Ninja Nathan's 8th Birthday

Nathan requested spaghetti with meatballs, salad and homemade breadsticks.

Finger lickin' good!

He did not want cake for his cake so I added eyes to a fruit pizza covered in strawberries.

He was thrilled with his "cake" and loved the Tootsie Roll nunchucks on the side.

We used our chopstick skills to rescue Lego ninjas that were buried in rice.

Each thirty second of determined concentration resulted in cheers, laughter and flying rice.

We attacked the "bad guys" with plastic throwing stars and our best roundhouse kicks.

The sticky, stretchy ninjas had our full attention as they flopped down the wall hand over foot.

Levi and Daymia gave Nathan a kite and lessons on how to fly it.

He caught on so quickly that not once did his kite hit the ground, even when he was reeling it in to put it away.

Nathan's birthday was on Monday and two days later he had his first Cub Scout activity.

He was thrilled to participate in the Pine Wood Derby.

I loved watching him cross his fingers and cheer for his friend Camdyn.

Nathan drew his car design on the block of wood and Derek cut it out for him.  Nathan then did all of his own sanding, painting and sticker applications.  When his car kept getting third place (out of three cars) he was losing his excitement for the races and frustrated that his car wasn't doing better.  Before tears started coming I invited him into the hallway for a couple of minutes of encouragement.  I reminded him that if his car was electrical that he and his dad would have built the fastest car ever and that I was proud of him for using his own wood skills to build a great looking car.  The two cars that kept winning were carefully supervised and adjusted between each race by the fathers of the two scouts and both of their fathers do a lot with cars and would know how to make them faster so they have a better chance of winning.  He quietly accepted what I was saying and we went back to the races.

I've always struggled with Pine Wood Derby races because my boys do their own cars and they are never fast.  However, I was most impressed with Nathan when he walked over to me after the races were done and said, "Mom, my car ALWAYS gets third place! That's so cool!  And I know if my car was electric I'd get first place because Dad would wire it the best."  

Hyrum's 6th Birthday

All it took was a mustache to get these boys bouncing around in their best Mario imitations.

With the table set up like a game we had a difficult time getting the little boys to sit down to eat.

With each fire ball, Yoshi egg, coin block, bomb, warp pipe, and star they carried out the appropriate sounds and actions.  After a brief fire ball war they calmed down enough to eat their puffy clouds.

We moved downstairs to try our skills at stomping out Goombas with the Mario soundtrack playing in the background.  We also smashed plastic Easter Yoshi eggs to find the treasures inside.  

The excitement of receiving his birthday bike fell second to the thrill of having Bethany show up for his party.

 

Bethany was going to Evan's hair school with Daymia and came over to the house once.  From that point on Hyrum declared her his girlfriend.  He even made a Valentine in school for her and would write notes for her.  That hug in the top left corner was probably the best birthday gift his little six year old heart could ask for.

I had been informed that Hyrum did not want cake for his birthday but he still wanted a cake.  The Mario bricks were easy to duplicate using brownies and he was very satisfied with the no-cake cake.

That has to be the cutest wish-making face I've ever seen! We all had to pause while he thought it through.

There were a couple of "bricks" missing when he blew out the candles because Daymia and Bethany had to leave for work and Hyrum insisted that they take some "cake" before they left.  Puppy love has turned this baby of the family into a thoughtful gentleman.

Sister Weekend

Surprise!

With some tricky schedule planning we were able to pull together a sister weekend in Twin Falls to surprise Cami.  Kellie made arrangements with Ben and we wondered if he would really be able to keep it a secret but by Cami's stunned expression when she answered the door we knew that he had.

Cami gave us a tour of her beautiful home (Kate is the only one that had previously been there) and soon after, Ben and the kids got home.  Ben had taken them to the store so that we could have some surprise time with Cami.  We then kidnapped her and headed out for a day of fun.

We first went to the salon in the mall to set up manicure appointments and for the hour before our appointments we wandered around the mall.  I hate mall shopping.  That might sound a bit harsh but I really loath it!  I don't like the overwhelming setup of malls or looking through racks of clothes or trying on clothes or wandering around among a bunch of strangers.  However, I have never been shopping with all four of my sisters and that was fun!

Kellie and Kate were the only ones who had previously had manicures so this was a new experience for Kara, Cami and I.  The Asian women doing our manicures had a little discussion about our cuticles because they had to clip away so much.  I guess that's what we get for being 35-40 and never having a manicure.  Actually, the lady who did mine clipped a little too far and it's a good thing I had a red based polish to cover up the droplets of blood that kept oozing between each coat of polish.

I usually can't handle polish on my nails because it feels like my fingers are suffocating and it always chips away so fast that to me it's not worth the time putting on but I have to admit that I loved my nails after they were done.  I was also surprised that they lasted for almost two weeks before they started chipping away and I liked catching glimpses of them when doing my everyday routine..  Of course, I personally never put on three coats of color and a top coat so that could probably have something to do with it.

After shopping and manicures we made our way over to Applebees.  We laughed at our goofiness as we all carefully handled our menus, cups, plates, forks and napkins so that we wouldn't smudge our fancy new nails.

Our evening was spent back at the hotel playing games in the lobby.  I'm sure our silliness was quite a show for the clerk that kept glancing our way and we got some pretty strange looks from people walking through the lobby.

Before we left to watch a movie we pulled out a basket of goodies for Cami.
It was a joy pampering her with gifts for herself and her new baby girl soon to come.

We finished up the night in Ben's "office", more comfortably known as the mother-in-law apartment attached to their house that has become his man cave.  There we could munch away on our milkshakes and movie snacks with blankets and pillows comfortably strewn about while we settled in for chic flick entertainment featuring "Pitch Perfect".  

It was so much fun to spend the day together!  I can't think of another time that the five of us have ever spent schedule free time together without husbands or kids around.  It was so wonderful to reconnect with each other and to spend the day just being silly sisters again.  What a blessing these women are to me!

March

Though I managed to pull off a mini celebration of green waffles and green milk for dinner (yes, dinner), I was severely lacking Irish enthusiasm. The best I could muster up for the day was my green shirt and socks from last year.  Luckily (hehe), I had a spurt of craftiness the week before and already had "Pot of Gold" Rolos, "Taste the Rainbow" Tic Tacs, and "This is no Sham, You Rock" Pop Rocks ready to go.  

Hyrum was so excited to dress up for his "real school" (I don't ever remember having him in fake school so maybe he's referring to pre-school?).  One green shirt was not enough for him so he searched around the house until he found enough random items to create the perfect "green day" outfit.  The Hulk hat looked incomplete until he put the bow tie on it and my socks were the final flair he was looking for.

I knew the kids would be disappointed if I just handed them their holiday stash like it was an ordinary after school snack so I was thrilled when Nathan asked if he could make up the treasure hunt this year.  He bounced around in excitement banning us to the kitchen while he wrote out clues on sticky notes and hid them around the house.

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Any time the weather managed to climb into the forties we found a reason to be outside, even if only between wind storms.  Levi and Daymia wanted to have a silly string war in the back yard and had a bag of cans ready to go as soon as the weather would cooperate.  Finally, the wind subsided, the sun warmed the air and the cans were lined between the two teams.

The squealing and laughter began while I stayed in the background shooting pictures and video.

They all conspired against me! Levi took the camera and I was soon tied up in colorful, gooey string.

Good Times!

When the weather is lingering in typical Rexburg patterns (wind, cold, gusts of wind, rain, wind) we find things to do inside.
 

It's not unusual to find Nathan and Hyrum forming play dough into works of art but when Levi and Daymia sit down with them the activity evolves from a boredom buster to a full on party.

Levi seems to draw out the sarcastic side of Hyrum's personality.  When he asked Hyrum what he was making he rolled his eyes and declared, "bubblegum, already chewed".

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Vivien took a trip to Kosice with her sister Noemi and then had a couple of weeks at a spa type hospital in the mountains.
 

I started to go through withdrawals not having our usual communication time but we made up for it with a couple hours of Skype time when she got back.  I love Skype!  I get to hear her voice and see her smile and experience her witty personality.

Beautiful Sisters!!
Showing off their Idaho made Minion hats, movie night and singing in the car.

I love getting pictures of Vivien and Noemi!    

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Daymia is finished with beauty school! Before she left Evan's we made sure to get in one last round of haircuts.

Nathan and Hyrum like short cuts with enough left on top to use the gel she gave them to spike it any way they like. Justin has the Oliver Queen look going on which he carries off very well with his eyebrow raises and buff arms.  Maybe I should make him a green mask.

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Just for the record:

Daymia didn't just beat Levi at bowling, she more than doubled his score!  Booyah!

February

100 Days of School

Hyrum was excited to be a 100 year old man, "just like Grandpa".  He searched all over the house, in every toy box and junk drawer, digging around under beds, until he finally found an old pair of glasses.  Then he insisted that he have a beard and mustache and picked out the most grandpa looking shirt he had.  It still wasn't enough until we folded up a hand towel and stuffed it up his shirt. What a cute little old man!


Evil Minion

Instead of doing a written book report that the teacher would have to read, Justin's class was each given a ceiling tile from the classroom and told to paint it with a character or scene from a book or movie.  During the bus ride home a corner of the tile broke off, which gave Justin the idea to paint a purple minion on it and to blame the missing corner on the minion.  In the three days that it sat on the counter another corner happened to break off but this time the piece was not lost.  Perfect!  Now he could show proof of the evil thing eating away the corners.

Bret and Justin drew it on in pencil and then Erika and Justin painted it.  All the grooves in the tile proved to be quite a border headache for those two OCD kids but they figured out how to make it work and the Evil Tile Eating Minion earned him an A.


Speaking of Erika . . .

She is so pretty!
She has been promoted to team leader at Melaleuca and is working full time.
This means that nearly every day she dresses up and WEARS SHOES!


Duck Date

Nathan decided that for our date he wanted to go feed the ducks.  He was concerned for the ducks that weren't with the main group so went around them until he could find the ones down the bank and called up the ones from the water.  He wanted to make sure every one of them were fed.  A loaf of cheap bread doesn't go very far with this crowd and soon we had to take off before a greedy fat goose ate his fingers.


Cat Cuddles

We are a pet free home....90% of the time.  Every once in a while someone can't stand to stick them back out in the cold weather and we give in to our pet loving side for a few purring snuggles.  Usually, it's Hyrum, Justin or I that give in but this time it was Levi.  He's never been overly fond of Harrison but ever since the fatty was banned to the outdoors he's had a soft spot for him.  Harrison must have noticed this because when I walked toward him to put him out he pounced up on Levi and cuddled in for protection.  Levi gave him a a good neck rub and then ignored him but Harrison didn't leave.  He tries so hard to play invisible and not get eye contact when he's in the house.

Daily Dose of Love

by way of sugar

Several months ago I purchased an old mailbox at DI for a primary sharing time.  When I bought it I had many other plans for it, one of which included daily valentines.  I decorated the black boring box with pink and red hearts and set it in the kitchen.  Every morning there was a new love note for each member of the family, plus honorary family members who are at the house daily.

Nathan and Hyrum were up early every morning to run to the mailbox.  It was like Christmas morning fourteen days in a row!
I shared their enthusiasm every night as I put these together and stuffed the mailbox and  I was just as excited about mornings as they were.

Erika and LeRoy kept every one of their valentines:

Pictured here are the two missing from above: Riesens and Teddy Grahams

I Love My Valentines!
LeRoy
Levi
Daymia
Bret
Erika
Derek
Sierra
Justin
Nathan
Hyrum

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Rumors started flying when Daymia posted this on facebook:

Valentines fun 

No, they aren't engaged.  Just hanging out at the temple taking beautiful pictures.

I really love these two!

A month later the rumor started again with this post:

"Show your appreciation for the temple, even if it's just touching the outside." Levi and I took what a man said in sacrament to heart.

Valentine Strings

Hyrum informed us each morning how many days were left until "string day".

Each of their valentines started in the front entry and went all throughout the house.  While I was stringing them up I threw Derek's ball of yarn over the wall by the stairs and I didn't hear it hit the ground.  I laughed at myself when I saw it stuck in the light fixture.  It took a chair and a broomstick to get it down.

Nathan insisted that he was old enough to have his string cover both floors this year. He was proud of himself for rolling it up all on his own, especially because it was so long and covered two floors.

Hyrum walked me through the house before he left for school telling me everywhere that he wanted his string to go.
"Whatever you do I want my string to end in Justin's drawer", he insisted.


Derek had arranged with me ahead of time that after Sierra got to her prize that her string would continue into the
storage room where he had hidden her Valentine's Bear from him.

Obviously, it was love at first sight.

A Cousin Valentine's Day

Grandma and Grandpa Fullmer spoke in church February 9th before leaving on their mission to Kentucky.  Many of us went to Arimo to hear them and afterward we had lunch at the Virginia chapel.

Andie and Nathan  ~  Youngest & Oldest Granddaughters: Erika Jo & Brooklyn

It was nice to relax and visit together.  The younger cousins played tag and giggled while the teens chilled on
the stage talking technology.

Once the kids were all finished eating we pulled them together for a Valentine's exchange.

Kara had arranged with each of us to have our kids bring Valentine's.  The kids were excited to trade treats and the Valentine pencil from Grandma.  Nathan and Hyrum had spent about an hour on Saturday writing on their tags and getting ready for the exchange.

Girls' Weekend

Mom + Daughters + Weekend Together = So Much Fun

Kara, Jessica, Kimber, Mom, Lucia, Cami, Kellie, Kate

The highlight of the weekend was going to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.  Being in the temple is one of my favorite places where I feel calm, accepted and loved.  As I sat with my mom and sisters, soaking up all that spiritual peace, I felt surrounded by Divine Royalty.  I love these women!

We went out for a late lunch, introducing Cami to Zupas delicious panini, soup and salad menu, then headed back to Kellie's house for some pampering.

We each had a facial and foot bath.  My feet have never known such comfort!

The day seemed to fly by way to fast!  It seemed like we had just started the day but before we knew it, dark was settling in and it was time for jammies, treats and a chic flick.  Kellie had organized a wonderful fondue table for us with Turtle Fondue and Yin Yang Fondue.  

While our taste buds celebrated over the milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, pecan, semi-sweet chocolatey goodness that drenched our fruit and rice crispies, we laughed and sang along to Lovestruck: The Musical.

There is never enough time to say all we could say or do all we would want to do together but we manage to fill every moment, even until the wee hours of the morning.