Kade's Five!!!

Kade is FIVE! And, he had his first friend party. We rented a party room at the Washington City Community Center. (We had the party a few days before his actual b-day.) We had pizza, veggies, drinks and cupcakes! Then after opening gifts all the boys got to go swimming! Who has a swim party in the middle of January? So awesome! All the kids were thrilled. Thank heaven for indoor pools! I wish I had gotten pictures of the swimming. Aunt Nattie and Grandma came to celebrate and swim. It was a great party.

It's nice when you get two parties! Even with a friend party we were still going to celebrate on his actual birthday. Kade is incredible. He is so creavtive and inventive. He is SO thoughtful of others, and wants to take care of every body. He's amazingly funny -I swear he's funnier than most adults I know. Kade is always good for a great hug and kiss, and a humorous conversation. He is such a great kid with so much motivation, so much wonder and such a deep thinker. He's the best middle brother. He's the best friend to Ben and the best helper and teacher for Carter. We love him! I'm amazed by his growth and maturity. He's just getting so big! Happy Birthday Kader bum; we love you!

Oh my Goodness.

What GREAT DAY! First, Kade is FIVE! and second I got to go to Moms and Muffins with Ben at school. Very fun. I wish I had gotten a picture. If I don't remember how Ben looked, I'll remember how I felt getting to spend some one on one time that morning at school over some juice and muffins. I love it.

Since I was needing to be at the school with Ben, Joe took the younger two boys to work with him. When people at Joe's office asked Kade how he was doing,  he proudly announced, "It's my birthday! I'm five and I'm old enough to wipe my own bum!" Hahaha
He's known how to do this feat since he potty trained himself, however, Joe or I would help him out on occasion. However, we told him, "Once you're 5, it's all you. You're big enough to do it every time." SO, now he's five and he's old enough to wipe his own bum! Haha. I'm sure Joe LOVED the great entertainment our boys always provide his office.

Love comin' Home.

At the bus stop, Ben came running to the car with a huge smile.
I said, "Hey, happy *big smile* boy."
Ben, "It's because it's my favorite place -home. Home is my favorite place."
...now I have a big smile on my face

Just a Couple Quick Stories.

Joe just put Carter in his bed, then left to get a sippy cup. When he got back in the room Carter was *fake snoring*!! Then he cracked when Joe started laughing at him. Where did he come up with that? Too funny.



Admittedly, my fuse is a lot shorter when I don't feel well. And, my boys seem to know that compliments go a long way with me (to make me happier). So, Kade has been finding any reason to compliment me. He just said, "You are so good at making grapefruits. Cutting them and all." Hahaha. Thanks, Kade. Sorry I'm ornery.

Lego Land the San Diego Zoo and the Beach.

The best time for our family to go on family vacation is any time other than summer. Joe is more busy that time of year, obviously, and so if we want Dada around, we pick wisely another break. During Christmas break we all went to California. Grandma Lana suggested taking the boys to Lego Land, and with it being school break, she came along too. We first hit the zoo, then the next day followed with LEGOLAND and the beach. We took it easy, we went slow and had a GREAT time. Since I didn't even post as many pictures as I have, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 The Reptiles were the boys favorite things to see. Although they enjoyed everything.

 I love my boys!

 Legos, Star Wars, and Harry Potter?! Ben couldn't have been in a better place.

 Kade could build all day. Luckily during long lines, the kids could play and build while parents held the place in line. Thank you LEGOLAND! Kade was in engineering heaven.

The boys loved the beach!  Even if they fell into the water, or were a little cold. They could have stayed all day! All around a fabulous family vacation. Thanks grandma for coming and helping and giving so much.

Random Pictures of the Boy from this Year.

How could I not post these few pictures that don't have any story other than the story of my daily life with three cute boys. These three brothers LOVE each other and play, help and take care of each other. I love how close they are, and how much closer they get every day. We have some great and handsome boys to say the least!

Christmas and I'm 33!

It was a great Christmas! The boys were happy and grateful. The whole month was great, starting with our advent calendar, our new tradition of reading names of the Savior every night -everything was really great this year. Some of the boys' bigger presents were.........

 Ben got Star Wars Lego sets which he couldn't be more thrilled with. He loves building, and got to work right after opening all the his presents.

 Kade got a Leapster Explorer, which is a cool handheld learning video game. So cool! He had Joe put on a Wolverine X-men game on and he's ready to play!

 Carter got a cool Mario Backpack. He's been putting on the older boys' back packs since school started and was excited to have his own cool bag. He's so cute!

The big present of the year was from Uncle Ivan. For our family gift he gave us a Play Station 3! Joe had an inkling that we might be getting some kind of game system. So, a few nights before the 25th, we opened the gift. We figured we could then get a few more gifts related to the system, like games or extra controllers. That worked out perfectly. We got the boys Ben 10 Galactic Racing, a race car game starting one of the favorite cartoon characters. EXCITING! We all got to play off and on the rest of the day! We had Aunt Nattie over for Christmas dinner and my birthday time. It was all good! I'm 33! And, even though I'm old ;) I am happy and blessed. Wonderful Christmas and Birthday.

Cutie Kade

Kade during his preschool Christmas Program. He's always so cute to watch. He loves to sing and always remembers the "dance moves". He's getting so big and SO handsome. I love his BIG personality. Our cute Kade!

Ben's SEVEN?!

I know I say it every year. But I really can't believe that my boys grow up So fast! Ben is now seven! He is amazing. We love our Ben. He's an incredible big brother to Kade and Carter; he loves them, takes care of them, shares with them, helps them and teaches them. He is a sweet boy who is so considerate and loving. Also, he so smart and getting funnier and funnier. He has grown into a mature kid who is ever independent and trying to improve. He pushes himself to learn new things. He loves reading books and playing all video games. He's all boy. I can't wait to watch him grow this next year as he heads on to 8! We love our Ben-Ben. Our first born and biggest brother.

Finally a Family Tradition!

I've always wanted to come up with a family tradition for Christmas. I wanted to do something more than just matching pajamas, or opening a present on Christmas Eve.I wanted a tradition that would mean more...and highlight Christ. But, over the years, I've kept coming up blank, until this year. YAY! After looking through ideas on the internet, I merged a few ideas together to come up with this.......

25 homemade ornaments (which add a beautiful new texture, shape, and color to our tree) each with a name referring to The Son of God. (There are over 200 names, in case you were wondering.) Each night, the boys will take turns choosing a star off the tree. We'll read the name, ask them "Why they think this would be a name used to refer to Jesus.", then we'll look up a scripture where that particular name is used and talk about how the Savior is that name. I'm so excited! I don't know if I'll make new ornaments with new names, or just use the same one for awhile till the boys really know the names and their meanings.
I am grateful for the inspiration this tradition was. I know it will benefit my boys. I know it will bring the spirit into our home more during the holidays, and I know our focus will be on the right things. I am so excited for December 1st! 

Tree Lighting Ceremony

When trying to think of what we could do for FHE, I found out there was a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony going on in Washington City. Hey, it's still November, but why not. Joe, Aunt Nattie and I loaded up the boys and headed to the park. It was SO much more than I expected it to be, and was so fun, not to mention free.

 There was singing by local school kids, the Grinch walking around, free hot chocolate and donuts, and a "Polar Express" wagon ride to see Santa. It was a lot of fun. I think we did everything in an hour, and the boys were perfect the whole time.

 Santa! and Mrs. Claus. I'm glad we got to see them now. Now, there is NO pressure to find Santa before Christmas. I like getting a jump on the holidays!

Thanks Nat for being there to help with kids and just to share the experience. AND, mostly to take the rare family photo. What a great night! December is looking good already!