Life Scout

Noah advanced ranks in scouts to a life. He has been working really hard and earned a lot of merit badges- 12 in total! We are so proud of Noah for reaching this goal!

Gymnast Katie

Katie loves her gymnastics class. She has been getting a lot better lately and always has fun out on the mats and bars. Honestly she looks so cute in that little outfit I think it's the best part of the whole thing!

Happy Katie Day!

Happy birthday to the cutest little girl in the whole world! I sure do love you Katie. You are my sunshine! We are so blessed to have you in our lives- you are an absolute sweetheart! In honor of your 7th birthday, here are 7 wonderful things about you!

1. You are a great daughter. You are a lovely little sister. You are all sweet 99% of the time. You never seem to get in trouble at all- you're always just doing your little Katie thing. 
2. Your little Katie thing is mostly drawing, playing American Girl dolls, reading, and watching My Little Pony.
3. You have so many friends that we can barely keep you around the house! You are always wanted on many play dates! At primary on Sunday everyone wants to sit by you. You are just a very fun friend who always plays so kindly with everyone.
4. Some foods you love: Twinkies, potatoes - especially hash browns, and turkey sandwiches!
5. You love listening to music and always want me to turn it up. 
6. Your favorite stories are : Amos and Boris, Eloise, and Fancy Nancy & the Mermaid Ballet.
7. Things you love to wear: black yoga pants, footed pj's, your boots, hair down and wavy, and NO PIGTAILS- you insist!

Bonus fact: You are always trying to do the right thing and be obedient. We are so proud of you and the love you bring into our family! 

Happy Noah Day!

 We have been together for 13 years and I just can't imagine life without him. Noah is such a great kid. He finally did it and became a teenager. I hear it's all downhill from here but I'm not too worried. Here's 13 things about Noah, our 13 year old:

1. He's a great big brother. Adam and him have been getting along much better and hanging out a lot, laughing at the same shows and jokes. Katie loves when Noah wants to spend time with her jumping on the trampoline.
2. He's an awesome student. He got bumped up to 8th grade math and continues to get great grades.
3. He is into robotics, animation, video games, and computers. He runs the morning announcements that the middle school watches every morning. He doesn't like to be in front of the camera- just behind it. 
4. He really likes reading.
5. His favorite shows are Psych, Wipe out, and Teen Titans.
6. He loves food! Mexican, spaghetti, Big Noodle Soup, Texas Toast, and really just about anything- bring it on.
7. His best friend Nikoli lives just down the street and they can be heard laughing and joking at our house nearly everyday.
8. He just got a Facebook account.
9. He will only wear tee shirts. It took an act of Congress to get him to wear the shirt pictured above. 
10. He is taller than his mother- but still skinnier.
11. He has started combing his hair and brushing his teeth without any cajoling on my part. 
12. He rides his bike to the library and gas station. I just started dropping him and Nikoli off at the movies and picking them up when it's over. It's obvious how much he loves these little bursts of independence. 
13. He is a straight arrow kind of guy who truly wants to choose the right. He is so much braver than I was at his age. He makes me proud. 

Happy Adam Day!

 Adam you are cute. We love you buddy! Life with you is never boring- it's always, "What's next? What are we doing after that? What is the plan for today? What's going on after school? What's for dinner? When?" You are a guy who likes a plan and you make sure we keep things moving. Here are 10 things about my funny little ten year old boy:

1. He is a true sweetheart. If anyone is sad, lost, needing help, he is there always lending a helping hand and a big hug.
2. He is a great big brother. He picks up Katie from the bus stop after school, he makes her breakfast in the morning, and helps her turn on "mario kart wheel" to play.
3. He is a great little brother. He makes Noah's lunch for him in the morning and if he forgets it- he will race down to the school to drop it off. He always begs me to let Noah play video games with him even though Noah doesn't have any time left- just so he can hang out with him.
4. He is a good student. He may not get amazing grades but he truly does his best and works his buns off to do the job that takes the other kids a small effort.
5. He is the absolute most respectful and helpful cub scout in my entire den!
6. He loves Wipe Out and American Ninja Warrior and plans to train to go on those shows when he grows up.
7. He is a picky eater and will only eat our dinners if they have been deconstructed with parts left out.
8.  He loves every kind of sport and begs to play at least 2 sports a season. Soccer, baseball, football, golf, gymnastics, bowling, basketball- bring it on.
9. He is the tallest kid in his class. Big kid!
10. He has some challenges in his life but he works hard to be a little better everyday and he makes me so proud. 

We go to Disneyland

We surprised the kids with a couple of days at Disneyland after the wedding. We didn't tell them we were going and they were so surprised. They said we were the best parents in the world, which we are, and that we were the sneakiest. We had an awesome two days and it was very cool to be there on the boys' birthdays. Monday was Adam's birthday so he got to pick the first ride and anywhere he wanted to go for lunch. He picked Space Mountain and pizza. Tuesday was Noah's birthday and he picked Soaring over California and Mexican food. They all loved it so much. We loved the new Radiator Springs Racers ride and the boys went on it a ton of times in the single rider line while we waited with Missy in the regular line. They loved Goofy's flying school and went on it so many times that Jason and I were sick! We saw lots of great shows- the Muppets, Aladdin, and Bug's life. Favorites were: Matterhorn Bobsleds (everyone), Indiana Jones (Noah), California Screamin (Adam), Radiator Springs Racers (Katie). We ate many churros, ice creams, popcorn, and suckers. We were at a hotel very close and just walked over everyday. At night we went swimming and hot tubing. On Tuesday night we stayed for the World of Color show which was really cool. The kids had some birthday cash from Grandma and Grandpa so they got to pick some fun toys. Katie bought a little Lady stuffed animal, Adam a light up light saber, and Noah a mickey mouse watch. I just love watching these cute kids have such a blast! Definitely worth all the secret planning!

Bonus Visit!

While in California for the wedding we also got to visit some of our favorite people- the Marstons! Steph made us a delicious dinner and a birthday cake for the boys. What a great aunt she is! The kids were so thrilled to see their cousins and get to spend the day together playing around and kicking the soccer ball over at the park. We sure do love them.