Big T.'s 7th Birthday

Today Big T. turned 7. We didn't plan a kid party (yet?) but made it a special day for him by:
making what he wanted for breakfast, taking him (and his brothers) on a surprise bowling outing, letting him choose dinner, watching a movie, and having cake and ice cream. For breakfast he chose homemade wheat waffles and for dinner he chose cheese pizza with root beer (although he ended up drinking the orange soda). We rented Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeekwal and ate our dinner in the living room while we watched TV. It was a fun day. Can't believe a baptism for him is only 1 year away.

Combined Birthday Party

We had a combined family birthday get together with the family that lives close for Tim and Big J. (who is now 11!!) It sure is nice to have family close by.

Isn't this the cutest little kid. He has a really adorable fake smile that he'll do if you ask him. This is actually a normal smile.

The kids and their cousins had fun playing together outside. We were glad to have good weather (it's always a gamble in March).

Good Grades Tradition

Each semester when the kids get report cards they can earn dinner. Ok, ok, I mean a special dinner . . . we do feed our kids dinner each day. If they have all A's and B's then they get to choose to go to dinner wherever they want. Tim and I are glad when they choose the same place because then we don't have 3 different dinners to go to. Not the case this time. Big J. chose Round Table, Little J. chose Olive Garden (mmmm . . . good food), and Big T. chose Pizza Factory. It takes a few weeks to get those all in but the kids enjoy it and so do we. It's good motivation for them.

Birthday Time

My oldest had a birthday and he is now 11!!! Since his birthday was Sunday we did some celebrating on Friday. He and I went on a sort of "date" and we had lunch and a treat and did a little shopping. Saturday night the family went out to Olive Garden because that's where Little J. chose to go since he got good grades (I'll do another post about that) so after we had the employees sing and bring a cake. We had a great time and I always enjoy getting compliments about how polite my kids are in public. Sunday we opened presents and had another cake. He got money, clothes, a book, a puzzle, hot wheels tracks, and his new Boy Scout Handbook. He'll be starting 11 year old scouts this Tuesday and so we're excited to start that grand adventure.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I've had a very happy birthday. Last night my family went to dinner with my Mom and Dad, Mark and Katy and all the kids. I sure enjoy having family close by so that we can get together on special occassions. I got some nice gifts including a finger crocheted scarf made by my 5 year old niece. Thanks everyone for the nice gifts. Used my new Vita Mix to make a low fat alfredo sauce and I'm excited to use it to try all kinds of new things. I'm thankful for all my boys; they are really good to me. Even though we had a Scout thing this afternoon, I got a nap when we got home (you can't deny a birthday girl a nap) and I got a lot of back rubs and kind words. Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, presents, and time together. Cheers to another great 20 years (oh, wait, maybe my math is off . . . oh well, the specific number isn't important). Thanks again everyone!!!

Thanksgiving

Each year my kids make a big poster "I am Thankful For . . . " and they spend all week filling it up. It's a tradition that I really like because it gets them thinking of all the little things we are blessed with in addition to the obvious ones. This year we went to my sister's for Thanksgiving since her son was getting baptized. She fed 30 people and housed 28 of those. We all had a great time. Tim and I even got a chance to go on a run together in the 17 degree weather. Thanks Daniel for helping my older boys babysit while we were gone. We enjoyed dinner, we enjoyed the company and we enjoyed the view of the Tetons. On our way home we stopped to see Tim's brother and his family and enjoyed our visit with them as well. We drove home a different way and got to see some pretty land. Our kids did great with all the driving. We have a tradition of setting up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving but we couldn't do that this year since we were gone. However, we did get home early enough on Sunday to at least set up the tree. We'll try to set up the rest tonight for Family Home Evening. I'll post pictures of the weekend later.

Happy 9th Birthday!

Little J. turned 9 today and it's a special birthday since he turned 9 on the 9th (his Jubilee year) and also it's 2009. We planned on having all the family over yesterday after the primary program for lunch and cake and ice cream but unfortunately Little T. came down with croup so only Grandma Karen and Grandpa Sam were able to come and stay. I'm sorry not everyone could come but I would have been more sorry if we would have gotten everyone sick.
Grandma Karen and Grandpa Sam got the boys these handsome matching shirts.

Little J. is such a blessing in our home. He always has a smile (just like his Dad) and is always happy and helpful and obedient. His enthusiasm for life is great to have in our home. He is always kind to his brothers and he is very smart. He loves Cub Scouts and has been waiting to turn 9 since he's been done with all of his Wolf stuff for months. He has already passed off one thing in his book and is anxious to get working on all the other requirements. Happy Birthday!!