Welcome to the Wild Zebra Spa

Dear Halle girl,

Happy 7th Birthday!  You are growing up to be such a sweet, fun, kind, and smart girl.  We love you so much.  You are my little helper around the house and I don’t know what I’d do without you.  I depend on you for lots of little things throughout the day and you always come through for me.  You are a peacemaker in our home, and your little brothers just adore you.  You love going to school, dance, and playing with your friends.  Your favorite foods are red peppers and spaghetti with meatballs.  You love doing things for others, and are constantly writing notes, and drawing pictures for me and Dad.  Halle, you are such a sweet girl, and make friends easily.  You are a leader both at school and in our home.  You are such a special part of our family, and we hope your 7th year brings growth, happiness, and fun!

Love,
Mom

We had so much fun at Halle’s party.  I have been planning it all year!  Her favorite animal is a zebra, and as luck would have it—zebra print is all the rage right now. We had a spa party at the “Wild Zebra Spa”( aka our house.)  We invited all the mommies to come with their daughters and spend the day pampering the little princesses.  We played musical nails, where we passed around different colors of nail polish and when the music stopped you painted one toe with the color you were holding.  The girls made cute zebra flip flops to put on their newly polished toes.  The moms gave the girls facials, complete with cucumber eyes, and the girls thought it was the funniest thing in the world.  Then came the food!  What would a spa party be without chocolate?  We had chocolate galore!  The girls had a blast eating all sorts of goodies dipped in chocolate from the chocolate fountain.  And then we topped it all off with a toast to the birthday girl, and chocolate birthday cake.  We all had a great time and made some fun memories!

 
Left to right: Autumn, Halle, Ainsley, Riley, Bottom: Jenna, Berlynn

     

Happy Birthday Josh!

Dear Josh,
Happy 4th birthday!  You are such a sweet and special boy, and we are so glad you are part of our family.  I can always count on you to lift my spirits when I am feeling sad with one of your great hugs, or funny comments.  Lately, you have been giving me big kisses and saying, “Mom, you are the best Mom of all the moms.”  It just melts my heart. 
You have always been my cuddle bug.  When it was my turn to teach preschool you said to me, “Mom, if ever I want a hug or a kiss, you need to stop teaching and give me a hug or a kiss, ok?”  And I am happy to oblige.
You are a little smarty pants, and can already read 3 letter words.  It’s so cute to sit with you and hear you sound out the words.  You are so proud when you get them right. 
Halle is your best friend—you count down the hours everyday until she gets home from school, and then the two of you play and play.  Your other favorite thing to do is play on the computer, or play games on my Iphone.  You always come to me and say, “Mom, can I have some screen time?” 
Josh, from the moment you were born you had me wrapped around your tiny finger, and you still do!  I love you so much and hope your 4th year is a wonderful one!
Love, Mom

  

I  had tried to convince Josh to have a family birthday party this year, and I thought I had won, but about 3 days before his birthday he started to cry and said, “Mom, I want my friends, and I want a piñata at my birthday!” It was so sweet and sad that I immediately gave in.  We had a rockin party with our friends and neighbors, complete with cupcakes and a piñata. 
 

Happy Halloween

Since Halloween was on Sunday this year, the Primary decided to host a Fall Festival at the church on Saturday night.  We ate Chili and Rolls, and played fun carnival games.  The kids had a great time playing a spider bean bag toss, getting their faces painted, and having a donut eating contest.  But, the hit of the night was the cake walk—the Relief Society donated almost 200 cupcakes!  Blake’s favorite was the duck pond—but he didn’t care too much about the prizes, he just wanted to splash in the water.  Then after the Festival was the annual Trunk-or-Treat, where the kids got entirely too much candy. I’m sad to report that since the Primary Presidency was in charge of the activity, I did not take any pictures! 

For Halloween night we went to the Bohn’s for a yummy dinner and great company.  Josh loved answering the door with Jamie when the Trick-or-Treaters came calling. 

   

The Evolution of a chicken

All my kids have worn the same chicken costume for Halloween. So, we’re going to play a little game of “Guess Who” Which pic belongs to which child? The answer will be in the comments.
A.

B.

C.