Megan's Birthday Party

When Megan grows up she wants to be an artist, art teacher, and a mom.  She loves to do art all day.  So for her birthday party we did an art party.  This party came together in about 34 hours.  I am the worst when it comes to planning my kids birthday parties - I always leave it to the week before - or even the day before.  I am grateful to parents who still bring their kids to their parties with only a day or two notice.

Her invitation

We painted wooden jewlery boxes.  It is wonderful having a preschool for activities like these.

I also had jewels for them to put on.

A painting party also fits well to a color/rainbow theme.  My preschool kids had recently made this hand print rainbow for St. Patricks day - so  brought it up to add to the theme.

Her cake

and for snack we did these rainbow fruit-ka-bobs.

And all the looks of a 6 year old Megan.

Bryn, Anyia, Jackson (the only boy), Madison (top), Megan, Addison, Nora, Sydney, Afton, and Zoe

It was a great party.

Megan's Birthday with Grandma

Megan got an extra special treat for her sixth birthday this year.  Grandma was here!!  She got taken out to lunch and shopping to pick out a present (Lego's) - now that we are in Denver nobody gets that kind of treatment on their birthday - lucky girl!!  Also for her birthday breakfast she wanted Panikakers (like crepes) and my mom is the Panikaker master (she is the one I learned from) - so of course grandma stepped in and made us all a wonderful breakfast.

Megan looks thrilled doesn't she?  Why are kids so weird sometimes?  She got this birthday crown at school that she got to wear all day - she insisted on wearing it almost all week.  It was pretty adorable.

A new bike!

My mom and Aunt Jen

My mom and my Aunt Jen came out to visit in April.  It was so so so wonderful!  I haven't had any visitors for a year (other than my brother's family on a drive through visit).  I miss my Family so much being here and I especially miss my grandma and my aunts.  I hand't realized the wonderful impact of having "older" women in my life had on me.  Since I was a little girl I loved just being in the same room or at the same table listening to them all talk and as I grew older I started to love our conversations, their advice, or their own stories and experiences of motherhood.  It provides a great perspective and can sooth my nerves to hear from someone that I know so intimately that we all go through the same stuff but it all turns out ok in the end.  I know their stories, I know their struggles, and yet everything always comes around.  I also love that they know me, they know my story, my history, in a way nobody else does.   So, needless to say, I LOVED that Jen came out with my mom.

We had such a great time.  They mostly just lived my life with me, I still taught preschool, and all the kids did their regular things, school, soccer, dance, swimming, homework, scouts, etc but it was just nice to have the company and the kids LOVED the extra attention and support.  We stayed up way to late (like 11:00 PM!!) eating yummy dessert and chatting.  I hope they come back!

Napping - or... NOT napping I should say

While we were in Boise I decided to have Madison stop napping.   I insist on my children napping until Kindergarten and because my children are so close in age and becasue I am so vigilant (read: crazy) about it I have been having nap time every single day for almost 9 years.  That is kind of crazy to think about.  I was NOT one of those mom's who EVER EVER had a child skip nap times - I was a little crazy - but it was so worth it.  I loved our routine.  There was a time (about a year) when even all four were napping at the same time.  It was hard to actually pull off - but it felt so good when I would get all 4 of them down at the same time.  Not just so I could have "alone" time (although I did need that) - I loved that I knew they were all getting the rest they needed and happy enough to take a nap.  But to think that I have been home every single day napping a child from about 1:00 - 3:00 for 9 years is crazy.  Given that strict routine I thought that I would go through a major adjustment not having naps.

The weird thing is I really haven't.  The first, like, 2 days were a little off.  But nothing has felt long or boring.  It has been pretty awesome.  It is nice not having to rush home, or interrupt their play.  I have been so surprised at how easily I let go of that part of my life.  I hope I adjust to all the coming changes as I slowly let go of having and little kids to all just regular kids.

A down side is that SHE actually hasn't been adjusting as well as my older ones did.  Truth is I did it 2 months earlier because I was selfish and wanted her to be adjusted BEFORE summer - but still.  She was great the first 3 weeks or so, but now she is just crabby and tired all the time.  We have gone to napping her twice a week - but that doesn't really seem to help.  I think things would be better if we could put her to bed at 7:00 - but it just doesn't really work with her and Megan sharing a room.  I can't decided if I am going to A)go back to naps, B)really try to find a way to get her to bed by 7 or C)just put my head down and keep trudging along with a crabby 4 year old.  Each day a different solution sounds nice.

Grandma and Grandpa Herbert

Jason's parents came out to visit in April.  I just love having house guests.  One reason we bough the house we did is that it would hold house guests.  I just love when people stop in - even for just a night.  But I also love when family comes and stays longer.  They couldn't have come at a better time.  Brock had just officailly gotten diagnosed with a learning disability (dysgraphia) and Debby is SO HELPFUL with stuff like that.  She came in, talked me through everything and gave me the tools and confidence to move forward.  She is such a great mother to me, Jason and our children.  I love her deeply.  

We also went hiking.

We also went bowling.  Well... kind of.  My Father in law, Randy, was the first to bowl, and on his first throw he tripped and actually broke his shoulder!!  I felt so sad, they obviously left the bowling ally right away and never even got to bowl with the kids or anything and went to urgent care for an x-ray.  They had to cut their trip short and miss seeing their other son and his family and head straight home.  So sad!

Easter

I took very few pictures of Easter this year.  I kind of went through a rut.  If you couldn't tell my blogging is pathetic.  I can't believe I didn't blog once in the month of May.  I have only really missed about 3 months in the past 9 years I have been blogging.  Well while i have been in a blogging rut i have also been in a picture taking rut.  Sometimes I feel like - do I really need to take pictures of dying Eater eggs again?  Especially now when my children don't really change from year to year.  But, then when I go to blog about it I am sad their isn't a picture.  So I guess I just need to force myself out of those ruts!

Well, for Easter here are the pictures I DID take. 

Going down the stairs collecting eggs.

Looking around the house.

And them with their baskets.

After looking at these pictures I am reminded of the TRUE reason I am not taking pictures.  My camera is not taking good pictures really anymore.  I need a new one.  

Wolf to Bear

After I had Madison I was called as the Cub Scout Master.  I remember feeling like those boys were so old!  What does a 9 year old boy like anyways?  With 1 year olds to 3 year olds at home I truly felt like I was working with teenagers.  I can not for the life of me believe that Brock is now a BEAR.  I mean a Wolf I could handle, they were still new and little and cute, but the Bears - now those are real cub scouts!  

Spring Break: On the way home

On the way home from Boise we went back through Logan and this time my WHOLE family (including grandparents) came up to meet us and have lunch.  It was a fun surprise!

Then we went back to Daniel and Angie's house for an Easter Egg hunt.

The cousins (minus Caroline - they had to leave early). Brock, Sam, Madison, Audrey, Maya, Brad, Noah, Megan

We stayed a night in a hotel then got up to leave the next morning.  Sadly our DVD player broke and we were unable to watch a movie.  We don't watch movies much in the car anyways - I like for the children to be board and just stare out the window (I am such a mean mom).  But it is nice to have to bread up a long car ride - so it was pretty devastating to not have it for an almost 9 hour car ride - plus we were trying to beat a storm - so we never stopped.  Luckily my mom gave the kids Easter baskets - they became their entertainment.

Spring Break: Boise

I don't think I can over emphasis what a great time we had in Boise with the Bells.  I used to go to Boise about once a year when we lived in Utah - but we hadn't been in three years and the kids are all much older now (and more of them).  Karli and I also used to take the kids to St. George together when back when we had only 1 or 2 kids - so we are well versed in vacationing together  - but Jason has never come along for any of our trips and, as I said it had been several years.  I was unsure about how it would go.  I think it has been a while since I wrote about the Bells - so for a brief catch-up:  Karli and I have been friends since about 4th grade (we lived just 3 houses apart).  Our friendship grew the strongest towards the end of high school at first year of collage, and then once we got married.  She has 5 kids (10,8,6,3, and 1).  I look up to her and admire her more than anyone in the world - if I could be more like anybody it would be Karli.  She is the best wife, mother, visiting teacher, and disciple.  I love her husband dearly - there is nobody in this world better suited for her.  So basically they are the best!

Well if you couldn't tell already we had a full house between our two families we had a 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 1 year old (dang no 2)!  But I think between Jason, Karli, and I we ran it like champs (Skyler was working almost the whole time we were there).  Karli and I obviously had lots of kids close together so we were both vary capable of handling meals, clean-up and bed time of lots of children - we ran a pretty tight ship.   These pictures below are really bad but Jason took them while Karli and I were feeding the kids lunch one day. 

Truth is though Jason made everything a breeze.  He spent the whole week reading and playing with the children while Karli and I chatted away in the kitchen making meals.  Jason ADORES the baby to two year old phase.  If he could have an eternal 18 month old he would.  

The kids P-L-A-Y-E-D for days straight.  They jumped on the tramp, went on biker rides, played the Wii, played barbies, and all sorts of games and board games.

Probably our favorite night was going to the church on Monday night for FHE.  We played line tag (have to stay on the lines), hid and seek, and then a mean soccer game of Bells vs Herberts.  It was intense - I am happy to report the Bells won - which was good becasue they are super competitive and things would have gone down hill quickly if we would have lost.   :)

We had such a fun time.  Sometimes I wish desperately to live by them  - I know for a fact I would  be about 50% a better person.mom/wife if I lived by Karli (she even took me to an aerobics class - I haven't exercised in over 2 years - so ya she has a way of making me want to be better) - but then it is also nice to have these flash vacations where we get to get embedded into their life, and that's nice too.  

Brock, Payton, Noah

Madison, Lydia, Megan, and Brooklyn

Noah, Brock, Payton, Kaleb (high), Hailey, Lydia, Madison, Megan, and Brooklyn