Birthday Parties

We had a joint family birthday party for Brock and Megan.

For Brock's cake he picked a soccer ball and bat man.  Which pretty much describes Brock's personality right now.  He is growing out of all his "little boy stuff" - but is not sure what "big boy stuff" he likes yet.  He had a hard time deciding what he wanted for his birthday and what he wanted on his cake.  Nothing really appealed to him.  It kind of Broke my heart - But I knew eventually one day he wouldn't think tractors and super hero's were cool - we aren't QUITE there yet - but almost.

Megan chose a Tinker Bell cake (she had watched Peter Pan for the first time the day before and fell in love with her - not my favorite - if you watch Peter Pan Tinker Bell does not come off as a very good role model!)  But she really wanted one - I knew I could pull off something so extravagant so I just went with a Tinker Bell candle - she didn't know I took the easy way out and she loved her cake anyways.

 

Opening presents.  Megan got a scooter, puzzles, paint, and a Tinker Bell doll,

 

Brock got a base ball bat, some battling tops, some bike accessories, and some fish! (From his grandma Herbert)

She set us up with a nice tank and 4 fish.  We named them Sensi Wu (from ninjago), Tinker Bell, Ramora (he is a sucker fish and there is a "remora power" from Wild Krats that is a sucker fish) (maybe my kids watch too much tv), and Jason got to name one and he chose Mr. Randolf - we are not sure why and no explanation was offered. 

  

Megan's Birthday

I can't believe I haven't finished up our April birthday's yet - bad mama.  Megan's birthday was last month - she turned three!  Which for the most part was shocking because she is ONLY three.  I have felt like she was three for almost a year.  Developmentally she is more like a four year old - except for her tantrums - those are definitely three year old tantrums.

 

I let Megan pick what she wanted to do for her birthday - it was a toss up between Chuck E Cheese and a "jumping place".  To my surprise she picked a jumping place.  We went to the one right by our house that we have never gone to before because it costs like a million dollars - but we didn't have time to drive into Utah County for the cheaper ones. 

 

Anyways - we had a GREAT time.  It was mostly just us and everyone loved it.

The birthday girl - after an hour and a half of running and jumping.  She looks A LOT like my little sister Ashley in this picture - I have never noticed that before.

 

Happy Birthday Bug!

Mother's Day Pictures

My mother's day post was a little pre mature.  I took pictures later on that day.  The kids would not get in a picture all together - so I tried to do boys and girls.  Boys wouldn't.  So I had to go a quick - I hold the camera and just say "cheese" - thing.  Hey I at least got one of each of them.

Just a quick sappy thing - these four children are my everything.  I was unsure about having all these kids so close together but I LOVE our family.  It is so perfect for us.  We are so happy and I couldn't imagine anything better.

Actually I wasn't planning on doing this but last week I was looking for something in my high school files and I cam across I poem I had written in a creative writing class I took senior year.  I was so shocked by it.  I have no memory of the "type" of mom I wanted to be and I thought I was just making it up as I go along.  Turns out it was always in me.

 

Most of it is true.  Other than I don't spend money on cute decorations for my house or clothes for my husband.  I have yet to sew a Halloween costume with a sewing machine - only a hot glue gun.  And I am not sure exactly what a "house dress" is - I am picturing Leave it to Beaver - maybe I should get one. 

Mother's Day

 
 
It turns out I really like moving holiday's around to fit my own convenience - maybe that will be our family tradition - holidays when we want them.  So in fitting with our now new tradition I, again, moved Mother's Day to Saturday.  It just makes sense.  Sunday's are anything but "restful" around here and as much as Jason would be willing to try I like things done a certain way on Sunday to make sure we can make it out of the house in time for church, looking the way (girl's hair) I want them to look, and with the ability to make it through the next three hours as happily as possible.  So... I asked for a restful Mother's Day on Saturday.  And boy did my family deliver.

 

I slept in until 8:30 - and stayed up in our room and showered and got ready and did my reading all before even coming downstairs.  This was around 9:45.  Jason had made my favorite breakfast: milk mush.  This meal is hard to master and he has had trouble in the past.  It has some difficult key ingredients that he has often forgotten AND it is really really easy to burn.  But I am happy to report after 8 years of making it twice a year (Mother's Day and my birthday) he got it perfect.  He had all the right ingredients and didn't burn it.  It was wonderful (the years of burnt ones were wonderful too, honey).

 

Then the kids gave me their cards.  Noah's made me especially happy.  If you can't tell it says, "hapee Mufors day". I hadn't realized that he pronounces it that way - but he does.  The stage of phonetic spelling is so fun!

 

 

 Then inside the card was this picture.  At first I thought 2 things 1)He is asking for a dog - they have been asking lately and was trying to slip some propaganda into my Mother's day card or 2) They used to draw Madison like this when she was crawling and he did it out of habit.  Turns out I was wrong about both. I am the ones on my hands and knees (when he said that I quickly assumed I was scrubbing a floor or cleaning up a mess - wrong again) I am playing "tiger" with the family and I am the tiger.  Now "tiger" is a game my kids LOVE to play and I kind of hate it.  I put if off as long as possible.  It is me crawling around like a tiger growling and attacking them.  I hate it for one reason mainly - it always ends in several of them crying or throwing fits.  I either didn't chase them enough or I chased them too much, or I hurt them, or I am not growling loud enough, or they want me on my hands and knees more, and no matter how long we play they are mad when we stop.  But Noah loves playing and asks at least 3 times a day.  So this card made me smile because I took it as he remembers the times I DO play and he loves those.

 

Back to Mother's Day: Then we had Brock's soccer game and then two birthday parties for the boy's to attend.  I took a bike ride with Brock while the girls napped; while during the day Jason mowed the lawn and did all the laundry.  Jason made a wonderful dinner (salmon - he is the best Salmon cooker) and then him and the kids made me chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert.  I had one with the kids before bed and then I ate 15 while I watched New Girl and The Middle in bed. 

 

It was a glorious and restful Mother's Day.  Now today (Sunday) I am actually at home with sick girls while the boys are at church (I missed the Sacrament singing - SO SAD) and then we are off to my mom's for dinner.

Brock's Party

We have two birthday's in April - Brock's and Megan's.  Here it is May 5th and I still haven't blogged about them.  For some reason the birthday posts are the most overwhelming posts to do.  Well I figured I could smash out Brock's friend party real quick - mostly because I threw it together real quick.  Just 3 days before we decided to do it.  And we picked a pirate theme.

 

This is actually me going over board (haha - pirate theme... over board... get it...)  anyways, the night before I thought, "we should go on a treasure hunt for our party bags"... one thing led to another and I found myself designing a map of our neighborhood, making individual routs for each kid, and burning the edges.  On a side note: turns out our smoke detectors don't work because I for sure set a few on fire and gave myself smoke inhalation. 

  

I made cupcakes with a quick bones cross.

 

We hid some treasure in the back yard

  

Here are the pirates.  (back row)Wes, Carson, Brad, Brock, Kaden, Logan, Izak, (front row) Sam, Megan, and Noah.  In the very front is my new "baby sitter in training" - she is 12 and I have been "training" her to watch my kids.  She was off track (LOVE 6th grad babysitter for when they go off track - I can run an errand while my kids nap - it is  the BEST).  Anyways I had her come help me with the party.

 

And Brock wanted one of his presents to be in the post.  I forgot to really take any pictures of  the party.  Guess I was too busy with 11 kids.  My bad.