My birthday

The older I get the less I expect to happen on my birthday.  It’s not a bad thing, I just don’t expect anyone to throw me a big party or anything too exciting like that.  Well this year I got a big surprise!  Tyler (unknown to me…I was so tired I zonked right out) stayed up half the night decorating for my birthday.  He’s such a sweet kid.  Then after being up all night he got up early and gave me breakfast in bed-toast, banana and a string cheese.  Then I got up and went out to the living room to find all the decorations and I got hand-cut confetti thrown at me.  I got some awesome vintage gifts :)

 

Hand cut confetti:

A vintage snow suit complete with matches and some pitchy wood in the pocket in case I need to start an emergency fire (courtesty of Grandma Bev):

A new candle (also courtesy of Grandma Bev):

If Grandma’s basement hadn’t flooded while I was in Texas, I don’t know what I would have gotten for my birthday!

The decorations:
 

I asked Ty what “ES” stood for.  He says…It’s 32 mom (in a duh kind of a voice.) He didn’t realize for another hour or so he’d put them backwards!  I think he was so tired last night!

The boys were so cute and I loved that they did this for me.  They are so sweet!

Ann invited me over for dinner for my birthday so I wouldn’t have to cook.  Josh had to work, so it was nice because he could come too.  He took the boys over to Grandma’s on his way to work so that they could help her.  I had no idea that she’d planned a whole menu and party.  She invited Jade and Kaylynn over and Grandma Bev.  Then they decorated and everything!  Jesse was a big helper.  He was cooking 3 different things all at once!  Ty helped with the little kids outside and Kaylynn made me a cake.  I couldn’t believe it!  They are all so nice!

Look at all the food!

 

They made me blow out a few candles :)

Kallie and Tracen….ready to eat already!

I also got phone calls from my mom and dad and even my brother (he was actually the first, early morning call)

I had an awesome birthday!  Thanks to everyone who made it special!

Oh dear…

Lincoln figured out how to climb out of his crib right before I left for Texas.  I was so sad! He’s always been so easy to put to bed and down for naps because I’d just lay him in there and he’d go to sleep.  The top of his crib is broken so he stands on it like a little platform and would yell at us.  For a few days I tried just going in and laying him back down until he quit climbing out and went to sleep.  But then one night he fell off the top and scraped his back.  So that was the end of the crib.  So sad.  I turned his crib into a toddler bed and moved Tracen’s toddler bed back in the room.  Tracen took over Link’s bed and Link sleeps in Tracen’s big boy bed.  Tracen doesn’t really fit to well so I think we’re going to have to graduate to another set of bunk beds soon!

Easter and Baby Leah

A few weeks ago we got the call from Crystal that it was time to have a baby!  Kaylynn had just had her baby girl the day before so this was really fun for us.
Ann and I took off for Roosevelt to be with Crystal and Kurt when their baby was born.  We got there about 3:30 and Leah was born at 10 or 11-ish…I can’t remember :).  Crystal had told us several times that she wanted Josh and the boys to come up and stay for Easter too, so even though we were a little skeptical that she’d really want us there with a new baby Josh got ready and came too.  He hooked up the trailer and hauled all 4 boys by himself to Roosevelt.  I’m super impressed actually that he did that lol.  It took them like 7 and a half hours to get there!  We set up the trailer in their backyard so we wouldn’t be invading their house all the time…just most of it!
Crystal did awesome and we hung out there for a bit until Leah got to come back to the room and then Ann and I headed to their house.  She had to stay for about 36 hours and the boys were dying to see little Leah!  No one under 14 was allowed in OB so they had to wait.  They were so excited when she came home!  Jesse turned out to be the baby hog.  It was so funny.  He was always holding and loving on her or trying to steal her from someone else.  Lincoln also loved the baby and also wanted to hold her.  Tracen was happy and content to just look at her for a day before easing into the commitment of actually holding a baby :) and Ty loved on her too but didn’t try to steal her away like Jesse.  I love it because Crystal always took care of my boys…especially Ty and Jesse when they were little and now it’s their turn to love on Crystal’s baby!
 

Lincoln trying on Leah’s little boots.
Kurt and Tracen like to tease each other. Kurt always tells Tracen he needs to practice holding a baby, so Tracen needs to let him hold him!

Good thing Josh has got some nieces because he’s really cute with girls :)

Skyping with Jade and Kaylynn and Jase and Jade.

We tried not to be too annoying and noisy and loud.  I’m pretty sure it didn’t work.  I kept telling Crystal when she was sick of us to send us home.  Since I didn’t think she’d admit it I kept asking her if she wanted us to go home!  So one day we took a field trip to the dinosaur monument.  It was really cool!  The visitors center is built around a big hill that has a whole bunch of dinosaur bones in it.  You could walk right up to it and touch the bones.  The boys thought that was awesome.



Tracen wanted to hike up to the petroglyphs.  It was windy and a little cold so everyone else chickened out except me and him :)  There was also a river where people raft.  We went down to check that out.  We are thinking we should get our raft out and go back soon.  It was super pretty there.


Saturday before Easter Grandma took Tyler, Jesse, Tracen and Lincoln to the grocery store where they were having activities.  Ty ended up being too old so he helped Link.  They came home with all sorts of goodies.

Crystal has this fishing game that the little boys loved!
 
Link can get his feelers hurt pretty easy.  It’s kinda funny sometimes :)  He got his feelings hurt so he snuggled up to Jesse.  He loves Jesse and Jess is good to him most of the time.

We did stay until Easter and the Easter bunny was able to locate us at Crystals.  I didn’t bring our baskets though so it was all laid out on the ground.  Leah has a basket :)

Link coming to check out what the Easter Bunny brought him.


Super amazing waffles for breakfast with anything on them from ice cream and chocolate to fruit.
 
The Easter Bunny brought Grandma a basket too

Linky giving Leah some lovin’'

He’s gonna help dad out with that work….

Tracen can definitely hold his own.

Easter afternoon we drove out to Moon Lake.  It was so pretty.  There was still a layer of ice on most of the lake.  We threw and skipped rocks to our hearts content.  Jesse found a “J” shaped rock and he and Tracen fought over it.  Crystal and Kurt brought the boys up here last summer when they came and stayed and they loved it.


The J rock

We left Monday morning and came home.  We stopped in Ferron and ate lunch on the lawn of a church.  It was a fun trip!