Saturday Excursion

Saturday morning was some fun time with my kids. First thing at 9 a.m. was a kids workshop at The Home Depot where they could build something for free. The project for the day was a small wagon. They all loved it!  Nikki was a bit embarrassed before we started though because she felt she was too old to be doing something like this. She tried asking if she could just help the boys with their projects but I told her she would like it and just to make the wagon for her sister Charlotte. Afterwards, she said she was glad she did it and that it was better than she thought.  I mean, how often do you get to build something with a hammer and nails? I think the boys didn't really know what to expect before the project but they sure loved doing it! Garrett and Nikki did most of theirs on their own while I helped Jack. Charlotte stayed her in stroller for half the time but she got squirmy and fussy so I had to let her out. We were working on the lumber aisle so we used some boards for our hammering table. Charlotte kept climbing onto the boards and crawling all over. She also tried to get in and help Jack and I with his project but it was too much. I was able to get her to stand and watch for a little bit before she got bored. There were a few times where she took off trying to go explore. There were a lot of people there doing the project so it scared me a little when she disappeared the first time because I couldn't see her. She even got her fingers into the paint. After cleaning ourselves up I was able to get her back into the stroller so it would be easier to get her to the car. Charlotte just loves to go everywhere on her own!

I think this was Jack's first time using a real hammer and nails. He was pretty happy!

Working on her wagon (Charlotte's).

Kids give me the funniest faces when  tell them to look at me for the picture. Garrett was really loving this project and did most of it on his own!

Even Charlotte got to use the hammer....without the nails though!

They had stickers you could put on your wagon and paint. Nikki opted out on the stickers and did all paint. She mixed the red, white, and blue they had for us and made purple. She even painted the wheels!  Charlotte loves her wagon and has been pulling some of her stuffed animals around in it since she saw the boys do the same with theirs.

The boys did stickers but Jack later decided to paint the inside of his wagon different colors (using the red, white, and blue).

Garrett didn't want any paint and he was so happy with it even though he glued and nailed one of the wheel axles on slightly crooked. The wagon just likes to turn a little but it still works!

After the workshop I took the kids over to the Karcher Mall to go look at the pet shop. We were mostly wanting to see if they had any cats, which they didn't. With much reluctance I have decided to try letting the kids have a pet cat. So we were on the hunt for a good one. I would like to find one with short hair though. The main reluctance I had with getting a cat is the fact that Nikki and Jack both have allergic reactions when they pet a cat and rub their eyes without washing hands first. We're hoping that maybe it will help them get used to it but only time will tell. Nikki is the one that is really pushing it and will even be helping to buy the cat or anything it needs. She recently earned some money from doing yard work for her great grandparents (as did the boys). I also hope this will teach her more responsibility since the cat will pretty much be her cat. She'll be in charge of cleaning up after it, etc. 

Anyway, after looking at the pet shop we walked down to the pretzel shop for a snack. We had to wait a little bit because they had just opened and didn't have anything baked yet. So we sat on the benches and munched on crackers I had brought. After about 10-15 minutes we were able to purchase 2 big pretzels and share them. They were so yummy! 

After pretzels we walked back down by the pet store where they had ride on and candy machines. I gave each of the kids a quarter to spend on either a ride or candy. Nikki did candy of course. Charlotte and Garrett rode a ride together. And after much deliberation Jack went with candy but posed for a picture on one of the rides.

Jack in the space ship.

Garrett and Charlotte rode on a multi colored elephant.

Garrett was wearing his cowboy boots so I told him he had to get a picture on the horse. Too bad he didn't have his hat! And the horse was blue and orange. Go Broncos!

After the mall we went to Zamzows to see if they had cats. They didn't but I was able to pick up some Thrive to apply to our new tree that we planted last year, as well as other plants. We then went to Petco where they did have 3 cats. They were asking $40 (normally $50) for an adoption fee but I just wasn't really liking the ones I saw. I know it's mostly going to be Nikki's cat but I want to get a cat that I'll like too so I'm being picky. And the thing is, these cats actually came from Pet Haven, which is the animal shelter for cats in Nampa. We tried stopping by there on the way home but apparently Pet Haven is remodeling and won't be open until at least this Tuesday. We at least got to see some cats in the window. 

When we finally got home I decided to look on craigslist again for any new cats. The week before we had found a cat that we were interested in but after getting no reply from email we find the ad was deleted so it must have been adopted already. Well, we found a cat yesterday that both Nikki and I fell in love with that would have been free but unfortunately I was too slow. When I called the lady said someone else was going to come look at the cat later and that she would call if they didn't want the cat. Well, she texted me an hour or so later and said they took the cat. We were so bummed!  I also forgot to mention that we did go look at a cat my friend Whitney was willing to give us but we weren't really sure and wanted to look around first after we went over there, which she was fine with.  So the search is on!  Waiting to find the right cat! I'm just a little picky. And yes we want them to be fixed and litter boxed trained so we won't have to do it. Honestly, I've waited this long to try having a cat again. It can wait a little longer if necessary.

Well, it made for a fun excursion Saturday morning with the kids. The only thing that could have made it better is if Curtis could have joined us. But alas, he was stuck at home doing homework. So proud of all of his hard work and dedication! At least Curtis and I were able to go on a date that night. We went to Pita Pit for dinner and then drove around the country side dreaming about our future home. Then went home and watched a movie with the kids. Fun times!

Student Awards

I'm proud to say that this year all three of my school aged children have received recognition awards. At the boy's school each class chooses 2 students each month to receive an award for whichever character trait the whole school was working on that month. In September Garrett won the Good Character Award for Respect. I was especially happy that he won this and at the beginning of the year because last year he did not get one but Nikki and Jack did. Last year I assumed that once a student received an award that that was it for them, so as to give other students a chance, but I found out that someone I know that was in Garrett's class had won awards on two separate months. So I was a little frustrated. What made it even better though was that he won this award in the month of his birthday. What a great gift!

And what a coincidence that Jack would also win an award in the month of his birthday, February! He earned the Good Character Award for Honesty. The funny thing was that on the way home after school the day he earned the award he asked "Mom, what is honesty?".  Well, I'm glad he was being honest even though he wasn't sure what it was!

He was also wearing a frog hat he made at school that day.

Lastly, a couple of days ago (March 4th) I received a phone call from Nikki in the morning when she was at school. At first I'm thinking oh great she's sick again because she's been sick quite a bit this year but then she tells me she's in the principal's office. What?!! Did she get hurt? Did she actually get into a fight with someone?  Not Nikki, she couldn't have!  She's not a trouble maker! 

With a little concern in my voice I ask "why?". Between her speaking softly and my bad phone signal I had to ask why several times because I couldn't understand what she had said. Finally, I hear "Mom, I got student of the week."  What a relief it was to hear those words and a proud moment at the same time! I think she had said that she got to go somewhere with the other winners and the principal to get food or something but I'm not sure. I forgot to ask her when she got home.  But I'm so proud of each of my kids and the good examples that they are to their peers and friends! 

I don't know if she brought home an actual certificate for the award so I just found a picture of her that I took recently so I have at least something to show for her.

Basketball

Garrett just finished up his first season of playing basketball. He really enjoyed it! Our kids tend to be the ones who watch everyone else on the team play and pass the ball off as quickly as they can instead of shooting because they are timid and afraid, but by the end of Garrett's season he was dribbling the ball, taking a few shots, passing, and doing a pretty good job at guarding. Curtis and I would continuously try to give him pointers before, after, and during the games. On the last day coach told him and us that he was definitely the most improved player this year and I would have to agree.  I'm hoping that he plays again next year so that it can help boost his confidence, which he really needs right now. Boosting his confidence in other areas will help boost his confidence in reading, which he is struggling with right now. He's a smart boy, it's just a little hard for him to hear because of his slight hearing loss. He's also afraid of speaking up because he doesn't want to be wrong. Sounds a lot like me!

Garrett taking a shot. Unfortunately he didn't make any baskets this season but hopefully next year!

After Garrett's last game.

Charlotte's "toy" during the games was the handrail on the bleachers.

Winter Birthdays

When you get out of the habit of blogging it is really hard to get back into it but every week I keep thinking I need to blog again, I need to blog again!  For me, it's like keeping a journal and I know journaling is something I should be doing. I don't want to play catch up too much so I'll just post about the recent birthdays we celebrated, starting with Nikki who has turned 12 and is now in Young Women's.  I can hardly believe it! I felt like I was just there myself.  She celebrated with a friend's birthday party this year where they had pizza and donuts (instead of cake). I introduced them to the Skittles game which was fun to watch and since one of her friends didn't want to eat the Skittles I told her I would do it for her when she rolled doubles.  The game is played by everyone sitting in a circle on the floor and then everyone takes a turn to roll two dice. If they roll doubles, then they get to take the bowl of Skittles and use a knife to scoop them up with and then dump them into their mouth without touching the knife on their mouth. It keeps going until the Skittles are gone or we just get tired of eating Skittles.  Some girls had a turn so long that they had a mouth full of Skittles and had to spit it out into the garbage because they couldn't chew anymore. After this game they played a few rounds of Spoons.

When friends had first arrived to the party Nikki also played another game with them called Two Truths and a Lie.  They had to tell two things about themselves that were true and one that was a lie and the others had to guess which was the lie. I didn't really get to watch that one though since I was running around getting things ready but I think they enjoyed it.

The next thing they did was watch the vampire movie "Twilight" but right before that Curtis and I had picked out an old funny video of Nikki to show to her friends. It was when she was about 5 years old and she was singing her very own "Stinky Song".  Nikki was so embarrassed that she ran to her room to hide until it was over.  It was all in good fun and no she did not cry.  We think she was adorable and funny!  :)

We told Nikki she could have donuts or cake but not both. She chose donuts. And yes, we let her light her own candles!

A good group of friends including a few cousins!

Mother/daughter silly faces!

Birthday morning wearing her new shirt and scarf.

On the 15th she got a birthday hair cut. She had been wanting it cut for a long time.

She cut off about 8 inches and she loves it short!

The next birthday celebrated was my birthday!  This year I decided I wanted to go out to eat with parents, grandparents, and sisters & their hubby's. The ones who could make it were my Dad & Laverne, Curtis's parents, Curtis's sister Shauna & husband John, and my sister Melissa and her husband Nathan.  After several days of thinking of where we should go to eat I decided it would be easiest to do Golden Corral. Plenty of room and plenty of food choices. It was a lot of fun!

The waiter heard it was my birthday so later he brought back some of the crew and asked me to stand on the chair with hands on my hips while they sang a birthday song to me. I was in a good mood so I happily consented! And I was wearing one of my new birthday shirts that I picked out (Deseret Industries baby!).

My birthday group. Butterfields on the left. Nortons on the right. Ha ha!

Going out to dinner happened the day before my birthday so on my actual birthday we invited my sister Tamara and her family over for dinner and games since they couldn't make it the day before. Curtis cooked up a turkey that we bought after Christmas. It was yummy because Curtis soaks it in a brine. After dinner we had cupcakes and played a game of Beyond Balderdash and foosball.

Charlotte is loving the candles. Tamara brought over some pumpkin spice cupcakes. Yum!

Nikki and her cousin Katie made me a necklace. I love that Nikki used a sea shell she bought when we were on the Oregon Coast last summer.

Katie, me, and Nikki. Had to get a shot with them and me wearing the necklace.

Wondering what it is???  Ha ha!  That's my sister waving to her reflection in my new extendable wall mirror!!

I really wanted to play some foosball! Happy 33rd birthday to me!

Our third winter birthday was for Jack who turned 7 years old this year! He REALLY LOVES OREOS and so this year I made him a cake that looked like an Oreo or at least the best I could do to make it look like one. I used Devil's Food cake mix and cooked up to round 9" cakes and put vanilla frosting in the middle.  I used a little over one tub of store bought frosting for the middle and it still looked kind of thin but oh well! For Jack's birthday we had my grandparents over and a couple of neighbor friends. Other grandparents were unable to make it.

He thought it looked awesome.

There's Charlotte again reaching for the flames. Can't wait until it's her birthday to see what she does when she gets to blow them out! Jack is happier than he looks  ;)

Birthday presents! The game of Battleship, a zombie t-shirt, a family sized package of Oreos (of course), a plush toy (Plants vs. Zombies), and a Wubble bubble ball that's glow in the dark. The plush toy we had actually ordered online about a week and a half before from China and it just happened to come in the mailbox on his birthday. He was pretty excited about that!

This is the Wubble bubble ball. Unfortunately it only lasted one night before the kids popped it.  It was supposed to be pretty strong too. It did come with a lifetime warranty so we sent in the piece of it that they wanted (I hope) and hopefully they will send us a new one because it was fun while it lasted. Only downside is that they made us pay for shipping and handling which cost about half the amount of what we paid for it.

Happy 7th birthday Jack!