And that's a wrap!

Ah, the birthday dust has settled...school is in full swing and I finally have a day with nothing on my calendar.  I can finally sit and catch up just a tad.

On Clark's birthday I headed into the Pentagon for a little celebratory lunch with the two littles and the Man.  We took a forbidden picture in the food court...I'm sure everyone thought I was just holding up my phone to check a message while my husband and baby made direct eye contact and smiled...I'm certain no one noticed the accidental flash 'oops'.

 Dinner out once again except this time I refused to let anyone order plain buttered noodles.  If we were paying for them to eat out then, by golly, they were going to eat something that I don't make a bajillion times a year at home.

 At home we celebrated with balloons and made the kids spell things out on the floor.  Do you see the bendy 35? Who'd have ever thought that the cute boy from high school that I married would ever turn 35? Weird.  I guess aging happens.  I happen to think that Clark does it rather gracefully, or manishly, or whatever men do.

 I particularly love Jonah's presence in the family picture.  Totally partied out.

 On Sunday we celebrated further with cousin Heber whose birthday is the day after Clark's.

Double the birthdays, double the dessert.

And then I broke down and decided that I could do without Hazel just one day a week.

We are doing a little co-op group that is just enough to satisfy her pleads to go to school.

She was dang excited about it.

And dang cute too.

 She insisted that the photo shoot last a little longer...

 Last week I had the opportunity to attend a Romney Rally here in Fairfax.  I don't particularly care for anything to do with politics but I can't pass up the opportunity to do things that may be a once in a lifetime deal (ie seeing a future President in person, yell "move that bus" on the set of Extreme Home Makeover, be in an educational film, that kind of thing...)

 So I hooked up with a couple of friends and we headed in.  We stood on a rather warm parking lot and waited.  The kids could not have been better.  We were in a thick crowd and they were so good!

 We were appropriately riled up about lots of good stuff and promises to have soda machines in the cafeteria, something about all our wildest dreams coming true, etc.

 It was a good time although I could do with less of the large groups of people that break out every 5 minutes in spontaneous chanting ("USA, USA, USA" or "Mitt, Mitt, Mitt", etc.  lots of chanting.)  Love my country, hate the politics of it.  People get all in a twist when talking about their political opinions and it makes me want to scratch my eyes out.

Hazel liked the stickers.

While waiting for the rally to start, the three of us were each interviewed by different reporters that were walking around talking with people.  My favorite question that I got was "what are your thoughts on Mitt Romney being a Mormon?" I was totally giggling on the inside - just look at the group I was with, she obviously hadn't done her homework.  I nonchalantly told her that I knew lots of Mormons and they were all really great people.  And then I'm sure I said something very intelligent that I can't remember.

In other news, my baby loves the bathtub.  It is his happy place.  I am ashamed to admit that he gets bathed way more often than the other ones did, pretty much daily.  If he is feeling a little grumpy,  just throw him in an inch of warm water and sooner than you can say "throw a washcloth on his crotch!" he will be flailing about violently in jubilation.

We interrupt these birthdays to bring you...the First Day of School Post.

I couldn't possibly pass over the first day of school.  

I was initially nervous about this summer and what it would be like to have a brand new baby and everyone home.  It seemed like a lot to adjust to all at once, but it was just what I needed.

The summer was fun and laid back and a perfect opportunity for me to get this mother-of-5 thing down (or on the way to "down".) 

The last couple of weeks though has solidified the need to get back in the saddle of structure and purpose.  So yesterday they left and after being excited that I would have a clean, quiet house for 7 hours a day, I soon realized that I had no one to help!  One hour into the day I thought, "I have to watch the baby all day by myself?!"

But it's OK, school is good.  School is great.

The girls are happy and all is well.  In fact, in that same first hour Hazel looked at me, excited to be queen of the hive again and asked "so when do we get to play with Abby and Mia's toys?"

 Do I really have a sixth grader?  Yikes.  I am grateful that our 6th grade is still in the elementary school.  I get one more year all in the same school.

 The night before school we had a special, nice family dinner where we introduced a family theme for the year.  It is hung on the front door as a reminder every time they leave, that they have the power to choose.  It will hopefully be the springboard for lots of family discussions on our responsibility to make good choices, from attitude to actions and everything in between.

 Oh how I love these girls.  I have confidence in them out in the world.

Freshly baked cookies awaited their arrival home.  We sat together for hours after school at the table talking about their day and completing assignments and paperwork needed. 

It was a perfect evening.  My kids spent most of it working together and coexisting happily.  My goal for the school year is to complete all of my work while they are gone so that when they get home from school, I am all theirs.  I can sit and help with homework and be available and present.

Here's to a new school year!

More Birthday Madness!

The end of August/beginning of September is our major birthday bash with 4 of our birthdays in just 2 weeks.  It's always fun but by the end we are caked out and only slightly sick of singing Happy Birthday (it's a good thing that mine is first when everyone is fresh and still excited!) But in all honesty it is just as fun to still sing to Clark who brings up the rear. 
A birthday celebration is a birthday celebration, after all.
Right in the middle we have two of the girls, and their requests never disappoint.

 Cinnamon rolls requested for breakfast, done.  I adore cinnamon rolls.

 All of my sleepy headed children in one bed.  I adore my sleepy headed children in the morning.

 She was most excited about her book and CD's of John Bytheway.  Haley is a special girl and very grown up sometimes.  Although, I am always taken back with her because she reminds me time and time again how time flies.  This little girl made me a Mom and in some ways it seems like yesterday.

 She tried her hand at levitating...I think her ginaormous pre-teen feet helped.

She requested PF Changs for dinner which we happily obliged.  Haley is our least picky eater.  She is willing to try just about anything.

 A little Ben & Jerry's for dessert also gave me a chance to rest up for other birthday-cake-making to come.

 And I love that after dinner she requested a picture with each of her siblings.

We are always reminding her that Heavenly Father sent her first for a reason.

She takes care of these siblings.  She feels protective of them and loves them.

After dinner Clark took the rest of the fam home and Haley and I went out to spend a little cash that she got for her birthday.  Haley loves shopping for clothes.  It turned out to be my favorite part of the evening.  Haley can sure give us a run for our money.  There is no rest trying to keep our parenting up to par.  Spending an evening with just Haley is just what I needed to be reminded (after a fun but long summer) why I love and appreciate her so much.  She was so careful to spend her money wisely and I was impressed with her.

I also love that when I came to find her in the dressing room, she had chosen room #11 in honor of her 11th birthday.

Two days after we celebrate Haley its time to switch our focus to Miss Mia on the 1st.

 This girl is so easy to please.  Her breakfast in bed request was toast.  Toast, people.

I'm glad she remembered to wear her Birthday Happy Hat.

I'm afraid that I may be to blame for their tendency to request their birthday dinner "out".  Not that I don't love to cook, I just love to eat out more.

 Someday Clark and I will learn our lesson about taking the kids out to eat.  No matter where we go,  3 of them will undoubtedly order buttered noodles.

 Since the 1st was the last Saturday to do the pool, and their favorite thing to do anyway, we obliged.

Clark has rallied all men at the pool to keep the kids entertained during adult swim.  The kids all sit along the side of the deep end and cheer on the men on the diving boards.  Clark does not disappoint.  On Monday he accomplished his pool goal for the summer, a double flip.  He also likes to walk off the board on his hands, and do can openers that soak everyone sitting on the side.

 Mia did request an actual birthday cake and I did my best (which is not all that impressive when it comes to birthday cakes...the ice cream on the side helped.)

Mia is sweet and kind and sensitive.  She fills a special place in our family with her fun loving personality and silly disposition.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS!

More reasons to love my family...

Bro Spencer's most recent publishes and a couple of my favorites...