Carter's Birthday!!

Carter had his birthday yesterday and turned 17! He was on the phone with his Grandparents and said to them, "Yeah I turned 17 so I'm almost a legal adult"! WOW! Hard to believe but true! And I mean that in the way that time has gone quickly, not that he doesn't SEEM like an adult because he DOES! He had a great weekend- it started with friends on Friday night "hanging out", and then he had the Sadie Hawkins dance on Saturday night and had a blast! It was an 80's theme and he and his date looked like they had walked off the pages from an 80's hairband cover! Led Zepplin shirts and all! Then Sunday we had our fast day due to conference the week before, so no special breakfast, but I did do our usual birthday surprises on the counter along with some decorations! I had to modify my usual fare of favorite candy and treats because Carter is on a special diet right now to lose some weight for football and is currently down about 22 pounds! So I got pretty creative in the grocery store and got a few of his favorite energy drinks (which I RARELY get), a LOT of gum, some beef jerky and sugar free Jello. But I did say he had to choose something from my Pinterest board to make him for his birthday cake. I insisted he indulge for just ONE piece of SOMETHING, so he chose a chocolate chip cookie cake. It was my first time making it and it turned out SO GOOD! I highly recommend it! And he LOVED it! Just like his brother we opted to give him money so he could purchase what he wanted and it didn't take him long at all to hop on Nike.com and find something! But I'm happy that choosing practical gifts make him that happy! Boys can ALWAYS use new shoes! Hahaha!! We are so proud of Carter. He has had some challenges come his way this past year, but when each presented itself he has always rose to the occasion! We know that whatever he chooses to do in life he has the skills to be successful! Now we are just excited to see what it is!

One last thing- when Brianne realized it was his 17th birthday and that he could be going on a mission and or leaving for college within a year she said, "No! I don't want Carter to leave." I thought that was pretty sweet! I just love my family! How blessed we are!

The big 39

My birthday, the big 39, happened in March. I still don't see myself as that old AT ALL! I remember people saying that a lot growing up and I always thought it was a funny thing to say.... until now! I really FEEL much younger! Anyway, the morning of my birthday I came downstairs to find it all decorated for my birthday! Brianne had stayed up late to blow up balloons and make it look festive! It warmed my heart! I do that for them on their birthday and she wanted to do it for mine! It made my day! On top of that I got some sweet cards and Chan made my favorite meal of Beef Tenderloin with Spring Vegetables! YUM! It was soooo good! I was a very happy Momma!

 For my birthday I requested a change to my bedroom decor! We have had the same bedroom decor (aside from a few throw pillows here and there) for a VERY long time. At least 10 years, probably more! So I proposed my ideas to Chan and he was totally on board! So here's the plan! New bed frame (that's tall enough to store items underneath) with a DIY headboard made from old doors and trim, new paint on the wall behind our bed, new curtains, new lamps and lastly new throw pillows to tie it all together! To say I am excited is a HUGE understatement!! I have already began stripping the paint from some old doors that used to be in one of our retail stores. I was the only one is Chan's family that wanted them. I knew I could use them somehow! It's going to take a LOT of elbow grease and a very clever hubby to make it work but I KNOW it's going to be awesome! I have also already bought new lamps, I've got all but 1 new throw pillow, I got new curtains and the new bed frame. I sold my old frame via Facebook and she'll be picking it up tomorrow.  I am THRILLED with the progress so far and can't wait to share how it turned out! There is something to be said about having a warm and cozy room to retreat to at the end of a long day! And I am so glad my Mom was here to help me make some purchases and have it all work together! It's going to be awesome!

I would say that's a pretty fantastic birthday! I am one lucky gal and am looking forward to spending TONS of time in my new and improved room!

Will's Birthday!!

It's SO hard for me to believe that Will is now 14! Wow! He is looking much older all of a sudden and is growing into quite a handsome young man! He is such a sweet and happy kid! His request for his birthday was a sleepover party with his friends. Such an easy request- DONE! The best part was that his birthday landed during spring break which made it an even easier request! I had each of the boys bring a snack/drink to share and I provided pizza and cake. Life was GREAT! They watched movies, roamed the neighborhood, made a Harlem Shuffle video and played XBox. He had a blast! Now that the kids are getting older we basically just give them cash and then take them shopping to buy what they want. So I took him to an outlet mall that week and he bought himself some new Nike shoes and some clothes. We also sat down at Johnny Rocket's for some yummy fries and a chocolate coke! But I think the best parts of his birthday came over that following weekend. My parents arrived the Thursday of their spring break. We planned some fun activities, including going to dinner and a movie on Friday and the Outlet mall on Saturday to pick out Easter gifts, which was super fun. My parents flew out so they could be here for his Ordination to be a Teacher. Such a wonderful thing and I am so grateful they are able to come and attend. It was made even more special because it was the last one with our current bishopric. They have all been released and we'll be getting a new bishopric after General Conference. It was also a memorable one because his brother Carter was able to stand in since he is a Priest. That made both my Mom and me cry before they even started! After the ordination was complete Bishop Stocking asked if my Mom, Myself and Brianne would bear our testimonies. It was such a wonderful experience and a tender moment for all of us. Later that day Will, Chan, my parents and I went to witness him getting his patriarchal blessing. He requested we do it while my parents were here and wow, such a neat experience! And given that it was Easter Sunday just made all of it that much more special!

I am so proud of Will! He has grown up so much and is always a loving and thoughtful person. He does very well in school and I very rarely have to remind him of homework or assignments. It's AWESOME! And I am also excited for him with football this year. He will be playing along side Sophomores at the high school and is already pushing himself by attending a camp every morning before school at 6am to lift weights and bulk up a bit! What a great kid! I love watching him grow and change and I look forward to his continued growth both physically and spiritually!

Brianne's spring activities!

Brianne is VERY excited to have a new activity this month! She has officially started voice lessons! I insisted she take piano first because being able to sight read music is so important. She has been taking piano for a couple years and is doing very well. Truly, I had been looking for a voice teacher all along and wasn't having much luck. Then we had a new couple move into our neighborhood and wouldn't you know it she is a voice teacher! YAY! She lives on the street behind us and is wonderful! She had her second lesson this week and is already LOVING it! I am excited too because Brianne has such a talent in singing! She is learning a couple songs from musicals for now and when she gets a bit more confident I am hoping I can get her to sing in church... fingers crossed!

She has also started softball again! Yay! And this year is a challenging one! She is with the same coach as last year, Steve Bojack, and he is fantastic! His knowledge of the sport has helped her immensely! The challenge is that his daughter is older so Brianne is only 11 and is playing with girls as old as 15! But she is doing really well and I keep encouraging her that it will only make her a better player! She is doing really well and has improved SO much since she began! She has quite the arm now and isn't afraid of fly ball anymore! hahaha! I am excited for her first game this Tuesday! Bring on Spring and Summer! I am ready! 

School "Lasts"

This year marks the end of having children in elementary school for me..... yikes I am getting old! And I'm not even 40 yet!! Anyway, I recently attended a few activities at Brianne's school for the last time! The first is Parents and Pastries. This is one of my favorites! We meet with the kids before school in the cafeteria and eat muffins, donuts, bagels etc while reading books with our kids. It's also done while the book fair is going on so that parents can purchase new books for their kids too! And this year it was also during Dr Seuss Day so it was a busy one! But it was fun and I enjoy reading with the kids. My favorite book to read to them is still a pop up book called Wide Mouthed Frog! It's the BEST!

The next activity was one that Brianne would have gladly skipped- Maturation Program! I went to it with both of the boys but had not seen the girl one yet so I was anxious to see what IT had to offer! I was pleasantly surprised at how well they handled it! All of the ones I attended were very well done and they made the kids feel comfortable. Such a fun experience! Hahaha! Gotta love puberty!

Another "last" was the 5th grade State Fair! All of the 5th graders are assigned a State and both Carter and Will had Connecticut (which was total chance) but Brianne got New Jersey! They have to write their state and ask for them to send brochures or other information as well as do their own research on their state. Brianne never received anything from her state, which I assume is due to the after effects of hurricane Sandy and all they were dealing with in the cleanup, but she found quite a bit on her own. They then have to do a oral presentation on their state as well as make a tri-fold with all of the information they found and a parade float out of a shoe box. Then it's time for the State fair! All the kids set up their desks in the gym and display their projects. The parents are invited to attend and we can walk through and ask the kids questions about their state. It's concluded with a small program with the kids singing a state song as well as some others. It was great and Brianne did a beautiful job! She did hers all by herself! I was very proud!

Last one was her final parent teacher conference! She has had a great year! Her teacher, Ms. Wilson, has been wonderful for her! She actually reminds me of Brianne a bit! I could totally see Brianne being a teacher someday! It's been a great year that is going WAY too fast! I am planning to attend their final field trip for Junior Achievement and am looking forward to that as well. Crazy how quickly they grow up, but what a joy!

Friends and Zumba!

A friend of mine asked if I'd like to join her in a Zumba class last fall. I looked at her and said, "why not!" I REALLY know that I need to get more exercise and this just sounded fun! So off we went! The class is once a week and we didn't always make it EVERY week but we did pretty dang good! Then this January it was time to sign up again and we recruited even more people to come and look silly! It was such a blast! We look like total idiots I am sure, in fact I am GRATEFUL that there are NO mirrors in the room we do it! Otherwise I may never do it again! I am just grateful for wonderful friends who make me laugh out loud all while getting healthy together! It's almost time to sign up again and I may have to do another round! Maybe this time I'll take it a bit more seriously and REALLY get a workout! Hahaha!