A Beautiful Choo Choo Cake

Around this house it is time for another Birthday party. Hayden (my baby) has turned four. With this milestone he is now talking up a storm, loves to do what his older siblings are doing and is starting to get a mind of his own. As his birthday neared (OK about six months ago) he eagerly anticipated his party and was always talking about his party. He had two requirements. First, a pinata. Easy. Second, a "beautiful choo choo cake". OK, we all know that cooking if NOT my forte so thanks to my local bakery for this one!!
This is Hayden enjoying an ice cream cone on his actual Birthday. This would be why we still travel with baby wipes in the car.

Next. One beautiful choo choo cake. I couldn't have even come close. The worst part was ordering it from the bakery and Hayden not understanding that they had to make it and it would take a day. That was a long 24 hrs for him.

The pinata swarm. More sugar for the kiddos before I sent them all home with their parents. So SORRY!

Of course we have to end with the Birthday boy and his tee shirt that says it ALL!!!!!

Happy Birthday Haydee!!!

LETS PLAY BALL!!

OH! What have we been up to you ask? The usual craziness followed by a bout of the flu that ran through the house. Everyone is healthy again and the sun is shining in these parts!! Yahhh!! With that we have started the baseball season with Bryden. So far he seems to love it and I love just sitting back in the sunshine to watch him play!
This year we are the Swordfish. My little leaguer is too cool to smile for the camera this year.

However, he can really ham it up behind the dugout. Hopefully he isn't repeating any of his fathers jokes.

Up to bat, he is the only lefty on the team this year. I think this will be useful if he continues his baseball career.

This would be Bryden running the bases. I love that they let all of the kids run the bases whether they get a hit or not. Bryden does love to stop and visit with the opposing team any chance he can get. Here he was discussing cartoon choices at second base.

And off we go after a great hit!!

Of course we have to have a picture from the peanut gallery!!

At last Bryden as catcher!! He seemed to like it and I think he may have been telling the umpire all of out family secrets.

This One Is For Sara

Looking back on our lives you can always remember those people that stick out in our memories. I think that some of these people even have a little mark in who we are today. I have had the blessing of having many life long and awesome friendships but none like this one. It all started in Mrs. Almonds third grade classroom at Van Horn Elementary. I just loved this little vibrant red head in my class and we began a friendship that grew all the way through elementary school and into Jr. High. We were both the oldest of four and her house was only a quick scooter ride around the corner. Then it was sleepovers every weekend and camping trips with her family. It was the start of something GREAT!! I still have the bracelet she gave me for my birthday one year. Its hard to read but it says "Friends Forever, Sara 88'". Little did we know how true it was!!

Getting ready together for a day of shopping was always a must.

Trips to the coast and camping with her family were trips I still think about today. Thanks Brenda for letting me tag along all those years!

Eighth grade graduation!! I remember driving to Glendale to look for dresses.

We were always each others biggest fans!!

Hanging out on the playground at lunch was a must. I wonder what I was writing on my hand???

Through all these years we developed a friendship that is part of who I am today! But after eighth grade my parents moved me far far away but I guess you just can't break the bonds. We kept in touch. Visited each other every few years and now that we have families we have been able to meet up at Disneyland a few times. This past week I took my daughter down to my old stomping grounds and visited my friend Sara!!!

Now we can see our girls developing friendships much like we did in the third grade!! Tess loved having Makena around this weekend.

Makena and Ella one generation later are now friends.

And over twenty years later we were able to pick up like I have seen her everyday and have a blast. I think we are older but wiser but its still my friends Sara that I have always known and loved. She is now a great mom, a super wife, cute as ever but still one of my greatest friends ever!

Sara we had an awesome time and thank you so much for having us down and taking us through all the memories. Your family is great and I can't wait to do it again!!! I miss you already!

I can see a pattern brewing here!! Things never change!

Bunnies and Eggs

Pitter pat, pitter pat... I can hear this as I turn over to look at the clock. It must be Blaine hiding the Easter eggs. With a few blinks and some focusing of the eyes I see the clock. Its 7:02 and within seconds I can hear the giggles of "someone" waking the rest of the crew up and down the stairs they came. It was Easter morning ready or not.

The kids never seem to be too old to run for their Easter baskets and eagerly begin to hunt for eggs. This years was like all the rest. Eggs, eating chocolate, breakfast, a little chocolate, egg hunts and of course a little more chocolate.
Hayden at the Easter egg hunt in his rain boots and hooded sweatshirt. It was a little drizzly this year but not enough to dampen our spirits!

We did get a little busy this year and actually colored eggs on Easter day. Better late than never I always say!

Another great Easter is in the books and the candy bucket is full. Darn that bucket. It just keeps filling up!!!

Spring Break Bum

I have to admit that I was dreading spring break this year. No travel plans, daddy was working and the kids were all mine. I had visions of me locked in my bedroom while the kids broke down the door by piling toys and food so high it would fold. Would I even get to shower all week? My first instinct was to run. Run as fast as I could and never look back. What were we going to do all week???
Turns out we all survived and had a pretty good time. I do have to comment on the fact that it snowed EVERYDAY!! It didn't stick, but we couldn't go out and it was cold. We saw Monsters and Aliens, had dinner at IHOP(the kids favorite) and the kids actually played pretty well together.
Here is a picture of their favorite spring break activity. They took every chair in the house and made an airplane. It included the comfy chair in first class, tickets and seat assignments for all of their stuffed animals and a captain complete with a pilots jacket.
When I would ask them where they were going it was always somewhere warm. Usually Hawaii. They even packed little snacks and drinks to serve on the flight and although it was kind of a big mess I couldn't break up their little party.

I am glad someone in this house has a good imagination. Maybe next weekend Europe!!

SEVEN

OH to be seven again!! My little boy has grown in his missing front teeth this year and has decided he wants to go by the name Bryden. No more Bozer, or bubbie, just Bryden. It is so fun to see him get so excited about what life has to offer yet he can still snuggle in with mom and dad every once in a while. This year the big theme for him is Star Wars. Thanks to a friend finding this on clearance Bryden at last received the long awaited Millennium Falcon. His weekend fell on one of the craziest weekends of the year. In two days we had 5 basketball games (daddy won bragging rights in his alumni tourney), March Madness and the welcomed first day of spring. In the middle of it all we took a little time for a Chuck E Cheese Party.

Bryden is still wearing the Birthday Medal!!

Of course we had to go with the Star Wars cake (again) this year.

We ended the fun weekend with a little homemade Strawberry Shortcake for the boy and the family on Sunday night. Next? Hayden turns 4!!!!

The Late Winter Funk

I never really keep track but it seems like about this time each year we all kind of seem to hit a wall. Its late winter. There is snow on the ground and we are setting every record in the book with our high of 11 degrees today. Its cold and I am done!!! Along with the weather we have 52 things going on at once, the kids are getting tired of school and homework and the same old meals just don't taste good anymore. The news is depressing as is the newspaper as well. Our routine seems so mundane and if I have to pick the Candyland game up off the playroom floor one more time I am going to scream. I am done!! Did I already say that????

Although it is very cold outside the sun is out today so I had an impromptu coffee this morning to see some of the faces I only pass in the car leaving the school. We all had some catching up to do. Plans for spring, trips coming up, soccer season teams and even a little coupon insider sharing. It was what I think everyone needed as we all sit tight and wait for spring to sweep into the valley and make it all better!! Thanks girls!!!