soon as you set him down on his back he likes to show off and roll right over. He lets out a big smile too. He knows he is a big deal. I am posting some video of that.

Also today is Mr. Colson’s Birthday!!! happy Birthday Bobby!

httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=xiJ-nIu3aqA

Long ago in the hills of Lough Gur Ireland a Prince who’s father, The Earl of Desmond and Mother Queen Áine placed  a spell on the boy to teach him a lesson. He had the ability to take any shape or form and was turned into the last thing he was which was a raven. To break the spell he had to ride his horse around the lake 1 time every 7 years until the horses silver shoes wore down and broke. Only then would the spell be broken, and he would be free to change back to himself. Some say the spell is broken, and he swims with his mothers spirit around the lake in the form of a swan. Others say he still rides around the lake, every 7 years. Queen Áine died and was buried on the hill my Nana lives on. She was buried with her large treasure of gold. That treasure and her grave have never been found.

These are the kinds of stories my Nana would tell me before bedtime when I spent the summers at her home in Country Limerick. My imagination would run wild at the ideas of finding such a thing. I would get up early in the mornings and roam the hills looking for clues. I would dig holes for hours and days all over the country side. I have made many a farmer mad, been chased by my fair share of bulls, I have been stuck in barbed wire, shocked by electric fences, you name it I did it. All to find a treasure.

My Nana turns 80 today.  She is by far the most entertaining woman I have ever known. She has given me some of the best memories of my childhood in Ireland. I spoke with her earlier and she had a suprise party this past weekend. They did a big thing at Bunratty Castle,they did not get home till 5:30am. That’s what I mean, she rolls like that, and she is 80! Happy Birthday Nana, thank you for all the wonderful stories that I will get to tell Desmond for years to come. His imagination will run wild just like mine. I just hope I can tell the stories as well as you did.

Awww, Aunt Amelia!

Ok, Here is a birthday wish from Dylan and Ivy. Then some songs by little Ivy, she is so sweet and precious. This is just priceless video. American Idol anyone?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3sFjA5KnoA[/youtube]

Master Egg Picker-Upper!