The Party

We threw a party for Tyler on the Saturday after his birthday.  It was the first party we've done that was any "big deal" at all since his first. We invited a ton of people thinking that about half would come- but we got lucky (not sarcastic) and practically everyone was in town, not at sports, and happy to come and play.  It was a great excuse to get together with old friends from Mountain's Edge and our new friends from Henderson.

The party was from 10-12 in our very own, beautiful, grassy backyard. * I may have heard from more than one Mountain's Edge friend, "now I see why you moved!"

We had some very special guests come to attend the party.  Great- Grandma Anita and Grandma Denos came from southern California and Uncle Ben and his girlfriend Sarah came down from Utah. It was the first time that we all got to meet Sarah and one of the last times we'll get to hang with Ben before he moves to Indiana to attend Purdue for his Masters in Aerospace Engineering (or something close to rocket science).

If you ask Tyler we had a "Lego party".  I used a little Lego man on his invitations, got a banner that was Lego themed and made a very simple "5" out of fondant to look like legos on his birthday cake.  Other than that, we just ran with the red, yellow, and blue primary colors that are typically associated with Legos and had a blast.  We played with squirt sticks, water guns, squish balls, and a slip-n-slide.  We enjoyed hot dogs, watermelon, rice crispy treats, brownies, chips, m&m, and special drinks.  Tyler wasn't feeling great that day so his enthusiasm was running a little low- but every day since then he's mentioned how much fun his party was. 

Tyler was blessed with an over-abundance of gifts.  His friends were truly generous.  He had a blast putting together the lego sets he received and playing with the fun action figures, nerf guns, and car sets.  He has even read the awesome Spider Man book that Sarah and Ben got him at least 10 times since that day.  And just for posterity, Uncle Ben always gets awesome books and writes the sweetest messages inside (no pressure Ben, but I think this is your calling as an Uncle. The boys love to read their messages almost as much as they love reading the books)

I was kind of nervous preparing for everything but the day of was an absolute blast and I would do it again next weekend...almost!  If any of you who came read this, thank you for making the day so special for Tyler.  He loved floating around to different friends and, although he didn't show it much that day, he will tell me how lucky he is to have all those gifts.

A partial view of the set-up and some of the balloons before they popped from the heat...it was only 100 that day.

Dad and Tyler enjoying the slip n slide.  Ryan went right on in with his clothes on and enjoyed every second- until the last run when he hurt his rib.  Oops!

The birthday boy in action.  Each kid got to (or was supposed to, sorry if you escaped without one) take home a water gun and a soaker stick.  We had plenty of water being sprayed all around that morning. No adult was safe.

A little lunch break.  That is Kim sitting with all the kids.  She is just awesome like that and I forgot to load the pictures where she and Jonny are making some awesome faces.  In this picture there are also Kegan, Aiden, and Josie from our old neighborhood. Aden and Ryu from our new ward. Kim and Jonny from our new ward too.  Lots of awesome friends around that day!

A little of the inside.  Minimal decorations really.  We had stuff moved around so kids could play with some different car sets inside if they didn't want to be outside.  Great Grandma hung out here for the most part and got to ask Sarah a million questions.  That poor girl got grilled and smiled through all of it.  On the couch is Great Grandma Anita, Uncle Ben and Sarah.  Grandma is on the ground with Maddy because she is always awesome and involved with the kids and trying to keep Adam happy for me so I could play hostess.

Our simple Lego cake.  Tyler helped roll out the fondant and cut out the shapes.  He even picked which colored piece would go where.  He loved it and that's all that matters. 

Check out the loot!  He was spoiled.  There were some super cute ideas I'm stealing like wrapping paper that was covered in original artwork from one friend, and cousin Ben used his amazing creativity and made Tyler a card with a cute message and picture to go with it.  A few other friends even wrote their own cards.  I love to see little kids' handwriting because I know how much effort it takes!!

We enjoyed the little bit of shade in the back corner and put a table away from some of the water action so we could hang out and supervise kids from a distance.  This picture has a fair number of the guests in it.  I think there were about 30-35 people in all.

Present time!  Tyler got shy in front of everyone at once and wouldn't say thank you or anything.  He was like a machine just opening one and going on to the next.  I need to work on this sweet boy's anxiety levels.  He did great the rest of the  time when they were all just playing together.

I love to see how excited all the kids get about the gifts.  They were all excited about what they gave and how awesome the toys were.

Tyler and his buddy Jonny with Elise and Seth squeezed in there.

Ryan gets an award for the best interaction.  Tyler opened up this awesome  sprinkler-ball from our dear friends and old neighbors, the Sorensens. Daddy got right to blowing it up to try out- it was HOT that day.

My only picture with Tyler from his birthday festivities this year.  Love this sweet boy.  He has a big heart and  would love to be cuddled all day if I could.  He is also becoming quite independent in some areas.  He is learning to listen through his reading lessons and started reading simple sentences right around his birthday.

More friends! Aiden, Josie, Aden, Jonny, Ryu, and Jack.

Tyler and one of his best girl-friends, Isis.  These two have been hanging out since Rachel and I ran into each other at the park years ago. I was pregnant with Jacob so at least 3 years ago.  So grateful for this wonderful family as Tyler's friends and mine.

You can get a little better feel of how the party was set out.  Lots of fun everywhere.  The kids were playing so well that we didn't even get into the organized games we had planned.  Tyler was only disappointed after-the-fact when he realized that we hadn't played some relay races and such.

Some of the adults. Uncle Ben, Great Grandma Anita, Sarah, My mom holding a tired Jacob, Rachel and Erin (who both get awards for coming over even though it was 100 degrees outside and they are both having babies in the next month!)

So glad Ben and Sarah came to the party!  It was extra special to have family there.

My tired little Adam who wouldn't let me out of his sight the whole time.  He didn't take his nap well that morning and would not let me put him down without having a little melt-down. Good thing he's cute 

Cousin Maddy showing us how it's done on the slip-n-slide

Someone gave the birthday boy a "yucky soda" and it's documented...now if we can only find out who???  I'm sure Tyler enjoyed himself though!

Tyler and the Wong Family. Danielle (the mom) Aiden, Josie, and Kegan.  Love this family.  Josie and Tyler had a little crush in nursery at church.  I wouldn't mind the Wongs as in-laws in about 20 years :)

Rachel, Isis, Elise, and baby girl #3 

Tyler and his buddy Seth 

The cousins, Maddy and Ben

It seems that all the Henderson friends knew to duck out quick and avoid a picture- well, we still love you and got you on film candidly!  We had so much fun finally using the extra space at our new house to do something really fun.  Now Jacob can't wait for his birthday next year to have his turn for a birthday party!

Summer Buzz Cuts All Around

My sweet boys get so hot during the summer here so we always go for a short buzz cut once the heat sets in.  We even subjected Adam to the buzz cut this time and he absolutely HATED every second of it.  He got so mad that he was dripping sweat from throwing such a fit.

Jake has a nice close cut too but he wasn't feeling very well today so he wasn't much for being photographed :)  Adam looks so completely different to me- so I can't wait for his hair to grow back so he looks like my baby again.  He's getting too old already!  He is finally walking around more and loving his freedom.  

I need to update with a ton of pictures from Tyler's awesome birthday party we had this past weekend.  The kid was spoiled with wonderful friends and presents.  More to come on that...

Happy 5th Birthday Tyler!

From the beginning (at 5:30am)

Tyler made his own birthday wish list this year and at the very top was "Legos"  So Legos it was!  I had been picking up Lego stuff here and there when I found it on clearance so Tyler could  enter the world of plastic bricks :)

The Lego "dump trash" (trash truck) that he kept pointing out at the store

I can't even tell you how sweet this moment was. He has wanted a gun ever since Ryan got one, because what boy doesn't want to be like his dad?!  Well, I had been telling both he and Ryan "no" but I'm glad Ryan knows his boy because the sweet looks of admiration and awe that Tyler gave to Ryan made it all worth it.  Tyler opened the BBs first and then Ryan let him open the gun.

One excited little boy!  My favorite part was actually a really sweet letter that Ryan wrote to Tyler.  I don't know if Tyler understands how lucky he is, but I know.  Ryan is a man of few words so I know just how special that letter is.  Maybe I'll ask permission to scan it onto here just so it is recorded somewhere because that is definitely a letter worth keeping.

Dad is still in his CarMax uniform- we didn't even give him time to change.  I love the relationship that Tyler is forming with his Daddy.  There are even times now when he prefers dad over me.  I try not to be offended- but remember that it is exciting for them to be building a strong relationship because a boy is going to need his dad and Tyler sure loves his dad!

Do you see Tyler "practicing" in the lower corner?  So funny.

Shooting in our backyard...at 6:30 am.

Our fun celebration Tyler's actual birthday was to go to the McDonald's in Boulder City.  I kept hearing how awesome it was so we asked the cousins to meet up with us and we enjoyed a few hours playing and eating.  I didn't tell Tyler where we were going.  Boulder City is only about 15 minutes from our house but there really isn't anything between here and there.  Tyler kept asking funny questions like, "Mom, is there food in the desert?  Because this is the desert and I thought we were going to eat food?"  or "Mom, are you sure this is where we are supposed to go? This is really far away."

The boys enjoyed some neat touch-screen games.

Working together...kinda ;)  There was even a Dance Dance Revolution -type game and some fun climbing/sliding/being goofy space.

Tyler asked for Hamburgers for dinner and wanted to make a cake.  He picked out the blue funfetti frosting and decorated it himself.  He added the "3" and the "1" because Jacob and Adam are his best friends and they are 3 and 1. As much as the boys can drive me crazy, that was one of those moments when I stopped, smiled, and knew that I was doing something right.  I am so glad the boys are best friends!

To The end... What a day! 

Happy 5th Birthday Tyler.  You got out of your well check so I don't know exactly what your stats are, but you are just under 50 lbs and you are tall for your age.  You are finally learning to sit still long enough and listen to me so I can do reading lessons with you and you are flying through them.  You often do two at a sitting because (although you pretend to not like it) you are thrilled when you can read the sentences at the end of each lesson.  You are a mini-mom, which is good and bad.  You try to teach your little brothers what to do, but sometimes you try to be a parent instead of a big brother and you get yourself in trouble.  You love to be outside but you also love TV (which I hate!) You can play on the computer all by yourself too.  You love to play games on PBS kids and Disney.  You found a new love in Legos but you still just help hand me pieces to build them.  You are wise beyond your years.  You are outgoing in some areas, like finding friends to play with at the park, but you get very anxious and nervous in any situation where you are asked to perform- whether it's testing, singing in primary, or anything "formal".  We are trying to teach you to be proud of yourself and believe in how amazing you are so you stop getting such bad anxiety.  You will get to emotionally upset that you get physically ill.  You are getting better at telling us what is wrong.  You are amazing at forgiving your brothers (and your mom and dad) when we do something wrong.  Your favorite songs to ask for at bedtime are the "lullaby", "I love to see the Temple",  "Song of a Bird", "Daddy's Star Song" and "Away in a Manger" (yup- even though it's not Christmas).  You almost always say the prayer at dinner and frequently at bed time.  You love all of your grandparents very much and you ask about them frequently.  You also love your older cousin Ben and look up to him very much.  You have been blessed with a kind heart and a great attitude.  I hope those things stay with you as you begin your journey in school this year. You are an amazing son.  We are lucky to be your mom and dad.  Love you TONS!

Fun with Dad

We had a fun, long, weekend with Ryan.  When he works a Saturday shift, he gets a day off sometime the next week to make up for the hours.

This was one of his weeks with an extra day off- so we have had him home since Thursday!

With our extra daddy time we had some fun playing.  We took Ryan to a new splash pad by our house at Reunion Trails park.  The splash pad is so awesome.  It is the boys' favorite so they loved sharing one of their favorite things with dad.  We also ran errands together, the boys went with just daddy to the grocery store, and we ate lunch out at the mall (when it was 107 so we really needed to stay indoors).

Today we all took Tyler to a kindergarten pre-assesment for the charter school we have him signed up for.  It was kind of skewed because they asked a 4 year old boy to answer these questions in an awesome kindergarten room with toys and color and hanging things and pictures everywhere (you get the point).  Tyler was so distracted by his surroundings that he literally wrote the first two letters of his name and then just stopped...for a long time...and didn't finish.  He has known how to write his name for almost 2 years now.  The assessment went the same from about there on out.  Letters, upper and lowercase, totally had his mind elsewhere.  He actually did great on the numbers. Then letter sounds- which he completely knows, he got all shy and distracted.  I will love him no matter what, but I am a little disappointed with what the test will imply about him, because it is not true!  Maybe the school can hold assessments in a slightly less stimulating room next time :)

After the assessment we headed to the Children's museum because we were already half way there.  We stayed for about an hour and the boys showed Ryan all their favorite things.  It was even a Hawaiian Luau day so Ryan really enjoyed seeing some hula and hearing Hawaiian music-which he loves.  On the way out we even got to enjoy some samples of authentic Hawaiian food.

Next, we picked up a Costco pizza for lunch (which was a horrible idea in hindsight. Remind me to NEVER go to Costco on a Saturday.  NOTHING is worth it!)  The boys finally took naps and woke up slightly less grumpy ;)  We had fun playing in the sprinklers and the blow-up pool as a family and had a great dinner of grilled chicken, watermelon, and corn.

Sometimes I hate having Ryan working nights- then I get him home for almost 5 days straight and see him interacting with the boys again and it makes it all worth it.  So lucky to have had our daddy home this weekend!  Hope he knows how much the boys look up to him.

blessed.

Over the past few days I have been blessed to have an experience that cannot be described in words.

My new calling at church (the "job" I do for my congregation) is called Compassionate Service.  Usually I just coordinate meals for people who just need some extra help whether it is because they just had a baby, the family is sick, or help when someone passes away.

I have only been in my new calling for about three weeks. In the meantime we got a new bishop and had some other changes as well.  I know what babies are coming due and I thought I was fairly on top of things. Then Bishop called me and asked if I would be able to coordinate dinners for a fairly large group for Friday through Tuesday nights. These meals would be for a lady who is on the "do not contact" list.  This "list" is for members who request to be on it.  They usually have left the church and do not want anything to do with it.

I was nervous because I had picked up on underlying tones of "be careful, this lady does not like us!"

Friday fell on the beginning of a holiday weekend.  Nobody was around to help with a meal and anyone who was around probably did not know my number or who I was so they just didn't answer. I was able to pull a meal together and with the help of one wonderful and already over-worked sister in my neighborhood we even got some snacks together for visitors who would be around throughout the weekend.

The time came to drop off the meal and there were a lot of small "miracles"  My boys went down for their naps so easily which left plenty of time for me to put the meal together and deliver it without having to take them.  As of Friday I did not know any background at all on this sweet sister, so all I knew was that she had just lost her son and I could help by delivering food.

My experience with her was touching.  She was sweet, sincere, grateful, and humble.  She let me in with warmth and gratitude.  I am naive and socially awkward right now but I enjoyed just talking life briefly.  She gave some vague information about where her son was when he died but didn't offer up any more information.  I didn't push because I didn't want to pry.  I left my name and number and told her that I we were neighbors and she could call if she needed help with anything.  After politely refusing, I thought my job was done and I was hoping she wouldn't mind if the boys and I said "hello" on our neighborhood walks.

Saturday night rolls around and Bishop called again to make a meal for an even larger group of people-for Tuesday night after the actual funeral. I was stressed because I couldn't pull that off on my own with our tight budget and my frazzled brain so I made a sign-up sheet to pass around on Sunday.  I was subbing with the 11 year old class so I couldn't even be there to explain anything.  At the end of our 3 hour block of church I collected the sheet- and it was FULL.  Every slot was filled with a wonderful, caring sister who was willing to help put this meal together.

Today finally rolled around and we were able to collect all the parts of the meal and this time the RS president was in town to come with me.  We went to drop off the meal and the sister remembered my name, invited us in, introduced us to her company and again talked to us with a warm, sincere, appreciative attitude.  She told us that we sisters were the only reason that she had not asked to have her name removed from the records of the church. Then, as we went to collect the second arm-load of food from the car she said that she had something for us. When we came back in we were handed a copy of her remarks from the funeral that day.  She wanted to share her story and explain a little bit about what went on.

I read through the 10 pages or so when I got home and just felt blessed to be the one that this sister chose to let in.  She believes in God, she believes that her son is ok, and she unabashedly shares that. I don't know why she would share such personal words with us- but I am glad she did.  I love how unconditional her love for her son was. Their story was not without poor choices, consequences, but also strength, love, and overcoming challenges.  Because of her I was able to have special time with my sons as they helped me prepare to serve this sister. 

Tyler especially continues to ask about the "lady's child" and if "he is going to come back when Jesus does".  As we were making the dessert for their dinner tonight Tyler was asking if the "child was going to get to come and have some".  Tyler's sweet, innocent, pure, mind probably understands better than mine what is going on.  He seemed so sincere that this "child" who was actually 24 or so, would want to come and have some cake.  Then, unprovoked, in his bedtime prayers tonight, Tyler, so sweetly, asked to "bless the child that he will be okay and he can be with Heavenly Father and his mom will be okay too."

These words are not painting the picture right- in that moment I was humbled by my 4 year-old's faith and sincerity. I can't imagine ever going through losing a child. I hope I never have to find out. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve and see the Lord's hand and I feel truly blessed to be the one who got in that door after what had been years of hurt feelings.  I hope the Lord really does qualify who he calls because I know there are far more spiritual people than me out there. This experience made me want to be better so I can have the spirit with me to better fulfill whatever it is that I am supposed to!

Eclipse May 20, 2012

Today was one of those, once-every-18-years-moments.  There was an eclipse and lovely Las Vegas was in the viewing area!  My sister called and dropped off these super cool glasses so we could watch the eclipse. It was so awesome that we called to invite our neighbors over too.  Their family of 5 joined ours and we played in the backyard and took turns watching the moon pass in front of the sun.  It was really cool how it actually got a bit darker and the shadows got all blurry- almost 3-D looking.  Pretty neat!  Tyler kept saying, "that's way out in outer space"  Well, he's right. Wonder what we'll be doing in another 18 years!?

The beginning of Adam's standing.  He just barely started doing this today!

getting his balance...going for it...

And he's up!

for a second at least :)  But really, he'll stand right where he is and take a few steps.  I love the look of excitement and satisfaction on his face after he's taken a few steps.  SO proud of himself.

A picture of the eclipse through the camera with the special glasses on :) Can you see it beginning?  Just the bottom right is getting covered.

pretty cool for a Space Academy alum like myself ;)

Oh- and in case you wondered what Tyler looks like just chillin talking to Granny and Grandpa on the phone before bed.

This guy cracks me up.  He kept telling Grandpa he was "silly" and insists that he's getting a REAL gun for his birthday.  We'll see buddy!