Right after Christmas...Coles 5th Birthday

 (the special surprise at the family party a few days before the big bash)

 Welcome to Birthday Theaters!

 Popcorn, Jr. Mints, and Milk Duds

 Everyone excited to spend their coupons and get their seats

 Que Curtains, Que lights, Que Previews

 Um, anyone know why this picture is sideways? Maybe click to view upright??

Make a wish Buddy!

 A little over six months before his birthday Cole said he wanted a movie theater birthday. We happened to be borrowing one of those cake pop books from a friend and Cole thought the little boxes of popcorn were so cool. After seeing Cars 2 he let us know what movie he wanted to watch at his 5th birthday. So this is how it all came together. It was a pretty easy way to celebrate. The boys had a lot of fun helping to plan and as you can see Gage relished being the big brother while Cole clearly rolled with it all and thoroughly enjoyed having his friends, popcorn, and movie.

Cole is a happy little soul. He's filled with eagerness and enthusiasm for play and all the fun life can bring. After his tonsil and adnoids were removed a half year before this special day, Cole really made a wonderful turn around in sleeping habits, cognition ability, and general ease with life. He's done a fantastic job in his preschool this year, learning to take turns in talking ;), learning to follow directions, and putting forth effort in his work. We have a smart and creative boy on our hands who is just as sweet and cuddly as he is inquisitive and conversational.

The Brightness of December

click to enlarge

A Really Nice November

Heirlooms are really fun to work with. The table cloth, plates, silver and goblets were my grandmother's. The handkerchiefs were also my grandmother's and great grandmother's. It made for an extra special nod toward family, a perfect thing to be most thankful for.

My sister, parents, and aunt made it for the occasion.

We took the party north to Cascade where the weather was perfect for sledding and building snowmen. Gage and Cole sucessfully invented a way to "snowboard" down the hill.

Mommy's early Christmas present is actually the bottom half "um-mm" of this picture. Yeah, he decided no more diapers! What a GREAT kid!!!!

Awesome October memories

Gage Turns 7 with a "Monstrous" Birthday party. Pinata in background

The start of playing "Monster Tag" the making of   THE monster!

Young Gun getting ready for rodeo day at school with paper mache' horse "Bucky" ready to ride.

As tradition, fun, fun, fun at the corn maze.



A Few "Things" for September

Thing 1 and Thing 2 started school right after Labor Day weekend. Gage is being schooled by me for the time being, Cole is doing a formal pre-school twice a week. Between Dane's schedule, my work schedule, piano lessons, chores etc... The "Mother of All Things" is probably making the most adjustments. September was my last month teaching Zumba for the time being and that's been a hard thing to give up. It's just too late at night for me and my family right now. I do still teach two other classes (a mind/body fusion and a cardio class) that are in the a.m. Gage's position number on the charter list went from 9 to 4 and is now holding. We'd like to anticipate that he gets in sometime this year but it's possible he won't. However, come January when both boys are signed up for the lottery we may have better chances since siblings who get in pull other sibling's up the waiting list. It's too early in the year to live wishing and waiting so we're happily engaged in the current endeavor.

We had Chrismas this past month! The best part about throwing this occassion was the reaction from the boys. The boys woke to the sound of Christmas music and smell of cinnamon swirl french toast, bacon and eggs. We were so excited to tease them about sleeping for so long and how glad we were they finally woke up, and on Christmas even! Cole continued to ask throughout the day if it really was Christmas or were we just kidding them.

The time had come to invest in a good play structure and we decided that was an appropriate gift to give as a Christmas present. Since we needed to get it up and built before cold weather hit, we decided the day we bought the lumber to surprise the kids the following morning.

The final pictrue still to come....

All "things" considered it's been a lovely month! Happy Fall to everyone and Merry Christmas!

Hot August Rush

 Attending the Grep Poe Air Show and Night Glow with Grandpa.

 Visiting Terry's Cows. This bull's name is Stinky.

 

Meet Gloria our "new" piano. She's estimated to be 99 years old; an early player piano. Like most old Ladies her innerds are elsewhere so she has no means of being a player but she's got all her original "teeth" and all her hammers and strings. We love her! Gage starts lessons next week!

Gage has worked all summer on a farming project, Gage's Little Farm. It is a folder about an inch thick of  plans for his farm including makes and models of tractors, blue prints of the farm, inventories of animals, equipment, and supplies.

Cole's desire all summer long has been to watch cartoons. It's been a hard summer for him ;). He thorougly enjoys bike rides to the park however and has really done alot of sandbox play and dressing up, especially as a cowboy. He had a tonsil and adnoidectomy in June and we are all enjoying the new and improved, well rested, Cole. Even those big blue eyes open wider.

Dane, now two, is really a special little kid. He is just a joy and delight. I'm surprised at the senses of humor my boys have been blessed with. Danes ability to find the funny and make the funny in things is one of his gifts. He does not stir to anger easily, especially for a two year old. He's not mellow but engaging and interested in people and things. Kind of a real mix between his older brothers in many ways. This summer for him marks his first years of boyhood. He loves the sandbox, legos, playing cars, imaginng to be all kinds of animals, reading books and being read to, singing, drawing, finding mischief with the hose or whatever he can get his hands on, and wrestling with his brothers.

Lans and I have done a lot of small projects: painting chairs and the table, gardening, canning, painting, organizing, and decorating an office/hobby/temporary school room, and raising these boys. We've had a lot of high lights over the summer. It was, in alot of ways, a perfect summe; the kind that turns rosier the more you think about the fun we had together, the kind that leaves you feeling full of love and hope for all the time you will have together. I love my family.   

July 2011: An All American Family

 Participating with my parents in their town's Independence Day parade. It was more fun to be in their float than it was to watch the parade. The kids loved waving, ringing their bells and we enjoyed throwing the candy...we all agree my Dad had the funnest part of driving the float however :).

 A mini family reunion with my brother's family. We christened their new "speed" boat, watched the National kyack championship down at the new white water park in my parent's town, and enjoyed visiting.

 A large family reunion with Lans' family in Belknap Hotsprings, OR. We rafted, played games, reconnected, enjoyed the hot springs and all wished it were one day longer ;). (Picture courtesy of Kim Greenfield) (we wore yellow).

 Sprinklers, Slide sparks, Pails, Shovels, Forts, Trees, and Being Brothers. Bike rides, Pool sides, Homemade Treats, Flying attempts and Shoeless Feets.

A night at the Caldwell drive-in. Contemplating the aroma of popcorn and manure...good times.