It's a BUG party (and lots of other celebrations)!

It seems we celebrated Parker's 5th birthday for weeks! We had his friend "BUG" party during spring break and it was a SMASHING good time.

The Friend Party
Here are the 14 kids with their real bug catchers, nets and tweezers.... They headed out back on a bug hunt where they found all kinds of sticky, creepy crawlers...

Parks is always more than willing to snuggle up and smile his goofy smile for a picture...

When the kids arrived we did 2 bug crafts. One with modeling clay, googly eyes, and pipe cleaner. They could make anything they wanted from caterpillars to butterflies to other very strange and inventive insects...

The other crafts was with pipe cleaner, beads, and beads with eyes glued to them. They made butterflies, dragon flies, snakes and caterpillars....

The we played "stinky bug" (like hot potato) where they passed a bug around until the song "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt stopped. The winner got to keep the big plastic bug we were using.

For the treat, each child decorated their own cupcake to look like a spider. There was 1/2 an Oreo, pull and peel licorice and M&Ms. They LOVED it and came up with some pretty creative spiders! I couldn't believe how great 14 kids could be. It was actually calm and organized but a lot of fun. Lucky us to have such great kids as friends.

After the candles were blown out, we headed to the park by our house for a water balloon fight (no theme tie, but Parker was dying for one), and gave the kids a chance to look for real bugs for their bug catcher. Just the kind of goody bag moms love!

California Celebration

We ended up in California the weekend before Parker's birthday, and who can resist a celebration with family? So, Parker got to blow out candles again and loved his new Razor Scooter! Plus, it gave the rest of us an excuse to eat an ice cream cake.

The Real Birthday

On Parker's real birthday, Mike took him to breakfast early that morning (it's a tradition my dad did when I was a kid and I loved it. Mike started it with our boys too, and they get so excited for breakfast with dad). He got ice cream sandwiches at school, opened a bunch of presents, and really LOVED the one from grandma and grandpa...a day at Golfland. He's so excited, and he couldn't wait to throw on his new army guy clothes. A big, fat thanks!

That night we ate pizza and visited Cold Stone for a cotton candy, gummy bear and white chocolate chip treat, delicious!!! Lots of celebrations, but this little guy is positively worth it. He has the kindest heart, is always so willing to share or sacrifice for his brothers, is brimming with snuggles and kisses, hardly ever does something wrong on purpose, loves reading and constantly surprises me with his intelligence. Some kids are just good to the core, and he is one of them...of course, with a touch of 5 year old silliness that keeps him plenty normal.

We love you Parkie!

Inspiration

I love to read. Ever since I can remember, I was rarely without a book...I'd take them into the shower and hold them out of the water, or in the bath and stay there so long my whole body felt water logged. I still open one up, set a brush on it and read while I'm blow drying my hair. I used to sneak one under the dinner table and under the covers when I was little because there was always something I couldn't wait to finish. Now, I have less time to read, but I am still crazy about it. I recently finsihed a book, The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. I loved the book for many reasons, one being the way she described her father. I rarely read introductions to books, but for some reason that is where I began this one. Here is what it said:

I think people like him because his default setting is open delight. He's prepared to be wowed--by your humor, your smarts, your white smile, even your handshake--guaranteed something you do is going to thrill him. Something is going to make him shake his head afterward, in disbelief, and say to me, "Lovey, what a guy!" or "Lovey, isn't she terrific?" People walk away from him feeling like they're on their game, even if they suspect that he put them there.


He defined me first, as parents do. In my case, he sees me as I would like to be seen. In fact, I'm not even sure what's true about me, since I have always chosen to believe his version.


Oh how I long to one day be described like that and make people feel that way...I'm starting today! What books have you read that you loved or that changed the way you saw the world?

Rewind: Beau and Sharee's Wedding Dinner!

Before Beau and Sharee's December wedding, they had a fantastic wedding dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The room it was in had floor to ceiling windows and we could see the twinkling Christmas lights on temple square. It was a magical night.
Here is Beau...being Beau, and darling Sharee. Mike and I posing in front of the Christmas tree.

Gummy and Gumpy

Santa even came to the dinner! It was so cute...he brought funny little presents for each of them, then each sibling, parent and grandparent offered them a "marriage gift." The most memorable gift of the night was from Sharee's grandpa who had just lost his wife of over 50 years. He was an art teacher and his advice was, "Always look back. Take a minute to take a second look, because life will never look exactly like this again." He inspired us all to drink in the beauty around us and to never take any moment for granted.

The Olsen girls...minus Sharee. She was busy!

It was such a beautiful night in every way. I wish the pictures could capture how pretty everything was! Way to go Kimmy!

Every Bloomin' Thing is so fantastic with flowers that are classy but a bit off the beaten path.

These two really pulled together an awesome night! Look how happy they are for Beau and Sharee!

Haiti Pictures....AMAZING

Mike was lucky enough to have a few old mission buddies with him in Haiti. One of them, Justin Lyon, is an amazing photographer, as is his wife, Amelia. Amelia and I bonded over email without husbands and Mike and Justin were able to serve the people of Haiti together. His photos are incredible, and really illustrate both the devastation and beauty of the country. Here are a few I love, but there are so many that are worth checking out on their blog (which is one of the best around) http://www.amelialyon.net/

The BEST cookies!!

Let me preface by saying I LOVE to cook. I love making salads, soups, entrees, veggies, just about anything, but I hate baking. It is too risky...all that time and work, then you put it into the oven and there is no changing or fixing and it might turn out horridly...you never know. Plus, I hate exact measurements and that doesn't really work with baking. Oh, not to mention that I certainly don't need to EAT what I bake.

BUT, a friend of mine, Melissa Stadler, is the real deal. She is an amazing cook, baker, chef, everything, and when she put up her chocolate chip cookie recipe on her food blog http://www.thedelectablelife.blogspot.com/, I decided to give them a try. They were amazing! Even my flour from the cannery (which I will never use again) didn't ruin them. I can't wait to make them with good flour! Her blog has lots of great recipes I'm excited to try.

The cookie one is really amazing. Chewy but not doughy, easy and completely delectable! Here it is:

Melissa's Saucepan Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. Sugar
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
1 t. Vanilla
2 1/4 c. Flour
3/4 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
2 c. Chololate Chips

1. In medium saucepan, melt 1 c. butter on med-low heat until melted. Take off heat and add sugars quickly. Stir until golden, caramel color and all sugars have been dissolved.
2. Place in refrigerator to chill for 5-10 minutes.
3. Once cooled to room temp, add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and stir.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Add chocolate chips and incorporate.
6. Wrap in Saran Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. for a richer cookie, chill for 24-48 hours or even longer.
7. Bake at 325 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brow around edges. You want a crispy on the outside cookie an soft and chewy in the middle.

So Good!!!

Rewind: A Bright New Year!

With all of our exciting Haiti adventures I realized I've forgotten to blog lots of great moments, so we'll be playing a little catch up. For New Year's we went to San Diego for a little more fun!
On New Year's Eve all the adults went to dinner and a play. We love spending time together!

This is Mike being a good sport for yet another picture. I think blogging has become his nemesis because it requires lots of pictures to be taken.

I love being old and ringing in the new year in PJ's while watching a movie. Thanks to Shaina, we all still got hats, noise makers and sparling cider!

One day Mimi kept all the kids and had a grandma's day. They had a tea party, played in the hot tub and did all sorts of other fun things! What lucky kiddos we all have.

How cute are these girls in their new dresses, and Jace doesn't mind one bit being a ladies' man.

Each night Mimi also "sang" them a good night story. What a talented woman. All of the kids, regardless of age, ate it up!

We spent another glorious winter day at the beach, doing our favorite, s'mores and sand sledding!