It's Great to Be Eight!

Today we had Rozlyn's 8th Birthday Party. We had the twelve sweetest girls over to get crafty and celebrate with us. We are so lucky to be surrounded by such sweet friends for Rozlyn. Rozlyn came up with the theme and was so involved in all the planning. It made the party so much more fun to do to have her involved. I tried to step up my picture taking and kept reminding myself to stop and snap a pic. Even with all the ones we got I'm sad that I missed a few of my favorites like the food table, and the cake:( I spent so much effort on that thing, it was my nightmare for the week and I didn't even take a picture of it. Here it is. This is the picture from the Internet I saw and knew that I had to do it. Roz agreed. Doesn't it look so simple to make? I've made cake balls before so I thought it would be a breeze. Well, in case you wondering buying the economy size bag of white melting chips and adding the food color doesn't work. Your smooth melty chocolate will quickly turn rock hard. So my idea of saving some bucks and coloring them myself quickly went down the drain. Back to Hobby Lobby to trade in my un opened food color for the pre colored melty chips. In case you thought that buying red, blue, and yellow would work, well it doesn't. I was sure at some point in my life mixing red and yellow made orange, mixing blue and yellow made green and mixing red and blue made purple. Wrong. Impossible. No matter how hard I tried, what proportions I used, orange was not going to be made, green and purple were not going to be made. You can imagine my thrill at going to back to Hobby Lobby to buy the green, orange and purple bags of melting chips. The good news is that should I ever in my life need a million melting chips in a rainbow of colors in the future I will have it handy. The cute entry way table on the eve. We added some pictures of Rozlyn from her life to the display before the guests arrived. Here is the canvas, just waiting to be painted! Some of the cute and creative finished products. Craft #2. Craft # 2 after 12 girls got their paws on it. Some sculpting going on. Window markers to fill in some dead time. We also had the tables covered in paper with markers and the kids had so fun working on their graffiti skills. A fun souvenir for Rozzie to keep.
-and with that I've broke a personal record for pictures posted, and with that I'll also sleep so good tonight. So much work, so much fun.

Mowgli in the Jungle

We are raising a child star. It's Mason, who would have guessed? Months back there were brief mentions of "Mowgli" around the house. One day he asked if I knew he was Mowgli. I still really didn't get what he was talking about. That was until Miss Sue, his music teacher, pulled me aside to talk to me about Mason being Mowgli and his costume. So their upcoming school play was going to star Mason as Mowgli. Yikes, this was so not Mason - he doesn't perform, until now. The first obstacle was finding him a costume that was suitable. Tight red undies weren't going to work. We worked some magic with some red soccer shorts, still showing a bit of leg:), and made him a neutral shirt that looked like he'd been in a few tiger fights. I honestly thought when he saw what he was wearing, or realized their would be a huge audience, he would get nervous. It was just the opposite. The morning of the show, he rushed to put on his costume, he wanted to wear it all day. He couldn't wait until that night (I persuaded him otherwise). I did let him wear his new shoes but on the way to school his best friend we carpool with told him he hated his new shoes (no - you can't say that, those are his new Mowgli shoes, he won't wear them if you tell him that). Mason's response was, I hate them to, but they look like jungle shoes so I'm wearing them for open house. Then when it was time and he showed up in costume to his class all the kids started laughing, as I suspected, but he loved it!!! He thought it was awesome. Coming into the chapel he was still all smiles, the crowd did not scare him. He ate it up, he's a performer, who knew.

Double Digits

We've reached the double digits in parenthood. :( That is how I honestly feel. I've been overwhelmed thinking back to our humble beginings with Charlotte and wish that somehow I could re-live all those precious times that flew by. Way to fast. The apartments, the different friends, my new mom friends, the playdates, story times, good and naughty phases. I wish I had it all on video, with music of course, that would give me a good excuse to cry.
So to celebrate. It was her year for a friend party. I'm thinking big, she's 10. Invite everyone you know. She was thinking small, 1 friend. We talked her into 4 but she wouldn't budge after that. Charlotte and her sweet friends and sister
Sugar always makes a party more fun and still more sugar
The milestone of ear piercing at the awaited age of 10. Both ears are pierced even though things got touchy after number 1. She wasn't sure if she could do it again, but we weren't leaving with one ear pierced I tell you.

Charlotte is such a fun girl, she can't be serious, she's spontaneous, and curious. She is an amazing reader and loved spending her her birthday in her room, alone, just reading. I'm pretty sure that was never on my birthday wish list as a kid, except it would be now. She's always the life of the party, up for a good time, and can stay up to all hours of the night. At times I've struggled trying to figure that kid out. I've made the mistake of trying to mold her into who I thought she should be which worked as well as fitting a square through a circle. I've since come to realize that she's the best just how she is, I love the things about her that make her unique. I'm going crazy thinking about her being 10 and that doubling that will be 20. The years go by to quick. That's sad.

Mason!

Mason had two fun filled days right in a row. On Monday, we started a Transitional Kindergarten program, and on Tuesday, his long awaited for birthday finally arrived. So this post is dedicated to him, my little guy, filled with stories and pictures galore.
Here he is all ready for school. These aren't the clothes he'd had picked out for weeks to wear on the first day, those ones were covered in his breakfast in the laundry room.
He loves coloring, and writing. We go through reams at record pace!

He's 5!!! We counted down for months anticipating the day.
The least healthy breakfast ever for the kid who enjoys the least healthy food more then anyone I know. I promise I only dip his fruit in chocolate on his birthday. The other day his tummy was hurting and I told him it was because he hadn't been eating good food, he told me it was my fault because all I do is feed him junk food. It's not the truth at all, even though he'd like it to be.
Lunch with dad at his school. He's wearing his birthday shirt and hat. The director of his school made him a big birthday hat. She asked for his favorite color - red, and his favorite animal-tiger.
We had a great day celebrating as a family with our favorite little man. His only complaint was the gift from Mallory that I found in the trash the next morning. He told me he threw it away because he didn't like it.
A few more Mason facts: He loves learning and taught himself how to read. His best friend is his dad and his best bud is Mallory. I know this because he just told me the other day, when I asked what I was he replied, "you're nothing". That's O.K. I think Chris and Mallory are pretty great myself.

Mason is our constant comic relief, always making us laugh. He's just so easy to love. I will miss his funny stories that get me through my sometime long days, like this one the other day.
Setting - leaving the public library
Mason- Was Mallory not listening to you in there?
Me- Yes, she wasn't listening, she was being a big stinker!! (this was after running around like crazy, hitting the help button in the elevator and existing out the emergency doors setting the alarm off) :(
Mason- you should take her to the kid shop
Me - What's the kid shop?
Mason- It's a place where you can take a kid if you don't want them anymore and then someone who does want a kid can come and take them home.

Always logical, always solving problems, a real chip off the old block. When you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he'll tell you he wants to be an engineer "because they get free soda and donuts on Fridays". He also is considering becoming a paleontologist or if that doesn't work out a rock star.

Here is a recent letter that he wrote to Mallory.
"Dear Mal, I'm older then you. I love you Mal. I'm 5! Soon you can be 5 too. Mason
I guess he thinks being 5 is pretty great.

That time of year again

They are big and old and cute and I miss them when they're away.

I have friends who talk about freedom, eating bon-bons and watching soap opera's all day, but not me. Maybe someday.....when Mallory starts kindergarten, maybe I'll feel the same way, but for today I feel sad. I'll play with Mal non-stop and change her diaper I guess, since no one else is here to do it. Mr. school year robs me of my company, household energy, lazy mornings, big breakfasts and help around the house. I repeat, sad. So until June, all I can say is so long summer, I'll see you next time, I'll be right here waiting with open arms where I left you.

Lake Tahoe

This is the first of a few slideshows to come from our past trips. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Don't rain on my parade

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Our neighborhood has a big parade each 4th of July, all the kids get fancied up, decorate their bikes and cruise around. So we got fancy, painted faces, spruced up the bikes and tried to look especially patriotic because we are - I love love love America and celebrating the 4th of July. Then we got to the parade, then we got a good parking spot - instead of being thrilled we should have been suspicious. Normally you have to walk a mile just to get there. Then we heard the sad news - the parade was cancelled because of rain. So us and the other uninformed families let the kids cruise around the parking lot and throw candy at each other. Then we complained that the parade we worked so hard to get ready for was cancelled, then we saw the sky, then we heard thunder, then we hear Chris say "We have twenty seconds to get everything in the car before we get dumped on". That was our fourth of July. I know that was a lot of "then" usage and I'm pretty sure it wasn't grammatically accurate either. Sorry.






So we headed home, watched T.V. and ate the 4 big bags of candy that we didn't get to throw - all by ourselves - in our dry house.

Almost Wonderland

Chris took a few days off and we escaped to Grapevine, we hit the Great Wolf Lodge for a few days and then went over to the Gaylord for their Friday night festivities. It's all themed around Lewis Carroll's books. There's cards everywhere, life size chess pieces, and characters dressed up all around to please the older 3 and scare the littlest 1. We walked around the lobby, and then joined in the parade led by the Queen of Hearts which took us outside to the parking garage where we partied with the D.J., celebrated my adult hula hoop contest victory, and watched fireworks over Lake Grapevine.

Of course we have no pictures of the Great Wolf Lodge because we were submerged in water the whole time, I have to look into one of those fancy pant waterproof camera cases. Here are some pictures from the Gaylord.

Tea Time!!
The oversized flower was the scariest, and when he didn't fit out the front door to continue with the parade outside, nobody was happier then Mallory. This is Mal hiding. Mad Hatter with the kids sporting some of their own mad hats.

Is there anything trippier then Alice in Wonderland? I haven't read the book or seen the new movie, but seriously, the original.......a bit trippy.

Busted!!!

This probably shouldn't have made me so happy but it did. I was thrilled that Charlotte was practicing beautifully without complaining, working on her scales, and playing a few pieces. When I walked past the room this is what I found..

No wonder there was complaining she was happily reading away, what she loves to do best. I love Charlotte, such a clever kid.

School's Out Update

Bring on summer......
Mason, Mal and I awaiting the kids. Rozlyn was awarded the Rachel's Challenge Honor Award. It is awarded to one student per class who represents the 1.Power of Influence 2.Kindness 3.Dreaming Big and Setting Goals & 4.Accepting of Others. It really is who Rozlyn is, she was just born that way, I can't take any credit but my buttons were bursting anyway. A final hug for Rozlyn's teacher, Mrs. Levy, this lady is seriously amazing. Charlotte's teacher, Mrs. Love, was also wonderful. We luck out every year with the best teachers. We wasted no time grabbing some shaved ice, our first of many this summer.
I love summer. Sleeping in, yummy breakfasts, lots of pool, minimal schedule, shaved ice - lots of them, creating, reading, movies, etc. We have lots of activities awaiting us on the calender, the perfect blend of structure and relaxation. The kids and I also have some reading and math goals. Actually I didn't set any math goals for myself this summer, but I am reading the Book of Mormon in 60 days. You should join me.

Somebody in Idaho Loves Me

I've been feeling sick for a good week now. I'm so sick of it:( I posted a comment of Facebook, about missing Idaho. I wanted to surrender on adult responsibilities for one day, mostly to sleep the day away. So my thoughts went to Idaho....I love Idaho!!! I love telling people I'm from Idaho, I love the people in Idaho, I love the weather, I love the small townish feel. Within a few hours my sister replied with a comment to be checking my mailbox.
On Tuesday, still feeling sick, look what I found...... Love straight from Idaho, frooties, spud bars, huckleberry bars, potato peeler, beef jerkey shreds and more misc. Idaho stuff. I was oh so happy and felt oh so loved.
It was enough to almost make me feel better. I have the best sister! The best!
You can take the girl out of Idaho but you can't take the Idaho out of the girl.