Nick Turns 5!

Nick turned 5 on a busy Tuesday! 

I had to wake him up at 6:45 so he could open his presents before Kate and Jack caught the bus.  We had blueberry muffins for breakfast, with hot chocolate (of course). 

He happily opened his presents, finding a soccer ball, money from Grandma and Grandpa Judi, a Cars 3 lego set and a new shirt with a soccer ball on it.

We had preschool at our house after the big kids went off to school.  The theme was Nick's birthday and winter.  Nick's friends brought his cards and gifts. He loved it! 

We read books about snowballs and Christmas.  We played snowball games and had a snowball (cottonball) fight.

 We had chocolate panda cupcakes for snack.  Followed up by pretzels.

 We played freeze dancing games to Frosty the snowman and did the "Reindeer Pookey". 

I bought the movie Cars 3 for Nick to watch in the afternoon.  He played with his lego cars while he watched.

He picked Wendy's for his birthday.  Instead of our usual birthday date, we let all the kids go with us.  Nick had chicken nuggets, root beer and fries. 

That evening Kate had a young women's activity, Jack had scouts and basketball practice.  Nick, Ty and I went to pack meeting at the church.  After 9:00 when everyone got home Nick blew out his candles and had his bear cake.  He helped me decorate it...adding the stomach buttons, hand the decorating candle holes in the stomach.

Nick is my little buddy.  He has matured a lot this last year and I enjoy spending time with him while the other kids are at school. 

• He is an awesome helper!  He is usually willing to grab something for Dave or I.  He likes to help me clean and put things away. He likes to help in the kitchen and is an awesome small towel folder.   
• He doesn't get as frustrated about things as he used to, since he can do pretty much everything on his own now.  
• He can write his name and pretty much all the letters, if I just show him what they look like.  
• He can count to 14, that silly 15 is hard to remember.  
• He likes to make up songs to sing.  
• He loves the color black and when he colors or paints at preschool things end up being black.  
• He loves to play with his friends, but isn't very tolerant of younger siblings coming over to play.  He'll take his friends into his room and leave the younger siblings to play in the toy room.   
• He loves riding his bike.  The faster the better.  
• He doesn't like to walk to the bus stop with Ty.  He prefers to sit on the couch watching a show until the bus comes.  He is a very disciplined person and doesn't like to do things that are wrong.  He follows most rules (except now throwing things or hitting, but he does have two big brothers that egg him on).  
• Nick is a little OCD.  He likes to have things just how wants them.
• He loves to collect things that are special, whether they are his or not.  Sometimes the other kids find their things under his bed or in his dresser.  He usually remembers where they are.
• He has been begging for Nike shoes like Jack and Ty for a while.  He got some after Christmas at the Nike outlet and was SO happy!  
• He loves stuffed animals, especially cougar and his new Teddy bear from Christmas.  He still loves his blanket that he got when he was born, the navy blue fleece blanket I made him for Christmas last year and his "Holy Ghost" aqua blanket he got in CTR 4 this year.  
• His favorite foods are:  his morning hot chocolate, canned peaches, bananas, apples, oranges, jerky, pretzels, lime yogurt, chicken noodle soup
• Dislikes:  cheese
• Friends:  Brecklyn Toponce, Henry and Maisy Medina, Scarlett Gowdy, Levi Frewing, Paisley Stromberg
• He loves preschool and asks every day if it is preschool.  
• He likes to play the computer, with Ty or alone.  His favorites are games on Kizi, Animal Jam and Sesame Street.  He likes to play Minecraft with Ty.  
• He can stay up late like the big kids!  He hardly ever takes a nap.  And on weekends stays up late watching a movie, sometimes falling asleep on Dad.
• Nick gives the best kisses and hugs.  When he realizes that he has made a mistake or was grumpy, he makes an animal sound and nudges at me until he can have a hug and a kiss.  

Favorites according to Nick:

Color:

Food:

Things to do:

Toy:

Show or Movie:

Book:

Friends:

Ty Turns 8 and Baptism

Ty had been looking forward to turning 8 for months.  He had been anxiously learning and baptism and learned the covenants that he'd make.  I got to go with him to his interview with Bishop Wuerch.  He was nervous, but gave great answers to all the questions.

We were in Utah at Mike & Maggie's house around Ty's birthday.  Maggie hung up a Happy Birthday sign in the kitchen.  Ty was anxious to open his presents before 9:30 church and got ready for church really fast.

 Kate bought Ty a journal and CTR tie-tack with her own money.  Ty also got a set of "big" scriptures and a case, John Stockton book, Lego City, and scout book.

He was extra lucky to have his baptism be on his birthday.  Grandma and Grandpa Judi gave him $20.  Grandma and Grandpa Cox & Emmalee gave him a hymnbook with his name on it.  Melinda & family gave him a lego set.

Lissa and Aubrey, Alex and Gareth went to church with us.   Grandma and Grandpa Judi came too.  The kids got to go to primary with their cousins.  Ty told his class that it was his birthday and he was going to get baptized in the river after church.

After church we met at Mike and Maggie's house for Ty's baptism service.

 Grandma and Grandpa Judi, Grandpa Cox and Emmalee (Grandma wasn't feeling well and had to stay home), Melinda and her boys (Norm was flying to China), Mike and Maggie & their kids and Lissa and her three kids were all there for the baptism.

We set up extra chairs in the family room.  And Uncle Mike conducted since he's in bishopric in his ward.

After Kate's talk on baptism we all walked through the backyard and the field to the Weber River.  There were a few men fishing (visiting from Texas).  Grandpa Judi went down before we started and talked to them to see if it was ok if we did a baptism in their fishing hole.

 The baptism went well.  Ty said that the water was kind of cold.  It was hot outside, so he didn't mind.  Everyone else was wishing they were wet too while they were walking back to the house.

Ty said that he felt "cold and happy" during his baptism.  He wasn't really nervous and was excited.

While Ty and Dave were changing into dry clothes Grandma Judi led the music while everyone sang primary songs a capella.  It was pretty neat to listen too.  Everyone was very reverent, not like our usual "Uncle Mike's house" behavior.

Uncle Mike gave the talk about the Holy Ghost.  He shared some experiences of when he felt the Holy Ghost help him.  Once when he was at college and was tempted to skip church and another time on his mission.



Here's a little more about Ty at age 8:

Height: 4' 2"
Weight: 54 or 55 lbs
Favorites:
  Food: salmon, meatballs, texas sheet cake, quesadillas
  Friends:  Nathan Thomas, Brigham Stromburg, Jacob Johnson, Henry Davenport
  Things to do: read, read, read, basketball, football, legos

I interviewed Ty and this is what he said:

1.  Who is your favorite person in the whole world?  I don't know

2.  What is your favorite color?  black, blue

4.  What's your favorite outfit?  BYU shirt, and green/black shorts

5.  What sport do you like best?  basketball


7.  What's your favorite cereal? lucky charms

8.  Who is your best friend?  ...in which place?  nathan tomas,washington

9.  What do you want to be when you grow up?   a baskettball player

10.   What is your favorite book? dragon masters

11.  What are you really good at? basketball

12.  Where do you wish you could go on vacation?  utah

13.  What is a memory from this past year? getting baptised

14.  What would you buy if you had $1000000000? a machine that would give you anything

15.  What vegetable do you hate the most? nothing

16.  If you could have a wish, what would it be?  to have a machine that would give you anything

17.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? chocolate

18.  Who is your biggest hero? alma

19.  What do you like to do best with your friends? ?

20.  What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday? 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000dallors

Jack is 11!

Jack got to go to school on his 11th birthday since it was a Monday.   He got to open presents before school.  

Nick and his friend, Isaac, went to Cottonwood Elementary to have lunch with Ty and Jack.  I made cookies that Jack shared with his class.

After school he had soccer practice at White Bluffs Elementary.  I mentioned in a text to his coach, Markus that it was Jack's birthday and they sang to him.  

Dave and I took him on his birthday dinner date to Bruchi's.  He got a hamburger.  

He helped me make his birthday cake. He decorated it with the Utah Jazz note and his initials, JJ.  

 Jack this year:  

• in 5th grade at Cottonwood Elementary in Mrs. Selland's class
• currently plays on a competitive soccer team, 3 Rivers Black 06\
• plays on Trever Davis' AAU basketball team (with Carson, Jackson, Porter, Rocco, Kyle, 
• just finished up Cub Scouts with JanaRae Blaser serving as one of his leaders most of the time
• friends:  Logan Blaser, Jackson Farris, Jon Lemire, Jack Zettlemoyer
• is a hard worker, especially outside
• super strong and very fast!
• taking piano lessons from Angela Jacobson.  Loves taking a song that he likes and memorizes it and plays it over and over throughout the day.
• likes listening to music on his ipod while doing other things
• awesome at mowing our lawn with the riding lawn mower
• prefers playing playing basketball to reading
• got the most laps in the school in the Jog-a-thon
• has the highest pacer record at Cottonwood (in PE class)
• won the free throw contest at one of his basketball tournaments
• participated in the Ribbon festival, learning several piano solos and a trio with Kate and Ty
• favorite foods:  pizza, steak, quesadillas, cereal, etc.  He's not too picky with main dishes, but just doesn't love vegetables.  

Kate Turns 13!

Happy 13th to this sweet little lady!  She happily survived her birthday on a Fast Sunday!  She shared her testimony in sacrament meeting.  She requested pulled pork sandwiches for dinner.  She's beautiful inside and out, a great big sister, amazing breadmaker and the best daughter ever.  

 Kate made her own Texas sheet cake - her specialty.

I posted a birthday picture of Kate on instagram and she got tons of sweet birthday wishes and compliments.

Favorites:

• food - pizza, pulled pork sandwiches, salsa, funeral potatoes, ham
• friends - Kaylee Memmott, Claire Z, Claire C., Ivy, Brianna, Abby, Whitney, Jaynie, Ellyce, Keira, Hope, Audrey, Emily, Sophi, Anni, Nina, Ada
• things to do - read, run, swim, bake bread and sweets

Things Kate did this last year:

• Went to girls camp
• Went to the temple for the first time and have gone seven or eight times to do baptisms
• ran cross country
• played 7th grade basketball
• took piano lessons at 7 am every Thursday
• first piano adjudication
• first 7th grade band adjudication (playing flute)
• made bread every weekend during the school year (about 15 loaves each week) and bread multiple times a week during the summer
• made "Kate's Bread" famous
• took a six hour babysitting course and have had many babysitting jobs
• first youth dance (Pixie Dance in February)
• went to Camp Zarahemla with ward youth (and mom) for overnight sledding activity
• got glasses
• 8.5 mile walk with Stake Young Womenq

I interviewed Kate and this is what she said:

1.  Who is your favorite person in the whole world? mom and dad (someone besides your family --> Sophi

2.  What is your favorite color? blue...and purple

3.  What's your favorite television show?  Great British Baking Show

4.  What's your favorite outfit?  GAP sweatshirt, jeans, random shirt

5.  What sport do you like best?  cross country

6.  What song do you love?  It's Going to Be OK (by Piano Guys)

7.  What's your favorite cereal?  cinnamon LIFE

8.  Who is your best friend?  ...in which place?  Sophi.  Claire & Kaylee.

9.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  a baker (bake bread and sweets)

10.   What is your favorite book?  Land of Stories the Wishing Well

11.  What are you really good at? making bread

12.  Where do you wish you could go on vacation?  Hawaii and Los Alamos

13.  What is a memory from this past year? girls camp

14.  What would you buy if you had $1000? put it in the bank

15.  What vegetable do you hate the most? squash

16.  If you could have a wish, what would it be?  go to Los Alamos

17.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? chocolate moose tracks

18.  Who is your biggest hero? mom 

19.  What do you like to do best with your friends?  play games (like Egyptian Slap Jack)

20.  What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday? ...besides see Sophi?  go to Los Alamos

Kate had a friend party on April 15th.  

She invited a bunch of girls over (Keira, Abby, Claire, Aleah, Whitney, Janie, Brianna, Kaylee, Emily, Bethany, Ivy, and Ellyce).  They did a "favorite things" exchange instead of everyone giving Kate a present and played some games in the basement.  Then they roasted hot dogs and ate a big green salad for dinner and a smores bar for dessert.  

Kate is 12!!!

Kate has been counting down to her 12th birthday for months.  The day finally came!

She woke up to flowers (from the neighbor's beautiful garden) and mini blueberry muffins.

After breakfast, we got to head to the church for some birthday church cleaning.  :)

After church cleaning, Kate opened a few presents (some shoes that were way too small, a Young Women circle of values necklace and YW theme bookmark and a new binder for school.

Then Kate made her own cake (texas sheet cake) and enjoyed not helping with Saturday chores.  Then she headed to the mall (with Mom) and Audrey and Claire to do some birthday shopping.  The girls all bought bath & body works stuff.  Then Kate picked out makeup, a new skirt and some new shoes (size 8 in womens!!!!).  The girls enjoyed orange julius and a cinnabon cinnamon roll.  Kate said it was the best birthday ever.

After shopping, Kate went with me to Seth Mitchell's baptism (wearing her new skirt and shoes).  The Blaser family brought Kate a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts and sang to her on the driveway.

Afterward we picked up Dad and dropped the boys off at the Farris' house for dinner.  Kate chose to go to Red Robin, but was a little disappointed with her giant hamburger.  The root beer was good though.

After we picked up the boys, we headed home and then had texas sheet cake.  It was the best  Kate's ever made.

Kate talked to both sets of grandparents on the phone and had lots of facebook/instagram/text birthday wishes.

This morning Kate met with the bishop to advance from primary.  She came out of the interview with a temple recommend.  In sacrament meeting she was presented her faith in God award certificate and her advancement from primary certificate.  She was very excited to go to Young Women's and loved the lesson!

Here are some things about 12 year old Kate:

• She makes delicious whole wheat bread and has sold over 250 loaves to our neighbors (her customers) since July 2015.
• She is a good cook and has perfected making brownies and texas sheet cake.  She makes yummy muffins too.
• She loves to swim and is way faster than anyone else in our family.
• She is constantly reading and walks around almost always with either her kindle or a book.
• She is a great piano player and has improved a lot since she started lessons with Angela Jacobson last year.
• She gets very good grades.  
• She plays the flute in 6th grade band.
• She plays the piano in both the 6th grade and 7th grade jazz bands at Desert Hills.
• She is a good babysitter, especially to Nick and Ty.
• She has a very good memory and remembers things to no one else can.
• She is very responsible, especially at school and church.
• Kate loves to be with her friends, especially Audrey and Claire.
• Kate misses her best friends from New Mexico, Sophi, Annika and Nina.
• Kate memorized the 13 articles of faith quickly and still remembers them.
• Her hair is mostly brown now, but gets highlights in the summer time. 
• Kate has blue eyes.  

I interviewed Kate and this is what she said:

1.  Who is your favorite person in the whole world?  mom and dad

2.  What is your favorite color?  turquoise

3.  What's your favorite television show?  Girl meets world

4.  What's your favorite outfit? t-shirt and jeans, sandals

5.  What sport do you like best?  Swimming

6.  What song do you love?  Stand By You by Rachel Platten

7.  What's your favorite cereal?  cinnamon life

8.  Who is your best friend?  Claire, Audrey, Sophi, Anni, Nina, Olivia

9.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  Author

10.   What is your favorite book?  mother/daughter book club series

11.  What are you really good at?  swimming, babysitting

12.  Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Hawaii

13.  What is your best memory?  When I first got to meet Nick.

14.  What would you buy if you had $1000?  a phone

15.  What vegetable do you hate the most?  squash

16.  If you could have a wish, what would it be?  All my friends from Los Alamos could move here.

17.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  salted caramel

18.  Who is your biggest hero?  mom

19.  What do you like to do best with your friends?  talk

20.  What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday?  see my friends from Los Alamos

Kate's 10th birthday

Kate turned 10 this week!

She requested waffles and bacon for breakfast.

Dave and I took her to El Parasol for chicken tacos for lunch.  Kate requested hers without guacamole and cheese.  

We took our lunch over to the pond to eat.

After lunch Kate's friend Sophi, and her little sister, Anna, came over for a playdate.  Kate got to open one of her gifts.  A Rainbow Loom!

For dinner, Kate requested ham, funeral potatoes, and cloud light crescent rolls.  

Then she got to open her gifts:  $20 from Grandma and Grandpa Judi, a purple watch, Lego Friends, and a book (American Girl: Care and Keeping of You)

 Sheet cake for birthday cake!

Nick is One!

Nick had a busy birthday!

He woke up and opened his present before the kids went to school.

 He liked the balloons.

 The kids all helped Nick play with his presents throughout the day.

Nick spent his day taking two naps, pooping three times (unusual for him), had two baths, and played outside a little while.  I raked the needles and leaves into a little pile and Nick crawled over onto it and sat down and tasted some leaves. 

 After we all got home in the evening after basketball and swim practice, we had cake. 

He liked having us sing to him.

  Nick poked at his end of the cake and ate a bit of frosting. 

 A little milk to wash down the chocolate.

Happy birthday little guy!