Happy Valentines Day

We had a little family Valentines party this year. I made dinner and we had strawberry smoothies with brownies while we made love bug party hats.

We played "hot or cold" with a hidden heart and we did a heart relay

We played "Heartbeat". Whenever the beat of the music stopped the kids had to freeze. Afterward we all sat in a circle told each other why we loved everyone. Anna's answer was a very confident statement of "a heart". We all hugged and kissed and the kids got a heart sucker in which Liam replied" Actually, I already have a tummy ache, so I'm going to save this until tommorrow".

Conversation

Conversation with Liam on a Sunday afternoon:
Liam- Mom, whenever I go to Mackayla's house we're always following Satan.
Mom- Well, what things do you do that are following Satan?
Liam- We always say Bumb, and Poo and we run away from Mackayla's Mom.

Potty training and the winter blahs

Anna and Liam celebrate Anna's graduation from diapers appropriately by wearing them in mockery on their heads.
This is how much of our post Christmas time has been spent. Hanging out in the house and getting crazy with what it holds.

While Liam has been occupying much of his time with school, homeowork and friends, Anna has been using her new Christmas Present to burn the spirit of dance into her soul. She looks like this most of the day and never stops dancing. Her eyes close and she is in another world entirely.

Christmas is still lingering in our house. Liam is hanging on to it hoping that the magic will last until next December. Playing 'Freeze-Dance' has been one of the most popular activities to get through the winter blahs. (Well, it's still a little blah for me because Liam refuses to dance to anything else but the children's Christmas CD you will hear as you watch)

Liam's birthday bash

Liam turned 6 and wanted an ocean party. When all the kids arrived we made scuba masks with paper, saran wrap and a straw for the snorkel. THey colored the inside with sea life. Then I told them that they had to pass their physical test to become a scuba diver. The Dizzy's tumble bus showed up and the kids went crazy.
Grandpa Bill and Grandma Chelle even got in on the fun.

Cousin Connor loved the monkey bars.
Anna got brave after a while and with some help jumped in with the big kids.

Anna and Orion being cute cousins.

Everyone got a gold medal and Lam got a T-shirt at the end of it all.

The instructors played games with the kids and they brought out different equipment to hang from the ceiling for the kids to swing and twist around on. I'm pretty sure it's the coolest thing that could happen to a kid. It was cool for me too because it kept all the kids from making a disaster of my house and all the pressure off of me for entertainment.

THe kids had a blast and were all sweaty and ready to eat by the end

Lunch time

Yes, I hung these streamers until 1 in the morning. Eric made all the fish to hang from the ceiling and did a little murial on the window. I made sea weed with the crepe paper on the walls too.
For lunch we had tuna fish sandwiches with a slice of cheese and a sea weed pickle and carrots. They each also got a cup of blue jello with a few gummy fish swimming in it.

I got everything at the dollar store but the vase with the jello and fish, which I got at Michaels for $4. It turned out cute and some of the kids actually ate their sandwhiches. wooo hooo!

Opening presents

Liam was so sweet and opened all the cards first. All the home made cards were so cute too.
This is Liam's good friend from school. He told me that a friend teased him that Heather and he were going to get married. I asked what he said in return and he replied" I said, Heather, will you marry me?" She said yes.

He's really into ocean life if you can't tell by the theme, so we gave him a ship with a deep sea submarine like in The Life Aquatic.
He wore his Dizzy bus T-shirt for the next 3 days and told me over and over again thank you for the scooter and the boat. What more could I ask for?

Christmas in Utah

We started our trip with an early morning flight to SLC. Liam and Anna were enamoured with this tin soldier in the airport and acalypso player got Liam to cut a rug for a little bit too.
The kids traveled without incident and we arrived safely at Becky and Jakes house. THe kids got to play win their first snow of the year and we built a snowman. Eric sculpted a bumb on said snowman and it was a topic of conversation for days afterward.

Festival of lights

Thanksgiving point does wagon and carriage rides through a sea of lights and we got our holiday spirit on riding in the freezing wind and watching lighted santa wave us into the finale of the season.
Baby seth as Davie Crocket.

I got Liam these awesome 3D glasses that make every single christmas light have a 3D snowman appear around it. You could also see gingerbread men, snowflakes or candycanes.

Mustachio'd me
Jon and Desi. This looks like an engagement photo

Bowling and Bennihana

Jenny and Jeff came down from Logan and we all enjoyed a large Pizza feast at Fat Cat's and continued the afternoon with arcade games and bowling.

This was a very serious game.

Jenny demonstrates her mad skills shooting giant tarantulas in the jungle.
Amy wins big at Deal or no Deal.

Anna even bowled using the metal slope they provided. She bowled more than I did I think.
THis was Liam's first time to go bowling. He would slide on his knees across the floor and look like a rockstar.


off to dinner at Bennihana's.

Sushi man.
good times.