Josh Renaud's weblog detailing the exploits of his family in Ferguson, MO, USA. Starring Yoli, Jadzia, Ludi, Josie, and Joseph Renaud.
My parents, aunts, and uncles got together to plan a special celebration for Grandma Renaud’s 80th birthday.
They held the party here in St. Louis, where Grandma was born and lived for many years. Around 70 people came from Texas and places farther afield. It was a lot of fun to see Becker and Renaud relatives together in one room again.
There was a dress code, so I was required to go out and buy a new suit. Yoli and I ended up cleaning up pretty nicely, I think.
Ludi turned four years old a couple weeks ago. We had a simple party with the family and one of her friends. They all had a blast. Here are some photos from her special day:
Continue reading “The big four”
One year ago, it was after 1 a.m. and Yoli was making crepes in anticipation of our new baby’s arrival the next day. As she was cooking, her first contractions began. After a while we had to call in my folks and head out to the hospital. No rest for the weary that night!
But what a wonderful year we have had with Joseph. He is such a lovely, playful, curious boy who fills us with joy. He’s not perfect, but he has been a sort of respite compared with some of our other babies.
Tonight we had a lovely birthday party, attended by my parents and Jon and Brittney. Much pizza, cake, and mate/chai was consumed.
Joseph got some clothes and a toy camera and a play workbench. I wasn’t sure if he would take to the workbench but he began playing with it right away. Happy first year, lil guy.
Our little girl is growing up so fast. As I mentioned in a recent entry, her language ability is growing by leaps and bounds. She picks up new words and phrases all the time. We still have to do a lot of “decoding,” but she is becoming more and more understandable.
My brother Jon and my parents came over to help us celebrate. We had some Imo’s Pizza and a nice cake to mark the occasion. The Imo’s was good, but pricey. I’ll probably stick with Cecil Whittaker’s or Faraci’s in the future, but Imo’s was nearby and open for lunch.
Check out the photos…
Yesterday was Joseph’s “half birthday,” at which he turned six months old. To celebrate, Yoli made a half-circle chocolate cake. (Not to mention the turkey, Yorkshire pudding, and green beans)
This morning we took him out to a new portrait studio to have his baby photo taken, so we can hang it on the wall next to his sisters’ photos. They got a lot of great shots, and we got a CD with low-res versions of most them. Here are our favorites….
Josie turned one year old on Jan. 14. We had a nice little party with the girls and their Nanny. Yoli made homemade pizza, which was awesome. Josie got a kick out of it, and she wasn’t shy about wolfing down the birthday cake, either.
Keep reading to see some photos from the festivities (and to learn about the bald-day).
So, I hit a milestone 10 days ago: the big three-oh. Haven’t really noticed anything different, other than my brother Justin referring to me as “old man” on the phone today. (But then I am still called “young Josh” by at least one coworker)
By which I mean to say that the day I turned 30 had some humbling moments. (The age itself really doesn’t faze me, and I haven’t given it much thought)
Our journey to Washington D.C. was a lot of fun, but it was marked by moments of constantly being lost.
As always, Jadzia was excited about her birthday long before it was anywhere near time for it. One day Yoli brought home a book of different cake designs. Jadzia found a monster cake, and announced that that was what she wanted for her birthday. Her resolve never wavered, and weeks and months later, Yoli made her a monster cake.
This year was my dad’s 50th birthday. My mom began making big plans for it ahead of time. The centerpiece of her plans were to have a golf outing for my dad which would involve he and his brothers, as well as me and my brothers. Also in the works was a trip the next day to see a Cardinals game.