Twelve

Twelve years. What a ride it has been so far! To celebrate Jeff and I went to Heber on Saturday. Once there we went to Granny's to get ice cream and fries. (My flavor- chocolate peanut butter, Jeff''s- cherry cheesecake.) Then we headed off to the train depot to ride the Comedy Murder Mystery Express. We witnessed a murder (or four) and tried to solve the mystery of whoodunnit, all while aboard a train. We also enjoyed a good dutch oven dinner as part of the excursion. It was a fun time except for the swarms of mosquitoes that showed up around dinner time. Jeff and I were eaten alive and I really would have appreciated a warning to wear some insect repellent. (So if I die of West Nile Virus you'll know where I got it from :). It was a great time overall with some beautiful scenery along the way. Something unique and not your typical dinner and a movie date. Happy Anniversary Jeff- I love you and look forward to the rest of eternity with you!

* The murders of four staffers from Serv U More hopsital were committed by "Sparky", the overzealous fitness guru, in case you were wondering.

It's My Party

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I am one year older and (hopefully) wiser too. 32 years. Amazing.

There was lots of mom stuff to do today. Like laundry, getting kids to do jobs, dishes, reading books, wiping bums, etc. There were also a few fun things that happened because it was my birthday. Like phone calls with birthday wishes, and singing too. Friends stopping by with gifts to let me know that they remembered and love me. (Thanks for the cheesecake and yummy orange plug-in by the way. You guys made my day!!)

More family rituals:
Presents: Pedicure gc, white flower assortment, little fancy shelves to hold my Willow Tree collection, and cards from family.
Eating out: My little fam of 5 went to dinner at Brick Oven. Soooo good!
Cake: Baskin Robbins Ice Cream cake. Chocolate cake, peanut butter cup ice cream. Hubby made an awesome selection.

Back story: Erin has been secretly planning for months to make sure that I got some flowers for my birthday. She told me she had to answer the door when dad got home and under no circumstances was I to look at what was going on. It was a great surprise! They are beautiful and fragrant. How lucky am I to have such a thoughtful daughter? Very.

And lastly- we got a special surprise via a doorbell ring, giggling, and some yummy cookies left on the doorstep. Mystery gigglers must be baking like crazy. My kids and I thought that was so cool.

Birthday Boy

Somehow, I have a nine year old. Crazy times. Ethan's birthday was on Thursday. He had field day at school that morning, which he asked me to volunteer to help at. Which I did, because it was his birthday. I wanted to have a little surprise for him at school. But since we had to be there at the same time it complicated my plans a bit. But I found an awesome teacher friend who delivered the birthday balloons to his classroom before school for me.

School got out after lunch, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids to the pool. It was a hot day and it would provide us a diversion until dad got home. Tip- check the schedule before you leave! The pool was open, but two hours later than usual. We drove around and made a few stops before getting to go swim.

Once dad got home it was present time! Ethan got an awesome Lego Knight's Castle set from his grandparents in KY, a camo comforter from his local grandparents, and mom and dad got him a Razor scooter and a gift certificate for a bedroom redo. (He is ready for the dinosaurs to become extinct.)

After presents we went to dinner. Ethan got to pick. First choice- Tucanos. (Nice try- but too expensive. I asked him why he wanted to go there. His answer was the grilled pineapple. So I told him that if he chose somewhere else I would grill him a whole pineapple at home later.) His second choice was Chuck-A-Rama. My grandparents took us there earlier this year and Ethan was in heaven. We went with the theme but ended up at Golden Corral instead. *Note his compartmentalist tendencies. Each food had to have it's own plate. No worries- just job security for the dishwasher.

Ethan: "They said this place is all-you-can-eat. But I think they are wrong. It's more-than-you can-eat!"

The next day was the Last Day of School!!! And the friend birthday party. Ethan went with the invite lots of friends to get many presents approach. We had ten friends over for a pizza movie night. They ate and played, watched Jumanji, ate cake** and ice cream, and watched Ethan open the present load. They had fun and I survived fairly well considering I woke up that morning with a bad flu bug. The cake got made and the decorations were up though. Jeff was a big help in keeping things running.

**The baseball cake- what Ethan wanted. He is still hooked on baseball thanks to our trip to Kentucky and the Bats Game and Slugger Museum.

And finally- a snapshot of my then newborn babe. Ethan I love you! You have made my life so exciting. I am happy to be your mom. You are creative and smart, a super swimmer, and a good big brother to your sisters. It has been so fun teaching you, loving you, and watching you grow and learn. You will always be my buggy!

Pinewood Derby

Ethan had his first Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts. I was a winner and forgot to take pictures. I'm the Cubmaster- so I have an excuse. The whole night was a way bit crazy, but we survived. And the boys had a good time. My friend took a picture of Ethan with his car during the races. Thanks Lana!


Ethan with his camo Hummer. He designed it all himself.

Again, no camera that night. But I did manage to take a picture of him with his award the next day. He won Best Paint Job. All the boys got display plaques for their cars for their awards. A way cool idea that I got from a friend who was the old cubmaster. She's awesome so I copied her- thanks Jackee!

Summer Fun

It finally got HOT around here! One way to beat the heat is to get the pools and sprinklers out in the backyard. So that's what we did. And it was lots of fun. To be repeated again soon, I'm sure of it!

Adieu

Goodbye Red Car. You were a great part of the family. We appreciate your 8 years and 8 months of good rides rendered. You came into our lives when we had only one small babe, and now there are three. You have survived amoxicillin barf and fathers and sons campouts. You brought Erin home from the hospital. Even though you were aging, we didn't mind. We love your special kind of air conditioning (aka the wind), your quirks (like the trunk won't open with the key), and even the peeling paint. But alas, it was time to let you go. Have fun in college- may your years still be many- and try not to forget us!

Posin'

Erin is always asking me to take a picture of her. She always has an idea for a pose and what outfit she will be wearing. (This outfit is obviously a favorite. Two pose sessions, but different days.) Katelyn is the adoring "me too" little sister. I think that I will have Erin coordinate the next family picture. That could be very interesting!
*Oh- and Dave- if you ever need a model- you know who to ask.