Celebrating 3 Years with Benjamin

Benjamin turned three years old today.

We had our celebratory birthday breakfast of pancakes with pudding, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
Then we went out to play. It was chilly, but we were excited about the sunshine.

What would a birthday be without a stop at Toys R Us?

Benjamin chose a Sheriff Woody plush toy and was a happy camper.

Daddy snuck out of work and met us at Chuck E Cheese's for Benjamin's birthday dinner and some play time.

After dinner we went home to enjoy birthday cake. Benjamin really loves Sheriff Woody, so it was only fitting that he have a Sheriff Woody cake.

He liked it, so it was worth all of the time that went into creating it.

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Luke really enjoyed the cake and ice cream!

Everyone was excited for presents.

Benjamin loved his new Thomas track!

All in all, we wore him all with all the fun.
Happy Birthday, sweet Benjamin! I'm so glad you are mine.

Our Six Little Valentines

Carston, Jackson and Peyton all had Valentine parties at school today and parents were invited to attend. It isn't easy to juggle three classroom parties, especially while dragging three little boys between each party, but we had fun trying! Peyton enjoyed playing with one of her best friends, Lily, at the party. It was a good thing, because I wasn't able to help her much.

Peyton had a healthy snack and made some really cute crafts. One of which was the picture frame she is working on in this picture.

Jackson's class played a lot of games. Jackson was excited to show off his little brothers and went around telling Grant about everything in the room. He was the first to leave his classroom, armed with all of his goods, to check out his siblings parties with the rest of us.

After Carston's class exchanged Valentines, they watched a Franklin Valentine's Day special and ate snacks. Carston was proud of his Valentine bag.
I was ready to bring everyone home by the time the parties were winding down!

Once we got home, the real celebration began. We started our Valentine weekend by making sugar cookies for a treat.
We {heart} Valentine's treats.

We ended up eating them before dinner! (That's why Benjamin is smiling so big.)
Then we had heart-shaped slices of home-made pizza for dinner.

It has been a full, but fun day that reminded me of how grateful I am for our six!
They are a gift.

I had to include this darling picture of Peyton and Jackson. I love how Peyton is getting her cues from Jackson and trying to match her smile to his. I am enamored with their closeness. It brings me joy. (That does not mean that they always get along, mind you.)
Peyton has declared several times today that Jackson is her Valentine. I hope it will stay that way for a long time to come!

I am grateful for all of my Valentines!

Snow Day

We had a snow day today! It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. The kids didn't have school because we got about 8 inches of snow. I know, it isn't that much snow, but they were worried about getting a lot more today (which didn't happen). Mark was on call last night so he got off around four o'clock this afternoon, which made our snow day even better. He was exhausted but wanted to play in the snow with the kids before dinner. I dragged out a stroller so Luke could be part of the fun while I took a few pictures.

Mark's ski clothes are still in Utah, so he wore his rain coat.

All of the boys followed their dad and dove into the snow.

Sledding down our round drive in front of our house is becoming a favorite wintertime activity.

Yes, we sled directly into the street........because we are crazy like that.
Our street isn't at all busy, so as long as I am out in the street standing guard, we are golden.



Benjamin went sledding a few times but got cold and tired and wanted to sit in the stroller with Luke. There must be something familiar and comforting about sitting in the stroller.

It sure made Benjamin happy, but the added weight made it impossible for me to push the stroller through the snow at all (although it was fairly impossible before he got in).

Grant did throw this snow ball at me.

Grant thought it was hilarious to threaten all of us with gigantic snow balls. He threw them at every one of us, except for Peyton. It was simply more fun to threaten her....keep her guessing.

Carston buried his dad in the snow after the rest of the kids and I had scrambled into the house to take off wet snow clothes and seek warmth from a cup of hot chocolate.

I came back out to take a picture of Carston buried in the snow.

It was very important to Carston that I get this pictures of him breaking out of the snow as a snow monster. I think he is pretty convincing with that face full of snow. Carston can brave the cold longer than the other kids because he simply loves the snow. He takes after his dad.

This was our first Snow Day and we loved it! Back to school tomorrow.....unless we get more snow tonight.

Luke's First Birthday

Our birthday boy all ready to celebrate!

Mark has been on a very busy vascular surgery rotation this month and has rarely been seen around our house. The kids and I really miss him! Miraculously, he ended up not having clinic until this afternoon and was able to stay home this morning (tender mercies). To celebrate Luke's birthday and having Daddy home for the morning, I kept the older kids home from school. I couldn't help myself! It was a family holiday after all.

Luke enjoyed our traditional birthday breakfast of whole wheat pancakes with pudding, cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. He was excited until I scared him by pulling his little hand away from the burning candle on his food. You can tell from the look on his face that he wasn't sure what to make of my panic when he had tried to touch the flame.

We took all of the kids swimming and ate lunch at Chili's, which was really a treat for the older kids who have begged us to take them to eat there since we moved here.

Luke colored his kid's menu.
We had fun with Daddy.

After naps and a busy afternoon at home, we ate dinner and had Luke's cake. Luke was scared of the candle on his cake because of the incident this morning.

It didn't take him long to get over it and dig into his own piece.

Once he finished as much as he wanted to eat, he threw the rest on the floor.

Luke opened his presents just before bedtime.

Since it was his birthday and he didn't get much time with his presents, I put the other kids to bed and spent some time just playing with Luke. We lost track of time, so Luke was still up when Mark got home from work.

So, I got one more picture with Daddy.

Happy Birthday, precious boy!

Carston's First Snowman

It is frigid here in Michigan and although the cold is plentiful, we don't seem to get plenty of snow. Granted, this is compared to Utah. Regardless, Carston has been dying to make his own snowman since it first snowed here during Christmas time, but the snow has been too dry to form. It snowed again last night. Luckily, the snow wasn't as dry today and Carston was anxious to make his first snowman without any adult supervision after school. Our cute neighbor, Will, agreed to help him with it.

Here he is, the snowman of the hour with his creators.

He isn't very big, but took the boys quite awhile to pack together. Carston was very proud of "Snowflake" the snowman and he has now acquired an orange safari hat as well. I think he'll be around for a long while. From what I've heard, we won't start seeing the sun until March.

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

The lyrics to this Louis Armstrong song keep playing through my mind tonight:

"Do you know what it means
to miss New Orleans,
to miss it both night and day
I know it’s not wrong
this feelin's gettin' stronger
the longer I stay away

Miss the moss covered vines,
the tall sugar pines
where mockin' birds used to sing
And I'd like to see
that lazy Mississippi
a’hurryin' into spring

Oh, The moonlight on the bayou,
a Creole tune that fills the air
I dream of Oleander in bloom
and find I'm wishin' that I was there

Do you know what it means
to miss New Orleans?
'cause that's where I left my heart..."

.......Just feeling homesick for our little house in Metairie, our neighbors (especially our sweet neighbor Caroline) and our friends there as well as those who have also moved on and are scattered about, some working unbelievably long hours as residents in hospitals around the country.

I miss the Big Easy! I miss trips to the Audubon Zoo, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, the Children's Museum, riding the Crescent City Connection back and forth just for fun, walking along the River Walk, eating beignets at the Cafe Du Monde, the flowers in Jackson Square, seeing alligators in the wild at Jean Lafitte, safari rides at Global Wildlife Center, crawfish boils, Southern hospitality, warm weather, REAL rainstorms that drench the kids in seconds but are warm enough to play in, City Park, snoballs from Sal's, the French Market in the French Quarter, the street cars, old Southern plantations, the Mississippi River, flying kites and riding bikes along Lake Pontchartrain, feeding the ducks at Lafreniere Park, good music found everywhere, the FOOD, Mardi Gras parades and King Cake, Al Copeland's house at Christmas time complete with fake snow, did I mention the warm weather:)? and on and on. Mark says he doesn't miss the crack heads or the hos, since Detroit has plenty of those:).

Our experience with Katrina somehow cemented my love for the city that never gives up (although I admit living above sea level is a plus for us now). Making it through an ordeal brings people closer and we feel a kinship with those, most of whom had situations that were MUCH more dire than ours, who went through Katrina. We got to watch as everyone worked together to rebuild the city that we came to love.

The Super Dome has a new roof and the city a new hope.
Geaux Saints!
Count this as my love letter, New Orleans.
Here's to hoping for another hurricane free season next year.
Thanks for the memories.