A Picture Perfect Evening

Today was a gorgeous day.  The weather this evening was so absolutely perfect that I decided to try my hand at convincing some of the children to come with me to my favorite place here in town {spoiler alert -- it's the bike trail}, to participate in a long over-due birthday picture photo shoot.  However, the two children who's birthdays were the longest ago declined my offer, so instead, I took the most current birthday boy and the almost birthday girl with me to try and get the perfect shot. 

Indulge me as I photo dump the closest things I got to perfection from my far-from-professional-child-models.  {Just as an FYI, it is REALLY hard to get Alex (or Jane) to stay still for long enough to get a shot in focus.  And almost impossible to get one of of him in focus, looking at the camera, and smiling like he means it.  Hahaha.}

 I told him he could take his two favorite action figures with him.  Since The Hulk inspired his shirting option, I was hardly surprised when that was one of his choices along with his new Wolverine.

 Oh Jane.  I just love her.

 It was a hard job snapping a shot WITHOUT an action figure in the way.

 That cute little imp.

Expecto Patronum! {He found a stick to be his wand like Harry Potter}

And there you have it!  It really was a gorgeous evening.  The big kids really missed out. :)

Prep Time

Every August for the last several years, we have used the SAME scripture for Scripture Time.  It's our "Back to School" scripture.  Because after a summer long fest of chaos and hubbub and lack of order, this scripture is precisely what we need to get back on track --

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;  (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119)

Last Monday for Family Home Evening, when we were {re}introducing the scripture for the month, I gave a quick lesson about the verse and asked everyone to name one thing that really stood out to them from it.  It was not the most cooperative of evenings, and even though everyone managed to say something, I doubt any of the children even remember that Family Home Evening, much less the thing that they said.  Hahaha.  Meanwhile, MY stand-out phrase of "prepare every needful thing," has been on my mind this whole last week as I've been trying to figure out what are the most important things to do as we get ready for school to start next week.

With school starting on Tuesday, it is officially CRUNCH time for getting everything ready to go!  I woke up this morning feeling like the biggest thing to focus on for today was prepping for LUNCH PACKING next week.  And throughout the school year.  We struggled {to say the least} with packing actual real lunch material last year (if you'll recall) and between pickiness, laziness, and actual dietary restriction-ness, it was difficult to get Ethan, Grace, and Sophie to pack something of balance and substance that made everyone happy.  As a result, I lived each day in fear that the school was going to call me and tell me that I was a totally negligent parent and that my children's lunches were completely insufficient.  True Story.

Anyway, I printed out a picture this morning of the "choose my plate" graphic that they learned about in school, and went over various options with them of what they could pack for each of the categories -- fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein -- and thankfully everyone seems on board with the challenge of packing a real lunch this year!  Perhaps they were just excited that I suggested buying some thermoses to increase their hot lunch options, but regardless -- I'll take it.

Other than that, this is how the day played out:

• I set a new PR this morning while running my 3 miles!  I wanted to try and break my fastest 1 mile record and I totally did.  Which left me completely and totally shot for the rest of the day.  I went out so fast at the beginning that I felt like I was going to die!  I wanted to quit before I even finished the first quarter mile, but I persevered and made it to the 1 mile mark before stopping to walk and catch my breath.  I ended up walking A LOT more of the last 2 miles, and like I said -- it took more out of me for the rest of the day than I even thought possible -- but I beat my old record by almost a minute! 

See that first lap there??  7:50.

• Ethan spearheaded a movie-making venture this afternoon with Grace and Sophie.  I don't know how to upload it yet, but the trailer they made on iMovie was hiLARious.  Pure comic gold.  

• Another birthday present came in the mail today from grandma, and Alex LOVED it.  It's still summer time, and it got pretty warm today, but he kept that new Spiderman jacket on for most of the day!  Hahaha. 

• And finally, a trip to Target was made in the afternoon to purchase all those necessary school prep items.  We were successful in finding some thermoses and water bottles and, as an added bonus, were able to score with the Buy One Get One 50% deal on shoes.  Grace, Sophie, and Jane were all in need, and we were able to stock up on gym shoes as well as new church shoes which made EVERYONE happy.

And that is basically that.  I'm tired.  It's time for me to go to bed!  T-minus-5-days-and-counting!!!

Party Time!

It was a good day in Alexander-land!  The birthday boy woke up to the love and adoration of the whole family and then spent the rest of the day playing with super heroes, watching more YouTube videos, and doing whatever his little heart desired.  So, really -- it was pretty much just like any other day of the year for the Lover Boy.  Hahahaha.  We did throw in a few extra special things -- such as a trip to Meijer's for some birthday balloons and a freshly laundered "Here To Party" shirt -- so overall I think he had the best day ever!  :)

The Set-Up

Waiting to open presents was the hardest part of his day!

Seriously so hard!

Look at that little face!  Still mad at me for not letting him rip into the presents yet.

Once Scott got home, we ate some dinner -- a special birthday meal of Life cereal for the birthday boy {his fave meal period} -- and then moved on to the main event! We sang and opened presents and then finally dug into that cake.  Which wasn't all that great, to be honest with you.  Hahaha.  The sad thing is that I thought Alex would think it was so cool and awesome to have all his super hero action figures on top, but he did not. "I didn't want my action figures on my cake, mom!" is what he told me.  Hahaha.  Oh well.  I guess I'm just on a real losing streak with birthday cakes this year!

This could be my favorite picture of them all.  Look how happy he is!  I just love seeing that.  :)

{I jury rigged the backs of all the action figures with some dried spaghetti noodles and rainbow loom rubber bands to keep them a little more stable and sturdy as cake toppers.  Patent pending.  Hahahaha.}

Actually, this might be my favorite shot.  I love the way he's staring at that last candle standing like, "What the heck? Why are you still lit?  I thought I blew you out!"

The super hero theme continued throughout the present opening as he got several new action figures and a brand new Captain America backpack for preschool.  It was kind of hilarious, because I don't think he ever even had any of his cake or ice cream because he was so busy playing with all his little guys.  This was seriously his BEST. DAY. EVER!  When he finally had to go up to bed, he brought his entire little shoe box of action figures with him and then carefully placed all the super heroes in his cubby holes before climbing into bed.  He must not have been able to live without them, though, because when I went to check on him later in the evening, he was fast asleep with all the super guys back in the shoe box right at the end of his bed.  Hahaha.  Precious little lamb.

Newest acquisitions?  The Hulk (a recent obsession) and Wolverine.

To close, I couldn't let the day go by without posing for a few shots with my cute little baby boy.  It's so hard to believe he's already 3!  What would we do without this Lover Boy in the family??? 

I just love him.  :)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

School supplies for the 6th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, and Kindergartener

Forget about Christmas -- THIS is the most wonderful time of the year!  Back to school is right around the corner and I couldn't be more ready.  Yesterday featured two separate runs to Wal-mart for school supplies because Ethan did not want to be hampered by the younger children for his only favorite shopping trip of the year.  After spending a small fortune, we managed to check everything off the list and the kids are now anxiously awaiting Open House on Monday to drop off their supplies and meet their new teachers.  Having four kids at one school is going to be a trip!  

If I wasn't ready already for school to start, this morning would have solidified that emotion into a mountain of rock-solid granite.  And yes, I realize that is kind of redundant.  And perhaps nonsensical.  But I think we're ALL ready for a little more structure and a lot more space from each other!

The highlight of the day occurred mid-afternoon, when I attempted to recreate a Pinterest inspired hairstyle on the girlie bugs.  After doing Jane's hair and then Sophie's, I was surprised when even Grace wanted in on the fun.  Hahaha. 

It's "The Barbie" ponytail.  Hahahaha.

Another highlight of the day {at least to ME} was our Cafe Rio inspired dinner.  It was SO good.  I'd pinned the recipe from The Sister's Cafe a while ago, but never got around to making it until today.  I thought it tasted legitimately like the real thing, and Scott really liked it as well, but each of the kids had their own and varied opinions -- from"this so gross, I hate cilantro!" to "I really like it, mom!"  I made the full shebang -- sweet pork, beans, cilantro-lime rice, tomatillo ranch dressing, and even the tortillas -- and it was the bomb.  The dressing and the homemade tortillas {along with the pork, of course} were the stars of the show for me.   

Anyway, it was a LOOOONG day.  I am more than ready to hit the sack!  Tomorrow is Alex's birthday, so get ready for a Super Post for our little Superboy.  Hahaha.  :)  Nighty-night!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

It's been a week!  Our stay-cation has come to an end, and -- much like having a baby -- I'm hoping that the happy memories made will be the only ones that are remembered as the weeks roll on.  Hahahaha.  Today's main event was celebrating Scott's birthday a little early with a lunch at a nearby restaurant that his mom so graciously surprised us with.  It was a little bit of a rocky start to GET everyone ready to go and there, but once food was on the table and mouths were being stuffed, everyone was MUCH, much happier.  The restaurant was a hit for everyone, with the piece de resistance being the cinnamon sugar Dessert Bites that were brought out at the end.  Poor Sophie couldn't have them, so OF COURSE we had to walk on over to our favorite candy store afterwards to let her pick out a treat as well.  And of course -- once there --everyone else wanted another little treat as well.  So, to keep things fair, we let Sophie pick out two different things while the others only got one.  Hahaha.  :)

{Sidenote -- my only request for Scott's birthday outing was that everyone put on clean clothes.  While only 3 1/2 out 5 children complied with this request, I did elicit a promise from a certain firstborn daughter that she would definitely change into clean clothes for Scott's actual birthday tomorrow.  As for Sophie, I have a sneaking suspicion that our discussion this morning about my newest People Style Watch magazine and the descriptions of different fashion styles in it, may have had an influence on her choice of outfit today..  Hahahaha.  In case you're wondering, her personal style definitely leans towards "Feminine," with a touch of "Classic" thrown in and a sprinkling of "Glam."}

 

Meanwhile, Jane's style is "Kindergarten Kool."

After the candy store, we came back home where Ethan eventually wore Scott down into taking him to the driving range once more.  Grace and Sophie tagged along this time, while I stayed home and tried to work on my Relief Society lesson for Sunday and Alex and Jane brushed up on their boxing skills via the Wii.

And that is basically that!  Once the evening rolled around, it was just another Friday night Movie Night, with "A Wrinkle in Time" as the feature film, and a few more rounds of Settlers being played.  :)  Tomorrow is Scott's ACTUAL 37th birthday and the party should continue on into the weekend!  Until next time...

Here is where Alex has spent most of his week -- perched in front of the computer and watching random ridiculous stuff on YouTube.  "I'll show you how to do YouTube mom," is what he told me earlier.  Hahahaha.  For the most part it's been Power Ranger videos that he's into, but he's also ran the gamut from watching superhero action figure videos to watching Kinder Eggs being opened -- which is what's going on up above.  Hahahahaha.  Oh Alex.  Next week's return to reality is going to be ROUGH.