Party at Grandma's!!!

 Grandparents are great.  I missed out on the joys of having a grandmother around when I was growing up.  Both of my Grandmother's passed away long before I was born.  I never realized how neat it is to have them.  They love their grand kids and want their grand kids to love them back...so they do crazy stuff.  Like inviting them to all sleep over and have a party at Grandma's house.  I think the count was 10 kids this year.  We dropped the kids off at Grandma's Friday night and then went out to finish our Christmas shopping.  I was so grateful.  Nate and I were able to finish up everything and still have a little quiet time when we got home.  The kids went to Mcdonald's with Grandma and Grandpa.  80 Chicken nuggets, 4 large fries and 10 drinks later they were full and ready for a movie and bedtime. 

 Now you would think that was enough but there was more.  Each of them got a gift card to Build a Bear.  Ok...these older boys actually just got treated to something from toys r us...but the little kids all got to go to Build a Bear and enjoy.  So, after a night of kids and chaos my parents woke up and did it again the next morning.  And, despite all the work that it was, I know that each kid felt loved and special. 

 They do all kinds of unusual things there to make sure your bear has everything it needs to be a happy loved little animal. 

 Then they fill your animal up with stuffing and tie them up good in the back so it doesn't fall out.  All the while they kids are just happy.  After naming their new animals, dressing them, and making sure they have a good bath you can finally take you new pet home. 

 All the kids had fun and of course, ice cream at the end was a big plus. 

 I am so grateful my kids have two loveing and fabulous sets of grandparents in their lives.  It is special and wonderful and I know that my kids really love them.  HIP-HIP-HOORAY for grandparents.  :)

Christmas is Coming

 A lot happens during the month leading up to Christmas.  We decorated the tree on Thanksgiving weekend.  It's always a fun activity and I love getting out the ornaments and remembering where we got them or why they were given to us.  Nate is a decorating fool during Halloween and Christmas.  We had our lights up that weekend too...but we were not the first on our street so he was disappointed.  We were among the first though.  He was also excited because we got some of those new fangled LED lights for the house.  It's been his dream several years in a row.  The kids had a great time climbing on the roof and helping him out while I stood down below biting my nails and yelling at them to be careful. 

 

We also had a fun cousin get together for a Monday night treat.  We all climbed into my parents old motor home and had a party while driving to the Spanish Fork lights.  Oh my.  That was crazy.  Very, very loud.  Sarah did not want to sit down and was a little bit of a pill during the ride.  However, the kids all loved it and the lights were awesome.  Spanish Fork had great lights.  It was worth the effort and loss of hearing due to the extreme decibel level in that motor home.   I always love to see the kids have a great time together and make memories.

We got the tiniest amount of snow a couple of weeks before Christmas so the cute people got on their snow gear and headed out to play.  This was really Sarah's first time in the snow.  She loved it.  Mostly, she loved eating it.  The girls had a good time until Ben brought his buddy over to through snowballs at them.  Poor little girls with big brothers.  Teasing is just part of the life. :)

I also had the chance to watch Rachel put on a little play for her class.  My pregnancy brain put me there a day early...I thought it was the 18th but it was the 19th.  However, they were practicing anyway so I got to watch the entire thing start to finish 3 times.  I loved it every time.  They learned several songs and had parts to say.  It was a lot of work for Rachel's teacher and I was really impressed. 

It has been a fun month.  We still have more to come. 

My Brag Blog

So, this month included a couple of things that I wanted to lay down and remember for myself.  First off, I finished a blanket for Sarah.  I have been meaning to do this for awhile but just haven't gotten around to it.  Then my sister-in-law, Allyson, suggested we have a girls night and tie quilts for our babies.  Once the ball was really rolling in my mind I had a great time planning out and putting together Sarah's quilt.  I shopped several hours and several fabric stores to find just what I wanted.  Nate helped my lay out the design and dimensions for it.  I told him what I wanted to do and he helped me make it work within the space I was going to have.

 

I was really happy with how it turned out.  Instead of tying the quilt I tried ditch stitching.  My stitches are definitely not as straight and nice as they could be but no one can tell unless you really look close.  Anyway, I gave Sarah her quilt for Christmas.  She loves the doggies and chants doggies, doggies whenever she sees it. 

My other claim to fame this month is that I sang a solo in sacrament meeting.  No, it was not perfect.  I did not sing like an angel.  I am hardly anywhere near professional.  However, I conquered.  I had several bouts of anxiety before hand.  I almost backed out a couple of times.  The night before I had a wonderful dream that the talks went to long and there was no time left for me to sing.  At last, the time came.  I walked up on the stand and sang that darn song.  I am more proud of the fact that I conquered my fear than anything else.  And, I wasn't that nervous while I was actually up there.  The pre-anxiety was one hundred times worse then actually carrying out the duty.  Thanks to my husband for telling me I could do it and putting up with my middle of the night fears.  Thanks to my sister in law's good advice to her children that I just happened to read on her blog the day before I was going to call up the choir director and back out. "If you start something you should stick to it all the way until you are done."  Thanks to my little primary kiddos that I lead in music each week.  I thought about them and there courage to do things in the sacrament meeting program.  One little girl played the violin.  Emily, my own little girl, sang a solo at the mic with the senior primary singing behind her.  My little neighbor who was so scared to do her part she didn't even go through with it at the practice.  But, on the day of the program she did it.  They all gave me a reason to follow through.  And, of course, Thanks to Heavenly Father who listened and answered my prayers.  Glad it is done.  :)

Thanks for Family!

This year it was a Baxter Thanksgiving.  With Nate's parents on a mission the bulk of the job fell on Heather, Nate's oldest sister.  She set up an awesome dinner.  Lots of Cousins, lots of family and lots of food.  What could be better. 

Nate even carved the turkey.  Look at how proud he is.  The Turkey King.  :)

Sarah and I enjoyed for a couple hours...until the inevitable nap time hit and I had to take her home for a snooze.  I have to admit...I enjoyed her snooze time since it meant quiet time for me with no work to do.  We happily joined everyone else after her nap.  The kids and Nate stayed and partied it up.  We all laughed when we were all gathered around the black Friday paper looking at deals.  We were just to relaxed to get out the games or make any other exciting thing happen.  Looking through the paper and talking was good entertainment. 

On a side note, my sister and I did make it out to Black Friday...on Friday...at 8am.  To say the least, there were no deals.  We tried to avoid advocating the Black Friday on Thursday night but apparently everyone else partook and we were just way to late.  HAHA.  We had a nice breakfast and drove up to the new outlets at Traverse Mountain.  We had a nice time but we did miss seeing all the crazy people.  I guess next year we will have to give in and see the crowds on Thursday night.  Boo. 

BYU of BUST!

What would you do if...you arrived at your cherished BYU game expecting no snow...we didn't have any in American Fork...but instead you found your seat occupied by a foot of snow?  That's what happened when sweet little Emily had her chance to attend the BYU football game last night with her Daddy. 

Emily smiled big and enjoyed every minute. Dad bought her hot chocolate and popcorn. She got to sit on his lap during the game so her backside stayed dry. She had lots of touch downs to cheer for during the game and they left at half time. Maybe not the most die hard of fans...but they had a great time. Emily came home so happy. It's all about being with Dad.

Nate said Emily couldn't wait for the popcorn with the sugar on it. She asked for it right as soon as they got in the car. Then kept asking for it until she got it. And, since it is their special time he has to comply. Plus, he felt pretty bad that their game was so cold. She got stuck with the coldest game last year too. Emily really didn't seem to mind though. Next year maybe I will get to go to one. :)

Cars and Keys

I breath in a huge sigh of relief. My van...the one I only bought last December...no longer sounds like a piece of junk. Did I ever mention how Nate and I tend to get excited about things and lack the necessary self restraint to wait when we should wait. Well, last year when we decided to buy a new van (new used)we thought we had found a great deal. A nice, newer Nissan Quest with all the bells and whistles. Heated seats, two tv's, great sound system, automatic everything. I love the automatic doors. :) And, it was a good deal. At least a $1000 less than we had seen around. So, we test drove it twice. It was really nice. We thought about running by a mechanic...but it was so nice. We didn't bother. We bought it. Literally the day I brought it home I noticed a little clicking sound. Very quiet...only made the noise at start up. At first I thought I was just paranoid. We didn't take the car back...probably should have. 6 Months into it the sound had gotten significantly louder. We saved up a little money and took it to the mechanic we like in town. He returned it to us and told us to take it to a dealership. The noise was in the engine and he didn't pull engines. After a little more investigation we found several youtube videos of Nissan Quests making the sound. We also discovered that it was a timing chain issue. The engine was going to have to be pulled out. Anywhere from $1500 to $3000 were the quotes we saw on the net. It was really disheartening. So much money for a car we had only owned 6 months. So, we just kept driving it waiting to amass a large sum of money to get it fixed. Last week we took it in to a mechanic who thought he might be able to fix it without pulling the engine. He kept it for 5 days and returned it to us telling us he couldn't do it. So, finally, this week we broke down and sent it to a dealer up in Bountiful who quoted us the lowest price to pull the engine and do the job. After actually pulling the engine his quote went up by $400. Three timing chains, a cracked cover and a bunch of tensioners later we got our van back. And you know what, even though it was a huge hit to our pocket book...I am so happy to have that weight lifted off. We don't have to worry and plan for that problem anymore. The van is running great and I don't have to be embarrassed about driving it around anymore. When Nate called me to tell me it was done I felt light as air. It was great. Now we can move to our next problem. Nate bought a nice, gas saving Toyota Prius over the summer. It only had one key. We...well technically I was the last one to have the key....lost the key. It has been missing for over 2 weeks. $600 to get the car towed, buy a new key and reprogram the car to the key. I know that key is in our house somewhere. I know the sweet little baby girl has hidden it. We have turned the house upside down looking for it. We have prayed and prayed and prayed. But I know it is here. I know as soon as I shovel out that money for a new key I will find the old one. Please...please...please key. Show yourself. I will take you right down and buy you a friend so that we do not have this problem again. Just return to us. Poor Nate has had to return to using his beat up truck. At least we still have it. However, it is so sad to watch his nice little car just sitting in the drive way everyday. KEY, WHERE ARE YOU?!!!

Halloween!

October is always a fun time of year.  Halloween finally came and went.  I was surprised how excited those kids were for Halloween Day.  It might as well have been Christmas.  Anyway, they are getting older now...and don't want to trick or treat with mom and dad.  It's kind of sad for me.  This year Rachel wanted to go with a girl friend.  She had plans with one friend but they didn't work out.  We tried another friend who was also not available.  She was so disappointed.  We were in the middle of dinner and she started crying.  I felt awful...she had been so excited for the prospect of trick or treating with her friends and she did not want  to go "with the boys".  Well, after a bit of work we cheered her up and she was planning on hanging with Emily and I to trick or treat.  Then the boys showed up to pick up Ben and suddenly she was gone. I guess she weighed her options and decided the boys would be more fun.  :)

Emily and I went around the corner and picked up one of her friends in the neighborhood (Emma).  Good thing Rachel didn't go with us.  These girls were so lax and just wandered from house to house in no hurry.  They would not have been able to keep up with that wild group of older kiddos.  Ben and Rachel collected about twice as much candy as Emily....but Emily, Emma and I had just as much fun.  I was just glad I had one more year to enjoy watching the magic.  Poor Nathan stayed home with Sarah, keeping her entertained with our cackling door witch.  For some reason she loves that thing.  She says  "Boo" to try and make the witch cackle.  So cute. :)

At the end of the day we were all super exhausted...another successful Halloween.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

My parents worked tirelessly with me last Thursday and we successfully bottled 29 quarts of apple sauce.  There is no way I would have done this without them.   In fact, my mom ran the show and knew exactly what to do.  :)  I just took orders and cut a lot of apples.  Love you MA and PA. :)

Halloween Daycation

 Fall break has come and gone.  My kids were out for fall break the week before I was out so I worked during their entire fall break.  We had to make up for that so we decided to do a Daycation.  We let the kids miss school and Nate took the day off. .  .  and I just got to do something fun and memorable for fall break.  Gardener's Village had a Witch Scavenger Hunt...just witches all over and you tried to find each one.  I thought that would be a fun and cheap way to start the day.  Apparently everyone else in Salt Lake County had the same thought.

 It was so crowded.  You should have seen the cars lining up to park.  We braved it anyway.  We had a fun and Gardener's Village was so pretty.  Nate and I would love to go back there again...when we could actually go in and enjoy the shops.  With 4 kids in tow...we did not enter any shops...except the toy store.  We figured we were pretty safe in there. 

 Anyway, by 2pm we had a few witches left to find but we were all starving.  The smiling faces were not so smiley so we cut out for lunch at the mall and then home for a break.  Little Sarah almost climbed in her bed on her own.  :)

 For our afternoon activity we went to HEE HAW's in Pleasant Grove.  This was really fun and I think we will do it again...if they have a good deal on it like they did this time.  Nate was determined to get a picture of Sarah in all these pumpkins.  She was not very obliging and would not stay put.  But he did get this one really cute shot.

 We weren't the most diligent Corn Maze participants.  We walked in and soon discovered that the dried corn on the cobs made great weapons.  There was lots of flying corn kernels.  Sarah kept eating them off the ground.  That girl really likes anything that is covered in dirt.  :) 

 The kids got a taste of what it would feel like to be trapped in the corn maze forever.  Lucky for us, we knew how to turn around and go backwards...so we got out in a jiff.  We didn't want to miss the hay ride to the pumpkin patch.  Actually, I really did want to miss it since  I am slightly allergic to hay.  But, we made it.  We sat right down in a wagon full of hay.  Consequently, I had to take a break and return home afterward for allergy medicine.  It was still fun though.  The kids each picked a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.  It was a fun ride.

 The end of our adventure was just fun times in the play yard.  They had some cool slides and games and a lot more hay.  Ah choo...

 Sarah and Nate took a ride on the farm yard train.  Sarah thought that was the ultimate. 

And she found the petting zoo pretty awesome as well.  Those poor animals were so patient with her patting and chasing them around the yard. 










Nate and I agreed that our Daycation was a million dollar day.  We are so busy day after day.  It was really nice to slow down and just enjoy an entire day together.  By the end of the night Nate and I were definitely ready for some quiet time though.  :)  Thank goodness kids sleep. 

My Life, My Family

 My dad came and took some family pictures of us last Sunday.  I hated myself in all of them but in a true act of fearlessness, I am going to allow them to be set down in the records of history anyway.   One must have family pictures sometime...and frankly...these took some real sacrifice on the kids part. I thought they were going to die before the hour was over.  The last pictures...not posted here...showed true strain on the beautiful faces of my children as they tried to smile one more time.  I really can't justify torturing them again anytime soon just because of my vanity. 

 As I am putting something down to be remembered historically, I thought that I would mention a couple things about my kiddos.  Emily started kindergarten this year.  She truly loves it.  Probably more than most kids as she knows that being at home just means putting up with mom's work schedule.  She did not enjoy missing school over the fall break.  Emily received high marks from her kindergarten teacher when I went to visit for parent teacher conference.  6 year old's have it pretty easy when it comes to school.  She knows all the kindergarten curriculum already.  She has started learning to read.  I know...I could have taught her sooner...but I always feel like there isn't really a point in pushing them there...I believe in childhood.  Anyway, that's off the topic.  Emily is a lot of fun.  Spunky and funny.  Really, I will miss her next year.  She is a good companion to Sarah everyday while I work in the morning.  Emily has so much patience for Sarah.  She plays with her and watches Dora with her.   I really don't know what I will do without her next year. 

Rachel is doing so well.  She is a perfectionist when it comes to things and people outside her own family.  has an impeccable reputation with her teacher at school.  She is an obedient little girl.  For Rachel's birthday she got to bring home a book full of pictures of herself drawn by her classmates and their little comments about her and what makes her special.  Over and over again it was said "she is nice to everyone" and "she is really good in class".   We went to get her scriptures yesterday...the present that Nate and I give our kids for their baptism.   She told me that she has been reading her Book of Mormon sometimes, just on her own.  She also thinks about and remembers to pray because she wants to do it.  She is easily touched by the spirit.  Just so no one gets the wrong impression...she has her faults too. :)  She is, by far, the grouchiest person in our family in the morning.  I've learned to walk in her room, rouse her just enough to know she is awake, and leave.  She comes up on her own and then I just have to try to get through the first 30 minutes of her morning.  :) 

Benjamin...what can one say.  He is 10.  He is really a bright kid.  He loves to read and Nate and I try to feed that passion as much as possible.  He finished the last Harry Potter book last week.  He spent all summer reading those.  We just bought him the second book of "the Janitors".  A new series that he really likes.  He also just finished the second book of "Micheal Vey". What always stands out to me about Ben though, is his ability to have a close relationship with his sisters.  He is a one man show when it comes to them.  It leaves him out of a lot of there play at this point.  He is reaching the stage of being too old to play pet shop and stuffed animals with them yet he still finds ways to maintain his bonds with them.  They laugh and talk.  They have a great time every Friday enjoying "Friday Night Movie Night".  An activity that mom and dad are not invited too.  The kids all get to sleep in the family room together and watch a show.  Ben and I butt heads more than we used too.  I hear "that's not fair" more than I want to.  But, we make it through.  I hope he knows how much I love him.  He's the oldest.  It really isn't fair that he has to go through the experimental parenting issues.  Anwyway, I am getting emotional.  Let's move on....

 Sarah.  We call her the "cutest little menace".  Oh my, it is so true.  The girl gets into trouble everywhere.  She can open the refrigerator.  Once day I found her covered in white sticky stuff.  She found a open container of frosting in the fridge and proceeded to dip her whole hand in and partake of the deliciousness.  She poured a bottle of lemon juice on the carpet in the family room.  I only found out about that yesterday when I asked Emily why the floor was wet.  Apparently it happened a couple of days ago.  She pulled a cup of apple juice off the edge of the counter this week.  She was showered in it and wasn't very fond of the experience so I am hopeful she will avoid that trap in the future.  She climbs on the kitchen table  constantly....especially at dinner time.  At least it forces me to clear the dinner dishes.  She is an incredible menace...but she is so precious.  She loves blankies and stuffed animals.  It doesn't matter which ones.  She loves them all.   Everyday when I go to retrieve her from her bed she insists on bringing all things that were in the bed with her.  Sometimes I have to bring what she sees on the floor as well.  She loves books and will sit with a little pile of books on the chair in her bedroom and just look at them.  She loves to be funny.  Sometimes I catch her laughing at herself and I am not even sure what she has done that was funny...but she knows and I can see it on her face.  I mean, really, look at her.  That picture is worth a thousand words.  She is really, really wonderfully entertaining and cute.  We can't get enough of her. 

And...let's wrap things up with my husband.  What a man.  I am going to admit it here...I am kind of demanding sometimes.  I expect a lot from Nate and he delivers.  He helps out around the house a ton.  He recently told me he was sick of doing three days of laundry every week.  I thought he was going to tell me it was my turn to take over.  Instead, he said that we needed to get a new washer and dryer.  :)  He just wants it done faster.  He doesn't want to make me do it.  And, even though I know he is so sick of being in charge of the bathrooms every week...he keeps doing that.  He helps get the kitchen cleaned up frequently...not everyday...but truthfully...I don't get it cleaned up everyday.  Really, if he is home and I am cleaning...he is usually cleaning as well.  I woke him up at 5am the other day because I was sick.  He drove to Walmart at 5am to get me what I needed so I could feel better.  He didn't complain once.  I really don't know how I would ever live without him. 

My life...my family.  Our history in the making everyday.  It goes so fast.  Next year, everything will be different.  I want to remember today.  So, I will let these family pictures stay.  

Conference Commotion

I bet your kids were all sitting so quietly today listening to conference.  My kids spent half of the second session this afternoon using the air vents as communication devices.  Yelling back and forth to eachother while Nate and I tried to pay attention to conference.  Oh well, we forced them to watch for one hour.  Next time I am going to make them watch for one hour both sessions. 

Six and Sensational!

This last week we celebrated Emily's 6th birthday.  First of all...can I just get a Hallelujah!  The fall birthday season is finally done.  Three birthdays that fall back to back...or at least it seems that way...is a lot. 

Anyway, sweet little Emily came into our world on Oct 4, 2006.  She has been such a fun little girl to have in our home.  She is thoughtful and giving.  She wants to make her siblings happy and often puts their desires and wants ahead of her own.  She is lively and funny.  She loves to tease her mom and loves to make jokes and be funny. 

We did a small family celebration on Thursday, which was her actual birthday.  It was a quicky birthday.  I had a really busy work day and was lucky to even get a shower that day.  But, we were able to run out to the store for some cupcakes.  Thankfully, she wanted an easy tortellini pasta meal for dinner because I really didn't feel like cooking.  We ate dinner then took her to the store to pick out a few birthday presents.  She chose a cute little bunny animal and a package of legos for girls.  It was a motor home lego kit.  We had fun putting it all together when we got home and then blowing out the candles on her cupcakes. 

On Saturday we invited some of the cute little girls in our neighborhood over for a party.  Oh my, such a calm bunch compared to my last party.  We started with coloring time.  Were they disappointed.  No.  They shouted for joy.  They all love to color.  Yea!  That was easy.  Then we played pin the tail on the zebra...bought for $2 at walmart.  Then duck duck goose.  Finally we opened presents and had cake and ice cream.  Those cute little girls were just so easy to handle.  :)

We finished off the party with some Halloween dance music.  Those kids really know how to get down.  They were so funny dancing and jumping around the room.  Spontaneity is sometimes the best thing.  

Happy Birthday Emily!  Can't to wait and see what your 6th year brings. 

Boys and BYU

Tis the season for BYU games.  Each kid gets a BYU football game date night with Dad.  Ben and Nate went to the BYU vs. USU game on Friday night.  It was a late game.  They didn't get home until 1 am.  It was cold but they went well prepared with blankets and coats.  Nate was proud to come home and tell me that Ben is picking up on the game now and getting more interested.  They had a great time together...as always.  I am sure they will continue to strengthen their Father / Son bond for many years to come via BYU games. :)

One Big Day!

 Today was a big day in the life of my lovely Rachel.  Her Baptism was this morning.  Yesterday we ran around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get ready.  I wanted to make sure that she had a new dress.  However, being the practical mom that I am, I didn't want to spend $60 -$100 on a dress she probably wouldn't ever wear.  Rachel is a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.  I probably cursed her with that but I do try to get her to go with other styles.  However, every time we buy something different she ends up never wearing it.  She likes comfort.  What can I say.  So, we hunted for the perfect fit for her.  Old Navy was one of our last stops and we found this really cute dress.  It was funny how much her excitement increased once we bought her that new outfit. I don't know why, but clothes really can make us feel different.  :)  Anyway, we had finished our last task and we were ready for the big event. 

 I can honestly say that nothing would be the same without our supportive families sitting in the background. They all trickled in and made it for the baptism.  Rachel was so happy to have everyone there and really loved all of the gifts.  Even when a couple of them were the same she wanted to keep everything anyway.  Family makes the world go round.  Don't know how much more I can say.

Rachel and Dad got all ready for the big moment....which literally lasted about 15 seconds.  Rachel said she mostly just felt wet after being baptized.  But she told me when she received the gift of the Holy Ghost she felt different.  She recognized that the most spiritual moment for her was there in that circle with Dad's hands placed on her head. 

It was a really happy day.  I am not really one for planning parties.  I love to go to family events...but I am not fond of taking on the stress of planning a family event.  I kept it pretty simple and all the family made up for the rest.  We had a nice lunch provided for by many wonderful family members...I just brought sandwich stuff.  They made all the good stuff.  :)  We all sat in our backyard and enjoyed lunch and chatted for a while.  It was just really relaxing and great.  It was just a wonderful day all around.  Rachel, we are so happy for you and so blessed to have you as our daughter.  Family...you are amazing. Thanks for making this a wonderful day.  :)

Silver Lake

 We had to do something today for Rachel's birthday so since it is Sunday we decided to take a walk and have a picnic at Silver Lake at Brighton Ski Resort.  Boy..it was beautiful.  A little colder than I thought though. We were lucky to get out of there right before the rain started.  Thankfully, the kids enjoyed this mountain trip more than our last botched trip. 

 We let them take a few adventures off the beaten path.  They found walking sticks way back in the brush that were the envy of every other passing child.  They used their walking sticks to test the levels of the water and pick long grassy stuff from the bottom. 

 Poor Sarah was starving.  You'd think that after parenting 3 children through their tiny years we would have learned to have food on hand at all times.  We left our picnic stuff back at the car...consequently, Sarah was a bit fussy for the walk around silver lake.  We tried to keep her occupied but by the end she was screaming.  It made our peaceful walk slightly less peaceful but we made it.  We ate as soon as we got back to the car and she was her happy self again. 

It was a quiet end to Rachel's birthday.  That's what I needed.  Three days of birthday was enough for me.  HAHA.