A Birthday Boy

Grant celebrated a birthday on Feb 17th.
He turned 7!
I actually had to remind myself of the year he was born and do the math to figure out his age. Not that I’m a neglectful mother (although this may be arguable), but because I honestly thought he was already 7 turning 8. Maybe because he’s always right there along side his brother, I think they’re the same age.

I asked Grant some questions this year so we could learn more about him:
What makes being 7 special? I don’t know yet
What is something others don’t know about you? I don’t like to talk a lot
What is your favorite things to eat? cookies
What do you love about yourself? that I’m smart
What is your favorite book? Warriors
Who is your best friend? mom
What do you want to be when you grow up? a person that takes care of animals
What do you like to learn about in school? armadillos

I had more questions to ask him than this, but evidently it’s a form of torture to answer questions about yourself around here.

Well, I can’t get inside a 7 year old mind, but I can tell you a few things I know about Grant.
Grant is a brainiac, this boy is smart and too logical. I’m certain he has 2 left brains.
He loves chess! He’s starting chess lessons next month because I’ve already taught him what I know, and he wants more. His only fear is playing in a tournament though. But I know he would compete well.
He loves armadillos! He has been obsessed with them for a couple years. Loves ‘em to death.
He adores Jefferson and is his constant shadow. There are times when Jefferson gets frustrated and yells at him to ‘stop following’ him around. But for the most part, they are inseparable. Here they are in a ‘clubhouse’ they made one afternoon. They even sat in this thing through a rainstorm. Grant was mad that Reagan was in the clubhouse because “no girls are allowed”.
 
He’s lost 3 teeth in the last month, and another one is loose. I’m scared he’ll need dentures to eat anything  soon.

We went on a mini vacation Presidents Day weekend, so Grant celebrated his birthday in a hotel. Exciting, I know. We made it special for him though.
I woke him up to a loud, obnoxious, and semi-off tune version of “Happy Birthday”. We went out to breakfast with some friends (who were also vacationing in the same city as us), then we went to Chimney Rock (more on that another day). For dinner Grant wanted to eat “buffet food”. He ate as quickly as he could, then begged us to hurry up and finish because he couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel and swim. All he wanted for his birthday was to swim! That’s an easy request. His wish was granted, with about 3 1/2 hours of swim time.
Look at this happy (toothless) boy!

Opening gifts in the hotel room.

This, my friends, is an armadillo cup holder. Grant almost had a heart attack opening it, and wouldn’t put it down. I’m telling ya, he’s obsessed!

Okay, I was beginning to feel like he got a little gypped on his birthday. But looking at these smiles, I realize he did have fun.

Happy 7th Birthday to my little sunshine!

The Blog Chore

I have so much to catch up about, and no desire.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m blogged out.
But I keep trudging along. Mostly because Shawn and I have been making the blog into books, and I love the idea of having it as family history.
But it’s almost like a chore now. And that’s probably the reason I don’t post much anymore.
Why am I bothering telling you this? Well, I don’t even know.
See, I don’t even know what to talk about anymore.
I AM blogged out.
My goal for this week is to get up to date. Now that I’ve made it known publicly and I have to do it.
Ready, Set, Go…..

Valentines

I woke up to a delicious breakfast, bear hugs, some juicy kisses, and valentines from my favorite people.
Reagan even made valentines for us this year. I know… I was surprised too. She must love us after all. 
I don’t know whether I should be concerned with her new alias though….

 

Happy Valentines
I love you all!

New Years Eve

Seems I got ahead of myself and forgot to document one of the best days of this year….. well, last year to be exact.
We got to spend New Years Eve with one of our favorite families on planet Earth!
We spent 2 years living a thin wall apart from the Reeds, and I thought for sure I would die when they moved.
But then we both got stationed a mere 6 hours from each other. (folks, when your family is 42 hrs away, 6 hrs is the equivalent of a few minutes).

So, it was a no-brainer that we had to get together.
We met up halfway in Charleston, SC…..Where neither one of us have ever been. Luckily, Brandon knew someone who lived there and they recommended a fun place to visit.

It was perfect! We visited Charles Town Landing. If you’re in the area, visit! It’s a park on the historic site where English settlers first landed and established the Carolinas. They have animals… bears, bison, skunks (it was like a mini zoo), beautiful flower gardens, a replica of a ship, and an original plantation home.
And the best part, I think we were the only people there.

My kids were so excited to see their old friends. And they played like they had just seen each other yesterday.
This cannon and bunkers entertained the kids for at least 45 minutes!

Watching the otters play

Sniffing the skunk

Look, a bison. Do they even live here? I thought they only lived in the West. (shows how much I know)

Oh ya, and alligators. I didn’t think they lived here either (I thought they were just in zoos, and Africa)

and one more thing, mossy trees…. they exists also.

Further on our walk we saw an old settlers home. After our kids asked 145 questions to the worker, Jen and I decided it was time to move on. There is only so many details we care to know about wood construction and sleeping arrangements.

Then we found ourselves in the stocks.
Jefferson, Grant, and Jemma, playing the part well

Jen and I, looking quite a bit happier. I’d have a smile on my face chained up with this girl in Chateau d' If.

Reagan and Carter

The plantation home is at the end of this tree-lined pathway. The whole area is beautiful! Don’t you wish this were your driveway?

All the kiddos on the ship.

I’m so glad we were able to meet up and play for the day. I got a good healthy dose of Jen.
And Shawn and Brandon got to talk for hours about eyes and the Air Force (both very exciting topics).
It was the best New Years Eve we’ve had in years!

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you

“getting to like you, getting to hope you like me”
First of all, name that movie and you win a virtual high five.
Is that song stuck in your head now? Good.
Because we’re going to get to know each other a little better now.
Excited? you should be.

My friend Brianne nominated me to participate in a blogging chain letter of sorts. You know, those annoying things you got in Junior High that you had to copy and send out to avoid some sort of deathly consequence. The good news is, this one wont kill you. Just entertain.

Here’s the rules:
1. Post 11 random things about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions that your nominator asked
3. Create 11 questions for your own nominees
4. Nominate 11 different bloggers with fewer than 200 followers (okay, what’s with the limit on followers? whatever, I’ll comply)
5. Let them know and beg them to participate (or else!)

Just using the word “nominees” makes this sound so official. And it is. If I nominate you, feel lucky, and important!

11 random facts about me:

1. I am the most un-fashionable person I know. I only wear jeans and a t-shirt most days. If you ever see me wearing something else, just know, I am uncomfortable!

2. I don’t have ear lobes.  

3. I’ve been on a sugar-free diet for 2 weeks. I started it for health reasons and am totally shocked at my success…. totally totally shocked. (although I did have a sip of juice and 2 Nutter-butters) (fine, it was 3… I just couldn’t resist)

4. I sleep with tons of covers on my bed because I need weight on me. I have a really hard time falling asleep in hotels with those flimsy comforters. I have thick blankets over me even in the heat of summer.

5. I love Downton Abbey (who doesn’t, really?) But, I’ve already watched the entire season 3. Neener Neener

6. I love to play games! Mostly strategy games. But Shawn and I don’t play very often because he and I only end up fighting. We’re so mature.

7. I have won one of the McDonald’s monopoly prizes. It was a $5000 shopping spree. I had been saving my pieces and had 2 at home when I peeled off the 3rd one in Virginia on my 8th grade DC trip. I almost fainted. An hour later on the tour bus, I couldn’t find my tiny piece and realized that I had left it there, at McDonald’s! No one else cared to drive back and get it, so I literally threw away the biggest prize I’ve ever won.

8. My mom is my best friend. I easily talk to her 5 times a day…. a major motivation to get texting. 

9. I love to organize and re-organize, then organize again. Closets, cupboards, drawers, rooms, storage boxes… anything where there is stuff involved.

10. I am crazy at heart. My kids have tamed me a bit, but I’m up to do most anything! One of my favorite crazy moments was when a girlfriend and I dressed up in our nicest dresses and crashed a prom. We drove to Sacramento, and walked the streets until we found a prom (a lot of schools held prom in the city). We slyly walked in behind a group of kids who had just handed in their tickets. Then we spent the night dancing with totally random people. Only 1 person asked who we were. It was better than going to my own senior prom!

11. I don’t keep any of my clothes in my dresser, I prefer them hung… except for my underwear, that would be weird.

My answers to Brianne’s 11 questions:

1. If you could have any profession (other than what you do right now) what would it be? A librarian (in the children’s department) 
2. If you had to live on one food alone for the rest of your life, what would you choose? STEAK. I love red meat! Tender, juicy, marinated, grilled, red meat. I am 100% carnivore.
3. What is your favorite book? what? only 1? Well, this is a 3 way tie between East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
4. And what about your favorite movie? Life is Beautiful, The Color Purple, and My Fair Lady (I know you asked for 1, I just couldn’t decide) 
5. Pets or no pets? Dog or cat? Pets. Dog. But Grant is allergic to dogs, so I want a potbellied pig. And I want to name him Roosevelt (Rosy if it’s a girl)  
6. Where is the one place you would love to visit/vacation? China.
7. What do you do at night to wind down? Sit and stare at my computer. Usually Pinterest, or Facebook, or blogs. But when I get off, I can’t remember anything I’ve looked at, so it was a complete waste of time! And yet, I will do it again tonight.
8. Favorite kind of accessory? Scarfs
9. What do you do for "me" time? Sew and quilt. And if it’s extra special ‘me’ time, and I get to leave the house alone, I go thrift shopping. 
10. If you won a million dollars, what is the first thing you would buy? ear lobes. kidding, I would pay off Shawn’s loans, then buy a house (in OR or CA)
11. Do you think it is okay to pair brown with black? What about navy and black? Sure, why not.

11 questions for my nominees (aka VIP’s)

1. If there was a fire in your house and you could only grab 3 things (not including children) what would you grab?
2. Which TV show would you pick to live inside for a week?
3. If you HAD to perform in a talent show, what would you do for your act? 
4. What is the last thing you ate?
5. What is your proudest accomplishment?
6. What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
7. What skill would you like to have someday?
8. If you had an entire day to yourself (and unlimited $) what would you do?
9. Who is one of your heroes and why do they inspire you?
10. What is your favorite time of day, are you a morning or a night person?
11. What type of music is your favorite? song?

Now I need to choose 11 people to do this same thing on their blogs.
The problem is, I don’t have that many friends. Well, at least that many who blog. Or, at least that many who blog and haven’t already been tagged to do this by someone else. So I decided to change the rules a bit. If I nominate you, and you’ve already been nominated, you have to answer all 22 questions! Sounds fair right? And Brianne, are their tag backs?

So, without further ado, the nominees are…. (drum roll)……

Jenn Farr
Molly Mitchell
Jennifer Reed
Megan Naihe
Lacey Whitworth
Leia Lumsden
Megan Schneider
Melissa Huskinson
Clarissa Hyzer
Carrie Reeves
Katie Bolick

I put your last names because I had this suspicion that you would see your name think I had another friend with that name. No, it’s you!
Done.
Your turn.

Happy Birthday Reagan

Last week my teenager turned 5!

Five years ago when I brought her home from the hospital I had no idea what would be in store for me.
There’s not a single day I spend with this girl that I don’t feel a total range of emotions…. from the highest level of excitement and cherishment, to the lowest level of frustration and exhaustion. It’s almost like we have a bi-polar mother-daughter relationship.

If you know Reagan well, consider yourself lucky. She doesn’t open up to just anyone. She has this personal radar that detects genuineness which can sometimes come off as being rude (we’re working on that), but in fact it is her way of guarding herself. As a people pleaser, I admire her ability to choose friends and people she would like to be around, and being perfectly okay to not participate with others. She knows what she wants.

And she already knows what she’s going to be…. “a kid doctor.” She’s already planned her entire life. “I am going to kindergarten next year, then I’m going to college, I am going to be a kid doctor when I grow up. Then I am going to buy a big house and a con-fort-able (convertible), and a house-car (motorhome). I am going to drive the con-fort-able to work, and when we go on vacation, Carter (her husband) is going to drive the motorhome with the kids in the back.” How many kids are you having? “TEN!”
I have no doubt in my mind that she can become and do all of these things (except, maybe marry Carter, that might be out of her control)

Independence is her middle name (after Noel). Shawn and I have learned to pick our battles….. having a matching outfit is less important to me than whether her teeth are brushed. She has finally stopped putting up a fight over brushing her hair, but only if we are leaving the house. She insists that she is capable of caring for Kennedy. During the day she dresses her and changes her diaper. When I find a wrapped up diaper lying on the floor, I know she’s changed the baby without me knowing. She’ll burp her, feed her applesauce, and play with her endlessly. In fact, Kennedy is the only thing Reagan will play with.

Reagan doesn’t like toys, she never has. She has every toy a little girl would love, but it just sits in the toy box, un-played. So what does she do all day?
Follow me around! She sweeps the floor, and cleans the bathroom (I’m not kidding), helping me is her favorite thing to do all day. She also loves taking baths, and sometimes I selfishly let her take a bath for an hour just so I can get a break. There are times I feel frustrated with her (daily actually). It may be because her and I are alone all day/every day, or because she follows me around unless I’m in the bathroom, and then we’re only a door apart. But in a frustrating moment, I take a deep breathe and remind myself that I WILL MISS THIS. And I will. Every year she gets older I mourn the loss of my little 2 year old, 3 year old, now 4 year old.

If only I could stop the clock……
at 6:00am, when she climbs into my bed with the worst morning breath, begging to cuddle
7:00, when she insists on oatmeal with brown sugar, and extra sugar on top
8:00, when she sings along with the shows on PBS
9:00, when she comes out wearing purple floral leggings and a polka-dot shirt
10:00, when she takes 100 pictures on my phone of items at the grocery store 
11:00, when she insists on putting away the groceries in the kitchen, by herself
12:00, when she can’t decide what she wants for lunch and finally settles on a bowl of applesauce
1:00, when she cheats at Memory by flipping over 3 tiles instead of 2 each time
2:00, when she begs to hold Kennedy and carries her around the house like a doll
3:00, when she races me on her scooter to the bus stop to pick up the boys
4:00, when she sits quietly at the table just waiting for the boys to finish their homework
5:00, when she rearranges the place settings at the table so she can sit by Kennedy and Daddy
6:00, when she helps to clean her room by folding and putting away her clothes
7:00, when she gives the greatest bear hug goodnight and kisses us all
8:00, when she comes out of her room to tell me she can’t sleep because she wants to be close to me

10:00, when I find her asleep (finally), on the floor, surrounded by books, Legos, and paint, with a sucker stuck in her hair.

One of the 3 Faces of Eve….

On her birthday we went out to lunch together while the boys were gone. She wanted to go where “you can wear a crown,” so we ate at Burger King. It was almost as if they were expecting her….

Then we went and got her ears pierced….

Ha, she wishes. Those are just stickers. She has wanted her ears pierced for a while, but Shawn wants her to wait. Finally, he budged. He told her, “if you go to bed on time for 1 week, you can get your ears pierced for your birthday.” I got really excited for a minute, but it was short-lived because she didn’t go to bed on time once.

We waited to celebrate her birthday as a family until Saturday. We went to Marbles, the children’s museum in Raleigh. All the kids had a blast! Then we went out to eat… she couldn’t decide what she wanted, “I want to eat everything,” she said, “except the things I don’t like.” Well, that narrowed it down. We went to a buffet.

When we got home we had cake and opened presents.
She wanted to make her own cake this year… so she did. I helped her bake, but she frosted and decorated it herself. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Blowing out the trick candles….

Opening gifts….
I actually found a pediatrician Barbie. I bought it just for the novelty of it, because we all know she wont play with it! Or, maybe 5 year olds like toys?

Thanking big brother for a pack of Ring Pops….

Shawn and I got her a doctors kit. We weren’t impressed with the plastic kid ones, so we made our own…. with real tools. Like a pediatric blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope, thermometer, reflex hammer, and tons more. It’s a legit kit. I know where I’m going when I get hurt.

I think she had a great birthday week. I’ve never seen her smile so much.
 

Happy Birthday to my little burst of energy!

I know you already have your entire life planned out. But please, please, don’t grow up too fast. You can stay my side-kick, and wake me up with your morning breath as long as you want… as long as you stay little.
I love you 100 + 1

Christmas Day

Kennedy stole the spotlight this Christmas…

I mean, it is her first Christmas… and she is a cute baby…. and that is what this holiday is about, right, babies? Well, one baby in particular.
Kennedy didn’t need too much of a reminder who the Savior is, I like to think she still remembers him.
But for the rest of us, this is such a wonderful time of year to celebrate his birth, his life, and his gift to us.

Would you believe me if I told you I only took a handful of pictures for Christmas? And that they were only shots of presents?
Believe it.
No picture of the Christmas tree or decorations, our family in pajamas, acting out the nativity, Christmas breakfast or dinner…. nothing, except presents. 
I’m so ashamed.

Okay, I found 1 picture. This is the kids right before making and decorating sugar cookies for Santa and the Reindeer. We had some very creative cookies.
We just can’t resist putting this toy basket on Kennedy’s head. It will be a sad day when her head grows.
 

and now for the present pictures….
This was Kennedy’s first Christmas, so she got to open the first gift, some warm pj’s. She loves the taste of the glitter tissue paper, yum.

After reading the nativity story and trying to act it out, the kids set out milk and cookies, then climbed into bed.
Shawn slept across their bedroom door through the night. Odd, I know, but we have an escape artist (I wont name names) who likes to sneak out and play with toys at 3am. Well, this night we had a real Houdini who snuck past his sleeping dad. Shawn woke me up at 4 in the morning, “I can’t find Jefferson” he said. We looked EVERYWHERE. We finally found him, in the bath tub. I know, weird. I guess he had tried to go back to bed, but couldn’t get through the door, so (with the help of Nana) he set up a makeshift bed in the tub. Definitely picture worthy. But I have none of course.

In the morning the kids were so excited to see what Santa brought them. Grant got EVERY SINGLE Magic Tree House book, just like he wanted, Jefferson got a Star Wars Lego set, and Reagan got a swing set. We had breakfast, then were able to visit with my brother and Clarissa over Skype. I am so thankful for technology!

Kennedy got to open the first gift, again, lucky girl!

Grant with his own weather station

Jefferson showing off his learning laptop. As far as technology goes, this thing was made in the dark ages. But my kids don’t know any difference, and Jefferson LOVES facts…. I think he could be the next Ken Jennings. (Look how thrilled he looks).

Reagan’s heart skipped a beat when she opened this gift. This may actually be the first gift she’s ever liked. That is no joke, she is ridiculously hard to shop for.
 

We did something new this year, and it was so fun! We each drew names and had to make a handmade gift for our person. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that these gifts exchanged were the BEST gifts opened this entire season. And did I take pictures? No (there is something wrong with me). I will have to tell you then…
Me: I made Kennedy a hot-air balloon mobile
My mom: made Jefferson bookmarks
Grant: embroidered Shawn a hand-drawn Armadillo for his office
Jefferson: Knit a scarf for my mom (She’s wearing it in one of the pictures above)
Kennedy: made a handprint plate for Reagan to eat with
Reagan: made Grant some bookmarks
Shawn had me, and (well, I did take a picture of this one). He made this…

I KNOW!!! I had the same reaction (that is, if you are totally flabbergasted and amazed).
He did such a good job. Here it is, side by side with the picture from the book he used. Picture perfect.
It was my favorite gift.

Everyone had such a fun time planning and keeping their gifts a secret. Even making them was fun….. Grant couldn’t wait to work on his armadillo, Jefferson spent 5 weeks of free time knitting, and Shawn even said, “I’m really enjoying working on my gift.”
And although this is a Christmas blog post and all I have to show you are pictures of gifts, I do think gift giving is a huge part of why we celebrate Christmas. It’s the time when we think most about giving of our time, service, and charity. We show how much we love others, by giving of ourselves. The same way Christ showed us his infinite love by giving us the greatest gift of all.

and that is what Christmas is about.

that …. and cute babies…

Christmas Vacation

Funny thing… I was sure I had posted about our holiday.
Turns out I hadn’t.

I was really looking forward to Christmas vacation. Shawn got a huge chunk of time off, and my mom was coming to stay with us, so we planned a mini-vacation. We took a couple days and drove up to Virginia to visit Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. It was a ton of fun! And cold!

First we visiting Colonial Williamsburg.

Walking the streets is like stepping into the 18th century. Everyone is dressed in colonial clothing, and speaks like they are authentic colonists, it’s wonderful! You are literally stepping where great men like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Patrick Henry actually walked. We even got to hear a speech from Thomas Jefferson. It was inspiring.

I love everything about this city. So much so, that I think I may have been born in the wrong era. And cold or not, the kids had a great time too. I mean, look at these faces…

Just a few of the fun things we did:
Get put in the stocks for bad behavior

We learned how to load and shoot a musket (aka stick)
  

Then learn to march (Shawn was proud that he already knew how), and order the cannons to be fired.
I couldn’t get a clear picture because the shots vibrated my entire body, they were frightening.
 

We toured the shoemaker, millinery, apothecary, printer, jeweler, courthouse, jail (and a lot more, but I know you’re bored with my list).
Reagan got a little bored too. She actually fell asleep while on Shawn’s shoulders. How is that possible? It was cute, and a tad dangerous.

We learned how to play old games, like trap-ball
  

and hoop-and-stick

The kids made some food in the kitchen… beef marrow and apple pie, yum!

Here we are in front of the Governor’s Mansion. Reagan’s head is bowed because she is asleep… while standing. I don’t know, she may have been tired.

1 day wasn’t enough to explore everything, but we got a good feel for what it was like to live during this time of our Nations history. So fun!

That evening we went over to Shawn’s cousin Kim’s house. She lives literally blocks away from Colonial Williamsburg (I may be a bit jealous). It was so kind of them to invite us over for dinner (which was delicious, by the way). REALLY kind, especially since my boys almost destroyed her play room. I thought they were going to fall through the ceiling. I’m so sorry Kim. It was nice to catch up after all these years, and I regret not taking a picture.

The next morning we visited Historic Jamestown, and the reconstructed Jamestown Settlement. Fascinating! Seriously, I was interested before, but now I am obsessed.
This is the site where 104 English colonists created the first (successful) settlement in America in 1607. You could safely  say it is the birthplace of the United States. John Smith and Pocahontas both lived here. But of course, they didn’t marry. Why do you think Disney corrupted that story? I wonder.

 

Shawn, in a church, walking on the buried bodies of the colonists.

We had a very informative tour by John Rolfe (the real husband of Pocahontas), and walked around for a while before heading to Jamestown Settlement.

This was the best part of the trip… based on the enthusiasm of my kids! Grant couldn’t stop touching and exploring everything, and Jefferson was asking the workers so many questions, I thought we’d never leave.
Jefferson got all the detailed information on how to build one of the “yehakins” so he can make one of his own. Looks easy enough.

 

Look, my little Powhatan children, making themselves right at home.

Reagan and my mom, grinding corn

Next we explored the 3 ships that brought the colonists: the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery.
 

and we learned what they ate, how long it took to travel, and most importantly, where they went to the bathroom.
Shawn thought it would be great fun to lock me into the kitchen. It was about the size of a closet and included a bed. I couldn’t cook for all those men in a sardine can. I admire that cook.

In the fort we were able to see the earliest American houses. Mind you, there were no women here at the time, only men… so they were more like barracks then homes. 
 

In the church, the kids practiced giving sermons. “Faith, it is believing in something you cannot see. It is good. You should have it” – Jefferson. The other visitors laughed. It was Jefferson’s own Jamestown missionary moment.
 

The boys learned how to play an old card game similar to Blackjack, in front of a warm fire. The settlers were only allowed to play cards and gamble during the 12 days of Christmas. A factoid for you.

And the best part, trying on some armor.

 

You’ll be able to see me here, in this exact spot, after I finish reading my book about Jamestown. I am going to become an expert and work as a docent here. It might be my new dream job…. mine and Jefferson’s.

I’m so glad we decided to go on a mini vacation. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.  Sadly, this is the only picture I have of all 7 of us this entire Christmas…. at the foot of John Smith. Oh well, when there’s a stranger offering to take your picture you don’t complain.