My baby is 7!!

...................................................................................Christen's 7th birthday is today! I cant believe it! She is so grown up, and yet still loves to be cuddled and doesn't seem to mind when I call her my baby.

We do friend birthday parties every other year and this was her year. I told her that if we did one at the house rather than going somewhere she could invite more friends. And invite she did! Between church, school and dance class we had 14 little girls total on this past Saturday afternoon. We had it pretty organized with 3 different stations with Todd and the boys both helping me - ALOT!! It was fun though.

I made a butterfly cake from an idea in the Family Fun magazine and it turned out pretty cute even though we decided it looked better upside down from the original layout. We just moved the twizzler antennaes.

She also got a bike for her birthday, which she was thrilled about.

A Nght in Paris -Sweetheart Dance

...................................................................................This past Friday night our Stake had a fabulous couples dance!! We have never been before but I think this will be a new tradition!! The theme was A Night in Paris - which is as close as we are going to get for awhile! The decorations were incredible, as was the food and dancing. We even learned a little Salsa - although the lesson was much faster paced than our rec center class! We actually did some of our west coast swing moves too throughout the night. We had many of our friends from our ward there which made it so much more fun!

By the way, Brandon was asked to officially babysit for the first time tonight - for some ward friends who went to the dance with us. He has watched our kids enough now and feels comfortable - but I wasnt sure how this would go! He did great though! A family of boys the youngest out of diapers. He had fun with them and did a great job. Thanks to my friend Andrea - the one doing the bunny ears- for trusting him!!!

Now - we just have to remember to iron his pants before Sunday for when he is passing - so he looks really responsible!! OOPS - I'll blame that on Todd - he is the ironer!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Just a shout out to you all that we love and appreciate you all!

It looks like we are going to have a huge storm come in tonight so maybe it will be a late start for school. I hope it isn't cancelled. Poor Trevor has missed the last 3 years of valentines parties due to sickness! Why is it always Trevor?!

later -- The kids had a great day with treats and parties and the weather was not as bad as expected.

Gallon Challenge

Our ward has given us a challenge to turn off our water for a full 24 hours and only use a gallon of our stored water per person! So 5 gallons total for our family. We did it yesterday and we survived ok! The great part was no laundry, no dishes to do, no cleaning. The rough part was the potty usage. Luckily the kids and Todd were gone most of the day and I was gone part of the day. Did you know that it takes more than 1 gallon of water to flush a toilet?

We all showered the night before and had little cups of water to brush teeth. I even made playdough when Brandon told me at 9 pm that he needed it for school the next day. Don't you love when kids don't mention things like that until the last second?!

We were all very grateful for running water and realized that we could all save water in little ways. I have decided to turn off the water when I brush my teeth. Hey, it's a start!!

Cold Camping

Brandon spent last night at his second Klonderee campout. He had a great time and the weather was good for them too. Several of his buddies were able to go because one had just barely turned 12 and the other is almost 12 and his dad was a leader there. It got down to 4 degrees and when it gets below 0 they get a polar bear patch. Maybe next year.

They all stayed warm even though when Brandon got there he realized that he had 2 right hand gloves!! Todd was coming up this morning anyway with some other kids so he brought the match. They went horseback riding and Brandon got his Horsemanship merit badge. 2 badges down and 22 to go!!! Brandon also cooked the chili for the evening meal and also got his first taste of SPAM - not my idea!!

We went to a friend's Eagle Court of Honor on Wednesday night and that was exciting for Brandon to think about his next few years in scouting.

Got Milk?

Trevor and Christen are my big milk drinkers - Brandon, not so much. They usually pour up big glasses of milk and then dont finish it before they get picked up for school. Most of the time the milk gets put in the fridge for them. We have talked over and over about the fact that milk is expensive and that they need to drink what is poured. The other day after they came home from school I told Trevor to finish the milk that was on the table. He fussed a bit but finally drank a bit and then gave me a grossed out look. I took the glass and smelled it and dumped it down the sink. Nasty. -- ok I really dont usually leave milk cups out but it had been a busy morning because I had been called in to the kids school to substitute for the first time!! - 5th grade -it was fun!

That evening we all went to bed at a decent time, especially for me because the school wanted me to come in the next day to sub for the same class again. Then around midnight wouldn't you know we heard someone urping in the bathroom. (At least they are old enough now to get to the bathroom!) It was Trevor saying, "it was the milk, it was the milk!! " I guess he gulped it down instead of the sip I thought he had and the milk had probably been out longer than usual. He was up for the next 45 minutes or so not knowing which end to stick in the toilet!! Very violent!!

So - I poisoned my very own child!! Poor kid. He does have a strong gag reflex, but I certainly didnt mean for that to happen! Especially when I thought so now what do I get a sub for the sub?? As it turned out, he stayed home and slept and I came back to check on him at lunch. I tried to get him to come back to school with me but I felt bad and he stayed home to play Guitar Hero for the rest of the day!!