The big 3-0...

It has taken me a long time to blog my birthday. With it being summer, I just haven't had the time. I wanted to wait until I had plenty of time to blog this and how fabulous everybody made it for me! After you read this you'll understand what I'm talking about. I am surrounded by the best people!

A couple weeks before my birthday my girlfriends planned a night of pampering. We got glitter toes done and spray tans. We went to the home of someone and just chilled in our jammies, and ate treats. It was some much needed beauty therapy.

The day of my birthday started out so dreary! We had a soccer meeting for Brayden's team. It was supposed to be a picnic but we were huddled in blankets, coats, and beanies. I think that's a first for my birthday. I remember sitting by the pool laying out on almost every birthday...not this year! I also was unexpectedly hit with the "blues." Turning 30 ended up being hard for me. I also have had a really hard time with anxiety lately. Mike had told me he had a date planned for me, but it was a secret. I immediately started to stress about it. In return I made myself sick. His plans were quickly changed so I could stay close to home.  We hit Fortune Cookie for dinner, one of my favorite but I was unable to really eat. But look how sweet he is...he rented out the whole restaurant just for me...(haha not really)

Me and my baby! Notice I'm still wearing my coat

Old woman now! Kade had told me he was really sorry because now that I was old, I would probably die soon. That really helped lift my spirits:)

After dinner we went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean. I pretty much just want to forget this actual day. This was not the good part of my birthday.

Friends stopped by with fun gifts. I was spoiled rotten by everybody!

The day of my birthday I talked to some neighbors about being upset over "30." They were trying to express to me that 30 is a great age to be and help ease my anxieties. So, about a week after my birthday, they  planned an awesome get together for me. I again felt very anxious over this, because I had no idea what they had planned. I just knew they had taken my picture to use for something, and in the past they have embarrassed the birthday girl. I did not want that. I should have had more faith in them, and realize that they know me oh so well. I wish I had pictures from the actual evening, but I haven't gotten any yet. So, I will try to paint a picture for you, and share with you the gift they gave me. It is honestly one of the most thoughtful things I have every received. They put so much time into this night.

As I walked in the door, many of my favorite friends and neighbors were already there. Each one of them were dressed up differently. Some were wearing aprons, some were mermaids, some were sporting floaty's and swim goggles, some were dressed up complete with a tiara, one even wore a skirt made of diapers. I could not figure out what they were doing!!!! After I got a good laugh from them, they presented me with a gift. It was a book that they had taken the time to make me. The idea of the book was to show me that there are incredible women, that have done incredible things in their 30's.  I have scanned each page....

Front page

Lovely me...That's why they needed my picture 

Each person added qualities they saw in me. I love turning to this when I'm having a down day.

I love Becca's sign that says "Validated." She says once you turn 30 your thoughts and ideas are now validated. People no longer look at you lie you don't know what you're talking about. This has helped me a ton! I feel more comfortable speaking up.

My heart swells as I look at these pages, and relive this night. We had so much fun laughing and giggling with each other. I love each of these women for different reasons. They have all helped me individually to become a better person. I KNOW I can rely on any one of them for anything. There are a few women that I would like to add to this book because of the strength and example they have given to me. I love being surrounded by amazing people. I'll just say, I'm no longer upset about 30. I'm excited for the things to come, and the things I still get to accomplish.



The daily happenings of life...

I hate when I don't stay on top of my blog. I feel like I miss documenting so many things that happen. So here is a post of randoms.

*This is what happens when Kade gets himself ready for church. Love it! That totally made me smile amidst the chaos of the morning.

Allison's birthday was at the beginning of May. Her husband planned a surprise birthday party for her at the park. Despite the crazy winds, it was fun getting together.

Me, Becca, and Allison 

*I have a few guilty pleasures in life. One of them is wildlife. I grew up going on night rides looking for deer. I love doing that, it is so peaceful to me. I also grew up around horses. My Dad, grandpa, uncles all had/have horses. I would love when a new baby colt was born. I would stay by the stall for hours and watch the creature discover this new life. Every spring I love driving around looking for new baby colts. My brother happened to call a couple weeks ago and let me know that there were 5 baby colts across from his house. We immediately went over to see. I could have put out a lawn chair, and watched them forever. They were beautiful.

*This year one of our YW graduated from high school. We decided to have a party in her honor. We decided to have it at my house last minute, so thanks Allison for helping me with the decor. She was very surprised and loved it.

Weird thing is, I didn't even get a pic of the guest of honor. We took these pictures while we were waiting for her to show up (she was an hour late...not her fault, she didn't know.)

Steph, Kayla, Madi, Mitzi, Fran, Shannon

After our activity, one of our girls was shooting some pictures for her photography class. She was trying to get one of Kade but her would not cooperate (surprise, surprise) but I'm so happy with the way it ended up!

I told her I will always treasure this picture because it reminds me of his need for me. I love the way he was clinging to me trying to hide from something he was nervous about. As he is getting ready to start Kindergarten I feel sad over the fact that he won't "need" me as much anymore. He is growing more independent by the day and the kisses and hugs get fewer and fewer. I will cherish the reminder this picture gives me.

*Brayden's class has been learning about the government and all the different branches. The kids were really into it, so there teacher ran with it. They ended up having a mock election. The kids got to choose what they wanted to run for (complete with campaigning, speech, and voting.) They could run for president, vice president, judge, officers, legislative and so forth. Then the teachers decided to plan a field trip to the courthouse. The plan was for them to see an actual trial take place.  Unfortunately the day we went all the cases were too inappropriate for the children.  So they had a mock trial. One of the teachers had wrote out a script beforehand in case something like this happened. They had a defense team, prosecuting team, witnesses, jury, court clerks....everything. They went through the case, each side making a case, then the jury got to decided guilty or not guilty. We listened to an attorney talk about how each case works. It was so interesting!!!

*I have been so sick about the many tragedies that are happening around us. The other night we were notified that Mike's sister and her family were on Tornado watch at their home in Montana. They ended up being ok but two tornado's hit down just 20 miles from their home. The next day I was driving to get the kids from school, the road right outside our neighborhood was blocked off with emergency vehicles. Come to find out a 2 year old was found face down in the canal. When things happen so close to home, my heart literally feels for these people. Later that afternoon, Kaylee was playing at a friends house. She got too close to the ceiling fan, and it sliced open her head. I ended up taking her in, and she got 3 staples in the side of her head. This girl is TERRIFIED of doctors, so this was no easy task. It was emotionally draining helping her through this. She kept saying to me (with the saddest/scared look on her face) "Mom, I'm so scared. Please tell me this won't hurt." How do you comfort something like that? Once she was calmed down, she did FANTASTIC. I calmly talked to her through the whole thing and it was over before she knew it.

This is her being silly while we were waiting for the Dr. We even made up our own handshake. She loved that!

*Wednesday was the kids last day of school. As I drove up to the school and the tears just started coming. I'm not sure what the cause of tears was? Was it the fact that my two oldest "babies" are now going to be in 3rd and 5th grade? Was it the fact that this fantastic year had come to a close? Was it the fact that I will no longer have any kids at home? Or....was it the fact that it's the beginning of summer vacation???? I love my kids being home, but I'll be honest...I'm a little nervous for the next 3 months. Wish me luck!

I am officially done...

This year for whatever reason (mainly guilt) I decided to sign up as the room parent for Kaylee's class. I feel bad for my other children but I don't think I will take on this responsibility ever again. Not that it was hard, it actually was fun at some moments. But my oh my how I hate making decisions. I hate being in charge. I had a co-room mom that I worked with and she was fabulous. But for whatever reason the final decision was always left in my hand. So after this last class party (which was a huge success if you ask me) I am officially done.

Here are some of the fun things we did through out the year:
Thanksgiving party
Baby Shower for their teacher
Valentines Day party
Teacher Appreciation
Mystery party (in honor of the author that wrote Sherlock Holmes...it was his birthday.

I didn't take a lot of pictures throughout the year but here is what we did for each activity.

Thanksgiving
Hmmm, I truly can't remember. I just remember that we had a pumpkin pie eating contest and the boy the won turned around and threw up in the garbage can after he was finished. Kaylee came in second. For the record: we only gave them one tiny slice.

Baby Shower
We played a variety of baby shower games, and each child brought a present for the teacher and her new baby. This was fun for the kids to have an active role in what was happening with their teacher.

Valentines Party
This was actually supposed to be a President's Day celebration/Valentines party. We were a little stumped on what to do, so we decided to do neither. We played Minute to Win It Games and passed out Valentines. We split into 5 different groups. Each group either did a game or passed out their invites. The kids LOVED this!

Teacher Appreciation
The school was pretty good about planning out teacher appreciation, I just had to come up with a little something extra. On Monday we had to decorate the door. I'm not sure why I didn't snap a picture, but I will try and explain what I did.

I covered the door with butcher paper and wrote in really cute letter's (cause that's important right?) "Mrs ______ has the recipe for success." I then made a really large recipe card that said,

"Mix 12 boys and 13 girls

Mix gently in a classroom

Marinate with creativity, knowledge, and love

Let simmer for 9 months

Sprinkle liberally with laughter and enthusiasm

This recipe makes 25 students ready for third grade."

I covered the door with cupcake cut outs that had the children's name on them. I also made a giant 3-D mixing bowl filled with jumbled up paper. It looked like a mixture of some sort. I thought it turned out well.

 

Then on the last day of the week we present the teacher with a recipe book. I figured that she was now a new busy, working mom and she might appreciate some really easy, kid friendly recipes.  I had each child send me a favorite recipe and I compiled them into a book. I made one for the teacher and one for the teacher aid. We also included a gift certificate to Jamba Juice that was purchased from the class funds.

 

The school provided lunch for the teachers 2 days during the week. We had parents sign up for the other days and bring in a meal for the teacher and teacher's aid. I think they were appreciative of this gesture.

Mystery Party

This party was a lot of work, but WELL worth the time that was put into it. I actually got some pictures from this party. In honor of the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes, we had a mystery party. Our school's emphasis is history so each celebration has to be centered around a historic event. I share the details of this party because 1) It was a pain and if you the work has already been done, why recreate it. 2) I searched and searched the Internet and couldn't find any mystery ideas. So this is the best I could come up with. I have all the documents saved but can't figure out how to post them here. If you are interested in them, let me know.

I went in at the beginning of the school day and dropped off this sucker tree

I explained to the kids that this was for our "class party" later in the day. If they all behaved throughout the day, they could choose one during the party.

Right before party time, the kids went out to recess. Our detective crew hurry and came in and transformed the classroom into a mystery scene. We had the gym coach come in and take the sucker tree from the classroom (cause really, what gym coach wants his students eating all that sugar?!?) He left hand prints all over the classroom. Then the "detective crew" left the room and hid. The children came in from recess and noticed the sucker tree was missing, and a crime scene had been set up. The teacher turned on the Mission Impossible music and the "mystery crew" came in ready to help the children solve the case.

A couple members of our "Detective Crew"

We separated them into separate groups and gave them each a magnifying glass and a detective report to fill out as they tried to solve the crime. The children started by dusting for fingerprints. They were able to transfer the fingerprints they found onto their Report Form. Each group was assigned a specific color, and I read them this poem:

We know you’re upset, so let’s solve this crime!

                                        Follow each clue, and we’ll have the suspect in no time.

                                            Now search the room, Your first clue is in here

                                          I’m not an expert but, I have a suspicion it’s near!

Each group split up to find the clues. This is where planning was tricky. I came up with six clues, each group had to be at a different clue at different times, then they all had to end up back in the classroom to talk about all the possible suspects.

I color coordinated each groups clue according to the order they should find them in. I left the plastic bag at each clue station. Each group just had to find their color and follow the next clue. It worked out really well. 

Clue #1 Was hiding in the classroom. Each group had to find it and solve the clue.

Here are the clues and each group had them in different orders.

Clue #1 led them to the library. I made a book for them to read. Throughout the book they had to find the letters that were bold, capitalized, and underlined. After writing them down they figured out it spelled the word library.

Clue #2 was placed in the library. This clue helped them determine the sex of the suspect. Inside their envelope they had a puzzle they had to put together along with a poem that read:

Am I a boy or a girl?

                                                        Do I spike my hair or have curls?

This is what the puzzle looked like when finished:

Clue #3 they found right outside the main men's restroom. This clue led them to the bike rack. I placed a mirror right outside of the bathroom and they had to decode the message while looking at the reflection of the poem. It read;

                            There are many ways to get to school, depending on if it’s hot or cool.
                             Some may drive or ride a bus, but don’t be lazy and whine and fuss.
                                 When it’s warm outside, hop on your bike and go for a ride.
Only it was all backwards.

Clue #4 led them to the soccer goals. I left a message that they had to decode. The message said soccer goals. Once they figured out each symbol, and the coordinating letters, they knew exactly where to go.

Clue #5 led them to a pavement area outside the kindergarten. Throughout each of these clues they were able to determine that this is someone that likes to be outside and exercising. In order for them to receive their clue they had to each kick the soccer ball into the net 2 times. They then had to use their magnifying glass to read the destination they should go next.
Clue #6 Led them back to the classroom. Before they could receive there clue they had to run through an obstacle course. They had to hopscotch, zig zag through a series of cones, and jump rope 5 times. When all children had completed this they received there clue. The clue stated this:

Go to the place where we started this case

                                                    See if you’ve figured out the right face.
                                                       Use your classmates to help you
                                                   Put the clues together and figure out who?

They also received a list of clues about the suspect. For example: I am not Mr. G. I am not a Mom. I have two daughters. I used to work for the Seattle Mariners. I love to exercise. I love to play quiet coyote.

They all ran back to the classroom and instantly new who it was. We had each group tell who they thought it was and one reason why. After discussing how we came to the conclusion, we all walked down to the gym together. There was the gym teacher sitting there eating one of their suckers. He had been busted, and the kids thought it was hilarious!

We came back to the classroom and played a couple more games. First we played sketch artist. We had a picture of Sherlock Holmes that we described to the kids. As we were describing it they had to draw what they thought it looked like. It was fun seeing the different results from each child.

Then we played "Who Am I?" They each got a name of something taped to their forehead, ie: cartoon character, animal, name of a child in their class. They got together with a partner and using yes and no questions they had to figure out what their paper said. The kids also had fun with this.

We finished the party off with some healthy snacks and of course....a sucker from the sucker tree.

Soccer 2010-2011

Hearing the ref blow his whistle three times brought so much relief.

Game Over.

It had been a rough game with a not so excellent ref. He actually came over to the sidelines at one point and asked us to HUUUUUSH. The opposing team was yelling just as much but he couldn't yell at them because he couldn't understand them. It was an all Spanish speaking team.

                                       Sparta U10 went undefeated for the 2011 spring season.

 Way to go boys!

In honor of the last game of the season, the boys spray painted their hair blue.

He totally did not want to stop for a picture:)  

VICTORY!

Listening intently (or not so much) as their coaches give them praise and encouragement for their great season. 

Congratulating the opposing team. I love seeing them all lined up like this.

Afterwards they cheered and devoured the donuts that were brought for them. They loved this cause they never get half time treats or post game treats like the "littles" do.

Kade finished out his season successfully as well. He is a mighty good play if you ask me. He learned how to play really well with his teammates. He LOVES the game. His favorite thing to do afterward is replay all the plays that he did during the game. It usually follows with a made up amount of assists and goals he had.

In his words during this game he scored 15 goals and the other team scored 7

The one blond girl was very hard to verse but he was much tougher then her.

He slid and kicked the ball and Evan got it. Then Evan passed it to Ben. Kade had to throw elbows past a few players to get to the goal. Ben passed it and then Kade  kicked the ball right into the net.

Every game he has a story much like this one. Kade loves everything about soccer. He especially loves his "lucky" bright orange cleats.

And thanks to our cheerleader that puts up with all the games and practices we drag her to. She hates every second of it. Hopefully the love is returned as we go and watch her dance performance in a couple weeks. I'm sure the boys won't be thrilled about that either. 

A week after Brayden's final game, he had tryouts for the 2011-2012 soccer season. This is always something that is so nerve racking. You want to build up their self confidence but not too much in case they don't make it. As a parent you are responsible for picking up their self esteem if they don't make something like this. As I took him to tryouts, my anxiety level soared. There were so many kids there and I was so worried for him. 

Brayden has been saying that all he wants for his birthday is a candy poster. So before tryouts I made this for him. He was beyond thrilled

We were so thrilled to find out that Brayden made the team again. We are so excited for another great year!

GO SPARTA!

Polar Plunge...

Every year when my Dad gets ready to heat up his pool, he opens it up for the kids to jump into the freezing cold. This year Brayden was the only one that thought it would be fun. It was pouring rain, freezing temperatures outside the water as well as inside. This boy is crazy.

He was in there for about .3 seconds. I think the dogs were trying to save him from his stupidity

Running to the hot tub as fast as he can...

I'm not sure why my Dad let's the kids do this. When I was about 15 I decided to jump into Fish Lake. I thought my Dad was going to have a heart attack, thinking I wasn't going to come up due to hypothermia. He scolded me and told me to NEVER do that again. Now fast forward 15 years and he's letting my children do it. Grandkids are so spoiled.

Farewell Preschool...

I have officially wrote out my last check to pay for preschool...ever.

I have officially attended my last preschool graduation (well at least for my kids.)

I have officially closed one chapter in my life.

I have officially began a new one. I have yet to figure out what this chapter has in store for me, but I'm kind of excited to find out.

As I attended Kade's preschool graduation, I didn't cry (last year I bawled and bawled.)

I sat looking on as a proud mommy. Proud of the things he's learned, proud of the kid he has become, and proud that he is able to enter Kindergarten prepared and ready.

As a class, they recited the story of "The Night Before Kindergarten."

'Twas the night before Kindergarten, and as they prepared, kids were excited and a little bit scared.

They tossed and they turned about in their beds, while visions of school supplies danced in their heads.

Erasers and crayons and pencils galore were stuffed in their backpacks and set by the door.

Outfits were hung in the closet with care, knowing that Kindergarten soon would be there.

In the morning it came- school starts today! Would the teacher be nice? Would they still get to play?

Faces were washed, and teeth were brushed white; kids posed for pictures with eyes sparkling bright.

Parents packed snacks, and kids hopped in cars as if they were boarding a spaceship to Mars.

Some kids brought blankets or their favorite stuffed bear, in hopes they could nap like they did in day care.

Their parents exclaimed, "You're big kids -wow! Let us hold your bears and blankies for now.

The parents were worried their children would cry if they left them at school with just a good-bye.

So they told their darlings, "If you want, we can stay and make sure that everything will be A-okay."

The teacher then greeted each one with a smile, and invited the students to stay for a while.

The room was all filled with toys, books and maps, but where were the beds for mid morning naps?

They colored and painted and played Simon Says, then tumbled and skipped and stood on their heads.

They sang silly songs from beginning to end. Within just a minute, each kid had a friend. (Kade's part)

The children were happy They loved Miss Sunrise! It was she who was in for a giant surprise.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear but sad moms and dads who were holding back tears!

Their noses- so sniffly!

Their eyes- red and wet!

This was the saddest good-bye Miss Sunrise had seen yet!

She gathered the grown-ups on the magical rug, then sent them away after one final hug.

The children all waved from the door of the school. "Don't cry, Mom and Dad; kindergarten is cool!"

Kade receiving his diploma. As Ms. Lindsey gave them their diploma she said one thing that she loved about each kid. She said that she loved that Kade was so independent. He will always try something before asking for help. He will almost always be able to do it himself. I can not agree more with this statement. He will not let me do anything for him, without him trying first. He makes his own breakfast, runs the bath water and washes himself, he tries to build things and put toys together. This boy wants to do it all.

Kade and his "girlfriend" Reese. When we asked Kade about his high and low for that day he said his high was getting Reese's phone number. I'm hoping we can get them together for some play days.

Afterward we celebrated Kade's accomplishments by going to dinner. He chose Training Table.

I am so sad that I know longer have a child young enough for preschool. But, I am excited for any possible adventures that await us.

Ensign Peak...

Brayden's fourth grade class has been learning a lot about Utah history. They have been talking about the pioneers, and how the valley was settled. We decided for family night one night that we would take the kids to Ensign Peak in Salt Lake. This was an awesome way to reinforce the things he was learning. He loved everything about it. Kade loved everything except the hike. Five steps into the hike his legs hurt, his throat hurt, his legs were tired, he couldn't breathe. To his credit we chose to go on a really cold day, and he had a horrible cough. Maybe that wasn't good planning on our part. My camera battery was low so I didn't get any great pictures of the hike. It was beautiful and an awesome hike for families.

The Salt Lake Valley. From this view you can see 4 different temples. Where else in the world can you see something like that?

From what I read (hopefully it's accurate) this peak was built from rocks and stones that were collected along the pioneer trail.

Kaylee just needed one more picture before we left.