I'm Gonna Wreck It!

Back in April, Dexter turned 6 years old. To celebrate, we hosted a small "Wreck It Ralph" themed party for the D-Man and 6 of his friends...yes, 7 little boys plus Calvin and Bea (Natalie was at another party).

It was a little chaotic. I guess I'm just not used to that many 5 & 6 year old boys in one place, hyped up on sugar and birthday excitement. But I will admit that at the end of the day I kissed and hugged my boys extra tight and silently thanked Heavenly Father for sending me relatively calm and terror-free boys.

Ahem.

Ok, on with the party. Basically, we had dinner (pizza!) on cute Wreck It Ralph plates (that I had to order online because of course the movie was already waning in popularity and no store stocked them). After that we basically let the boys run wild in the backyard, jump on the trampoline, and play in the treehouse.

We did have one scheduled activity - making candy cars like the ones Vanellope makes in the movie. I baked little chocolate cakes, and the kids decorated them to look like cars using frosting and an assortment of fun candy.

Dex with the finished product

Even Jay got in on the fun ... after the party guests had left :) 

But, I think the best part of the party was Jay's amazing Wreck It Ralph cake:

I admit, I doubted him when he said he wanted to make the penthouse, but he pulled it off magnificently! It's made of 4 or 5 8x8 chocolate cakes and decorated with frosting, wafer cookies, and Twizzlers, which we painstakingly cut into brick-sized pieces. We found the cute Wreck It Ralph figurines at the Disney Store. Dexter absolutely loved it.

After cake, it was present time, and then the party came to an end... and we only had 4 stories of cake left over!

Happy Birthday, Dexter! You are wonderful and we love you!

A Pioneer Party

For the last few months of school, Beatrice's class was learning about Pioneers. They capped off their study with a really fun trip to Old Town Sacramento, where they (and all of us parent volunteers) came in period costume and enjoyed a day of fun and learning. So it was no surprise when Bea requested a "pioneer party" for her birthday. I have to admit, I was excited. I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls!

When the girls arrived, they were greeted by a costumed Natalie playing a jig on her fiddle in the front yard. (never mind that her costume was colonial ... sometimes ya gotta make due with what you have!) We played pioneer games in the yard as we waited for everyone to arrive. Once we had everyone, we went inside and the girls each picked out a bonnet. This also served as a "take home" item instead of a goody bag.

After the girls picked out their bonnets, they came into the kitchen where I taught them to make butter. We took our little mason jars full of cream and sat outside, shaking the jars to turn the contents to butter as I read from Little House in the Big Woods.

Making butter is serious business!

When the heat started getting to everyone, we headed inside and continued to shake the jars while dancing to fiddle music. The girls were so excited to see the cream turn into butter! We labeled the jars with their initials and put the jars in the fridge. They took those home as well. 

Then it was dinner time!

We allowed ourselves a few "non-pioneer" items, like disposable plates :)

We had baked beans, fried cornbread (or "okie cookies," as Jay's family calls them), watermelon, and homemade lemonade. Yummy! 

The girls played outside while everyone finished eating and while Jay and I set up for the next activity. This picture of the girls is one of my favorites from the party. Bea is simply enthralled with whatever story her friend is sharing!

Up next - bobbing for apples! I had no idea what a hit this activity would be. The girls absolutely loved it. In fact, they loved it so much that we played it over and over again, and abandoned our other planned activity (making corn husk dolls). 

We ended the party with cake and presents. Once again, Jay came through with the cake. I had found a small covered wagon kit at Deseret Book, so Jay put that together and used it as a cake topper, along with some horse figurines we found in the Walmart toy section. I absolutely adored the way the cake turned out, and so did Bea. 

Yes, that is Flynn Ryder driving the team

The party was great fun, and my only regret is that we didn't allow ourselves enough time to fit in all the activities! Bea enjoyed it very much, and I think her friends did as well. Happy 9th birthday, Beatrice! You are an amazing girl and we love you!

 The End!

I Should Be Embarrassed...

(I apologize in advance if the formatting on this post is wacky, I swear I've tried to fix it!) 

So, I suppose I should be embarrassed that it has been almost 5 months since I updated the blog, but the truth is ... I'm not! :) As you know, over the last few years my blogging has become more and more sporadic, so it's not really too much of a surprise that I fell off the face of the earth for a few months. We have been too busy living and enjoying life for me to blog about it, I guess. But, in case there are any of you out there still checking the blog from time to time, I figured I better get crackin' and fill in the December-to-May gaps for you. 

Just some quick highlights:

Disneyland! 

In November we took another trip to Disneyland. It was fun, as always, but I have to admit that it wasn't our favorite trip. It was a little more crowded than we're used to (the weather was great, and since we're used to Disneyland in the rain, everything else seems crowded). Still, we had a wonderful time and we especially enjoyed the new Cars Land. I could probably spend several days just hanging out in Flo's Diner, watching the people walk through Radiator Springs. Just writing about it makes me want to go back!

Natalie

Natalie is finishing up her last year of elementary school, and I'm not sure how I feel about that! She was accepted into an International Baccalaureate middle school about 25 minutes away from our home, so next year will be quite an adventure for all of us. Natalie is also finishing up her second year of baseball. She is the only girl on her team and in fact, the only girl in her division. Although she has decided that baseball isn't her thing, she has stuck with it throughout the year and held her own! We are proud of her. 

Natalie has also continued with both the choir and strings program at school this year, although they both required early mornings (which she is not fond of). She will continue violin at middle school next year. Natalie's main love is acting and singing, and she is very excited for the upcoming Rock & Roll Show that the 5th and 6th graders put on. She and her class will be performing to "Jailhouse Rock," and Natalie also has an acting role in the show. I have been impressed with her willingness to audition for different things throughout the year. Often she doesn't even tell me she auditioned, and I only find out about it when she tells me she got the part. :) It has definitely been a blessing to be at a school with a strong music and arts program. 

Natalie as "Dolly Madison" in the 5th Grade Patriotic Play

Beatrice

Beatrice recently turned 9 years old! I can hardly believe it. She decided she wanted a "Pioneer Party" for her birthday, so that's what we did, complete with butter making and homemade bonnets. We had a great time. I will probably post about that separately, because there are just to many cute pictures to keep to myself. :) Bea has been doing well at school and absolutely adores her 3rd grade teacher. Earlier in the year she stole the show as "Pluto" in the 3rd grade solar system play. It was adorable. 

However, Beatrice's main love is baseball. This is her second year, and she cannot get enough of it... practicing, playing, watching, talking about it ... she loves it all. She is one of only two girls on her team (and in her division), and the other one happens to be her good friend from church, which has been nice. Even though her team has struggled a little bit, Bea has loved playing. She is quite good as well, if I do say so myself. :) She is a good little hitter, and even had the walk-off hit in a game against the only undefeated team in the division (well, not undefeated anymore :)). She most often plays first or second base, although first base is her favorite.  Because she loves to play so much, we are considering moving her to softball, but she's not too keen on the idea. She wants to play baseball, she says. So we'll see what happens. 

Bea in her natural habitat

Dexter

In April, Dexter turned 6 years old, and we celebrated with a Wreck-It Ralph party. Again, I’ll probably have to blog about that separately, just to discuss the cake Jay made. It was pretty amazing. (Yes, Jay is the cake decorator around these parts.) Dexter is also doing well in school and has loved Kindergarten. They held a “Mother’s Day Tea” for us on the Friday before Mother’s Day, and he was so proud to be up on stage, singing to me. He was even more proud to pull me onstage to do the chicken dance with him!

This is also Dexter’s second year in baseball, and he has loved it. This is his final year in tee-ball, and he is excited to move up to the next division next season. His favorite part of baseball is hitting (naturally), but he also likes playing first and third base. He does not enjoy the outfield, and if that’s where he is for an inning, you can usually see him standing there, chewing on his glove or chatting with the coaches. There is not a lot of action for an outfielder in tee-ball! 

 

Dexter showing off his painting during Open House

Calvin

My “baby” Calvin is now a 4 ½ year old boy. It’s still hard for me to believe sometimes! He is a goofy and funny little guy, and loves to get our attention by making us laugh. We have been participating in a little co-op preschool with some ladies from church, and that has been fun. For the most part Calvin likes it, though he is a little bit of a homebody so every once in a while he gets really sad about going to preschool (even if it’s only for 2 hours once a week). But once he’s there, he loves it. Cal has also been continuing with speech therapy and now goes twice a week. He has made such huge progress this year, and it’s all due to his new teacher. They really connect … he even named one of his stuffed animals after her.

Cal doesn’t play baseball yet (he could have, but we held off), but he’s excited to play next year. His favorite things to do at home are play with legos, play outside, and of course, play the Wii. He would play Star Wars Legos all day long if I let him!

 

One of Cal's many amazing outfits

Jay & I

Jay and I are doing very well, and trying our best to keep the household running smoothly.  I have to admit that although we love baseball, we are looking forward to the end of the season and a summer of relaxation. Jay has been serving on the baseball league board, which has been a fun way to get involved in the community. Of course we are also involved in the community through church, where Jay serves in the Young Men’s program, and I serve in the Relief Society. I am no longer running my sewing business, because it was just too much to handle on top of everything else. I do miss it a little, so maybe in a few years when all the kids are in school I’ll pick it back up again. We’ll see. In the meantime, we’re plugging along, enjoying life. Yes, there are up and downs, but definitely more ups! 

At the Space Needle during our February Road Trip, which I'll blog about later :)

Thanks so much for sticking through this long recap! We miss all of you, our sweet friends and family, and hope that you know you are in our hearts and our prayers. We love you!  

Snowflakes

Hello my friends,

As usual, my blog is silent more often than not, and I'm sorry about that. Life gets in the way of blog posting, which I suppose is a good thing. I feel bad that I haven't sent any Christmas cards this year (again), especially when I have received so many sweet cards from you. I love seeing how your families have grown, and reading about the adventures you're all experiencing. I hope you all know how much we love you and miss you. Life is good for us, the kids are healthy and happy, and Jay and I  are a little chubbier than last year but still as in love as ever. We have so much to be thankful for. 

But the real reason for my post is to let you all know about an effort I just became aware of for the community of Newton, CT, and most especially for Sandy Hook Elementary. The website of the National PTA has posted the following: 

Welcome Students to a Winter Wonderland

When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonderland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowflakes are alike. Please make and send snowflakes by January 12, 2013 to the Connecticut PTSA address at the bottom of this page.   

Please send all snowflakes and donations to:  
Connecticut PTSA
60 Connolly Parkway
Building 12, Suite 103
Hamden, CT 06514

There are other ways to help, and you can find them at the National PTA website linked above. I am planning on participating, and asking my Relief Society sisters in my ward to do the same if they are so inclined. I will be collecting the snowflakes and mailing them by January 4th. If you are local to me and would like to join in, please feel free to bring me your snowflakes and I will mail them all together. If you are not local and would like to participate, please do! You can mail the snowflakes to the address above.

It is so hard to know what to do when tragedy strikes, especially something as horrific as the events of December 14th, but maybe these snowflakes, along with our heartfelt prayers, will bring some small measure of comfort. 

I love you all, and am so grateful to count you among my friends. 

Don't know how to make paper snowflakes? Click here 

Oh and BTW ...

I totally chopped off my hair. :) 

(At Disneyland, waiting for the Radiator Springs Racers ... will write about our trip eventually!) 

My hair was long and unruly for-ev-er, and I had been pinning short hairstyles on Pinterest for quite a while when a friend finally commented and said good-naturedly, "Do it already!" I decided she was right, so when my sister and I were both finally in the same place at the same time, I had her chop it off. (Yes, she's a professional.) I am very happy with the results. I thought I'd have to spend a ton of time making it perfect every morning, but I don't. I don't even blow dry it. Ahhhh, happiness.

Here's the "before," with my sister:

Annnddd... another "after," just for fun:

Thanks, Jen! I still love it! 

It's Official ...

We're old. 

What We've Been Up To

Hello Friends!

As I'm sure all of you can relate, life has been busy lately, and the start of the school year and the holidays only means that it will stay busy for quite some time to come. That's ok ... busy is good. It keeps me out of trouble (for the most part)!

Here's a quick snapshot of what we've been up to:

1) The kids started school, including Mr. Dexter who started kindergarten! So far, they are all really enjoying their teachers, and we are all settling back into the school routine. It's just me and Calvin at home, which is definitely different. It's very nice to have some one-on-one time with him.

2) Jay and I started a second Etsy store in July called Orange Dot Vintage. (As you can see, we have a theme going.) We figured we might as well take our love of garage-saleing and thrift store shopping, and see if we can put it to good use. We're having a fun time with it. We've had a few sales (and have sold some things on Ebay, too), so it's going well. You can see some of our items on the sidebar. ---> Below is one of my favorite items we currently have listed. Vintage hand embroidered owl? Oohhh baby!

3) A little backtrack ... before summer ended we took another trip to see Grandma in Monterey. We had a great time, of course, and the kids are still talking about sliding down her ice plant hill. We spent one afternoon in Monterey, eating junk food on the wharf, checking out the view, going to Dennis the Menace Park, and of course, going on a family bike ride.

4) My original Etsy store is doing well and keeping me very busy. I am trying to stock up for Christmas but I admit, I'm having a hard time keeping up at times. It's a good problem to have, though. Here's my latest (and one of my favorite) creations - a Supergirl costume, just in time for Halloween.

So, there you have it ... a small sampling of what we've been doing with our lives. What have *you* been up to? 

The Beach: My Favorite Place! (Can You Sense the Sarcasm?)

Well, the kids start school very soon, which means summer is quickly coming to a close and I have yet to blog about anything we did. Oh well. We actually didn't do too much... I like a lazy summer. I used to start off the summer with complicated and ambitious plans about all we'd get accomplished during the break, but this year I finally gave that all up and decided to let summer break be summer break.

One thing we did do was visit grandma, and take a little trip to the beach. It was a blustery day to say the least, but the kids didn't seem to mind. They took a break from the waves to do a little seashell collecting (their collections ended up much larger than this):

Calvin mostly ate fruit and played in the sand ... 

As evidenced by his face... 

I'm not much of a beach person myself, but the kids (and Jay!) were having a blast, and that's always fun to watch, even from my huddled up position on the beach chair. :) So we soon say goodbye to another summer, and three of the kids will be in school shortly. I'm not sure I'm ready for Dexter to start kindergarten. It will be quite a change for all of us, but he couldn't be more excited. And Cal and I will just have to have a lot of little adventures on our own!