Lauren's Birthday Bash

Lauren's 6th Birthday started off with a BANG! She had clued me in on how she imagined her birthday morning would go, so we tried not to disappoint!

Good Morning, Birthday Girl!

We banged pots and pans to wake her up and she was all smiles from the minute she woke up and for the rest of the day!

In keeping with tradition (and Lauren's memory of birthdays past), we hung streamers (lots of orange, her favorite color) and made a birthday poster with lots of baby pictures. It's always a bit sad for me to be reminded of how much she's grown up!
The Birthday Girl with her presents
And one more surprise...A NEW BIKE!

A new dress from Grandma!

Birthday Dinner request: In N Out!
I made a Horse cake for the girl who loves horses so much. Too bad Lauren couldn't tell what it was at first (!)

Lauren made a special "All About Me" poster for her Kindergarten class. She got to have special privileges as the Star of the Week--what a treat!

The biggest treat of all for our Birthday Girl (and her family) was a surprise stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel. Besides horseback riding (which we had done a couple of weeks before), her greatest wish was to go swimming, so we thought a hotel pool would give her plenty of swimming time when it's still a little chilly for swimming outdoors. Our little fish swam for a couple of hours the night we checked in, and also in the morning. This birthday treat turned out to be a really fun family memory. Too bad we forgot the camera--thank goodness for our phones, at least we got one shot at the hotel! (The kids were so funny about the tv--we couldn't even turn it on or they turned into zombies with their eyes glued to the screen!) Here is our little sweetheart the day she came home from the hospital. I remember the day she was born so vividly. We should have known she'd have a spunky personality, since no matter how many long walks, or how much spicy food I ate, or how many other methods I tried, labor would not start. With a little help from the doctor, she finally decided to come almost a week late! We could not believe how big she was--8 lbs 5 oz!

6 Reasons Lauren is such a bright light in our home:

1. She is so loving. As Brad says, "she's a hugger!"

2. She is independent. She knows what she wants and goes for it.

3. She loves animals. Horses, dogs, and cats rank as favorites. Pet adoption and pet care are an almost daily topic of discussion.

4. She's a girly-girl. We have fun with hair-dos, nail polish, dresses and shoes.

5. She likes boy stuff too. She loves Star Wars, Pokemon, and playing sports with her dad and brothers. Two of her best friends are boys.

6. She is sensitive and looks for ways to please and help others. I love to see her act as Andrew's other mommy, especially on days when he needs extra love and attention.

We're so glad you came to our family six years ago, Lauren!

Easter 2010 Highlights

Discovering the fun of Easter Egg hunting...

...after a missed attempt

Posing for mom at the Ward Easter Egg Hunt

Enjoying the cake walk winnings

Trying to find my Easter basket and all the chocolate eggs--that tricky Easter bunny!

Inspecting the Easter basket loot: candy...swimming gear...airplane...
("What--No IPad?" Better luck next year, Spencer!)

Eating candy for breakfast

Learning how to hold your own at the family egg hunt with tricky hiding places and challenging opponents :)

Trying to use as much candy and sprinkles on the sugar cookies as possible--Spencer wins! (too bad I don't have a picture of his!)

Wii Love Caleb

Caleb's 9th Birthday fell on Easter this year. Spring Break and a visit from family made it an especially fun birthday. In order to keep his celebration separate from Easter and egg hunting, we decided to have the party one day early, on Saturday. He had been a bit under the weather the day before, so we were glad he had perked up and was back in action for his big day.

Blake and Katy made him the cute poster on the wall. We sent everyone to the park and then scrambled to put up all the birthday decorations before they came home and the party started.

Spencer was my wonderful cake-decorating assistant, offering helpful suggestions and ideas on turning a regular cake into a Wii Remote!

Caleb loved his presents, especially the Wii Sports Resort and special remote to play the game.

Thinking carefully about his Birthday Wish...

NINE Things about the Birthday Boy that make me smile:

1. He doesn't really like chocolate, but he loves Brownies.

2. He loves to play backyard baseball and hit "out of the park" home runs

3. He loves funny movies and will repeat entire scenes if you let him.

4. He claims to not like school, but has had a great 3rd grade year with Mrs. Wigand.

5. He is competitive.

6. He has a voracious appetite for books. Right now he loves to read Percy Jackson and Warriors.

7. Although easily distracted, once he gets into a habit or routine he is consistent and focused and doesn't need reminders.

8. He is highly motivated by goals and rewards.

9. He has a happy heart. He laughs easily and loves to make others laugh.

My only complaint...he's growing up TOO FAST! It seems like only yesterday that I would stare at Caleb all day and take pictures of him even after a diaper change because I was trying to capture every moment. (And this was before we had a digital camera!)

Horseback Riding Dreams Come True

Lauren had been dreaming of going horseback riding for her birthday. So when we found out we were having Grandpa and Spencer, Katy, and Blake visit for Spring Break, we thought this would be the perfect activity for everyone, and fulfill the wishes of the soon-to-be-birthday girl. We knew the soon-to-be-birthday-boy Caleb would love it too.

Lauren seemed so tiny riding her horse, "River", but she wasn't a bit scared. I loved how the guides would repeatedly tell Lauren, "you're doing great, little one." In this picture you can see how comfortable and relaxed she looked--she was a natural!
Caleb really enjoyed riding "Magic", who liked to be up in the front of all the other horses. The horses were really calm and knew just what to do.

Our "Early Bird Special" included a trail ride through a stream and a beautiful ride along the beach. I was a little nervous watching my children approach the steep cliff and trail down to the beach, but the guides were helpful and everyone made it down safely.

The beach was my favorite part of the ride. The horses trotted along and the experienced riders (Dad) even got to gallop. It was so quiet--we felt like the only ones there. My face was perma-grin the whole time watching the kids having so much fun. Whitney would giggle every time her horse started trotting, which always got me giggling too. We all felt very small after getting off the horses. I was a bit sore the next day, too.

I would love to do this again. Brad stayed back with Andrew, so he definitely needs a turn next time!