The B-Day Bash!

For Clayton's birthday party this year, we decided to go with a construction theme. I have decided that I really like planning and throwing themed parties, but I don't think I want to do it every year. I know it was only a four year old birthday party, but it still gave me some stress. The weather was touch and go all morning. I was worried because this was supposed to be an outdoor party and the rain would have really spoiled that. Fortunately, by party time, the weather was still holding out and we were able to be outside.

Each kid started out by getting an apron filled with some stuff that you need to be a construction worker (tape measure, woodworking pencil, fruit snacks, granola bar, juice box) and a hardhat. Then (the night before) I got a couple of big oven/dryer boxes, Justin cut holes in them, I cut out curtains and a door for them, and we turned them into "houses". Then I got a bunch of paints and markers and the kids had to "build" the houses. They had a blast!

Those houses turned out so cute! I can't figure out what I am going to do with them now, but it was such a great activity!
Clayton (who woke up at 5:45 telling me it was party time) kept saying, "Mom, we're all workers!" They were too. Those kids worked really hard on those houses.
We also had a "demolition" game, where we stacked up a bunch of empty boxes (we'd been saving boxes for weeks) and the kids tried to knock them down with a tennis ball. I should have taken more pictures of this game, but someone had to keep stacking those boxes (the only downfall of that game)! The swingset was, as always, another big hit. The kids spent a good amount of time swinging and sliding! We also had a yummy BBQ. (Justin was so good about helping me with this party. He made some really yummy food!) While we ate, Clayton got to open his gifts. His friends know him sooo well! He got great gifts that were just perfect for him!


Noah and Carter loved Clayton's presents just as much as Clayton did!


After the gifts had all been opened, it was time for cake! I found a picture in a magazine ('Family Fun' - it's my new favorite) of a construction cake that I tried to make. It was my first attempt at making a cake that was actually supposed to "be" something. It totally did NOT look like the picture, but Clayton loved it and I was pretty proud of it too!

I love how puffy his cheeks get when he blows out candles.

Right after he blew out his candles it started to rain (can you say "perfect timing")! The party was scheduled to go to 5:00 and the rain started at 4:57. I wish it wouldn't have rained at all, but if it had to rain (which apparently it did), it rained at the perfect time.
Here is Noah standing in the rain as we rush to bring everything inside.
Thankfully, all of our wonderful guests helped us hustle to get everything inside. Then we ate our cake in the house and that was pretty much the end of Clayton's 4th B-Day Bash! It was so much fun and so worth all the stress it gave me. I don't think we'll be having parties like that every year, but I think that every couple of years a big party is perfect! After everyone had left and the cleanup was almost over Clayton came up to me and said, "That was a great party mom! I had so much fun with my friends!" Just knowing how appreciative he was melted my heart. Thanks to everyone who came! I think (hope) this is going to be a memorable birthday for him!

The Greatest Day Ever!

**This is a long one -- but there are also a lot of really cute pics -- Enjoy!**
Yesterday was Clayton's fourth birthday. He had the greatest day (I think)! It all began when Noah and I went into his room to sing him happy birthday. He was beaming from ear to ear! He loves to sing the Happy Birthday song and he got so excited when he realized that we were singing it to him. Then he got to eat a special birthday breakfast. I made him muffins and scrambled eggs. I put a candle in the muffin. He (and Noah) thought that was the coolest thing.

He also got to open a present at breakfast! His loving brother gave him an action figure (Clayton loved it so much that he slept with it last night)! Noah, you have such good taste!
After breakfast, Clayton got to get dressed in his "special birthday shirt". I made him this shirt a couple of days ago. He sat and watched me make it and has been asking me if he can wear it since the day I made it. I love how much he loves it! (One day he is going to realize that his mom isn't all that crafty and he won't want to be caught dead in the stuff I make for him, but I figure I still have a couple of years before that happens.)
The thing he loved best about this shirt was the big number 4 on the back. He thought that this was a team jersey. He kept telling me and Justin, "I am a team! I am a team!"
We were going to go and spend the morning at the park (one of Clayton's favorite activities), but the weather was not cooperating. It was so wet and rainy that we were forced to stay indoors. Clayton didn't mind that though. It meant that he got to watch cartoons and play with his new toy (and what could be better than that)!
For lunch, the boys got a special treat! We went to McDonalds! On the way, we stopped to pick up Clayton's friend Gavin. Plus, all the rest of Clayton's friends were waiting for us at McDonalds!
I had to throw in this one of Noah. Lately he can't go anywhere without wearing his Superman cape. I let him do it because I think it's so funny and cute!
It was a fun (and very loud) lunch. We got a couple of whithering stares from the kidless diners as we ate, but it was lunchtime at McDonalds, what did people expect? If you want a nice, quiet lunch go somewhere else!
When we got home from lunch, Clayton got to open another present. Uncle Jared, Aunt Kerstin, Landon, Tori, and Ella sent him a package of matchbox cars!! If you know Clayton at all, you realize what a great present this is. It was the perfect present to get right before "quiet time". He got to take those cars to his Hot Wheels City and spend some time just driving around!
Later, when Justin got home, Clayton got to open another present! Aunt Anisha and Uncle Ben sent him a very cool carrying case for his Hotwheels/Matchbox cars. He LOVES it! Great gift Aunt Anisha and Uncle Ben! (I swear I took a picture of him opening it, but all the pictures I took were too dark to post - sorry Anisha.)
For dinner he told us that he wanted pizza. I put another candle in his pizza (which I thought would be really fun) but Clayton wasn't impressed with that. He told me, "Mom, no more candles in pizza".
After dinner it was time for another fun surprise! We took the boys to Toys R Us so that Clayton could pick out a couple of birthday presents! Justin and I hadn't actually gotten him anything and we thought that he would get a kick out of this. We were not disappointed! The second we pulled into the parking lot Clayton started screaming, "It's the TOY STORE! It's the TOY STORE!!"
We were there for about an hour. He ended up choosing a couple of Hot Wheels (naturally), a rug for his bedroom that looks like a little city that he can drive his cars on, and a leap pad. As we were leaving the store, Clayton wanted to ride on the fire truck. Normally I would say no and just leave but Justin decided that, because it was his birthday, he should be allowed to ride it.
Right after we got home, Rick and Vanessa came over for birthday cake and ice cream! Clayton had requested a red cake with hearts (I have no idea why he was so specific about this - it's such a random thing for my kid to request). So I dyed a yellow cake (it ended up being pink) but I think it was super tasty and Clayton seemed happy with it!
(Notice Noah in the corner of this one - he's trying to blow out the candles! I think he's going to have a fun birthday this year too!)

Once again, someday Clayton is going to realize that I am not that ceative or crafty, this cake looks a little ragged. But hey, it was red(ish) and had hearts on it!
After dessert, he got to play with his new toys. He was in Heaven! He even got to stay up for an extra half an hour to play!
All in all it was a great day. I love birthdays. I think that the idea of celebrating an individual person just for being born is wonderful! Now we just need to survive the party on Saturday...

My Baby's Turning 4!!

Tomorrow (the 24th) is Clayton's 4th birthday. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. Sometimes I look at him and wonder where all the time went. I feel like this birthday, more than any other, is especially difficult for me. At his last birthday he was just barely potty trained, still had some baby fat, was in nursery, needed me to dress and undress him, and was still having a hard time expressing himself with words. Now he always wants to do everything for himself, he won't stop talking (even when it drives Justin and me crazy), is a Sunbeam, and is going to be starting pre-school at the end of August! He is growing up so fast that sometimes I feel like I am missing it! I know I need to take more time and focus on who he is now because I know that this stage, like the ones before it, will pass before I realize it.

So, in honor of his birthday, here are some interesting facts about Clayton:
Sandwiches (PB&J) are his favorite food and he would eat them for every meal if I would let him!
If someone is walking behind us and going in the same direction as us, Clayton thinks they are following us. He will often turn around and yell at them to, "Stop following us!" It's really embarrassing!
He loves cars and knows tons about them.
He has recently discovered a love of superheros. He pretends that he is a superhero all the time!
If you ask him, he will tell you that Noah is his best friend!
He loves sports and he is constantly saying to me, "Mom, I can run so fast. Can I be on a team?"
He loves to be outside and to go camping.
His favorite cartoons are 'Max and Ruby', 'Little Einsteins', and (recently) 'Wall E'.
He is a social butterfly and loves to make new friends.
He is a good little singer and his favorite song is , 'Called to Serve'.
He loves to play games and will do almost anything if he can be convinced that it is a game.
His favorite game is Hide-n-seek.
He gives very good back scratches!
He is a very loving kid. He gets very concerned if other kids are sad (especially Noah)!
If we kneel down to say family prayers and we hesitate too long, he will take the initiative and say the prayer. (He also will remind us to say it at meal times if we take too long!)
He likes to tell jokes and riddles (they don't actually make much sense, but he thinks he's hilarious)!

I love Clayton so much. I can still clearly remember the day he was born. He made quite an entrance! I remember looking at him and thinking, "Wow, you look really gross!", but after that I remember staring at him and I was so awed by this life that Justin and I had created and how incredibly perfect he was. In the past four years I have never had my patience tested so much! There has been so much anxiety and self-doubt over the past four years, but it has been so worth it! Clayton is growing up to be an amazing boy! I couldn't have asked for a better kid!
Happy Birthday Clayton! I love you!

Mt. Philo

Last weekend we hiked up Mt. Philo with our friends the Stubbs. It was a pretty good hike to take kids on. The road was paved the whole way which was great for strollers and, while it was pretty steep, the older kids were able to do most of the walking themselves. Once we got to the top we had a picnic lunch and the kids were able to explore and play a little bit. The view from the top was amazing! Here are a few pics:
This is the view from the top of the hill. I think this would be a gorgeous view in the fall. I love how green everything looks right now though!

Clayton loved climbing the rocks.
I love this shot of Noah. There was a couple at the top with their three dogs. Noah couldn't get enough of them! Right after I took this picture I had to try to tactfully remove him from the dogs (it was not a pretty sight)!
Notice Noah's face...this is what happened after I took him away from the dogs. We had to leave soon after this.
The boys were so worn out on the way home that they just crashed in the car. I don't even think we were out of the parking lot when I turned around and saw them both like this:

Clayton sustained the only injury on this hike. As we were walking back down the steep hill, he tripped on his own feet (he's such a graceful child) and actually got road rash on his nose and cheek. He told Justin and me later that we needed to "go to the nose store and buy him a new nose". It was a great day. The kids did a great job. We are definitely going to have to do this hike again!

Holiday Weekend

I know that you all are waiting for San Fran: Part 2, and don't worry, it's coming. I just needed to post our 4th of July weekend pics before it got too late! We had a really relaxed 4th this year. We started out our day in search of some fireworks. I think (and I may be wrong - but I doubt it) that fireworks of any kind are illegal in this state. All we could find were "smokeworks". Justin said that next year we need to find the nearest indian reservation so that we could get the good stuff!
We ended up just having a BBQ with a family in our ward and lighting our lame "smokeworks" in the street. The kids were entertained though and that's what really matters. I also wanted the boys to have sparklers this year but - as with all the other good fireworks - I think they are illegal. We couldn't find them. So the kids did poppers instead. I think I actually prefer that though in hindsight. You can't do as much damage with poppers.
Anyway, that was our holiday. We didn't even get to see any good city sponsored fireworks because they did their big fireworks display on the 3rd. (Is that dumb to anyone else?) All in all, it was a good 4th. It was really low stress for me this year, which was really nice. We just got to sit back and enjoy each others company.


On the 5th, we decided to take the kids to the beach. There is the most amazing beach here. It's called the Sandbar and it is perfect for kids! The beach is nice and sandy so it's good for little bare feet, the water is clear, and it is shallow for about 1/4 of a mile. Clayton can walk out quite a ways and only be up to his waist! It was the perfect day for the beach. We packed a picnic and all our beach gear and ended up spending several hours playing and having a great time!
The boys L-O-V-E-D the beach! The second we got there, they both took off like a shot towards the water. They couldn't get enough!



I don't know if these pictures are good enough to illustrate how shallow the water is, but I love it. I am a constant worrier and so the beach gives me a little anxiety, but the clear, shallow water definitely helps to alleviate some of my concerns! Clayton loved to go "deep" he kept going farther and farther (with Justin) and saying to me, "Mom, look how deep I am! Take my picture!"


Justin and Clayton attempted to build a sandcastle. It was going pretty well until Clayton decided he wanted to 'decorate' it with seashells that he was finding. He kept pushing them into the castle pretty hard and that was the end of that.



Noah's favorite beach activity was picking up handfuls of dirt and mud and throwing it into the water. No surprise there. This kid loves a good muddy mess!



We had such a great time. It was nice to be able to spend so much time together as a family this weekend. I think one of the great blessings of moving to Vermont was that it forced us to rely on each other more. It has definitely made us closer as a family. We really enjoy all the time we get to be together. It was a great weekend and I am really sad that it's over!