Adventures with Three Boys

Y Guides Polar Bear Plunge

2011-01-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

Kyle and Ryan are in Y Guides and daddy is their chief! They had a polar bear plunge where they had to swim and jump in the cold water. it was fun!

Karate

2011-01-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

On Friday nights, all the boys go to karate class. They have so much fun! Max hit the board just right and Kyle and Ryan snuggled together while they watched their big brother.

Friends

2011-01-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

We went to visit some DC friends who were close by visiting their parents. They had a really fun zip cord! Max did it first, then mommy and Kyle!

Science Museum

2011-01-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

At the local science museum, they have a whirligig exhibit around New Years that we love. We went again this year and again, we were fascinated! You can see the guys were able to pedal this bike and make the contraption move!

New Years at Krispy Kreme

2011-01-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

We ended up swinging by Krispy Kreme on New Years Eve. We started out at First Night downtown and had a few minutes before fireworks. We decided to go to KK! The guys love that place and are fascinated with the idea that it's open 24 hours. They said, "we could get up in the middle of the night and go to Krispy Kreme for donuts!" Yes, you can. But let's wait a little before we try that one...

Ryan's best shirt EVER

2011-01-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Grandpa John gave Ryan his favorite shirt EVER. He loves it!

Max

2011-01-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Three important things about me as an 8 year old:
1. I like video games.
2. I enjoy piano.
3. My most popular place is outside.
4. #1 vacation spot: Anywhere that had electronics

Ryan

2011-01-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

Three important things about Ryan, age 6:
1. I like video games.
2. I like mommy.
3. I like daddy.

Kyle

2011-01-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Kyle, age 6.
Three important things about me:
1. I found my neighbor's Pokemon game under our porch. I help friends.
2. I like my teacher. I am really kind to her.
3. I am kind to my classmates. They are kind to me.
4. I wanted to buy a Pharoah's Quest LEGO set. I am going to have the money for it because of my allowance. Thank goodness my mom and dad give me allowance. And thank goodness for chores. Because I get money and I can buy stuff.

Boys at the Art Museum

2011-01-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

We made them take these pics - do they look tortured? I think they are handsome...

Nintendo DSi

2011-01-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

Each boy got a Nintendo DSi for Christmas. They loved it and quickly learned all the features. One of the funniest ones is that they can "text" each other. They spent a lot of time in different rooms and then in the same rooms (not talking) writing messages and drawing pictures for each other. It's amazing how much they learn by just experimenting with this technology!

Ama's

2011-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

More pictures from Ama's!

Christmas at Ama's

2011-01-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

We opened presents at Ama's. Max loves his rc helicopter!

Christmas Eve Dinner

2011-01-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ama has a Christmas Eve dinner tradition - everyone has to make or buy their favorite food! Kyle picked strawberry ice cream. Ryan made an amazing chocolate torte with raspberries. We were so proud of his creation!

Angry Birds

2011-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

We have lots of Angry Birds fans at Ama's house!

Seven Springs

2011-01-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

We loved our vacation at Seven Springs. It was wonderful. As the kids get older, they enjoy it even more.

All three boys enrolled in ski school. Both Ryan and Kyle loved it, asked if they could stay longer, wanted to go another day. Max would prefer private lessons, but he has improved a lot and really liked skiing with a friend.

The nice thing about ski school was that Mark and I got to ski for half the day together. It was so much fun! We haven't done that since before Max was born. What I really can't wait for is the time where all of us can ski together.

We started each day with a breakfast buffet. The kids thought this was heavenly - donuts, bacon, yogurt, fruit. YUM! One woman laughed near me as she watched them march over to the table - each of their plates had the exact same thing with almost the same proportions. Great minds think alike, I guess.

On Tuesday nights, they have all you can eat pizza, all you can drink cocoa, and snow tubing. We LOVE that! Both Max and Ryan said that was their favorite part about Seven Springs.

As we were leaving, Max said, "We are definitely coming back next year!"
Okay, Max! You don't have to convince me!

Kyle Skiing

2011-01-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Kyle really loved skiing. He actually took the chairlift and went down the mountain! We were so proud of him (and he was so proud of himself!)

Seven Springs

2011-01-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed everything about Seven Springs!

Ohio Family

2011-01-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time with our Ohio Family! We had to take a fireplace picture!

Max reading

2011-01-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Max enjoyed reading to Katie and Ryan.

More present opening

2011-01-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

Max and Katie

2011-01-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Max loves being the "big cousin"!

Family

2011-01-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

It was so great to see our Ohio Family!!!

Games

2011-01-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

Uncle Jack and Aunt Chasity gave the boys some really neat games that they loved playing! It was fun to play with cousins!

Ryan's gingerbread house

2011-01-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

Ryan also made gingerbread houses at school!

Kyle's classroom

2011-01-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Kyle had pj day and also made gingerbread houses in his classroom. He had such a good day! Max and I came in to see him and see what he made.

Gingerbread Cookies

2011-01-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

I have been doing gingerbread cookies since Max turned 4. I bake tons of cookies and we invite tons of people over to decorate. The house smells sooooo good when I bake them. We get all sorts of fun stuff for decorating, too - licorish, gummy worms, m&ms, jelly beans, cinnamon disks, all sorts of yummy things. We had three gingerbread cookie parties - neighborhood kids, Kyle and Ryan's school friends, and Max's school friends.

This year, we also sang Christmas carols on the karoke machine. Can you beat that? Look at Max singing away!!!

Gingerbread Houses

2011-01-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread cookies in the neighborhood! We had about 15 kids and it was so much fun!

RLS Christmas Musical

2011-01-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

Max had a musical at his school in December. I was not prepared for what a production it was! Each grade had a singing and choreographed part! Max was a donkey - yes, I did tease him about that, but was fabulous.

RLS Musical

2011-01-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures from the musical.

RLS Christmas Sing Along

2011-01-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

Max performed with his school choir at Barnes and Noble. We shopped, they sang some songs, and Kyle and Ryan enjoyed reading books together.

RLS Choir

2011-01-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

More pictures from the Christmas sing-along at Barnes and Noble. Here's Max with two of his good school friends.

Visiting Santa

2011-01-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

We saw one of Santa's helpers at Lochmere. They asked for their wish list. Kyle, Ryan, and Max all want LEGO and lots of other stuff!

Pizza and Corn Maze

2010-12-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

Max went camping with his Y-Guides and so the younger guys and I went out for pizza and then to a corn maze. The guys loved sitting by themselves at a table and we had so much fun at the corn maze!

Corn Maze

2010-12-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

More pictures from the corn maze...

Ama's visit

2010-12-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

Ama came to visit us in October. She always brings the kids a "sweet treat". This time, it was Harry Potter jelly beans. Some of the flavors were delicious (fruit flavors) and some were really gross (like pepper, onion, and cheese - ugh!) I think Kyle got one of the yucky flavors - can you tell from his face???

Mother's Day Gift

2010-12-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

We finally got my mother's day gift up. It's a hammock swing and I love it! I read articles in it on work days, I watch the kids there when they get home and are playing outside. This was the best gift...

Max and Mom off to church

2010-12-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

Max and I went to a special church service at his school. Here we are!

Neighborhood PJ Party

2010-12-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

We had a neighborhood PJ party in October. 10 kids came over in their jammies, we ordered pizza, and roasted marshmellows. We decided that in the future, we might have smaller numbers. But the guys had a great time!

Neighborhood Fishing Derby

2010-12-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

In October, our neighborhood had a fishing derby. It was a blast! Max won for catching one of the biggest fish, Ryan got a gift certificate to Rita's Ice, and we all had fun snacks and fun with friends!

Kyle and Ryan's first day of school

2010-12-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

Here is Kyle and Ryan's first day of school! They had a great first day!

Max's new school

2010-10-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Max started a new school this year! Here he is on his first day of school with his teacher. We were nervous about starting at a new place, but he has been so happy and just fits in so well! They have a strong music program and he loves having that music in his day. And he'll even start pipe organ lessons this fall!

Karate!

2010-09-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

I think we may have found a sport that the boys like! Kyle and Ryan started karate this semester and really love it! Max watched them for one lesson and decided he had to sign up, too! Here they are in their karate robes. It's fun to watch them!

Maggie

2010-09-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

She has just integrated herself into our family. Even Mark likes her! How could anyone resist such a cute doggie???

Children's museum

2010-09-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

We love going to the children's museum. We went lots this summer and everyone has a favorite thing to do. Kyle and Max liked surfing and Ryan liked to play with the animals in the vet clinic.

Hockey @ the children's museum

2010-09-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Check out my hockey players! We had so much fun at the children's museum!

the mountains are so beautiful!

2010-09-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

We learned that the guys really like hiking. How can you not in Colorado? Look at these amazing views!

Hiking

2010-09-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

We wear our rafting helmets, even to hike! You never know when you'll hit your head on a rock! For real!!!

Colorado - family

2010-09-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

We met our two wonderful cousins, Ace & Jiro when we went rafting. We really liked meeting them and rafting with them!

Red Rocks

2010-09-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

We drove through and wandered around Red Rocks on the way from southern Colorado to Denver. It was so beautiful!

Family in Denver

2010-09-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about the CO trip was that we saw a lot of family members. Here are Kyle, Ryan, and Max with their cousins - they loved playing outside with Emily and Abby!

playing with cousins

2010-09-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of the boys playing with the cousins!

Thank you Jiro!

2010-09-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Cousin Jiro for the Wallace and Grommit video. We love it and our favorite is Auto Chef. They love screaming "knickers!" and think that is such a funny word for underwear. What a wonderful present to get in the mail!!!

Hiking

2010-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

More hiking pictures!

Waterfall hike

2010-07-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

We stayed a few miles from a beautiful waterfall hike. The guys typically sleep a bit later than I do, so I usually get up early and find a good hike. This hike had a great reward at the end - a huge waterfall!

Wilderness

2010-07-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

We started our trip to Colorado by stopping to visit Uncle Tom, Aunt Gina, Emily & Abby. They took us to Wilderness one afternoon. We loved seeing the animals and learning about some of the wildlife we might see in Colorado! Here's a picture of the boys climbing the rocks outside the museum.

LEGO & Children's Museum

2010-07-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

We heard that there was a LEGO event downtown, so we knew we had to check it out! It was a super hot day, so we only spent a little time playing some of the new LEGO games. The children's museum was across the street. As we walked in, we realized how thankful we were for the person who invented air conditioning!

We had a great time at the children's museum. One of our favorite things to do there is to use the tools and wood to saw and construct. We also ran into our neighbors and stayed a little longer. That made it fun!

Hockey!

2010-07-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite exhibits came back to our children's museum - the hockey rink! The guys dressed up like the Canes (our hockey team) and worked on scoring some goals!

Cooking & Surfing

2010-07-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

We had fun exploring the new exhibits at our children's museum downtown!

Ryan tending his animals

2010-07-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ryan loved tending to the animals at the new exhibit at our children's museum. He spent a lot of time playing with them and "herding" them.

Sailing Camp

2010-07-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

Max did a four day sailing camp this week. It was intense and overall he enjoyed it - even though there were times that seemed really tough! They put the kids in the boats after the first day and let them navigate the lake. It was a great experience and he learned a new skill. Boy was he tired after 4 hours of sailing on the lake!

Solutude...

2010-07-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Two boys and their dog

2010-07-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

Such great companions...

K & R at the Lake

2010-07-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Kyle and Ryan had Maggie at the lake as we watched Max sail. They collected mollusks in the water and climbed on rocks. It was fun!

Fourth of July

2010-07-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Fourth of July! This was the first year we actually went somewhere for fireworks! We decided that the guys were old enough to see the city fireworks (if we could watch them without getting stuck in traffic) and a friend of mine invited us to her neighborhood. They had an old-fashioned parade where the kids rode their bikes or scooters to the end of the street. Then, they decorated hats, played ball, threw water balloons, and the adults grilled dinner and set up potluck sides and desserts. When it got dark, we walked over to the golf course with a great view of the fireworks for our town! It wasn't crowded and it wasn't too loud! The guys all loved seeing the fireworks and had a wonderful time. It was hard to get up the next morning, though. They had biked and biked and played and played and then stayed up until 10. Late night and very tired! Max started sailing lessons the next morning and we didn't think he was going to wake up for them!

Patriotic Fruit Pizza

2010-07-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

The guys made this patriotic fruit dessert with fresh strawberries and blueberries. The crust is a sugar cookie and then we spread cream cheese frosting on top. YUM! Kyle and Ryan decorated the giant cookie.

3rd of July

2010-07-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

We have a fun tradition with our backyard neighbors - we are often the only ones on our streets, so we gather together and do our own fireworks show. What's funny is that in anticipation, both dads collect a stash anytime they go to a state that is more lenient - such as South Carolina or Georgia. The kids bring folding chairs, we invite anyone else who is in town, and we have a great time watching our pyro-dads light fireworks and hope it doesn't burn a neighbor's roof!

Sparklers

2010-07-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

The guys loved having their own sparklers! We only let two kids use them at a time and reminisced about how we didn't have as strict rules - however, many of us have scars from fireworks.

T-Shirts

2010-07-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

We have a tradition of making Fourth of July t-shirts. This year, the guys experimented with spray paint and stencils. Usually people appreciate that Kyle and Ryan have their names on their shirts.

Here is each boy modeling their shirt. They are unique and wonderful - just like them!

Maggie

2010-07-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

We did it! We adopted Maggie, a Scottie mix that we were fostering and we just love her! She got a haircut right after we adopted her and now she really looks like a Scottie. Isn't she cute?

The guys love her. They miss her when we are away from her. The other day, Max said, "Mom, can you tell me more about what she needs? I want to take more responsiblity." I think at that point, Mark realized that getting a dog was a really good thing! (Plus it's great because she's already housetrained and crate trained.)

Great Smokey Mountains

2010-06-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful vacation! We went to the Western part of North Carolina, near the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We have a great campground (although we stayed in cabins) that has a creek running through the campground where the kids can take tubes down it.

We brought our new dog Maggie with us and she was so much fun! She went on hikes with us, played in the river, and hung out hoping for any scraps when we cooked out over the campfire. The guys loved taking her around with them and she was great to travel with!

We also went to see Fontana Dam, about an hour away from where we were staying. Some of the beautiful views in the photos were from this trip! It is such beautiful country!

More River Pics

2010-06-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone is having so much fun!

Everyone Lend a Hand!

2010-06-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

This trip was wonderful and we could see the difference in how the boys were helping out! They carried paddles, helped move the raft, and took care of all the equipment we needed. They loved playing in the water while we pumped the rafts and got all the stuff ready.

Angela & Monica

2010-06-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

My dad brought his friend Monica to paddle with us and she was great! We went out together on the first day and I learned a lot from her!

Mark and Grandpa Mike

2010-06-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

On the first day, Mark went down with Dad. The guys had a blast - can you tell???

Mark the Raftmaster!

2010-06-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

One day, Mark was the raftmaster. He did a great job steering the boat!

Grandpa Mike and the Boys

2010-06-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Mike took the guys down the river and Mark and I went down with Monica for part of the river. The guys had a great time! Max loved paddling and told me, "Next time, I want to paddle the whole time! I'm ready to do more on the raft!"

I'm so proud of him!

Mom and Dad Steering the Boat!

2010-06-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Mark and I steered the kids down the river - all by ourselves! It was wonderful and we can't wait to do it again soon!

Pizza by the River

2010-06-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

We stopped on our raft trip and had pizza by the river. YUM! It was so good and we got to wave to people as they went down the river. Pizza tastes yummier after working hard on the raft.

We love the river!!!

2010-06-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

We LOVE being on the river! The guys love making dams, "body surfing" the waves, and splashing around. They laughed so hard when Maggie jumped in and splashed around with them - she also has fun in the water!

hiking in the Smokey Mountains

2010-06-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

I often get up early in the morning and find good hiking spots in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. One morning, Max woke up early, too. He came with me to hike and we did one of my favorite loops to two different water falls. He loved scrambling on the rocks and seeing the beautiful views!

Kyle Jumping

2010-06-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

Kyle jumped off the rocks. Of all the kids, he enjoyed it the least. I think that once he was in the air, it scared him how far down he had to go. It is also a very cold and shocking feeling to hit the water. Because the river comes from the bottom of a very deep lake, the temperature stays in the 50s. Brrr!

Ryan Jumping!

2010-06-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone jumped off the tall rock (about 10 feet) this year! (Ryan was the only to attempt it last year!) I didn't think Ryan would do it, but after a while, he decided he would try it if my dad's friend Monica would jump with him. She did and he had a blast! The water is really cold and he only tried it once...

Ruby Mining

2010-06-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

There are lots of precious mineral mines in the western part of NC. We tried one and had such a good time! You pick a bucket that has lots of dirt and rocks in it and then use a sifter to see what you find. All of the guys found rubies and Max found really pretty rose quartz. It was a really neat experience!

Oh, I lost my Tooth!

2010-06-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Ryan lost his second tooth on his top row. When the first tooth was very wiggly, he refused to work on getting it out! It hung off to the side and even stuck out at one point and I often sang hillbilly music to him. The same thing happened for the second tooth - he wouldn't wiggle it out. One afternoon, Kyle threw water at him and he jumped - somehow that lodged the tooth out of his mouth! It fell on the ground at the campsite. Everyone was amazed! Ryan said, "Kyle threw water at me and it made me loose my tooth!" The "cabin tooth fairy" came to visit, bringing him a gold coin just like at home!

Jumping off the Rocks

2010-06-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Max really loved jumping off the giant rock on the river! He started doing cannon balls over the commercial rafts and spashing the folks who were paddling! (He did not come up with the idea - we were bombed last year!) It took him a while to try jumping - he didn't do it last year - but when he did, he loved it and couldn't get enough of it! I went off of the rock with him the first time, and then he was completely on his own after that!

Rafting down the creek

2010-06-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things about this vacation is that we stay at a great campground where the kids can take tubes down the creek - all on their own! They walk up to a "put in" spot and jump in their tubes and navigate down a creek. The chute is about 1/4 of a mile. I like to sit at the bottom of the creek with a book in hand and help them if they need assistance getting out. This year, they did so well at figuring out how to get beyond the current into the calm part of the river. They have a tube that they all fit in and then individual tubes. Either way, it's tons of fun!

Max's Recital

2010-06-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Max had his first piano recital today. He is very passionate about the piano. He practices each day without prompting, although sometimes I sit down with him and have him play for me or we practice together. He loves it so much that some of his friends gave him sheet music for his birthday!

When he heard he would be playing on a Steinway Grand Piano, he was so excited. He had been looking forward to this for a long time - he loves grand pianos!

He also surprised me by asking if he could have certain clothes for the recital. He wanted to wear black and white and then find a keyboard tie. (The tie was totally his idea! He could have gone less dressy.) We went to the tie shop at the mall and he found a Schroeder tie from Peanuts and thought it was just right. Mark helped Max put on his tie and while he felt it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, he did wear it to a bowling party afterwards for a little while. Long enough for his friends to see it!

Max played very confidently and calmly. He enjoyed himself - that was the main goal!!!

Do you Know the MUFFIN MAN?

2010-06-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Max played his song so well today at the recital! He played 'Do you Know the Muffin Man?' He was so confident and really happy, several people came up to me and said they wouldn't be surprised if he ended up continuing with music through college. I've believed that he really tapped into his passion when he started piano music and I'm just happy that he feel so good about something and has this strong interest!

Empire's March - Star Wars

2010-06-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Max and I played a duet at his piano recital today - The Emporer's March from Star Wars. It definitely had the "wow" factor. We didn't tell anyone that's what we were playing and when we started, after a measure or two many kids recognized it. There was an audible cheer in the audience and Mom said that one of the kids pumped his arm and yelled, "YES!" It was so much fun to play! We had practiced quite a bit and really enjoyed having the opportunity to play together.

Ama's in town!

2010-06-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Ama's in town and she performed Kyle and Ryan's favorite books right now, Piggie and Elephant by Mo Willems. We love reading these at night!

Race for the Cure

2010-06-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ama, Kyle, Ryan, Max, and I walked the Race for the Cure this morning in memory of my Aunt Carol (my mom's sister) and in celebration for Gail Kuttrus (my mother in law). We talked about breast cancer and how important it is to raise money to help with treatment and prevention. We thought about the strong women in our life. We also complained a lot about the heat, but that was understandable.

Mark, Mom and I have run the Race for the Cure for many years for our friend Lori and in memory of my aunt Carol. This was the first time the guys were involved!

Race for the Cure

2010-06-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

We walked the Race for the Cure, it was HOT!!! The guys complained, but were glad that they did it.

Ending the Race @ the Diner

2010-06-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

After our race, we went to the Waffle House. Yum! The guys were so hungry! Kyle had strawberry waffles, Ryan had chocolate chip waffles, and Max had bacon, waffles, and scrambled eggs.

2010-06-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Maggie, a Scottish Terrier that we are fostering. We get to keep her for at least a week and then decide if we want to adopt her. So far, the guys love her! I picked her up today and then got them from school early. They played with her all afternoon and then took her on a walk in the neighborhood. Max made me laugh so hard because we stopped to meet different dogs and he said, "You know, a lot of dogs look like rugs." Then they were asking if they could give her tons of treats and I said, "Then she would be fat Maggie." Max said with a smirk, "Or Big Rug." Yeah, I can see that.

Ryan has been so excited, just dreaming about what he and Maggie would do. However, it was Kyle that threw the ball to her over and over. He loved taking her all around the back yard and walking playing with his friends! Max really loved walking her and asked me if I could teach him how to feed and care for her so he could help more.

Max has always been a bit hesitant around dogs, but he has really warmed up to Maggie. Kyle and Ryan keep asking if we can keep her for sure. I don't think they like that she is being fostered and that we are CONSIDERING her rather than for sure keeping her.

The End of the Day

2010-05-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

We had such a big day yesterday! Max's birthday party went really well! We packed up to go hang out at the pool - it was a hot day and we felt like cooling off would be a great way to go! However, just as we drove up with all our fun squirters and a giant cheese pizza (and several magazines for me) loud thunder sounded. Oh well! We decided to take everything back home, have a picnic in front of the TV and watch a new Garfield movie. It was fun!

Max's birthday

2010-05-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Max has had a wonderful birthday! He loved getting letters in the mail from all his family - this was really important to him this year - he would run out to the mailbox each day to see if there was anything waiting for him! We got him an electric scooter and it was delivered right in front of him - ugh! So, Mark told Max, "You know how Oma is with boxes - that might not have an electric scooter. Don't get your hopes up." So for weeks he was wondering if he got the electric scooter or not.

We opened presents on Friday night because Mark is traveling. Mark took the electric scooter box and filled it with old books (baby books!) and put a Batman LEGO Wii game in there - something Max has been wanting. Max was happy about the Wii game and said, "I guess I don't get the electric scooter". The kids went upstairs to watch a show. When he was done, he walked into his bedroom and there was an electric scooter waiting for him! He was so surprised!!!

He loves the scooter! It's been raining most of the weekend, but he tried it out for a little bit yesterday morning. All in all, he's had a great birthday weekend!

Max's birthday party

2010-05-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

Max had a wonderful birthday party! We have developed an addiction to these amazing New Orleans sno balls at a locally run shop called Pelicans. Initially, we found them at a place about 15 minutes from our house. It was worth it to drive past other places for wonderful sno balls and home made ice cream. However, we noticed as we were driving to school that a branch of this heavenly place opened a mile from our house - it was if our dreams were answered! They also have putt putt here, so we booked his birthday here! We had 10 kids and they played a round of golf, then played sports in an open field nearby, ordered sno balls or ice cream and had a cupcake. Then it was time to go home! What a great party!

cake

2010-05-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

The cake was a great hit! It was actually a bunch of cupcakes frosted and decorated like a big cake - great for a birthday like this where cutting a cake is a bit of a hassle! It was a bit windy, so we had to pretend he was blowing out the candles! The kids each got to pick out ice cream or a sno ball and have a cupcake - YUM!

Artsplosure

2010-05-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Last week, we went to Artsplosure - just Kyle, Ryan, and me because Max was camping with his dad. They have a luminarium there which is amazing. I don't know how to explain it, but you can find out more about it on this website. It's a big inflated sculpture where you walk through tunnels and there are lights created from the sun filtering in. We loved it! We also loved being downtown where there is so much being revitalized. The guys and I had lunch at a Greek restaraunt and then did a little shopping. Oh, and we stopped by the new Krispy Kreme place - we couldn't resist!