Summer Summary – In Two Parts

PART ONE

Instead of trying to back blog about each individual event that happened over the summer, I have decided to just write about the whole summer all in one post.

Looks like I stopped blogging right around May – same time every year. I must have some type of mental break down when all the kids get out of school, and are here 24/7 with non-stop whining and arguing. I’m sure it’s not that bad, but I don’t remember very well. I do know that I enjoy having them back in school now. It’s so nice to be back on a regular schedule.

So I am looking back through pictures to help me remember what we did.

Here are the little boys at the zoo in May. They had a lot of fun. The weather was perfect. We actually went again today, but I didn’t have my camera. So I won’t be able to start and end with a zoo pic. :(

Thomas celebrated his 12th birthday in May. He asked for a strawberry shortcake. I don’t know if he remembers, but he asked for a strawberry shortcake when he was three. Sometime over the summer, he got a haircut and has decided that he prefers his hair short – we are all happy about that.

One of the major events of this summer was our vacation to Disney Land. It’s not very often that we take a family vacation. I’m sure it’s because we are afraid of having to be in such a small confined space like the car for hours and hours and hours together. I’m happy to say that it wasn’t as awful as I imagined it would be.

We did the drive to Orange County all in one day. It must have been the excitement of the final destination that kept everyone happy and agreeable. My new favorite way to pass the time in the car is to have an audio book. We listened to I Am Number Four. It wasn’t the best book, but it kept everyone occupied.

There was a slight problem when we arrived at our place of lodging, only to find out that they didn’t have any more rooms that would fit all of us. Yes, we did make a reservation. They were thinking that maybe we could share 3 rooms. Can you imagine the complete lunacy in suggesting that we share 3 separate villas for 4 days. Luckily we found someplace else to stay – A newer, brighter, cleaner place. Crisis averted – but not before I had a nervous breakdown at the front desk and bawled like a baby in front of the staff of idiots.

Here are my children walking away from us as they head out into the park with no adult supervision. It was hard for me to let them just go off and roam the park by themselves.

The girls got their faces painted.

The little boys were quite comfortable in the stroller that we were able to borrow from a friend – Thanks Mindy, we would have been super miserable without it.

 

We didn’t actually ride the Tea Cups – Blech!

We packed up and hauled in all of our own snacks, but for some reason we couldn’t resist the popcorn from the park. We also couldn’t stay away from the churros either – we ate way too many of them.

 
While we were there we celebrated Henry’s 4th birthday, and our 17th anniversary. We even got to wear special buttons and all of the workers congratulated us on our celebrations.

On the way home, we stayed at my Sister’s in Vegas. She was kind enough to pick up a Buzz Lightyear cake for Henry. That was his most favorite ride and he got to go on it several times.

A magnificent time was had by all and I am looking forward to more family vacations in the future.

 

** PLEASE PAUSE FOR A SHORT INTERMISSION **

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Summer Summary - Part Two

 

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And we’re back.

This year, Libby turned 8. She celebrated the big day at the bowling alley with friends and family.

I was super lazy and didn’t make a cake for her, but I did buy her three from the store. One of the great things about Libby is that she was totally fine with store bought cakes.

Since this was the big #8, it was Libby’s turn to get baptized.

We continued our tradition of dinner at the Roof restaurant. 

And a stroll around Temple Square.

We had a very nice time hanging out with her for the evening.

We are very proud of her.

Finally, we ended the summer with another birthday and a campout. Steve and Thomas headed out on a backpacking journey on my birthday. I was not too crushed, because I headed up to my moms house and had a great time. My sister made me delicious cupcakes and I spent most of the time with my head in a book while someone else watched the kids.

Steve and Thomas enjoyed their time in the forest. Thomas did not eat oatmeal or soup – I’m not really sure what he ate. He survived somehow though.

 

Also it should be noted that Jonathon also went on an amazing campout where he Climbed rocks, mountain biked, hiked, and river rafted. It was the most amazing thing he has ever done, and he lets us know every day how boring we are for not ever taking him to do those things ever.

I am always glad when summer is over – I gladly welcome cooler weather and yes – even snow!

Holy Moly, He’s 14!

Jonathon turned 14 on the 23rd. We started celebrating early, because the week of his birthday was busy for us and we didn’t want him to feel like he was forgotten. It was almost like Magical Birthday March. Two weeks early we took him out to dinner and then shopping with just us and Henry. We also went to see Rango the weekend before and then we took the whole family out to dinner on his actual birthday. He had presents from all directions and got everything that he wanted.

He chose the same cake he has every year. I know why though, it’s amazingly tasty. How can you beat a pan of brownies topped with Oreo ice cream and covered in hot fudge and more cookies?

Really, I am blown away by the fact that it has been 14 years since we entered the wild world of parenting. How can my very first little boy be so big?

Oh, the memories. Since I didn’t write any of this down when he was a kid, I am going to dig deep and write a few things about Jonathon that I still remember. Warning: This gets kind of long.

For the first year of his life, we lived in a two bedroom apartment with Steve’s brother Paul. I could put Jonathon in his swing and he would sleep for hours. Sometimes I had to force myself to turn it off and wake him up so that he would be able to sleep at night. He was such a good little boy, but I really had no clue at the time. I figured it out later though, after I had Thomas.

When he was a year old, we bought our first house. He had his own room, and his own TV and VCR. His collection of video tapes was quite extensive, and he watched his favorites over and over. He could name what movie we put in for him almost before the first image would appear on the screen. He amazed us when he learned how to work the VCR by himself, and just started  watching his movies whenever he wanted.

One day I found him sitting near an open window with his face pressed up against the screen whispering loudly to the outside world, “Somebody help me, please get me out of here.” I have no idea if he was acting out something from a movie, or if he really felt that he needed someone to come and save him. He sounded very convincing though, so I had to get him away from the window before someone actually heard him and called in the authorities.

Jonathon also learned the art of video game playing early on in life. It was so cute to watch him play. He started off slowly with computer games – one of his favorites was a Little Critter story game - but it wasn’t long before he had mastered the Playstation. Anyone who has spent any time with Jonathon knows that he loves talking about his latest game – now you know that it’s really our fault, we led him down that road.

Over the years, we have found that Jonathon does not really like to play sports. He has been on a team for soccer, T-ball, and basketball. He did not enjoy any of them but was a good sport and went to all his games and didn’t complain nearly as much as I did. I have been surprised this year, because he has been playing all sorts of games during PE and talks about how much he enjoys it.

Speaking of PE, it reminds me of a funny story. When Jonathon was in the 6th grade, he only had to go to PE once a week, but he still had to change into gym shorts and a T-shirt. He didn’t have an extra pair of tennis shoes, so he just wore his regular shoes in the gym. Well, when winter rolled around, he started to wear his snow boots to school. One day he came home and told me about how he had to play volleyball in his snow boots, because he didn’t remember to take his regular shoes to school. He said it was no big deal, but I felt so bad for him. The next week I made sure that he had his shoes in his backpack and sent him on his way. Later that day he came home and told me about how even though we had remembered the shoes, he forgot to wear regular socks. The morning was chilly, and so he had left the house in a pair of Steve’s heavy wooly winter socks. They were so big for Jonathon that they went up over his knees. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to him to take the socks off, but he didn’t. I just picture poor Jonathon running around the gym in his shorts with fat socks pulled up over his knees and the heel of the sock sticking out of the back of his shoes while he played. It cracks me up.

That is Jonathon for ya – or Jon as he is now called at school. He also goes by Lauer, Jonny, Jon Jon or just J. He reminds me so much of myself when I was his age. He loves art, especially drawing and in my opinion, he is very talented. He is usually in a pretty good mood and looks forward to life with excitement.I can always count on him to help me out when I need it.

There is so much more to write about him, but I will save it for another time.

Happy 14th Jonny – we love ya!

Jack’s Second Birthday

Jack’s birthday was pretty low key this year. We didn’t have a big party or any decorations. In fact we didn’t even wrap his presents. Hey, he’s two, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care. We’ll try to do better next year.

Grammy and Grampy  came for a visit in the afternoon, and brought him a Toy Story couch. It was very tough for Henry to understand that it was for Jack and not for him. He was like that with all of Jack’s presents. I’m sure it will be that way forever. Hannah still has a hard time when Libby get presents too.

Grandma Lauer sent a radio flyer tricycle for him, and it was a hit with all of the kids. It’s amazing how many times I have to get mad at the older kids for trying to ride it. Jack spent the day singing a Queen song about bicycles.

 

We got him this twisty road thing that cars drive on.

I decided to get all fancy with his Birthday Cupcakes. I know that he didn’t really care what they looked like, but he sure did love how they tasted.

It’s crazy how fast two years has gone by. Jack has turned into a little boy, and he is no longer my baby. He loves to play with Henry and copy whatever he does. This makes him seem even bigger than he really is. He is such a funny little boy who makes us all laugh. He likes to help put the dishes away and he loves to play with the kitchen gadgets. He is constantly moving chairs to get into things. He is going to be an amazing artist when he grows up, and I will be rich because I will have all of his beginning masterpieces on my walls and doors and windows and furniture. I am afraid for the terrible twos with this one – it’s a good thing he’s so cute.

Hannah’s 9th Birthday – Sept 2, 2010

 
Hannah usually has a great Magical Birthday Weekend because it almost always falls on Labor Day Weekend. It’s a good thing too, because Hannah always has high expectations. She has such a hard time coping when all the fun comes to an end.

Once again, she decided on a trip to the Kamas Pool – we checked first to make sure that they were for sure open, so as to avoid last years mishap of driving the whole way there to find pool closed. After swimming, we headed to the pizza/ice cream store. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the activity chosen most often by my kids for their birthday. The pizza is quite tasty and the kids love to stare at the bins full of ice cream and take forever to pick out their flavor.

 

Grammy also came for a visit sometime during the weekend and we had a little party. I went to great lengths to give Hannah a customized Taylor Swift cake. It was a lot of work, so no laughing. I created the picture on the computer by using one of Hannah’s favorite clip art girls. Then, I tried to recreate it in frosting – not so easy! She was happy with it though, and really that’s all that matters.

 
Right now, Hannah is learning and growing and testing boundaries. One minute, she can be the sweetest little girl who has smart and interesting things to say. The next minute, when she gets upset, the whole world turns upside down for us all. I have learned that she is happiest when she has a project or if she has some sort of responsibility. Boredom is Hannah’s downfall – she gets into so much trouble when she has nothing to do. She is a great helper with Jack and is always the first to volunteer to get him dressed, or put him to bed, or even to change his non stinky diapers. She is very creative and loves to draw and color and listen to music. There is never a dull moment with Hannah around.

August 17th 2010 – Neisha’s Birthday

 

My new resolution is to post something at least once a week. I think Sunday is a good day to dedicate to documenting family history, So it’s time to get caught up.

For my birthday this year we decided to take a trip to Disneyland. Just me and Steve. The kids were disappointed, but they got over it quickly because they got to spend time with Grammy.

The night before we left, Steve surprised me with cakes from a real bakery – something that I have been hinting about for years. They were so tasty! It’s a good thing that they were small cakes so that I didn’t have to feel guilty for eating all of the leftovers.

The next morning, we hopped on an early flight down to California, took a cab to the Hotel and then headed out to Disney. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the park without having to listen to kids whine about everything.

* * * Flash Back * * *

When I was a senior, Steve took me to my Prom. The Prom itself was uneventful, but the day after, he took me to Disneyland. The day was filled with adventure as we explored the park and talked about our favorite rides, and got to know each other better. We had such a good time, that we missed our flight and had to take a later one that routed us from Orange County to Las Vegas to Phoenix.

(Insert lost pictures here when you figure out where you put the box of old photos)

Since my entire existence is based on the consumption of deliciously tasty food, the day was made extra special with a lunch at the Blue Bayou. This is the restaurant that you can see as you are floating by on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Neither of us knew what to expect as we ordered - Steve chose some type of steak, and I opted for something called a Monte Cristo sandwich. I had never heard of such a thing before – a ham and turkey sandwich dipped in batter and deep fried, served with grape jelly. I had my doubts, but the menu was New Orleans Style food, and this was really the only thing that sounded edible. I am happy to tell you that I chose wisely that day.

* * * End Flash Back * * *

What a delectable combination of taste and texture. I immediately fell in love with that sandwich. For eighteen years, I have searched unsuccessfully for a sandwich as good as that one. Other sandwiches claiming to be a Monte Cristo did not even come close to the awesomeness of the Blue Bayou version. We have been back to Disneyland several times, but have never been able to get a table at that restaurant.

So, for my Birthday, we made reservations. I was worried that maybe I had only imagined the greatness of my lunch that day and that it would be a bitter disappointment when I was finally able to bite into my sandwich.

It seemed to take forever, as we ate our way through the first course of soup and salad. Steve, who rarely tries anything new, opted for a chicken gumbo soup. I sat and watched with amazement as he ate the entire cup full of soup. His palette has grown so much since we first met.

When at last my lunch finally arrived, my fears of being disappointed by the built up sandwich were laid to rest as I took my first bite. It was just as good as I remembered it to be. The only problem that I faced was when I realized in my older age how utterly fattening a deep fried sandwich must be. But hey, it was my birthday, so I tried no to think about it.

It was hard for us to get going after lunch. Too bad there is not a sleepy time land to take a nap for a while. The problem that we usually run into, is that Steve is ready to leave when we have gone through the park and hit all of the rides. I, however, feel like we must get our money’s worth and stay until the kick us out. Again, since it was my magical birthday trip, we got to stay for the fireworks.

I love Disney firework shows. They are absolutely the best. It was crazy how many people were packed in front of the castle to see the show. It was like sardines. We ended up having to sit on the road, but It was still  enjoyable. I really didn’t want to leave, but I don’t think they let you sleep over.

It was such a great Birthday. Thanks Steve for spoiling me rotten.

# 7 for Libby – June 18th 2010

This year, we decided to take Libby on a shopping spree for her birthday. She got to buy whatever she wanted with her birthday money. It is very hard to shop with Libby, because she is very indecisive.

Libby has such a bright personality. Her sense of style is crazy, and she loves big floral prints. Her favorite outfit is an orange paisley print skirt with a pink and orange floral print shirt and rainbow striped tights.

Libby is pretty much a girly girl who loves to do her nails and put make up on. She is such a happy kid – like the little girls in the movies who sing and and dance and skip around all of the time.

Sometimes Libby says the most absurd things that make absolutely no sense at all.

Quotes from Libby:

“If your whole body was made out of cheese hamburgers, you could eat yourself. Even your stomach.”

One day while riding in the car eating French fries that were slightly cold, Thomas said he needed them warmed up. I told him to just eat them, but he insisted that he would wait until we got home to warm them up. Then in the most serious voice, Libby said - “I have an Invisible microwave in here.”

Libby told her friend that the UPS man was, "The boy who takes away X-boxes, and fixes them.”

We love you Libby!

When Henry Turned Three

This year we had a Toy Story birthday for Henry. He got a brand new shiny Buzz Lightyear and I decided to buy him a store bought cake instead of trying to create my own character cake disaster.

Steve took Henry and the others big kids to see Toy Story 3. It was Henry’s first trip to a movie theater and he was good to sit through the whole movie. He even did better than Libby who always finds some reason to get out of her seat and bother the others.

Henry is constantly pushing the boundaries. He is a pretty determined kid. He loves to play outside and heads out whenever he pleases. He got a Bubble mower for his birthday, because he loves to follow us around as we mow the lawn. The best thing we ever did was put the gate up this spring so that he could not escape out of the backyard.

He is not that great at adapting to new things. We are taking part in a neighborhood Joy School. So every Tuesday and Thursday he has a howling fit as we head off to other people’s houses to play for a couple of hours. He always has a great time and is fine when I pick him up, so I don’t know why he has problems in the first place.

He is now officially potty trained – woo hoo! Except at night – of course. I wonder how long that will take?

He loves to play with cars and always has to have one to carry around with him. He also loves the movie Cars too, but we have not watched it for a while. That’s ok, because we watched it every day for like 6 months, so we needed a break.

I think he’s growing up too fast, but I know I can’t do anything about it.

Way back in the Month of May

Poor Thomas! His birthday gets mixed up in the hustle and bustle of the end of the school year and then summer, and I never get around to writing about it until now.

Thomas chose to go to the Kamas Pool for his birthday, so we rounded up a couple of friends and headed up there. The pool is great because there is something for everyone to enjoy.

He saved up all of his birthday money and purchased an iPod Nano. He was sick of always having to listen to Jonathon’s music. It didn’t last very long though, because he left it in his pocket and Jonathon washed it. The good news is that Apple took it back and sent us another one. So that was nice. But right now, he can’t find it, and it’s been lost for a very long time. I’m sure it’s down in the pig sty that they call a bedroom and one day he might find it again.

On a side note, you might think that Jonathon would have learned his lesson, but later in the summer he washed his own iPod, and since it wasn’t under warranty, he didn’t get a new one. So now he is working to save up money for a new one.

By May, Thomas was so ready to be out of school. His 5th grade experience was not the best. He was struggling with his assignments, and his teacher wasn’t the greatest.

He thoroughly enjoyed summer though, and was not looking forward to going back to school. I was not very happy about starting school either, because we did not get the teacher that we requested for the 6th grade. But, things eventually worked out for us and Thomas has a great teacher this year.

Thomas is such a laid back kid. He loves to read adventure/fantasy books. He has finished quite a few books this year, because he was grounded from video games for most of the 5th grade.

He is a great to help out with the little boys, but we don’t leave him home to babysit very often, because he has still not earned back our trust since the broken window incident.

Let’s hope that his new enthusiasm for school lasts until the end of the year, and that he will not feel unloved when he reads this blog in the future and finds out that I never wrote about his birthday until September. He’s not alone, I also have to catch up on Libby’s, Henry’s, Hannah’s and my own birthday. So there!

Jonathon - It’s not always about you!

Well, we officially have a teenager in the house. Even though he just barely turned 13 on Tuesday, we have been experiencing teenage behavior for a while now. In my opinion, teenagers (well, at least Jonathon) think the whole world revolves around them. Steve and I can not have a quiet conversation without Jonathon asking what we are saying about him. If I get after the kids for not cleaning up, Jonathon gets mad because he thinks I am speaking directly to him. If we make any plans, go anywhere, do anything, we have to make sure that it’s all right with Jonathon first. He even thinks that all phone calls are either for or about him.

This week, however, was actually all about Jonathon.

Last Friday kicked off his Magical Birthday Weekend. I’m not sure how many times I heard him say that he didn’t have to do something because it was his Magical Birthday Weekend. Steve even wondered if we should ban the whole magical weekend thing between the ages of 12-18. I’m not sure if we need go that route, but we will have to make some adjustments for the teenage years.

Friday was spent at another friends birthday party and on Saturday he went to see Diary Of a Wimpy Kid with his friend. This meant that we lost our babysitter for the whole weekend – Oh the sacrifices we make for our kids! Tuesday was his actually birthday and so I took him down to Salt Lake to a book signing at Desert Book. We bought the 5th book in the Fablehaven series and got it signed by the author. This was exciting for Jonathon, but for me, and Henry, and Jack, it was a long wait in line. Now I have to decide if I should read the Fablehaven books, or the Percy Jackson series first – any thoughts?

I swear this picture is almost the same as last year. He wanted the same ice cream brownie cake as the last two years. I don’t care though, because it’s the best. I invited neighbors over so there wouldn’t be any left over to pig out on the next day.

This week was also the Regional Science Fair. So we went to BYU to set up on Wednesday and then Jonathon presented his project on Thursday. There was an awards ceremony that night too. I am truly amazed at the amount of talent and imagination kids have these days. Jonathon didn’t win anything, but our neighbor McKay took second place in his category. So way to go McKay!

When I think about how fast the last five years have gone by, I get worried that the next five will go even faster, and he will be 18 before I know it. Jonathon is my best helper even though he complains the whole time. I can count on him to do a good job babysitting when I need to go somewhere. He does good in school and I don’t have to badger him about doing his homework. I know he is a lot like me when I was his age and I love to see how he copes with the challenges of daily life. He makes me proud to be his mom.

Jack Turned One

February 23rd – Happy Birthday!

Yes, it was a while ago, I don’t know where the time goes.

For every kid that we have, the first birthday becomes less and less of an event. See Henry’s First Here.

Poor Jack, I wasn’t even going to buy him birthday presents. It’s not like he knows right? But, Steve said that we had to get him at least one. So he got one present from us and one from Grandma. I also got him a new outfit, but then forgot about it until I found it 2 days ago.

Grammy was a slacker and decided not to show up for the “not really a party” so she could hang out with my Dad in Austin. So it was just our little family.

I didn’t even make him a cake – I went to “The Store” in Midway and bought him one. It was white with confetti sprinkles. I also bought a red velvet cake for me and Steve to eat - they were both delicious. Also, they were the perfect size, everyone got a piece, and there was only one slice leftover. I’m not sure who ate it for breakfast the next day, but I’m sure she did plenty of Jillian Michaels to make up for it.

Note to baker: Green confetti looks like mold!

Jack was 23 lbs. and 12 oz at his last check up. He only has 4 teeth, but that 5th one has tried to cut at least 3 times. I think it might come through this time though. He says Mama and Car and sometimes Henry or Hannah – not too chatty. He doesn’t walk, but he can climb just about anything. I think he’s going to be a mean little boy, because he likes to hit and throw things, and grab my glasses off my face.

Hannah’s Magical #8

Hannah turned Eight on Wednesday. She was lucky that her birthday fell before the first Saturday of the month so that she could be baptized today.

It seemed like August was going to last forever to her. She was very excited and couldn’t wait for September to get here. I promised her that we would go shopping for a white dress towards the end of August, and she would not stop asking me when we would go.

When we finally did go shopping, we had a little trouble finding a frilly white dress – there were quite a few in the spring when I was out shopping, but not so many at the end of the summer.

Finally, at the fifth store that we visited we found a wall full of pretty white dresses. We looked and discussed and decided on a few to try on. She knew right away which one she wanted – but of course, it was too big and they didn’t have one in her size. So we tried on a few more – nope, she wanted the first one.

I had a bit of a flash forward to us trying to pick
out a wedding dress, and I’m not sure if I’ll
be able to cope when the time comes.

After trying on every dress – some even twice, she finally picked out a different one. Whew!

Wednesday the 2nd was her Birthday – she got a new outfit to wear to school and I made rice crispy treats to take to her class at school. When school was out, we decided to go to the Kamas pool and swim for a couple of hours and then come home for dinner and cake. So we loaded everyone in the car and made the 30 min drive - just to find out that the pool was closed for maintenance.

(I did check online before we went, but silly me, I was looking on the POOL HOURS page, not the Rec Center front page with the small red print at the bottom that said the pool was closed.)

So we were all bummed and drove home in sulking silence.

However, when we got home there were presents to be opened and we forgot all about the pool.

Along with her new dress, she got her own set of scriptures, some art/craft project books and new clothes and shoes for school.

She asked for a lemon cake with strawberry frosting. I was not sure of the combo, but I tried my friends recipe for strawberry frosting and it was quite a tasty cake.

Luckily Thursday and Friday went by quickly and today we all got dressed up and headed to the Baptism. It is so fun to see all of the kids dressed in white on the front bench. Hannah was a little worried, but she did great.

Tonight we continued our Baptism Tradition, and took her to The Roof down at Temple Square – Just Steve, Me, and Hannah. We all enjoyed dinner very much, and then we walked around Temple Square.

Tomorrow she will be confirmed, and that will be her last special day for a while. I hope that her memories of this weekend will keep her smiling for a while.

Hannah is a very high maintenance girl. She knows what she wants and won’t stop until she gets it. This is both good and bad. We battle a lot of the time, but I think it’s because we are very similar – neither of us like it when things don’t go our way. She is very good to help me with Jack and Henry. I am very proud of her today.