Birthday Boy

Jaxson just had his 6th birthday! We wanted to take him out to eat with just Mom and Dad, so we went to IHOP on Thursday morning while both the girls were at school. He was so funny about it. He wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse, or Bajio, but it was too early in the morning. I spent a lot of time trying to convince him that he would like IHOP since he loves pancakes. He finally agreed to try it out and thought it was great. He wants to go back every time we pass it on the road now.

He has never wanted a party before, but I guess this was the year! He invited a bunch of boys from his class and the neighborhood to have a pizza party on Friday night. The theme he picked was Phineas and Ferb. For those who don't know, it's a cartoon on Disney Channel and it's a pretty funny show. We decided to play a bunch of different games based on episodes from the show.

"Where's Perry?" It's a question that gets asked in every episode, so I printed out little pictures of Perry and hid them all over the room before the guests arrived. They each had to find one as the Perry music theme played in the background. It took a few minutes to find them, which worked out great since Jay arrived with the pizza as soon as they were done.

After the pizza, we went downstairs for more games. Phineas and Ferb love to play music and even have a one-hit wonder, so we had a dance/air guitar contest while listening to "Gitchie Gitchie Goo." The boys started out great, but ended up in a wrestling match on the floor!

In another episode, they meet Bigfoot. We had races down the family room in Jay's Bigfoot shoes. They had to run down, give Jay a high five, then race back and switch shoes with the next person in line. It was so funny to watch them try to run in those big shoes, but they had a blast!

We also played Hot Potato with Phineas and Ferb beanies, courtesy of the Disney Store. They had to throw them in a shoe box, then run down, pick them up and hand them to the next person in line. I think Team Phineas won!

The next game was "You're So Busted" Balloon Pop. Everyone had a balloon that they had to pop by sitting on it while we listened to Candace sing Busted. They thought it was great and even picked up the pieces when they were done! For the next few days, my kids had to play this until we ran out of balloons!

After games, we headed upstairs to open gifts. Jax got a bunch of great stuff from his friends and they all just could not sit still. They crowded around, anxious to see what was in each gift.

Next came the one request that Jax wanted: a Pinata. There's always horror stories and funniest home videos that involve these things, but I had to fulfill his one request. As soon as we started, I thought someone was going to die! We didn't even use the blindfold, but when you give a baseball bat to a bunch of boys, they just go crazy. We tried to tell them that they each only got one swing, and they needed to wait to hit it until Jay was told them he was ready, but all our requests fell on deaf ears. I was surprised when we ended this event without any holes in the wall, bumps on heads, or tears. I was literally scared to death!

Cleaning up the spoils from the Pinata! They got their goody bags stuffed completely full!

We headed back upstairs for cake and ice cream. Nobody had a Phineas and Ferb cake, and I didn't have time to make my own, so I found a plain one and put some of his figurines on it. This crazy cake actually worked out since the characters are surfing and it was covered in blue swirls! For the ice cream, we had Mad Scientist Sundaes in honor of Dr. Doofenshmirtz. They had a bunch of different toppings to choose from. I didn't get any pictures of those since there's no chance to take a breath when you're trying to serve 10 kids at the same time!

Blowing out the candles and making a wish!

After the party ended, we got out his family gifts and continued to celebrate.

He was a little excited to get DS games!

He also ended up with some movies, clothes, and a new Mario comforter set for his bedroom. We spent the rest of the night rearranging his bedroom and hanging his Mario Kart poster and drapes, and putting the new sheets and blankets on his bed.

After a long day, I tucked him into bed and he said, "Mom, thanks for making this the best birthday ever." That made it worth all the hard work, hoarse voice, and headache from the party!

Happy Birthday, Jaxson! We love you!

Another Happy Birthday!

Sierra just turned 7! She had decided that she wanted to do a friend party this year, so we spent quite a few days getting ready for the big day! I forgot to take the camera in to her classroom on Friday, so I don't have any pictures. But we took her cupcakes and all her friends wrote down their birthday wish for her and combined it into a book. It was pretty cute. She was excited to be spotlighted.

After much deliberation, Sierra decided she wanted to do a Littlest Pet Shop theme for her party. Why? I have no idea. The only Littlest Pet Shops she has are ones that came from a McDonald's Happy Meal, so I was a bit surprised at her choice. But, Moms must do what makes their kids happy on their birthday, so we got the decor and planned the party!

I had a bit of fun planning the food! We had carrots for rabbit food, goldfish crackers for cat food, Scooby graham bones for dog food, animal cookies, and animal crackers. I couldn't resist some M&M's, so I just called those birdseed. For her cake, I got a big dog dish and made a trifle in it. I cut pound cake into cubes, lined the bottom, then topped it with strawberries and a cheesecake filling, then put the remaining cake cubes on the top. I thought the girls would be a little grossed out by it, but they loved the cake and ate it up!

I had to get extra long candles to go in her cake, but it worked out great.

As we were decorating for the party, Sierra and Brooke put a party hat on Cole. He actually left it on long enough to get a picture. Then he noticed it was on and immediately took it off. The girls just thought it was hysterical and couldn't wait to show Dad!

She got so much fun stuff from her party. She got a couple Littlest Pet Shop playsets, a Zhu Zhu Pet, Ballerina Barbie, My Little Ponies, and an Ariel Slip 'N Slide. After her friends went home, she opened a few gifts from us. We had taken her out earlier in the week to pick out a new bike. I keep forgetting to get a picture of it, but she picked out a High School Musical themed bike. We got one that is pretty big, but she has now mastered the art of jumping on and off since she can't quite reach the ground from the seat! She got some books, a Hannah Montana game, and a fashion stencil set from her brother and sister. I think she made out quite well!

For one of our activities, the girls decorated little boxes and turned them into houses for their Littlest Pet Shop. Once they were done decorating, they brought the box over and received a new pet. Sierra signed the adoption certificate and they had to give them a name. The girls loved it and were quite excited to take their new pet home.

We also went outside to play a few games. We played Animal Simon Says where all the actions had to be animals. Here they are being frogs and snakes!

We also played a game of musical lilypads. Instead of using chairs, I printed off pictures of lilypads and they used those to walk around. It was so funny to watch them try to jump on the paper when the music ended.

I think the party turned out great and Sierra had a fun time.

Some Fun Facts About Sierra

• She is a total night owl! She stays up late, no matter what time we put her to bed. She is horrible to try to wake up in the morning and we've spent a lot of time fighting in the mornings before school.
• She loves anything girly. She loves princesses, ponies, animals, painting her nails, dress-ups, Barbie, make-up, etc... I never got into that stuff when I was little, but I did learn a few things from my sisters!
• She's not afraid of anything! She loves roller coasters, trampolines, bike rides, climbing trees, etc... She is a little daredevil and will attempt anything.
• She loves pasta. I think she could sit down and eat a whole package, especially with white sauce. She also loves salad and ice cream. She definitely takes after her parent's sweet tooth and loves any treat.
• When she drinks out of a straw, she sticks her tongue out underneath the straw. She has always done this, ever since she was little. I've tried to drink like her and end up spilling all over. I have no idea how she does it.
• She is pretty quiet and shy when she's at school or church, but it's a whole different ball game at home. She's quite stubborn and always puts up a fight.
• She loves movies, even scary ones. When she was little, her favorite movies were Jurassic Park and Gremlins. She never got nightmares and that is what she wanted to watch all the time. She still loves to be scared and watches Scooby Doo all the time. She also loves the Barbie movies and pretty much anything Disney.
• She hates housework. She doesn't like to do chores and fights me on them all the time. She is quite the mess-maker and doesn't like to clean up after herself. Once in a while she'll be a good helper, but most of the time she's not.
• She loves being outside. She likes to play with friends, riding bikes, swimming, swinging, and just running around. She loves summertime and can't wait for it to get here.
• She still loves to cook and help me in the kitchen. Hopefully we can get some fun cooking time in this summer.
• She's got an amazing memory! That girl can tell you about every little thing that has happened in her life. If you play memory with her, watch out! She'll beat you every time!
• Her imagination runs wild! Her teacher loves reading all the stories she's written in class. They are very inventive and keep you laughing. I'll have to post one sometime!

They say you always get a kid that acts just like you. I know Sierra is mine. I think that is why we already butt heads sometimes, but we also love to go shopping together and hang out. She is such a joy to have in our family and is a sweetheart to all those who know her.

Happy Birthday, Sierra! We love you tons!

Bowling

To keep ourselves busy during Spring Break, we decided to go see a movie. Unfortunately, I think everybody else had the same idea too! We couldn't get enough seats to sit together, so we changed our minds and decided to go bowling instead.
They opened a new Jack & Jills right here in Lehi and it was super nice. It wasn't even crowded! This was the first time our kids have been bowling and they loved it. Sierra had to start at the back and get a running start so she could throw her ball down the lane. It still took about 5 minutes to make it to the pins! Jaxson ended up doing a running, sliding on his knees kinda thing when he let his ball go. Crazy thing is, it worked and he knocked down quite a few pins. We used the metal thing for Brooke to push her ball down, but a couple of times she decided she wanted to do it like her brother and sister. Once she dropped it right in the gutter, and the other time I thought it was going to get stuck on the lane! We had a bunch of fun and decided we'll have to go again.
We did end up going to see How to Train Your Dragon, too. It was a really cute show, what I got to see of it anyway! Brooke still won't sit still at the movie theatre. It doesn't matter how much popcorn or treats we give her, she still wants to walk around. She also became fascinated with the guy in front of us who had a bald head. I think she touched him about 5 times! Yeah, that's not embarrassing or anything! Jaxson was also a little loud and had to get up and move around a bit. Oh well, that's what happens when you take little kids to the movies!

Career Day

A few weeks ago, Sierra had Career Day at school and the kids were allowed to dress up. I swear I didn't influence her in any way, but she chose to be a "Baker". She picked everything out and was even able to take a few props. There were a lot of artists and animal doctors in her class. She had fun and loves doing dress-up days. She's the last one on the top row.

11 Years Together

Yesterday was our 11th Anniversary! Time has just flown by and we are as happy together now as we have ever been! We celebrated by going out to dinner at one of our favorite places: Goodwood Barbecue. It is soooo good. We always get their ginormous onion rings and split the three-meat plate. We also did a lot of shopping. It is so much easier to get things accomplished without the kids trailing along behind us! Actually, most of the time they are running away from us and into other people. But, one of our favorite things is just to hang out and be together. Jay was looking for some nice clothes to wear to his meetings this week, and I've had my eye out for a new camera since ours kerplunked a few weeks ago. We were both successful at finding what we needed and I can't wait for my camera to get charged this morning!

Here's a little history about us:

We met at Blockbuster Video in 1996. Jay had just returned from his mission and I was only working there a few more weeks before I left for school at SUU. I was rather disappointed that I was quitting right when this new, totally hot, guy had just started working there! As luck would have it, I moved back home after a year and got my old position back at Blockbuster. Jay was still there and I was excited to get to know him. It took 5 months before I was able to get him to ask me out. You see, I'm kinda old-fashioned and wasn't going to make the first move, and Jay is kinda slow and didn't get it together for awhile. After a few months, we were going out quite often, even though it took forever before he kissed me. My mom and sisters had quit asking me about it every night. They just figured he never would. Now he claims it was just a wierd circumstance since we worked together and he wasn't sure how it would work out. Seems like it ended up working out pretty well!

We were engaged a year after we started dating, and got married in the Salt Lake Temple after the tradition of our parents. It was a warm, windy day in March, and it was the best day of our lives.

We are the type of couple who loves to do everything together. We never spend any time apart, if it can be helped, and we never get sick of eachother. We love sports, whether it is participating, or watching them. We love the outdoors and spending time hiking, biking, and camping. We are best friends and companions for eternity! I couldn't ask for a better husband and father. Jay is the love of my life and my soul mate forever!

Happy Birthday, Jaxson!

Jaxson turned 5 on Thursday! We celebrated by taking him to Toys-R-Us to pick out a new bike. His old one was getting too small. We walked around the store for awhile looking at toys, then he wanted to go to McDonalds for lunch. We had to get back home pretty quick so Dad could make it to his doctor's appointment. While Dad was gone, Brooke went down for a nap and Jax went to his room for a quiet time so I could get the cake made and set out his gifts. He wanted everything to be Mario Brothers, and we found a picture of a DS cake online, so that is what he picked, along with some mushroom cupcakes on the side!

He didn't want to have a big party with friends, so we just celebrated with the family, and both grandparents stopped by. He got a MarioKart hat, some Playmobil Pirates, a Wii game, Camo hat, Nerf gun, and pop gun with a coonskin cap! He said that everything was his favorite and he really enjoyed his birthday.

He has also picked to go to Kangaroo Zoo for his activity. We didn't have time to go on his birthday, so we'll try and go there next week. He did have a chance to take his bike out and try it since the weather has been so nice. Next step... take the training wheels off!

Our Favorite Things About Jaxson:

• He's obsessed with Nintendo. It's the first thing he wants to do when he wakes up and the only thing he wants to do all day. He's pretty lost when he doesn't get to play. He loves Mario and the kids usually pretend that they are the characters. I think all the neighborhood kids now know who Bowser, Mario, and Peach are.
• He's a total sweetheart. He loves to give you hugs and kisses and cuddle with you on the couch to watch a show. He steals the hearts of all his teachers in church and in school.
• He's just a funny kid. He makes funny faces all the time and has funny little mannerisms. He's fun to watch while he's running around playing and always keeps us laughing.
• He still loves pirates and trains. He'll play with his GeoTrax and his Playmobil Pirates for hours. He loves to set up the whole city and run all his trains around the tracks. He loves trucks and always runs to the window to wave at the garbage truck driver when he hears him coming. He still says that when he grows up he wants to be a garbage man and a train driver!
• He loves to read books. He probably uses it more as an excuse to stay out of bed a little bit later at night, but he always wants us to read him a story.
• He loves school. He'll graduate from Discovery Day Preschool this year and he's learned a lot. He's quite good at writing his name and we're working on his reading.
• He's still clumsy! I keep hoping he'll grow out of this and that it's just a stage! He's constantly running into walls, falling off chairs, and just getting scrapes and bruises everywhere. We're lucky he hasn't broken anything yet!
• He's a pretty quiet, mellow kid. His sisters definitely rule the roost and he's pretty good to just follow them and do whatever they want. Brooke, in particular, likes to pester him to death. I hope they become better buddies as they grow older. Oftentimes we'll be hanging out with friends, playing, and he disappears. I think sometimes he just likes to find a quiet space to be by himself.
• He loves to take long baths. I think he'd stay in there for a few hours if we would let him.
• He loves to eat at McDonalds, M&M's, watching movies, Scooby Doo, Planet Heroes, Transformers, pizza, lasagna, and helping me in the kitchen.

We love you, Jax! We are glad you are part of our family and hope you had a great birthday!

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland in October and had so much fun! It was the first time for all the kids, as well as Jay. I haven't been since I was little, so I was super excited. We got in on a Sunday night and only missed one exit on the freeway and had to turn around just once. Jay was a little nervous to drive down there and I sure was glad that I didn't have to! We had 3-Day park hopper passes and spent all day there from sun-up to sun-down. The kids are at the age right now where they just wanted to see the characters. We had to wait in line for hours to see the princesses and the fairies! Sleeping Beauty asked if the "Little Prince" (Jax) wanted to go stand by her, but he wasn't going to have any of that. He steered clear of them!

They were so excited to see the main characters. We have to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every day, so they know them pretty well. When Brooke saw Mickey, she went running straight into his arms. It was so cute! He was really cute interacting with them, too. The only ones we didn't see were Donald and Daisy. We told the kids that they must be on vacation.

Toon Town was really cute and the kids had a lot of fun just playing around with everything. As far as rides go, the girls don't have any problems. They are the daredevils and want to go on everything. Jax is the scaredy cat. We made the mistake of stopping in front of Splash Mountain and watching a few of the logs go over the waterfall. After that, there was no way he wanted to go on it. I took Sierra and of course, she loved it. Jay took Jax and he started crying, so they made them sit in the back of the log together. After they got done, he said he liked it except for the big waterfall. He did just fine on Space Mountain, though. I think it was a good thing that it was dark!

Tinkerbell was really cute with the kids too. Jax wouldn't go near her, so she started chasing him all around. He kept trying to hide behind us and the trees that were around. It was so funny, but she finally got him to give her a high five. Brooke was so excited to see her and gave her a huge hug.

Since we went in October, they had all their Halloween decorations out and the villains also came out for pictures. Jafar was pretty creepy, but the kids didn't seem to mind. When they went to see the Old Hag from Snow White, Jax was scared of her and wouldn't get anywhere close. Brooke stood right next to her until she put her cape over her face and then she came running back to us. Sierra was the only brave one!

We spent the third, rainy day at California Adventure. No one was in line for Monsters Inc. so we walked right on. Sierra and I took off for Tower of Terror and Jay took the other two to wait in line for the Playhouse Disney. I think this was the only ride that I've ever seen Sierra get nervous on. She didn't make a peep through the whole thing! Usually she's screaming and laughing and having a good time. When we got done, we had to run and barely made it to the Playhouse Disney, Live show. She did say that she liked Tower of Terror later on.

The kids did amazing, but were pretty tired by the end of the third day. I think three days was just about perfect for us. We did almost everything we wanted. The Halloween fireworks show was amazing, the rides were awesome, and the walks were long. All in all we had a great time and are already planning our next trip!