My baby's birthday

Kayman turned 4!!! He has been so excited to be 4 years old. He asked me about a week before his birthday if he was still 3, he didn't want to have missed anything. He loves being able to ride in a booster seat now instead of his big bulky car seat. I feel old now, no more car seats in the ole minivan! It's a good change, but it still makes me feel old.

We had a little party for Kayman on Thanksgiving with Nana and Papa since they were headed out to Hawaii and would not be around to celebrate with us on his birthday. Lucky them, in Hawaii! He got a tool kit and outfit from them. He has been going around the house with his screw driver "fixing" everything. It's so cute!

Then on the night before his birthday we had the rest of the family out to celebrate. My parents, Jaycie, and Andy's sister and her family made it out for the party! It was a lot of fun. We love having so much family so close and so supportive of our children.

Kayman had a great time spitting --errr, blowing out his candles.

He got a Nerf gun! He loves that! He also got a Marshmallow gun, which he loves even more. He shoots out the marshmallows, then picks them up and eats them. He got train stuff and matchbox cars as well. Lots of new toys!!!
Syd and Jess both made him a special gift. Syd made a K with a paper plate and smarties. Jess made Felix the Cat on a paper plate with smarties. They thought of this themselves and figured out how to do it. Very sweet.

Kayman about to shoot me with the Nerf gun!

Kayman with his daddy. He loves his daddy so much. When Andy gets home from work, Kayman runs up to him and immediately starts wrestling with him.
He was a little hyper from all the cake and ice cream and excitement of the night, and he wasn't too interested in being serious for a picture with mom.
I stole a birthday kiss anyway.
And then I tickled him relentlessly, until he said, "Pause!"
Happy birthday Man. I love you! You are the highlight of my days now that we get to spend all day together, just you and me. We have a lot of fun playing with your trains, your books, watching movies, going shopping, and going out to lunch to McDonalds. You are such a sweet and loving boy. I love you so much!

Thanksgiving 2011

I know it is so cliche to write a Thanksgiving post about all I am thankful for, but this year I just cant stop myself. I have so much in my life that I don't deserve, but that I am very grateful to have been blessed with. Here are a few things:

My dear husband: Andy is the most loving man I have ever met. He is so gentle, thoughtful, caring and kind. He is my best friend. I have always known how amazing he is, but in this last month I have developed an all new appreciation for who he truly is. He loves me. He accepts me with all my craziness. He is the best father for our children. No, he is not perfect, as none of us are, but he is perfect for me. He knows me and my needs, and he does his best to meet them. He works countless hours to provide well for our family, then he comes home and serves us all. I do my best to make sure the home he comes home to is one he wants to return to for the rest of his days. We love him so much and are so grateful for all he is.

My children: I have three of the funniest, most energetic, lovable children I could have asked for. They all make me laugh every day. They love each other, play together, help out around the house, and our family would not be complete without each of them. I love the energy they bring to our house, even though I complain about it a lot. It is not always easy to deal with on days when I don't have a lot of patience, but I love how happy they all are and how much joy they bring to my life.

Family: My parents and siblings all live here in Salt Lake and it's wonderful! We get together fairly often, and we were able to have Thanksgiving all together. It was so much fun! We are also lucky enough to have Andy's parents and one of his sisters here. We see them quite often as well. I love getting together with family. For me, there is nothing better than spending time with those you love and who you know love you, talking, laughing, and making memories. Everyone gets along beautifully and I couldn't have asked for a better family! I know that sounds cheesy and unrealistic, but it really is true. We are all different and have our little quirks, but we can see past the differences and we all have great relationships.

Here we all are on Thanksgiving Day. My cute parents who do so much for each of us kids, my adorable husband who sacrifices every day for our family, my adorable kids and their bright smiling faces, my brother, his darling wife and their adorable little boy, and my sister with her husband and her soon to be baby boy. She is due Dec. 18, isn't she so cute pregnant?! I sure love all these people. They are amazing!

There are many other things I am grateful for, but family is the most important to me. Family and God. My relationship with God has been needing some improvement for a while, and I am finally getting myself closer to where I want to be. It takes a lot of work, but I am slowly getting stronger and more diligent in doing all that is required of me. I have so much to be thankful for, and I try to remember that every day.

Locks of Love

Sydney has been growing her hair for years. She loves long hair, she loves to brush it, braid it, and create new and inventive ways to style it. I mentioned a few months ago that her hair was nearly long enough to donate to Locks of Love, and she had mixed emotions of wanting to help others, but not wanting to give up her hair. We didn't talk about it for a while, then she mentioned she needed a trim the other day. I told her that if she wants to donate it, now would be a good time. Immediately she smiled and said she wanted to do it. "Can we go now?" she asked. I sent her to the shower to wash it one last time, and we were off to chop her locks.

Here is one last look at her long golden hair.

Isn't she just adorable?! She loves her new do and doesn't even miss her hair. It is a little frustrating for her that she can't pull it into a ponytail, but it will grow fast. She feels so good knowing that she did something good for someone else. Her hair will go toward making a beautiful wig for someone who needs it.

My little girl is growing up so fast.

One year older and wiser, too!

Andy just had his birthday!!! We were so excited to celebrate with him this year. I had a fun project I worked very hard on for him, the girls made very thoughtful gifts for him, and Kayman, well, he watched us. :) The girls helped me frost the cake and decorated it with 32 candles and not quite as many cinnamon bears.

After work we picked him up and took him to dinner where his family was waiting for us! That was his first surprise. He didn't know they would be there. That was fun, and really good food! We went to Goodwood BBQ. Yum! After dinner, we headed home where he got to blow out the torch of a cake. Nevermind the fact that this thing ended up covered in wax. The girls were still excited about all the candles, and he was happy for the effort we put into it for him.
Then came the second surprise. The girls threw him a "Cinnamon Bear Party!" They spent so much time drawing and painting this huge cinnamon bear (all by themselves, their idea, their work) and cutting out tiny cinnamon bears that they taped all over the walls. We also spread a huge bag of cinnamon bears all over the table around the cake. They were so excited! Obviously, Andy loves cinnamon bears. He loved his surprise.
We are headed on a vacation in a few months, so Andy's real gift was to get certified for scuba so he can come diving with me when we go to Aruba! Wahoo!!! Happy Birthday babe! We love you!

Halloween Party!

Happy Halloween! The girls got to dress up in their costumes for school. Jess was Tiana from Princess and the Frog, and Syd was Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Aren't they beautiful?!

They were s excited to put glitter on their lips! So pretty!

Syd was the most beautiful Ariel I have ever seen! We sprayed her hair red with temporary hair coloring, loaded her up with eye make up, and she suddenly looked like a teenager! She is looking much older than just 7 years old these days.

Jessica was a beautiful Tiana! She is the perfect princess. She plays the part so well with her delicate mannerisms and little princess accent.
Kayman was the perfect SWAT guy. He has been hand cuffing people and tying people up for weeks now. He's a natural. I keep finding random things around the house tied up or cuffed. The other day I found my drum stool tied to the living room chair with a jump rope. There were some pretty good knots in there. He also cuffed the refrigerator door to a kitchen chair. This kid, such a nut.
Halloween night we made home made root beer! This was a tradition I had as a kid, it was so fun to start it with my own kids. They loved it. It was really fun to make, and even better to drink! It was delicious...and I don't even like root beer!
We had my parents, Andy's parents, and Andy's sister and her family out for dinner on Halloween. It's tradition that we have Frito Pie (Chili with fritos, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and corn) and cornbread with honey butter. It was super yummy with the addition of the home made root beer! We had quite the crowd. After dinner we headed out trick or treating and loaded up on a TON of candy. It was nice and warm and Andy and I even dressed up this year. It was a great Halloween with family!
I hope you all had an equally enjoyable evening!