Abby's Birthday 2012

One of the best things about the beginning of summer, is that we always get to celebrate Abby's birthday during those first few days.  It seems like the perfect way to kick-off summer - plus it gives us a chance to celebrate one of our favorite girls.

This year, Abby's birthday was on a Sunday which interfered with her typical birthday celebration: sushi for lunch, a mani/pedi, and a little birthday shopping, and dinner with the family at a restaurant of her choice.  But even with her birthday falling on a Sunday, it was still a pretty great day.

It started off with all of us singing heartfelt rendition of "Happy Birthday" to wake her up, followed by a yummy breakfast of French Toast and the opening of presents.  The first few presents she opened were small little craft items for her "Never Be Bored" box, a bag of salt-and-vinegar chips (her favorite food on earth) and an i-tunes card.  But there in the middle of the table was a large box, wrapped in green paper.  Abby knew it looked promising and she waited until the end to open it.

Blurry i-phone shot, but you get the idea.

Inside the large box was tons of tissue paper that Abby dug through looking for whatever was in that box.  Finally, at the bottom of the box, she found an envelope and inside the envelope was something she had been wanting and asking about and dreaming about for nearly four years: a ticket to see the musical "Wicked." When she saw that ticket, her eyes lit up and she ran over and threw her arms around me.  She was so excited.  Andrew, of course, quickly joked that this was the first and only time that Wickedness ever brought happiness.  I am so excited to go see "Wicked" with her.  It's just too bad we have to wait until August to see it.

That night, we went to Oma's and Grandpa's for dinner.  We had birthday cake for dessert and then following dinner and dessert, Oma planned a "Summer Kick-Off Fiesta" - the perfect celebration for Abby's birthday.  The "kick-off" started with a treasure hunt around the neighborhood.  The prizes included things that everyone needs for summer: bubbles, sparklers, candy and at the end, each grandchild got a towel with his or her name embroidered on it.

Once the treasure hunt was done, it was time to do a piñata in the front yard.  This piñata was huge and stuffed with more candy than 20 kids could eat in an entire summer.  Each of the grandkids took a turn trying to hit that piñata, but even then, it took awhile to bring it down.  When it finally fell, there was a shower of candy and the chaos that ensued was impressive.  

The rest of the night was spent roasting marshmallows over the fire pit, doing sparklers, and enjoying a perfect summer night.  It was a pretty spectacular way for Abby to spend her 11th birthday.

There are so many things I love about Abby.  She is one of the funniest people I know.  Seriously.  She can make me belly-laugh with her witty observations and comments.  She is kind and makes an effort to be a friend to those who need one.  She is a loving big sister.  She has a fabulous imagination and can always come up with amazing games and activities for her younger siblings to play.  She loves to read.  She is quick to smile and laugh.  She looks for the humor in every situation.  She is willing to try new things.  She loves to set and accomplish goals.  She loves music and is learning to play the piano and sing beautifully.  She has a good understanding of decisions and consequences and always tries to do what she knows is right.

I am so grateful for this beautiful girl, who, eleven years ago gave me the gift I had wanted my whole life: she made me a mom and I have treasured every single day with my girl.  Abby, we love you, love you, love you.  You are such a light and a joy in our family.  Happy Birthday my baby girl!

My Baby is Three! (sob)

It's almost more than my heart can take to think about how quickly my tiny baby girl has gone from this:

to this:

to this:

and finally, to this.

Lucy turned three last week and while I was in denial for most of the day, it was so fun celebrating our sweet girl and remembering the day she was born.

I have always been confused by the phrase "terrible twos" because in my experience, the threes have always been a much tougher phase.  Although we are just at the beginning of the "threes," I recently told Andrew that I wish we could have a 2 1/2 - 3 year-old-girl for the rest of our lives.  Maybe it's just that I have always had a new baby when my other kids have turned three, but more than ever before I am loving this time with Lucy and am delighted by almost everything she does.

There are not words for how much we adore this girl.  As far as we're concerned, she really is spectacular.   She is a princess in every sense of the word.  She is funny and sassy, but she is also so sweet and tender.  She is convinced she is one of the big kids and does her best to keep up with everything they do, but she still let's me snuggle and cuddle her like a baby.  She talks non-stop and asks so many questions - I love the conversations I have with Lucy.

She has become very opinionated about what she wears, but most of the time, she just wants to wear her princess dress and her Dora flip-flops.  

Andrew recently took Lucy shopping at REI with him, and I don't think REI knew what hit them.  The girl definitely knows how to accessorize but she certainly doesn't fit their usual customer profile. 

Oh, how I love this girl.  I love how she dances through our house singing, "Shake-a-booty! Shake-a-booty."  I love how she swims in the bathtubs like she's an Olympic swimmer.  I love how much her older siblings adore her and take care of her.  I love having her sleep in bed with me and I love the way she snuggles right up next to me while we're asleep.  I love how she has me and her dad wrapped around her little finger.

I know I've mentioned it before, but the name Lucy means "light" and she certainly is a light and a joy and brightness in our family.  I can't believe it's been three years since she came into our family, but I am so grateful that she did.  

But oh, my little Lucy, just stay a little girl for a little longer - okay?  We love you our Lucy-girl.

Henry's First Birthday (Party)

Because Henry and Isaac have birthdays only five days apart from each other, all the birthday party excuses I outlined in my last post about Isaac, also apply to Henry's birthday.  Henry just turned seven, and like Isaac, he's never had a birthday party either.

So a few weeks ago when I agreed to let Isaac have his first birthday party, I immediately knew I had signed up to throw a party for each of my kids this year.  Earlier in the week, when I saw that a perfect day had been forecasted for Saturday, I knew that that was the day to host Henry's party. Lucky for us, the forecasters were right, and Saturday was the most amazing day imaginable.

Henry had a hard time narrowing down his guest list, so we ended up having a party with 14 of the cutest seven-year-olds you have ever seen.  

Andrew and I (after perusing the internet thoroughly) thought up some fun games for the kids to play.  We had a game with a parachute and bouncy-balls.  There was an Orea eating competition.  There was a game in which the kids had to use a straw to make a face with M&Ms.  There was a race using a straw to blow a cup down the table and for the grand finale, there was a water balloon toss.

We assumed these games would take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to get through.  What we didn't take into account was the boy who just wanted to hang out in the tree house, or the girls who didn't want to compete against the boys or the boy who had a peanut allergy and couldn't take part in the M&Ms game.  

All I know is that we were somewhat shocked (and dismayed) when 20 minutes after the games started, the kids were done.  We still had an hour and half before the party ended and we had pretty much burned through all our tricks.   

Luckily for us, it was a hot day and all it took was turning on the hose to keep the kids entertained for the remainder of the party.  There was jumping on the tramp while someone sprayed them with the hose, filling up more water balloons, and then there was this hilarious girl who just kept filling up the silver bowl and dumping it on her head.  

We also had a raucous game of Red Rover.  Yes, as a family, we enjoy sponsoring games and activities that are banned by public schools everywhere.  

Finally it was time to open presents and eat brownie sundaes.  When Isaac saw how many presents Henry got from inviting fourteen friends, he was really disappointed with himself for having only invited five friends to his birthday party.  Live and learn, Isaac.

Andrew ate all the brownie edges before Henry even blew out the candles. 

Anyway, it was a fun afternoon.  Henry invited such a cute group of kids and we loved having them all at our house.  

Most of all, we love our Henry.  He brings so much joy and laughter to our family.  The day before his birthday, his hair was getting shaggy and I asked if I could please trim it a little.  Well, one thing led to another and given my poor haircutting skills, poor Henry ended up with a buzz (which he had specifically said he DID NOT want.)  I felt really bad, but Henry took it all in stride and forgave me for ruining his long locks of hair.

Henry is a great boy.  He works hard in school and is learning Spanish so well.  He loves to sing and has some great dance moves.  He has so many friends (as evidenced in the picture above) and his siblings adore him.  Everyday, I am grateful that this boy is part of our family.

Happy Birthday Henry-boy!  You will always be my Minnesota Sun, and I love you!

Isaac's First Birthday (Party)

So here's a question for you: what kind of mother would make her child wait until his 9th birthday before he finally got a birthday party?

Oh wait,  that would be me.

Before I continue,  let me outline the valid reasons, lame excuses for why, up until now, Isaac has never had a birthday party.

1. Spring Break:  Isaac's birthday has fallen over spring break several times.  So, lest you feel too sorry for him, let me remind you that he has spent one birthday in Mexico and three birthdays at the beach in California.  Not too shabby if you ask me.

Isaac's First Birthday in Puerto Vallarta

2. Pregnancy: all of my children were born in the spring, in the days and weeks following Isaac's birthday.  That means, that for three of Isaac's birthdays, I have been in the final weeks of pregnancy.  And let me be honest here; in the final weeks of pregnancy, I have a hard enough time getting dressed in the morning, let alone hosting any kind of birthday party.

Isaac's 2nd Birthday when I was four days away from delivering 10 lbs 6 oz of Henry.  

Isaac later told me, "You was fat - like a horse." (Best line ever!)

Well, a few weeks ago, when Isaac came to me with his big blue eyes and asked with his most gentle and sincere voice if he could have a birthday party this year, I didn't have a single excuse for him.  There was nothing I could say, except "Let's have a party!"

Isaac was thrilled and fortunately for me, he knew exactly what he wanted to do.

He wanted to have a Star Wars party and invite a few of his friends to go see "The Phantom Menace" in 3-D in the theater.  Because I have no interest in or appreciation for anything relating to Star Wars, I knew this was the perfect job for Andrew.  I would feed the kids dinner - and he could take them to the movie.  Perfect!

Abby was excited to help me get ready for the party.  Together, we hung streamers and balloons.  We made clever name cards identifying the food and Abby made a poster welcoming the guests to the party.

Abby's sign welcoming Isaac's friends

Not the best photography skills, but you get the idea.

In any case, Isaac's friends came.  They ate pizza.  They had a burping contest.  They were fascinated by the candles on the cupcakes and wanted to spend the next 20 minutes playing with fire.   They were mildly obnoxious, but they were cute, typical, nine-year-old boys and Isaac loved having his friends over for his first birthday party!

When it came time for the boys to leave to go to the movie, Abby was totally worn out and exasperated.  She  was so incensed that not one of those nine-year-olds had commented on her sign or the decorations or the clever names we had for the food.  She was delighted when they left and she could recover from the stress of the party.

So, it was a good day for both Abby and Isaac.  Isaac had his first party and felt loved and celebrated by his parents and his friends.  He went to see Phantom Menace and opened presents and loved every minute of his day.  

And for Abby, she learned one of the fundamental differences between boys and girls: girls are all about the cute and clever details, and the boys are just there for the food.  Get used to it.

My tired boy on the morning of his birthday.

Happy Birthday dearest Isaac.  We love you beyond words.  And if you want, you can start planning now for your next party - nine years from now when you turn 18.

How to Celebrate a January Birthday...

Last week I celebrated my birthday.  And, it was a big one.  And, it was in January.

Could it be more depressing?

Luckily for me, it was the furthest thing from depressing.  In fact, it was pretty close to heaven.  You see, I got to spend my birthday here and it was warm and sunny and glorious.

Siesta Key Beach, Florida

I started off my birthday with an early morning walk along the beach with my good friends, Brandon Flowers and Taylor Swift.  I looked for beautiful seashells and felt the soft, white sand between my toes. (Which, by the way, is the most amazing feeling a person can have in the middle of January.)  I walked a long way and thought about the past ten years - and contemplated the next ten years - and felt pretty good about all of it.  It was a perfect way to start off my birthday.

When I got back to our condo, I was greeted by my six favorite people who had been hard at work to surprise me.  They had decorated the whole condo with streamers and balloons and they were so excited to wish me a Happy Birthday and to blow their party horns for the next hour and a half.

Andrew didn't make it into the picture - but he's included in "my favorite people."

I spent my day on a lounge chair enjoying things I love - namely, my family, the beach, blue skies, sunshine, and Diet Coke.

Can't have a January birthday without a snowman.  We called this one, "Sno Rida."

Andrew and Isaac

It doesn't get better than this...

My birthday ended with a family dinner, a dessert sampler (that was devoured in about 45 seconds),

And an incredible sunset we watched from our balcony.

I ended the day much the way I started it; feeling so blessed. by people and goodness in my life.  It was the perfect way to go from one decade to the next.  And I hope that this new decade will bring as much joy as the last one.

And when we got home from our trip, I found perched high in our 60-foot pine tree, Andrew's tribute to my birthday.  Lucky for our neighbors, they got to enjoy this beautiful site, the whole time we were gone.  At least there isn't any doubt in anyone's mind just how old I am.

And that's how you do a January birthday!

A Week Away

I am less than a week away from turning 40.  And, I'm okay with that.

Last night as I was lying in bed thinking about the last decade of my life, I thought about where I was ten years ago, and where I am now and about all the things that have happened in between.

Here I am at 30.  We spent my birthday in New York.  It was cold and snowy and Andrew, Abby and I had a great time walking all over the city.  It was only four months after 9/11 and it was sobering to visit Ground Zero.

It's crazy to think that ten years ago, we only had Abby.  She was seven months old and our world revolved around her.  I can't even picture my life with only one child.  What did I do all day?

Andrew was in his third year of medical school, still not sure what he wanted to specialize in.  We were living in our tiny but perfect 820 square foot apartment in Arlington, Virginia.  I was driving my white 1996 Honda Accord and Andrew was driving a 1992 Volkswagen Jetta (a car he claims would have been amazing when he graduated from high school, but had definitely seen better days by the time we got it.)  All our friends had tiny kids - none of them had even started preschool by then.  It was an amazing time in our lives.

It's crazy to think that in those ten "short" years, we have gone from one to five children.  Andrew graduated from medical school and we moved to Minnesota.  We had three great years there while Andrew finished residency and now we've been back in Utah for over FIVE years.

My thirties were a great decade.  I did so much of what I had spent my life dreaming about - having babies and raising lots of little kids.  There was so much joy in my thirties - and not too much heart ache or sorrow.  I will always look back on my thirties as a golden decade, but I am ready to hit the big 4-0.  I'm ready to see what the next decade will bring.  Bring it on, Life.  Bring it on.

Peter's Excellent Birthday Celebration

Peter celebrated his FOURTH birthday at the end of June and he pretty much hit the birthday jackpot this year.

Even before his actual birthday, we celebrated it at Oma and Grandpa's house during Sunday dinner.  Peter's one request for a cake was "carrot cake without nuts so Henry will eat it."  This caught me a little off guard.  I didn't know Peter had ever tried carrot cake  -  I think I've only made it once before.   The fact that he was so aware of Henry's picky eating habits and tailored his cake to Henry's taste, made me laugh.

Needless to say, on a gorgeous Sunday evening in June, Peter got his carrot cake and it was dang tasty, if I do say so myself.  He couldn't have been happier.

(I love that dimple in his cheek and that cute crooked smile!)

That was only the beginning of Peter's Excellent Birthday Celebration.

For his actual birthday, we were at the beach house in California.  I can't say from personal experience, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't get much better than spending your birthday at the beach house.

Peter started the day opening presents.  He got everything he asked for:

A red slap watch,

A chomping tiger head,

(I have no idea how that tiger became the object of his desires, but it required a last minute trip to Hogle Zoo, minutes before we were trying to leave for the beach - as if we don't have a hard enough time getting on the road without a quick trip to the zoo.)

He also got a great book that has quickly become a family favorite.  

(It's really a must-have for anyone who has a son named Peter.)

So there it was, barely 9:00 in the morning, and Peter had already had a pretty incredible birthday but the day only got better.  The weather was spectacular that day - perfect for spending the day on the beach - so that's exactly what we did.  

Peter got to spend his entire birthday chasing balls in the surf, looking for sand crabs, and building sand castles.  

And when he got hungry, we ate hot dogs on the deck.  Now I ask you, what tastes better than a grilled hot dog at the beach?  Nothing.  Just ask Peter.

Yes, it was a pretty great birthday for our Peter-boy.  In fact, I am a little nervous about how we'll ever top it.  Doesn't it seem a little unfair for a person's birthday celebrations to peak at age 4?  Oh well. It was an amazing day for a great boy and I wouldn't change a single minute of it.

Happy Birthday Peter!  We love, love, love you and we are so glad you are part of our family!

Abby's Golden Birthday

We celebrated our darling Abby's birthday a few days ago but with the lounging around, doing-nothing, summertime we been having, it's taken me a few days to get up the gumption to write about this girl we simply adore.

First of all, it's unbelievable that she is TEN years old.  How is it possible that it's already been a decade since that sweet baby was placed in my arms and my heart was filled with a burning protective love that I had never felt before.  I remember our first night together in the hospital as I held her in my arms. I looked into her eyes and made a promise to her that I would always take care of her and love her and be good to her, and I asked her to promise me the same.

So far, she has lived up to her promise and hopefully I have too.  It's just hard to believe that that sweet baby is now ten and is loves fingernail polish and ipods and music and gymnastics and golf and reading and sushi and clothes and school and friends.

We spent the night before Abby's birthday at "the brown cabin" (Andrew's family cabin that is nestled at the mouth of Sundance in Provo Canyon.)  Abby woke to the sound of the river running outside and opened presents sitting on the deck right next to the river.  It would be a dreamy way to start any day, but it was a perfect way to start a birthday.  Unfortunately, neither Andrew or I had a camera with us - so no pics of that glorious morning.

The main thing Abby wanted for her birthday this year was an ipod nano.  Andrew and I resisted the idea, but when she said she would pay for half of it, we finally agreed.  On the morning of her birthday, Abby opened all her presents, but when they had all been opened, there was no nano.  She tried to be excited but she looked a little disappointed.

"Did you get everything you wanted?" I asked.

"Yeah.  I think so." Abby said unconvincingly.

Just then I pulled the tiny Nano box from my pocket and said, "Well then, you probably won't want this."

Abby squealed and jumped up and down and threw her arms around my neck.  Never has there been a girl who was more excited about a birthday present.  I was so glad that we had agreed to let her get it.

The night of her birthday, she invited some friends over for brownie sundaes and Andrew and I decided that as long as she was inviting some friends, we wanted to invite some friends too.  So we ended up with Abby friends and some neighbors at our house until 11:00 at night celebrating Abby and summer and good friends.

There are so many times when I am overwhelmed with the goodness in my life, and never more than when I think about my Abby.  I can't believe how lucky I am to be the mom of this girl.  She is everything I have ever dreamed of in a daughter.  Abby has an amazing sense of humor and is so witty.  She is always cheerful and game for anything.  She always has great ideas of thing our family can do.  She is an amazing sister. She is an awesome reader and a diligent student.  We all love this girl and I am so grateful for that day ten years ago, that she came into the world and made me a mom.