HaPpY BiRtHdAy, EtHaN!

 How is it possible that Ethan is 8?!
Since we already had his birthday cake on Christmas we spent most of the day celebrating. Jeff had a few things to take care of at work so the boys & I had lunch at Ethan's choice...
McDonalds.
You never would've guessed, right?
For some reason the boys have been asking, begging, & pleading to go to Bouce. We've only been there once before, nearly a year & a half ago. It's just a bunch of bouncy houses in warehouse-type building & nothing that great. I prefer Jump Time because they also have trampolines, a foam pit, & other activities but for some reason the boys' favorite is Bounce. So we headed there after lunch.
  
 The Birthday Boy uses his muscles...

Stuck on the velcro wall..

This next picture is right after Ethan knocked Kamden off the little podium with the giant club...check out his victorious expression:

But Kamden was not to be outdone & he evened the score with the huge boxing gloves:

  Ethan did a good job of holding his own...

 But he doesn't get points for throwing the gloves at his oponent.
That's just unsportsmanlike conduct.

 Owen took a turn in the ring...

 But the gigantic boxing gloves proved to be too much for him to handle...

So he went back to the slides...

 Now if you'll scroll up to the picture where Owen is getting tackled by the boxing glove, take a look at the red & yellow wall to the right of him...then remember that there are 3 of those red & yellow sections from the floor plus the 2 in the picture.
Well, after we'd been there for about an hour & a half, Kamden & Owen decided it would be a great idea to climb on top of that wall to sit & watch the other kids playing. Not such a bad idea when you're wanting a better view, but when you factor in the height & the fact that there's bare concrete on the majority of the other side...not such a great idea.
Nope.
Owen went right over & landed smack on the concrete. I didn't see him fall so I don't know how he landed, but he had a nice goose egg on the side of his head above his left ear & there wasn't much room between the wall he fell off of & the one next to it, so I'm fairly sure he went head first or close to it.
He jumped right up & ran toward me holding his head, trying to scream but it took awhile for him to get enough air to make any sound. We got in the car & I called the doctor's office, the nurse said they wanted to see him in 2 hours unless he got worse, started vomiting or lost consciousness. Thankfully none of that happened but on the drive home he just sat & stared blankly out the window, not responding to any of our attempts to get him to talk. He took a nap when we got home but I was sure to wake him every 20 minutes. When we saw the doctor she said everything looked really reassuring but to continue monitoring him for 24 hours & not let him sleep longer than 4 hours at a time. I'm thankful it wasn't any worse, especially since he fell a good 5 feet. It was a long night but he did really well & was up fighting with his brothers the next morning & acting like himself...but I don't think we'll be going back to Bounce any time soon. 

 We went ahead & took the boys bowling that evening as we'd planned & Owen even took most of his turns, not wanting help & making sure we were all far enough behind him that we wouldn't interfere with his efforts. Then as soon as the ball left his hands he would turn & hurry back to our table & watch with the rest of us.

 Kamden REALLY wanted to keep the shoes. 
He'd worn his rainboots & said he would trade but we gave them back & left the bowling shoes behind.

I'm not bragging or anything, but look at my
  perfect bowling stance...

Too bad it didn't get me anything but a gutter ball...

 Jeff, on the other hand, beat us all with his intense skills.

 So, despite Owen's fall & the resulting visit to the Doctor's office, it was a great day celebrating Ethan. We are so grateful for him, he is such a good kid & tries so hard to do the things he should. He's a great big brother & he is very excited to be baptized next Saturday. I'm so blessed to be his mother & so appreciative of all that he brings to our family.
We love you, Ethan! 

December 2012

Where has December gone? 

I feel like the last few months have been a whirlwind of nonstop events, just trying to make it through what's currently going on so I can get on to the next.

I need to work on slowing down & enjoying things while they are happening, but this time of year is just insane.

The above pic is from our ward Christmas party which seems like yesterday but it was the first Saturday of the month, I think.

We had the fun photo booth, dinner, & a musical program entitled 'Rejoice' with numbers about the Savior's life. I love this time of year when we take time to reflect on the miracle of His birth. I always think about Mary & what kind of emotions she must have had knowing the fate of the little babe she brought into the world. 

I am grateful she had the strength to do it.

 (Fun Fact: I actually know the girl who modeled as Mary in this painting, 'Kissing The Face Of God' by Morgan Weistling, I was her Visiting Teacher when we lived in Emmett)

Since I helped with Kamden's Halloween party I helped with Ethan's Christmas party, but here are some pictures from Kamden's that one of the mom's emailed:

 Making candy trains & reindeer decorations

 I asked Kamden why he looks so mad in this picture, but he said he wasn't, he just ate his cupcake & had to stand there for a picture.
He looks a bit like the Grinch, though...

 I was able to help out at Ethan's school party on the 21st but I haven't got pictures of that yet, so those will have to be posted later. 
We also attended his 2nd grade music assembly on the 18th where everyone did a great job! 

We took the boys to see Santa & Mrs.Claus at the beginning of the month, & although they've been asking for just about anything & everything they can think of, when it was their turn to tell Santa what they wanted, they were all speechless.

We have watched just about every Christmas movie ever made at least once, Home Alone seems to be a favorite with The Grinch a close second...or maybe it's too close to call & it's a tie.

I've been the Mia Maid adviser for about a month now since the ward split right before Thanksgiving & Jeff is the High Priest Group Leader, which we're still getting used to. But he has some great advisers & we are both excited to serve. 

We had a great time celebrating at my parents' house on the 22nd. The day was full of games & prizes, a White Elephant Gift Exchange where my younger brother, Ryan, & his wife, Charly, announced that they are expecting in July! 

We are SO excited for them!

There was also plenty of food & a visit from a very familiar Santa...

On Christmas Eve my parents & younger brother, Jeffrey, came over & we had pizza before going to drive around & look at Christmas lights. We found some pretty amazing houses & there was one that cars were lined up 3 rows deep just to watch. Ryan & Charly came over for a bit & we watched movies & put the boys to bed so that Santa could prepare for his arrival. 

The next morning the boys waited patiently for everyone to wake up & get out of bed before rushing out to the tree. Apparently they each managed to avoid the Naughty List & found gifts waiting for them. Ethan was so funny digging through his stocking, he would pull each item out before turning toward me & holding it up for me to take a picture, without me even telling him to. So we now have a photographic timeline of Ethan opening his Christmas Stocking :)

Kamden got right to work using the new paints & art easel Santa left for him...I'm not sure what Santa was thinking giving paint, as we've had it on everything from jammies, carpet, & walls, but at least it's washable & cleans up easily.

Ethan was excited to receive more games for his DS...

& Owen couldn't wait to free Thor from his plastic entrapment...

I made the mistake of not putting the boys' names on some of their gifts, thinking I would remember who's belonged to who...but I accidentally gave Owen's long-awaited Hulk to Ethan to open, so we didn't get to see the look on Owen's face when he opened what he's been asking, begging, & crying for...

But he was still pretty thrilled to have his very own "Hulk Smash!"

Way before Christmas the boys were asking for Ninjago Lego sets but I wasn't sure if we were going to get them or not, so I put it on my idea list & went on with life. A few weeks before, after hearing nonstop about how much they wanted them, I started looking & found them at a few stores for under $20 a set. Then when I decided to go ahead & get them, they were nowhere to be found! Even Lego.com was sold out & they were going on ebay for about $50. I couldn't justify spending $30+ what they were originally & I was kicking myself for not getting them when I should have.

Then, one day, after I had given up hope & gently explained to Ethan that the desired Jay's Storm Fighter was unavailable, I ran to WalMart for a few things & thought I would just look.

It was a Christmas miracle, I tell you.

There, on the shelf before me were each of the 3 different sets that each boy had requested...all at their regular price of around $20!

It took every ounce of self restraint not to buy them out & sell the extra sets on ebay for a pretty penny.

But Ethan's face when he made that first tear in the wrapping paper & realized what it was, that would've been worth the nail-biting bidding wars on ebay if it had come to that.

 

Here they are with their mouths full of candy, their new Christmas jammies, & the much anticipated Lego sets that took myself, Jeff, & my brother a good 45 minutes + to build...which are now in pieces strung throughout the house...

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner that afternoon & also had Ethan's Birthday cake for dessert later that evening. He decided that since everyone was already here, we might as well have it then instead of making everyone come back 2 days later...he may have had some persuading from his mother on that decision, but we are going to have a fun-filled day tomorrow celebrating.

I can NOT believe that my little Ethan is 8 years old!
He wanted a Harry Potter cake & this is what I came up with, though I had a different vision in my head...I bought a box of fondant that said it had 4 different colors but when I got it home & opened it up there were 2 packages of brown & 2 of black. I wasn't about to make another trip to the store, so we made it work.

 December has been jam packed full of family gatherings & celebrations & we are looking forward to the New Year.

Amongst all of the previously listed goings-on, I somehow managed to turn 30 though I might not admit it if you ask me. My parents were kind enough to have the boys for the weekend while Jeff & I went to dinner & a movie, then he surprised me with his omlett making skills before we set out to finish our Christmas shopping & go to lunch. He took me to each and every store my heart desired, browsing & meandering through the aisles & sometimes he even carried my purse & didn't complain once! I've been waiting & waiting to see Les Mis & since it didn't come out until Christmas Day, he even arranged for Wade (THANKS!) to watch the boys while we went today.

And that's our December, so far. 

November 2012

 November is always a CrazyBusy month with 2 birthdays, an anniversary, & Thanksgiving. On the 3rd we celebrated Stoker's big 31 with a Nacho Bar & an Oreo ice cream cake made by yours truly & of course we watched the BSU Bronco game.

 Kristen & the kiddos were in town & we all enjoyed an enthusiastic game of Settlers...however I'm pretty sure that "enthusiastic" doesn't describe my niece Kylie's first experience with the game & the boredom is what caused her water to break the next day...

 I dish up the cake while Kelsey chit chats with her then-boyfriend what's-his-name...

 They have since broken up...

Emily had a great time cleaning up after her doggy, Austin...

 ...who graciously left a little pile of treats under the table that I mistook for guacamole & tried wiping up with a napkin. 

Then, upon discovering what it actually was, we broke out the Lysol & paper towels.

 The next day we were all thrilled to hear that Kylie was in labor & the arrival of my very first Great Niece was imminent. 

 We all thought it was perfect timing since Kristen was still in town, but the labor was long & little Braylee Rae Snow didn't make her arrival until a day later.

Monday, November 5, 2012

4:35am

7.9 lbs

 She is the sweetest little babe & seeing her brought back memories of the day not so long ago when I was 8 years old & held Kylie the very first time. It's a bit strange being a Great Aunt before you're 30, but I've got no complaints!

 Owen & I dropped by while Jeff was at work & the boys were in school, then we all went back later that evening. On the way up in the elevator I told Jeff to be careful because Braylee was so cute she just might make him want another baby.

He prepared himself to resist her adorable-ness & when I asked Owen if he wanted one of those he said

"No, I want a GIANT one!"

 Everyone is pretty smitten with her, but how could you not be?

 It's crazy to think that I've done Kylie & Stew's engagement photos, wedding photos, maternity pics, & now photographed their sweet baby.

Five days later we celebrated Kamden's 6th birthday with lots of family & a Make-Your-Own-Pizza party.

Kamden wanted an Avengers cake this year & we did our best to make that happen, although if you look closely it appears that Captain America is giving Hulk a piggyback ride...

 That morning he opened his presents & he had wanted several of the SpiderMan characters, I love the look on his face as he opened the black SpiderMan...

 On the last day of school before Thanksgiving break all of the Kindergarteners gathered for a feast. Each of the kids was assigned an item to bring to contribute & Kamden was supposed to take carrots. He wasn't happy about that & kept telling me how much he doesn't like them. I told Kamden that he didn't have to eat them, they were to share. I showed him right where they were in his backpack  & told him to give them to his teacher as soon as he got to school.

When he got home, they were still in his backpack.
I'm not sure if he forgot intentionally or not...but I see a carrot on his plate in the picture, so he ended up with them anyway.

 The boys got out of school the Thursday before Thanksgiving & we spent this year in Declo. Monday-Wednesday we stayed in a hotel in Burley while Jeff was working & spent the remainder of the week at his parents' house where we had a great Thanksgiving feast & spent lots of time with family...unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but we did have a fun time & the boys especially didn't want to leave. The day before Thanksgiving was mine & Jeff's 9th Anniversary, which is hard to believe but also seems like a short time compared to how it feels like we've always been together...if that makes sense. I am so grateful for him, for the good man that he is, for the great times we have together & that he is so good to me.

I am blessed.

We went to dinner at a cute restaurant in Rupert before going to see the final film in the Twilight saga...which was good, but also hilarious in an unintentional kind of way.

 I did take a few pictures of Lauren's baby shower, here she is with her cute round belly & the swimsuit I got for our newest little niece. She is due any day now & we are looking forward to meeting her!

Then it was home on Saturday & back to school & work on Monday.

And that was our November.