Koby's Day

I have a six year old! Koby's birthday was on July 24th and we all had a great day. I think he woke up around 6:30 ready to open presents. We let him find them (we always hide them around the house - a tradition from B's family), but he had to wait for Clay to wake up before he opened them. I am proud of myself this year because we had great ideas for his presents and he LOVED them all. Since I have been getting into tennis, we have gone as a family a few times and Koby really has a knack for it. He loves it, so he got his own racket for his birthday. He also got his own cd player. He has listened to it nonstop since he got it. It is really cute. It is outside with him, in his room, the bathroom, all over. We only got him one cd though - Alvin and the Chipmunks. Tonight we got one more, plus searched the house for other kid's cds for him. Here is a recap of the day in pictures...
Waking up to birthday decor...

We started the day testing out the new racket...

Brandon came home early and we ate cake and ice cream after lunch. I made a pirate ship cake that turned out pretty good I think...

Next up - bowling...

Koby chose Red Robin for dinner...(I had to sneak a picture of Clay in here - even if it is a silly one)

We ended the day with more tennis until we got rained out. We headed home and had a serious downpour for a long time. The boys had to run in the rain, of course. I am so grateful for my Koby. Him and I are a lot alike (both being the oldest) and sometimes that is hard for me, but I am having fun being his mom. He is responsible and wants to please others (for the most part). He is still a 6 year old boy, after all! He loves to do things himself, like making his own lunch, and combing his hair. He is helpful with his brothers and very independent. There is not too much that he asks for help for anymore. It is fun to watch, but always sad for me when my kids get a little older and more independent. I am looking forward to watching him continue to grow in every aspect of his life. I love the questions he comes up with when we are talking about something more serious or about the Gospel. He wants to learn and is so excited to go to school Kindergarten - finally. (I have my own good reasons for waiting another year). Koby was a great start to our family. What a blessing we have with Koby as our first son! Thanks for letting me blab for my journaling purposes!

30 Years and 4 Days

I am a little late posting about my birthday and my thoughts on turning 30. We had a fun family date the night before. We went to MeMe's Brick Oven Pizza and to see Wall-E. On Saturday, my actual birthday, I played tennis first thing in the morning. That is my new thing - at least I am trying to make it be. So, Brandon got me a tennis racket and balls with a really cute bag for my birthday. I also got a new camera. This has been a long process in deciding what kind of camera to get. I am happy with the decision I made. I went from wanting a large and complicated camera, to a tiny and more simple one. I am still learning about it, but so far I really like it. Plus, it cost quite a bit less. It is literally the size of a razor phone! There is no way I would be able to handle a more serious camera like I was thinking about getting. Anyway, the rest of the day we spent at Brandon's parents house swimming, eating, etc. Thanks to Brandon for the nice birthday post. For anyone interested, he spent time (with my dad's help) getting pictures of me when I was much younger. Thankfully, there are none once I hit Junior High! Here is the link.


I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my life right now. Too often, I have a hard time seeing my blessings and realizing all that I have. So, I have forced myself to see 30 things that I LOVE about my life:

1. I love Brandon and his perfect patience and support.

2. I love Koby and his happiness and concern for others.

3. I love Spencer and his silliness and friendliness.

4. I love Clay and his curiousity and fun self.

5. I love the Gospel in my life.

6. I love my my calling in the church.

7. I love being a wife.

8. I love chocolate.

9. I love a great and fun workout.

10. I love my sister and mom and being such great friends with them.

11. I love staying home with my children.

12. I love playing tennis (hopefully I get good!)

13. I love the beach.

14. I love watching my kids play (nicely).

15. I love shopping.

16. I love having a clean house.

17. I love having an organized house (closets, under beds and all).

18. I love black. And white, cream and khaki. I also love most shades of green. And brown.

19. I love Christmas.

20. I love a beautifully wrapped present.

21. I love baby's breath.

22. I love my grandparents and their influence in my life.

23. I love Brandon's family.

24. I love a fun party and playing games.

25. I love ice cream (especially chocolate).

26. I love a massage.

27. I love that families are forever.

28. I love that our Heavenly Father forgives.

29. I love the water and watching my kids have the time of their life anytime they swim.

30. I love being a mom.

"Mom, Look how tan that girl is!"

Koby's comment to me when a black family showed up at the splash park the other day!

A plea for ideas!

As some of you know, I was recently called as the Enrichment Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. I am realizing what a big job this is (even without the Enrichment part of it). But, I am in need of some fresh ideas for meetings, activities and Super Saturday crafts. I know that a lot of you have probably had great Enrichment nights and I want your thoughts, advice and ideas. Thanks and wish me luck!

A beneficial fire

So, our little fire incident has turned out to be a great thing for us! We were able to get enough money from insurance (even after our large deductible) to pay for this new floor, which I actually love more than I thought I would (I was coming from vinyl though!) My poor dad came out for about 2 1/2 days with no idea what was ahead of him. They were coming to see the grandkids and mom didn't warn him about our project! It took him and Brandon one day (about 12 hours from start to finish)! They are amazing. Thank you thank you thank you to my dad for being so great and willing and working so hard. He was being a little silly in the last picture, teasing me that this was finally his chance to be on my blog!

Summer Fun

Okay, I'm playing catch up since I've been a blogging slacker lately! We got together with our very best friends, the Gollhofers for the first part of the 4th. They belong to their community pool, so we took advantage of that and had a blast. I love them and am so grateful for their friendship. We can't wait to meet baby Carter soon!

Koby and Spencer playing on the Slip 'n Slide on a hot day...

Papa was in town (with JuJu and cousin Austin). But, I was bad and only got a few pics. Here they are being gymnasts with papa as a prop...