Jens turned 9!

Wow! Do all 9 year old boys act this way?!? Jens decided for his birthday, he wanted to have a "Late Night" with his closest friends. (I have to say that I love the trend that at least our neighborhood is gravitating to...Late Nights instead of Sleepovers. I know that sleepovers were the thing when we were growing up, but this is the way to not have it drag into the next day, not to mention keeping kids in a more controlled environment.) Anyway, they had lots of fun with pizza, video games, a movie projected big onto the wall with popcorn and candy, not to mention ice cream cake. I definitely admire all you Cub Scout Leaders out there, though. All they wanted to talk about when they were eating or sitting around together was burping, farting or something disgusting! Aaah!!! I guess if they had fun, it was a success!

On Sunday, we had a family dinner and had more cake and ice cream. I attempted a lego cake, which my Grandma said looked nothing like one. (So tactful at 86) It looked more like a blob of frosting. However, the inside was a hit! I put legos in the cake and if you found one, you could exchange it for a quarter. Growing up, my mom would boil money and put it in the cake and the cousins always loved it and there was never any cake left. You have to preface it with a choking warning, but the kids love it. So, it was more of a lego cake from the inside than the outside!


On a sentimental note, we are so proud of Jens and what a great kid he is turning out to be. He is so sweet and considerate to friends around him. He could be a little more of that to his siblings, but he is improving. He loves to watch out for them and play with them. His only fault would be watching out for them too much in a controlling way. We were so proud when we went to his last parent-teacher conference. The teacher said that there were some parents that came in and said "Who is this Jens kid?" He has changed our lives. Their son was quite awkward with no friends and didn't want to come to school everyday. Jens befriended him and introduced him to some of his friends and now the boy loves school and has many friends. I was in tears. If there was anything I would want my child to excel in, that would be it. Reading, Math, Sports, etc. are great, but being a Christ-like friend is most important. What a proud parent moment!

Oh, I almost forgot...Jens talked his teacher into letting me bring his bearded dragon lizard, Flames, to show his class for his birthday. They LOVED it as they always do. We bring crickets for him to chase and eat, and worms for him to jump up and eat. Flames is getting used to putting on a show with all the pet days they have at preschool and we have brought him into 3 of Jens's school classes now. (Jens got him for his birthday 2 years ago. I have since become a much braver mom when it comes to this reptile!)

One Step at a Time

The other day I was listening to Jordin Sparks new hit song, "One Step at a Time" and all I could think was , "Exactly!" Lately, most days are so crazy that to prevent hyperventilation or a stress attack, I feel like I need to just think of it one task at a time. I joke that sometimes I can only think 24 hours at a time, but most of the time, I can only handle one hour, or even one moment at a time. While these feelings of being overwhelmed often dictate my daily schedule, at other times I just want to hit pause and make my kids grow up slower. Every milestone they cross is so cute and sweet and my heart strings want so badly just to hold on to those moments. Drew is crawling everywhere and is so entertaining for the family. He is quick to laugh, smile and do many raspberries which only causes contagious laughter in everyone else! Tate wants to show me a new lego creation or just snuggle up and read a book all the time. Ellie is learning so much in school and she writes me at least 6 notes a day that say, "Mom, I love you! To: Mom From: Ellie." She stays right by my side most of the day and wants to help with everything I do. Jens is growing up so fast and just wants to spend time together doing quality talking or snuggling watching a movie. I just love them so much! I need to take more moments to stop and soak in the joy they bring!

Christmas Tree Cutting in the Rain

Every year, we enjoy a winter picnic in Kamas with cousins as some of the family cuts down their Christmas trees from the mountain. They stand in line (sometimes sleep out) for their permits in early Nov. Then we go up around Thanksgiving and BBQ, go 4-wheeling, sledding and have lots of fun. Tim and I gave up the real tree several years ago and go with the fake one and a pine scented candle. (It was a compromise that eliminated unnecessary conflict in our marriage at Christmas time...worth every penny!) However, we still join the family for the tradition. It's usually a lot of fun. This year, the kids spent about 10 minutes outside and then sat in the van and watched a movie. Snow or no snow we can handle, but rain was not my idea for a fun picnic. I think we'll watch the forecast a little closer next year:)

Thanksgiving in Tremonton

Where? Tim's brother, Lance, is a co-owner of a Hampton Inn in Tremonton. So we all decided to go and stay at the hotel at a discounted rate for a couple of nights. It was the perfect way to do it. We set dinner up in the Conference Room, all bringing our portions of the meal. We then used the Conference Room as a playroom, movie room, game room, etc. for the next couple of days. We could put children down for naps with monitors in our rooms, have our own space if we needed it, play in the pool with the kids a couple of times a day and leave the mess behind. It was great! Thanks again Lance! We had a great time.