Happy Birthday to my man

This past week we celebrated Joey's big 35(getting closer to 40-yikes you're old!! :)  Just keeding. A couple of years ago I told him he should take off work on his birthday each year because, well, gosh, darnit, he deserves it! And you only have one birthday a year, right? So this year's birthday fell on a weekday during Spring Break. Since the kids were home, we decided to do something fun and took a little day trip(next post!) to Oklahoma for some drive thru safari fun(And it was a blast! Can't wait to share the pictures!) I picked up yummy donuts in the morning for breakfast since we were in a hurry and the kids gave their daddy their gifts they bought him and wrapped themselves. They were all food(which is why we had him open them in the morning so he could snack on them on the road). They picked the perfect items: beef jerky, flamin hot cheetos, & a dark chocolate bar. They know their Dad! And I know he enjoyed eating it on the drive. Ella also made him a homemade duck tape tie that he wore to church today:)

We spent most of the day in Oklahoma and then went out for dinner at Rudy's BBQ and came home for cake and icecream. The kids and I decorated the house and cake with Toy Story toys(Shout out to my friend Monda for letting me borrow her slew of Toy Story toys!) and we even played the music from the movie. We are crazy about silly kid-themed family parties over here:) We made Joey stay in his room while we got it all ready and when he came downstairs we got him with silly string. The kids were laughing and laughing, especially Ammon. He had never seen such a thing:) We then devoured way too much chocolate cake and icecream. Oh, and I also have to add that Aubrey did the lettering on the cake-she was so excited to do it and did a great job! It was a WONDERFUL day with our WONDERFUL guy. We love you so much, Joey. I brag on you too much sometimes because well, you are the best!  I don't know what I'd do without you in my life. I hope you had a great birthday. We tried our best to show you we love you and make it special!! xoxoXOXO

Cali is a STAR!

Cali was so SO SOO excited to be star of the week at preschool last week. We had fun making her a glitter-fied poster with pictures from the past almost-five years(yes, its almost her birthday too!). It was a fun stroll down memory lane with our cutie pie Cali. She was able to take the poster to school to show her friends and hang up in the class all week. She also answered a few questions(see second picture) about herself and took the sheet to school for her teacher to share with her classmates. I love how she said she wants to be an artist when she grows up:) She doesn't really like to color pictures(like in coloring books. She tells me its just too hard to stay in the lines!) but she loves to do "abstract" :) She loves to paint and be creative. That week she also was line leader and was able to bring in extra show and tell items. She also got to be the snack helper one day and I let her pick out a more "fun" snack(Danimals and string cheese) instead of the usual crackers or fruit. It was a fun week all about her. She had a wonderful time being the STAR!

Sparks rocked it

Basketball season ended and Ella's team, the Sparks, made HUGE improvements! They were the newest team-none of the girls had ever played and by the end they were wowing the audiences. I overheard another mom talking about how our team was definitely the most improved and that was great to hear. They worked so hard, had such good sportsmanship, didn't let losses bring them down, and in the end they ended up beating one of the top teams(and made the other team all cry:) Sorry..but I didn't feel that bad. They had crushed everyone countless times and our girls deserved to win!! It was such an intense game and so fun to watch. I didn't think I could get so into a 2nd grade basketball game! hahaha. Ella was always a starter and helped to make lots of points. We were so proud of her and the Sparks. Here are a few pics from her last game and her end of season family bbq. Notice the basketball cupcake Ella is eating(I made those!! GO me:) Ella's coach, Coach James, called each girl up to present their trophies and also talked about each girl and the good qualities they brought to the team. I loved how he described Ella as quiet..their little "secret weapon" :) He said he could never get her to talk much(she is a softspoken little lady around others) but when he'd give her directions, she'd do it and do it well.

We are sad to see basketball season go, but volleyball for Aubrey is just around the corner! Never a dull weekend when you have kiddos.



Ammon is 18 months old!!

On March 1st, Ammon officially hit 18 months. Such a big milestone! He is no longer a "baby"(well, he'll always be my baby:) and is officially a toddler. He is talking so much now and always making us smile. He is precious and gentle(if he is feeling good and rested anyways...I'll get to that...:) People always comment to me at church, at the store, wherever, what a good boy he is, how they rarely if ever see him cry. Its true, he is a very happy little dude. And of course I always get comments about his eyes/eyelashes. They are beautiful. In a manly way of course. lol. One of the cutest things he does is say "Awwww" when he hugs you or when he pets the dog:) He also loves to make an exit. Anytime he leaves a room he puts his little hand in the air, waves it so cute, and says "Bye!!" And then walks right outta there. He'll even do it if he is about to walk into the closet or the pantry, anywhere! He is a very friendly boy and will let other people hold him(this is very different than my girls!) and will play with others. He isn't half as shy as the girls were which is fun to experience. Every kid of ours is so different, thats one of the fun things about parenting, meeting your child and finding out who they are and watching who they become. Makes me very curious about our next one coming in just a few months! I can't believe Ammon will be a big brother(well, actually he really already is:) I know when the baby comes, things will change and Ammon will seem so big all of the sudden, so I'm trying to treasure every second with him before he "grows up" in August:)

Ammon is a sweet cuddly boy but watch out if hes sleepy or not feeling good(well, who isn't cranky when they are tired or not feeling good, right? :). The claws come out. Literally. Oh, and the teeth. Basically, he becomes an animal. So watch out! He is starting to explore boundaries these days but I think I've figured out how to handle it. Maybe. We'll see how it goes. But sometimes the girls run away in fear of him and his biting! lol. He just loves to use his teeth anywhere. On people. On the couch. On the carpet. I even saw him try to bite Zac once!! 

Some of Ammon's favorite things are books, balls and cars. His favorite foods seem to be pasta of any kind and meat of any kind. He has never been picky actually and will pretty much devour anything you put in front of him. A true man.

Ammon, we adore you(even when you bite us or claw our eyes out lately...:) and feel so blessed to have a little boy in our house. You have a special spirit about you and are a wonderful son and brother. I love rocking you before bedtime and singing you songs while you try to sing along(he is the sweetest singer and loves music!) I love reading to you and watching you dance(his dance moves are awesome). Thank you for being such a wonderful boy! I love you...xoxo

Enjoy some cute pics Joey took the other day...the first one is my favorite. Totally captures his happiness.

Box Top Winner!

I can remember even before our kids were school aged, cutting out those Box Tops For Education. I couldn't resist collecting them.  I have been cutting and saving and donating these bad boyz for forever. I knew one of my kids would have to win something in the schools box tops contests one of these days! During one of the breaks, Ella pulled a ton of them out of the drawer and spent over an hour trimming them all herself and put them in a baggie and labeled them(I usually just rip them off the box and they need to be trimmed). I think she did 100!  She was determined to win. All her work paid off and Ella was the box top winner for her grade last month! She was beyond thrilled. She came home with a hot cocoa/smores set, complete with mugs, cocoa, marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate. She used it as her FHE treat one Monday night and was so excited to share with us...

Uh oh...

Ammon is starting to climb things. Joy.

And pay no attention to the mess that is our office... :)

I felt the baby!

I felt the baby move for the first time the morning of February 22nd! I woke up to a flutter and knew it was him/her. So exciting!!! Now I'm feeling the kicks a few times a day, usually in the evenings when I lay down. Its so reassuring to feel and know the baby is alive and kickin in there:) We can't wait for March 28th-sonogram day! I'm dying to know if this kid is a boy or girl. On one hand, Ammon needs a brother. We plan on having two more kids so I really really hope one of them is a boy! On the other hand, another girl will even up the girl number. Either way, we'll be psyched! I'm leaning toward hoping for a boy(I know I shouldn't say that) for Ammon's sake and for current room situation, but I have a feeling its a girl. Another bestie for me:) The heartbeat is fast and I've heard/read that girls heartbeats are generally faster in the womb. I do love these girlies. And this boy is a treasure. We shall see....we are just thrilled to have another addition to the family, boy or girl!

Valentine's Day 2012 and our crappy date night that ended okay :)

I told Joey that this year for Valentines Day all I wanted was a bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and to go watch a movie with him. We don't get to go to the movies very often these days so I thought it'd be fun. Welll...you tell me if you think this was fun:) A couple of days before Valentine's he and I went to the movies and watched The Vow(total chick flick but hes a real man that indulges his wife:) We don't do babysitters often. Seriously, we have paid a babysitter less than five times. I'm paranoid about it. And I'm cheap. In the past I've done swaps with friends of mine and its been nice: free and an adult I trust. Also, a lot of the time we seem to have a newborn I'm still nursing and that makes date nights impossible. So, to us, this is a rare thing. So of course, this night, had to be a night where Ammon wouldn't go to sleep before we left. I tried to calm him and get him down(which cost us time) but he never really would. So we left hoping he would fall asleep. So we arrived at the movie late and missed the first few minutes-suckity! I was stressed as we arrived at the movies. 20-30 minutes into it, I got a call from a panicked Aubrey. She said he had been crying. And that he cried and cried. The sitter went in to hold him and try to calm him down and he made himself throw up on her! Poor girl. Good thing she has little siblings so it wasn't too horrifying for her, but I felt really bad!  I told Joey we should go home. Then the sitter got on the phone and said things were fine, he was happy now and they changed his clothes and that she could just play with him for the last hour. So, basically, I didn't get to enjoy the movie as much as I would've liked. And we missed a big chunk of it in the beginning and during the phonecall outside of the theatre while I debated going home or not. But I think it was probably a good movie? Haha. So thats what happened. And Ammon loved playing with the sitter so it was all good in the end. And no, he wasn't sick, he just gags himself sometimes. Little booger. We did enjoy the last hour of the movie though. I knew Ammon was fine(he was partying it up with an older woman late at night, so of course he was happy-lol) Overall, it was nice to get away just Joey and I. Despite the stress Mr. Ammon caused:)

On actual Valentine's I made the kids a surprise pancake breakfast complete with heartshaped pink pancakes. This was before school and honestly during the week I don't usually make big breakfasts since its so early in the morning, so it was a special treat! In the evening, we took the kids out to our "fancy" dinner at Macaroni Grill. They were all perfectly behaved and it was truly an enjoyable dinner together. We are very blessed with such well behaved kiddos!! Afterwards, we all ate delicious pieces of heaven-bundlets(we decided to buy bundlets for not only ourselves but as little Vday gifts for the kiddos too). They were totally thrilled! They know these cakes are divine. The kids all made us and each other handmade cards and gifts. It was a night of family love and togetherness. I love Valentine's Day! Its all about love.

Valentine's Dance

We always love to go to the kids elementary school Valentine's Dance each year. This year's had a 50's theme(which I didn't realize until the day of) and I was able to manage, through the beauty of Facebook, to borrow a couple of adorable poodle skirts for Aubrey & Ella to wear last minute. They looked so cute!! We all went as a family and had a great time. The older girls ran around with their friends while Cali indulged in eating cookies most of the night. Okay, we all had our fair share of cookies:) Ammon just looked all around at the craziness of it all and wasn't sure what to think. Good times...

Poi Posse

Last year, as an Activity Days leader in church, I helped our girls perform in a stake cultural event. Our group chose the Pacific Island as our culture to share. I helped the girls make a million poi balls and taught them some mad poi skillz I had learned from a friend of mine growing up(she had lived in New Zealand) Then they performed in front of the stake activity day girls at the stake activity. It was so fun and they did so good! That led Aubrey and I to the idea of doing something similar for the school talent show this year. Honestly, when the talent show came around, I was hoping Aubrey would forget:) I wasn't feeling good at all in the first two months of pregnancy(heck, I'm still not feeling great, but improved) and we had just put our house on the market, so life was difficult. But when she told me about it and how badly she wanted to do it, I couldn't say no. And this is probably her last year at this school so I thought she should go out with a bang:) Our new idea for this show was to make the balls glow in the dark somehow. And then we thought of black light. With the help of Joey(he bought the ginormous black light, cut the music cd, and zip tied neon socks to our poi balls from last year-thanks babe!), we got everything ready. Aubrey called a few of her school friends and formed a "poi posse" as they named themselves. Her and I spent a couple of hours figuring out the choreography and song(We picked "We Found Love" by Rihanna which had a perfect beat! Really fun!) We had a few practices at our home and then one final one at our church gym. It really came together. When the night of the show came, I was a little bit nervous. This was my baby:) We had all worked hard on it. But I knew they had practiced hard and would do great. And they did! They were the opening act out of the two hour show and really started the show off right. The crowd was cheering and clapping and the girls were so proud. I was so proud! They were the coolest most creative act of the night(Okay, I'm biased but it was awesome:) All the lights were out and the poi balls looked so amazing glowing in the dark! Everyone was talking about it afterwards and it brought me joy to see how big Aubrey & Ella were smiling(Ella had a special role as well:) I'm going to try to include a link to the video clip. It may not work anymore, but oh well, here are at least pictures if it doesn't! The last couple of pictures are from the pizza party we had the next week at our house. It was time to celebrate! And my good friend Susan, whose daughter performed with Aubrey, brought cupcakes from my new favorite cake shop, Nothing Bundt Cakes. YUM!

The poi ballers dressed in all black(so you could only see the balls glowing) and Ella was this funny little character glowing bright that would run out and dance periodically. She also had a mask on that gave her this funny face. She was a hit!

At the end, they turned around as the "BOOM!" sound effect Joey added sounded. The neon duck tape letters glowed really bright! And Ella threw glowing confetti. It was pretty cool!

A sweet surprise from Joey afterwards...

 Party time!

In the end, I was really glad we did it. And really proud of all of the girls!! The hard work and sacrifices I had to make paid off as they made a memory that night they will never forget.