Soren's Super Mario Birthday

I really need to get back to picture-posting on my blog.  There are so many events that I've missed over the last couple of years.  I don't even think I blogged Soren's awesome Angry Birds themed party last year! This year, Soren is obsessed with all things Nintendo...especially Super Mario!  Soren turned SEVEN this year!  We had his party on October 6th (actual birthday the 5th) and it was a gorgeous day! We had a houseful...I counted at least 40 people at my house!! I have tons of pictures...but sharing just a very random few will suffice :)

Soren wanted to juice some apples for cider from one of our trees

Soren got surprised by Mario and Luigi (Chris and FiFi)! 

Amanda surprised us by bringing Brandi over from OSU :)

I was impressed that "Mario and Luigi" stayed in costume WITH mustaches the entire party

Aunt Suzie, Ian, and Grandma Q.

Gift extravaganza!

Blue funfetti Mario cupcakes

Mario and Luigi waterbottle and mustache straw favors! Soren is wearing his new Nintendo hat and glow-gloves :)

Ramblings of Today...September 24th, 2013

Life can be so demanding.  Sometimes I think "I only have two kids...why can't I catch a break?!"  It isn't always so busy. Or is it?  Life is good, but I'm looking forward to a break.

I think September often brings a rushed feeling.  Days are getting shorter, and the weather starts to change.  We savor our summers on the coast of Oregon, an when the rain starts to pour, the gloom sets in.  When I was a kid, I loved the fall.  September meant no more mowing the lawn and weeding the garden...and it meant that my birthday was near, along with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!  I loved hearing the rain outside, I loved the wind, I loved the cold, and I loved the dark days.  Now that I'm "grown-up" and have a house, have land, and have kids, I savor every summer day.  The reasons why are obvious.  But, in case you are wondering, here's a few clues as to why...wet, hunting, holidays, sick, overflowing gutters, wood stove, more holidays, unfinished summer projects, school, too much TV, and mud...lots and lots of mud. By the way, I now loathe the dark days.  Oh, to be a kid again.

Today, this week, next week.  A million things to do.  Just when I think I've got a full plate, I get another text...I get asked another favor...I get reminded of that thing I was supposed to do...I...I...I!!  This has been my life lately.  My birthday was last week...why is it that on my birthday I get asked to call people, go out with people, eat with people?  I know why...but, really...why?  Why can't they call me, bring me food, or babysit my kids so that I can go out by myself?!! LOL!  Frankly, I had a lovely birthday.  I digress...

And as I sit here, thinking of what I want to write next, my mind just races. 

Yesterday, Adam sent me a text asking what our Saturday plans were and my already lit fuse almost reached the powder.  "Why are you asking?!...because if you wanna make more plans, then the answer is an emphatic 'NO!'"  Poor husband of mine.  Really, he just longs to be home to do fun things with his family.  There are many days I wish I could trade places with him.  Yes, there are days I would just love to drive around a fancy new rental car with just the radio and the GPS to keep me company, spend several hours with adults, eat at lots of fancy restaurants, and enjoy countless evenings alone in a fancy hotel room.  Ok, ok...I'll take my rose-colored glasses off.  There is no perfect.  And when you make a commitment to your husband, your kids, your life... you realize the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

The grass is green today, and it's on my side of the fence.  It's just wildly overgrown. 

I'm already kicking myself for taking the time to write this random post.  When I started (it's now 8:22 PM), the kids were finishing up some school work, I was waiting for paint to dry, and waiting for Miss Evelyn to wake up from her nap.  Now, as I type, the kids are talking to their daddy via "face time" and showing off their new Halloween costumes.  I close my eyes and wish they were already ready for bed...but no, they still have baths to take, teeth to brush, and prayers to say.  Every night I make a goal for bed.  Goals are nice.

I still have a full night ahead of me...baby shower projects, birthday party planning, a few loads of laundry, and I MUST tidy up the kitchen before I go insane. Oh dear...8:42...gotta round up the kids. Nighty-night blog friends.

Dedication, Birthday, and Student of the Month

On March 11th, little Miss Evelyn Colleen was dedicated at Hilltop Church in Astoria...the same church my little sister was dedicated at 25 years ago.  Afterwards, all the family that came (Grandma Balensifer, Grandma and Grandpa Thompson, Uncle Jack and Aunt Jeanne, Henry, and Adam and I and the kids) headed to my parents' house for a Mexican feast.  We had a nice afternoon of visiting :)

Parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents

Evie is a mama's girl and started fussing soon after Pastor picked her up...then fussed the entire time.

Adam turned 32 on March 15th and the kids were excited to throw him a mini-party.  Weeks prior, Synnove and Soren had made pictures/gifts for their dad and wrapped them in painted pictures.  I made some red velvet cupcakes and Synnove made some decorations. 

Synnove received the Student of the Month award for February at school.  She was very excited! Unfortunately, Adam couldn't get out of work to attend the assembly, but Grandma Suzi was able to come!

More January Photos

On the evening of January 21st, I attended the Annual Astoria/Warrenton Chamber dinner to celebrate my dear grandma. She was completely in the dark and was told that my little brother was receiving an award from the Chamber for community service. Fortunately, she never suspected, and was shocked to tears when they announced her name to receive the prestigious Richard Ford Distinguished Service award for her lifelong service to the community and the City of Warrenton.

The next weekend, the kids and I attended J.R.'s 5th birthday at his house in Olney. It was a quiet birthday, but the kids enjoyed games and playing with friends outside in the surprisingly decent weather!

The next day, we had a big family party celebrating Synnove's 7th birthday. As always, it was a great time with family, friends, and food. She chose a Disney's "Tangled" theme and passed out fancy bracelets and purses to all her girl cousins and friends that came...the boys got binoculars :) She got lots of clothes, accessories, trinkets, and toys including a new bike! So spoiled!

At the Movies: January 21st, 2012

For Synnove's 7th birthday, almost 4 months ago, my friend Andrea and I decided it would be fun to take our girls and a small handful of their friends to Beauty and the Beast 3D. Andrea's daughter, Katelynn, and Synnove are in the same grade and were both turning 7 the same week and were both having family parties at a later date. I really didn't want Synnove to be flooded with gifts from two parties, so this was a great compromise. We let each girl choose 3 friends from school but only 5 were invited because the girls chose some of the same friends. Most of the girls, including Synnove, had never been to a 3D movie. It was absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious to watch the girls during the action-packed previews screaming at falling helicopters and dinosaurs popping out of the screen!

Our friend Sarah also came with her kids and a few others, so along with some siblings our crowd totalled about 16 people!

Synnove was the only one in a dress. She loves wearing dresses...and a birthday is a perfect occasion!

Intense!

Front: Brooke, Katelynn, Carlie, Synnove, Grace, Emily, Raelynn

Back: McKaylin, Madelynn

Andrea and I with our birthday girls.

"B"irthday During "B" Week...again

Last Wednesday, October 5th, was Soren's actual 5th birthday...his golden birthday! Adam and I had decided to get him a new bike since he had outgrown his old one, so we picked one up on the long drive home from Whistler, B.C. (we were at a wedding there in late September). We didn't give it to him at his party because we wanted him to thoroughly enjoy the gifts everyone had given him. Plus, we thought it would be fun to surprise him on his actual birthday. So, that morning, he woke to find it waiting for him upstairs. He promptly put on his new helmet (gift from my mom) and went outside to try it out in his jammies before school.

He wasn't outside for long because we needed to head out the door. Miss Kara had asked the kids to wear "B"lack for "B" week...so he dressed accordingly. I was snack helper that morning and Kara had planned to "B"ake "B"iscuits, but I was planning to do "B"rownies and "B"lueberries for snack, so the kids helped me "B"ake those instead of the "B"iscuits. We got to work right away so that the "B"rownies would "B"ake and have enough time to cool before making them into "B"at "B"rownies with a cookie cutter.

While waiting for the "B"rownies to be ready to eat the kids learned about "B"ats and made "B"at cut-outs with wings made out of their "B"lack hand prints. They turned out pretty cute :)

Of course, last year, Soren's birthday was during "B" week as well...only they made "B"rown "B"ears :)

"B"aker "B"irthday "B"oy "B"aking "B"at "B"rownies

"B"lowing out his candle

The "B"rownies were almost a disaster. Cutting them out with a cookie cutter was difficult, but the kids didn't seem to mind that a couple of the "B"ats were "B"roken. I had also ordered more than enough Candyland stickers for all his preschool friends to have one so Soren passed those out as well.

After school, I thought it would be fun to take him out to lunch at the Logger. It surprised me when he said he just wanted to go home. Duh...he wanted to ride his new "B"ike!

Soren's 5th Birthday Party

Oh how I love throwing birthday parties for my kids! Although, it will be sad when they no longer want family parties anymore and they only want their friends over. Family parties are a fun and relaxing time that everyone seems to enjoy. Like many of Soren's birthdays, this one was was quieter than usual. Many folks were hunting in Eastern Oregon, but we still had over 25 people come to celebrate.

Soren chose a Candyland theme this year. He's been a bit obsessed with Candyland since last winter when I did a Google search on how long the game had been around and found a blog on it. He became very interested in all of the different versions of the game that have been made over the last many years. We found one at Goodwill a while back and Soren enjoyed discovering and sharing the differences between that one and the one we already had. For a while, it seemed to be all we heard about! He loves playing Candyland, and he loves winning...but most of all I think he loves talking about he game characters. Anyway, he chose his theme a few months ago and I was having a very difficult time finding party supplies online. Most of the Candyland themed supplies I found were homemade. I ordered stuff here and there when I found it over the period of a couple of months. Then, about 3 weeks before the party, I was happily surprised when I found a company that had some commercialized supplies!

The party turned out great. Soren wasn't too optimistic that any kids were going to be there, so he was surprised when Alice, Cash, Faith, and little Khol were there to pass favor boxes to. Soren also received some fantastic gifts...and I think all of them were hits!

I couldn't believe it when Aunt Suzi showed up with this gift. Soren had actually asked for this type of ball when Suzi asked him what he wanted at Elise's baby shower. I didn't think he had ever seen one before...so I wasn't sure he even knew what he was talking about. Well, Aunt Suzi found one...he loves it!

I had found a Candyland beach towel complete with game pieces and water-resistant cards on Ebay. He thought that was pretty cool.

I found a lady on Ebay that made personalized cake toppers. Because of some miscommunication, I actually ended up having to buy two of them. At least I had a back-up in case one tore...I guess...*sigh* Soren really loved his cake this year...as I was decorating it with candies he said "this is going to be a really good cake mom!"

Soren ended up with 4 dart guns and they were a source of great entertainment for kids young and old!

Enjoying playing some Rock 'em Sock 'em by...himself?

Six

She's my big helper, she's already growing out of the clothes I bought her in the fall, she's got 2-3 loose teeth, she loves to read to me, she can ride her bike like a pro, and she just turned SIX!

In the last few months Synnove has turned into quite the school girl. She seems to do well with her "studies" and often comes home to tell me about what she's learned. It's weird for me to have a daughter in school for six hours each day. I know that her innocence will start to deteriorate, and the thought makes me sad. I'm looking forward to Soren going to kindergarten so that I can help out in the classroom and be a part of their school lives. So far, Synnove has done well and has made good friends. I pray this continues.

ANYway, Synnove had her big party on the 23rd (actual birthday is the 27th) because Adam was going to be leaving for Georgia the next weekend. As usual, we had lots of guests and had a great time. I served tacos and the yummiest red velvet cupcakes anyone has ever eaten!! I took a week-long break on my diet for those babies! I surprised Synnove with her very own cake (she thought she was getting a cupcake and didn't know how the candles would fit) and she very timidly blew out her candles. She was shy and nervous to open her gifts in front of the guests, but so excited that she didn't even eat lunch.


On her actual birthday, Grandma surprised her by coming over to give her a sewing lesson. She actually got her little toy sewing machine over a year ago at Christmas, but I told her she had to save it till she was six. Quite frankly, I'm a novice sew-er and I wasn't keen on teaching her how to do it and was happy my mom volunteered. Synnove had been talking about it for weeks because she knew that her sixth birthday was coming soon. Synnove was elated when Grandma pulled into the driveway and told her to get her sewing machine out. Synnove thoroughly enjoyed herself and did very well with her stitching. Their time was cut short when we got word that Great Grandma had just passed.


On the weekend after her birthday, I planned to have a few of Synnove's friends over for a "glorified playdate." Synnove didn't know her friends were coming until the last minute, and it was fun to surprise her. That morning, Synnove had a slight stuffy nose and her eye was red. I thought that maybe she was just really tired from spending late evenings at Grandma Barb's house. We had gone to bed very late the last few nights and Synnove slept in till 10:30 that morning! Unfortunately, the "pinkness" wasn't going away. About an hour before her friends were set to come over, I started to panic that she had pink-eye, so I told her she had to wear a gauze patch. She endured it without complaining the entire time, and even wore it that night when we were at Grandma Barb's that evening. Her eye stayed a bit pink for about 2-3 days.

Jena, Brooke, Synnove, Emily, and Grace

I told the parents "no gifts"...but some parents just don't listen :)

I'm Ready for a New Month

January has been full. It's January 31st, and yet it feels like March. Here's why...

I suppose the mayhem started in late December when Synnove contracted Molluscum. Thankfully, Soren had gotten a very mild case over the summer (at the time I had no idea what it was) and when I took him to the dermatologist for his forehead scarring from the accident I asked the Dr. about it. By that time, Soren's immune system had fought it off, but after a brief description, the Dr. knew exactly what it was. I had never heard of it, but learned it was very common. I'll skip the details. ANYway, I started noticing bumps on Synnove in early December, but didn't pay much attention because I knew what it was, and it was mild and harmless. It wasn't until about New Year's Eve that her few bumps exploded to hundreds and hundreds! Plus, they were creeping to her face, hands, and the bottoms of her feet. Frantic, I Googled treatment options. I already knew that there wasn't much for treatment other that cutting them off...but I researched for options. Molluscum is a virus that can attack the body for months to years! I was desperate for find a solution. I found a homeopathic treatment that was kinda spendy, but readily available at Walgreens. That night my mom picked up a bottle for me, and I started treatment right away. It was a long process and had to be done morning and night. Synnove was supposed to go back to school in just a couple of days and I had to get it under control because it's contagious.

In a couple of days, the bumps had slightly faded....enough for me to feel comfortable to send her to school. I told her not to scratch and to wash her hands often. She did. Synnove's case was on the verge of extreme...and the treatment we had was meant to be put on individual bumps without touching other skin, but we had to put it all over her body because the bumps were infinite! I went back to the internet for more answers. I happened upon some product reviews and a specific post where a gal talked about another natural remedy that worked for her son. I when to the natural foods store in town to see if I could find what she was talking about. I found one thing, but not the other. I started with Synnove right away (little sublingual pills called Thuja) and her bumps started vanishing within a few short days. It was miraculous! I was thanking God! Now she only has a few of the larger bumps and we continue to manage them with both medicines.

In the second week of January I started attending TWO Bible studies. One is a study though our church that meets 1/2 a mile up the road, and the other is a woman's study that meets on Tuesdays around lunchtime. I'm so excited to be a part of them! Not only are they a great way to delve deeper into the Bible and into spirituality, but they help me get connected with other Christians in my little community.

I attended the annual MK Seattle Sizzle Conference with Star Consultant perks. I also had the pleasure of cheering on my friend Andrea as she won Queen of Sales, Queen of recruiting, and Queen of Seattle Sizzle! It was the first time in the conference's history that there had ever been a triple queen! She is an incredible inspiration to all, a dear soul, and dear friend. She also earned directorship and her car! Believe-it-or-not, she only signed up 1 1/2 months before me! Mary Kay has been keeping me busy this month...especially with my latest "New Years Trade-In Sale." I actually made quite an impression with my fellow MK ladies with all the stuff I collected from my customers!

I was wrangled in to volunteer for the Knappa Schools Foundation annual auction fundraiser. I've been calling local businesses asking for donations and running all over town picking them all up. It's fantastic fun...ha ha. I finished most of my work last Friday...that's a big load off!

I started attending a new monthly scrapbooking group. I haven't scrapped since I was pregnant with Soren, and I've only scrapped up to Synnove's birth. Saying that I'm behind is a gross understatement.

Synnove turned 6 last week! I hosted TWO parties for her. I made tacos and cupcakes for 40 two weekends ago, and yesterday I had 4 of Synnove's friends over for a "glorified playdate." 5 6-year old girls together is quite the handful! Pics to come...

My Great Grandma Backe died last Thursday. It was just a few posts ago that I wrote about her 100th birthday! And it was only two short weeks ago that she finally asked Jesus to be her Savior. She is proof that it's never too late...what a miracle! The last handful of days have been spent driving back and forth to Warrenton for dinner and family time. It's a blessing, really...but the late nights are taking their toll...especially since everyone in my little family is....

...SICK! Fevers, coughing, stuffy noses, vomit, pinkeye, earaches. We are finally on the mend, but the last 2-3 weeks have been misery. Soren has been the worst as he's been sick for most of January. Adam hasn't had this bad of a cold in as long as I've known him. Synnove, despite her molluscum and a mild case of pinkeye, has been blowing her nose the least. However, she did get the croup the same night Soren was throwing up with a 103 degree fever. I've been keeping the cold at bay for most of the last couple of weeks, but it caught up with me a few days ago. Yeah, it's a bad cold...but not NEARLY as bad as what Soren and Adam have been battling. We have gone through at LEAST 5 boxes of tissue (doesn't include all the toilet paper we've used) to blow our ever-stuffy noses.

Adam left for his annual conference in Georgia yesterday. I'm just praying that we continue to feel better, and life can return to a less-busy normal. We've got Bible study at my house, a funeral, a field trip, and snack duty.

I love my life!

Pre-Christmas December

My sister had been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for her husband, Chris, for quite some time. His birthday is the day after Christmas, so birthdays for him have been (I'm sure) less than exciting. Elise thought it was PERFECT to surprise him by throwing him a party on her birthday (the 10th). We were supposed to meet her and Chris for "dinner at the Shilo for Elise's birthday." Somehow we lured him downstairs to the banquet rooms for the big reveal. He was surprised...and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself :)

Auntie Piggy gives a shocked Chris a hug...

Soren's Christmas program was the next week. He was a Christmas Star along with all the other 3-4 year olds. He did everything he was supposed to do...except he didn't smile or sing. Maybe next year?

A rare photo of myself...and my little bruiser. He had a goose-egg on his head (ran into the corner of a wall), a swollen and bruised jaw (tripped and hit a barstool). A few days later, he fell and split his chin open!

He was the HIGHest star!

A couple of days later we had a big storm. Really...the wind was blowing hard, but not harder than a typical coastal storm. But, because the wind was blowing in an easterly direction, branches were falling like raindrops! I didn't sleep well that night because there were constant thuds on the roof...I was afraid one of our skylights was gonna shatter! The next morning, we woke up to this....

Frankly, this picture doesn't fully illustrate the magnitude of the mess. Adam was busy fixing his Mitsubishi (AS USUAL!) and I worked non-stop for 5 hours cleaning up the property. I could have done more, but I was soaked to the bone and a bit chilly. Except for our "hurricane" 3 years ago, I've never seen a storm create such a mess! Fortunately, the larger branches managed to land in perfect places!

100 Years Old!

From Sunday, October 24th:

On October 27th, 2010 my great-grandmother, Myrna Backe, turned 100! To celebrate, we threw a bash for her at her retirement home in Astoria. It's amazing, but she was living on her own clear up until 3 or 4 years ago! She's absolutely unbelievable! In the last year or so, her health has been going downhill, but she still has a lot of spunk. My grandma Barb (her daughter) has been spending every day with her and they are the best of friends. How wonderful is it that my 75-year-old grandmother still gets to hang out with her mom??

The party was great. There was a slide show, lots of food, and a giant cake (almost didn't make it!). Many of Great-Grandma's friends from the home came to celebrate as well as all of her family and a few friends.

Mother and Daughter; Myrna and Barb

A view of the crowded room

Myrna and her daughter and only grandsons Mike and Mark

Myrna and her Great-Grandchildren and spouses (not in order and missing Wendey)

Myrna and her Great-GREAT-Grandchildren! Getting them to all smile at once was a chore. There were several cameras to look at.

All of us that came who are related. The gentleman on the left with the red sweater is Uncle Leo (Myrna's youngest, and only living, sibling) and to the right of him in the back is Myrna's nephew (I think his name is Mike) and the woman towards the middle with the purple scarf is Myrna's niece (her name has escaped my memory).

My 30th Birthday Surprises

As most of you all know, I turned 30 last month...September 17th, to be exact. It was a pretty uneventful birthday filled with yummy chocolate cake, a heap of Facebook greetings, and a whopper of a migraine. I was feeling a bit better by evening, so Adam took the kids into town to pick up some take-out Fultano's Pizza (my request). The kids gave me a camera strap slipcover that I LOVE, and Adam said that his gift to me was on it's way via USPS. As usual, I had told him not to get me anything big, and I was perfectly happy to spend a quiet evening at home with my family. The next day was going to be busy, as I was helping out at Tonya and Chris's wedding! So, really, celebrating my birthday was not number one on my priority list.

Camera strap cover (an Etsy.com find)

Little did I know...Adam had a few surprises in store.

The next week I was looking forward to getting a phone call from my dear friend and former roommate Sarah. I hadn't talked to her in ages (at least a YEAR), and she had just gotten engaged and I wanted to hear all the details. She called. We talked. Then, the subject of getting together came up. For over a year now, my roommates and I have been trying to find a weekend to spend together, and it just hasn't happened. In August we were seriously considering September, and as September started coming to an end, I decided "enough is enough!" Sarah suggested the first weekend in October would be good and I told her I would ask Natalie. Mandy, our non-roommate friend wasn't going to be able to make it because another of our college friends was getting married.

That evening, I got a message from Nattie saying that she could make it. I was stoked!! I was texting both Sarah and Nat at the same time getting all the details worked out. I knew that Adam would be fine with it, but I finally asked..."hey honey, is it OK if I have some friends over for the first weekend in October?" Strangely, he responded..."what friends?" Long, sad story short, Adam had already asked them to come for that weekend for a birthday surprise! I was still VERY surprised and VERY touched that Adam would go to such lengths to make my birthday special. I couldn't believe I had unintentionally ruined it...I mean, really...I talk to Sarah once a year!!


The next weekend (September 25th-26th), we got in our car accident. We didn't go to church that Sunday because...well, we didn't feel up to it. Sunday evening my family showed up with pizza, salad, and cake. I thought they were there to cheer us up from the accident, but instead they were there because Adam had asked them to a few weeks prior. Because my birthday weekend was full of wedding and headache, he wanted to give me a surprise mini-party!

Adam was kinda bummed that my gift hadn't arrived in the mail yet. It actually got sent registered mail and was delivered to the post office. I picked it up the next week. Unfortunately, it was packaged in a bag sent from Great Britain and I could totally guess what it was. I was impressed he remembered the hint I gave him a few months prior! I couldn't wait to open it, as it was still going to be a surprise because I didn't know what design he picked. When he finally came home from work I ripped it open to find he'd picked one I loved! He bought me a Golla DSLR camera bag with a design only available overseas. I love it, love it, LOVE it! Super sturdy, durable, well-made, comfortable, and stylish. It's even got a zipper wallet compartment in the front so I can use it as my purse for travel! Plus, the inside is PINK!

Later that week we all got a bad cold. Mom had wanted to take me shopping for some new jeans for my birthday and we were having a hard time finding a day to do it. That Friday, though I was feeling miserable, was the only day that seemed to work. So, when Mom got off work, we packed up the kids and headed to Tanasbourne. We actually had a really nice time. Surprisingly enough, I found some pants that fit (among other things)! We ate at the Macaroni Grill and headed home late. Funny story...we got "accidentally" pulled over on the way home by the same cop that handled our car accident the weekend prior. I think he was a little embarrassed that he pulled over the wrong car. Still, the flashing blue and red was enough to get us worked up for the rest of the ride home.

The next day my roomies were coming! Adam had to go out of town to take care of some things, so the kids and I were left without a vehicle. We had the Montero, but because we forfeited Soren's car seat in the accident we couldn't take the kids (the boosters don't work in the Montero). Sarah and Nattie arrived around noon and the kids were in our faces for the rest of the day. They love guests and always want to be the center of attention...so, they were. I was bummed that Adam didn't come home earlier...and we didn't get to leave the house to have dinner till almost 7:00. Because it was late, the girls and I opted to not take the long drive into town, and instead have dinner at "The Logger." They found it quaint, to say the least...not to mention, it was homecoming night and all the kids were gussied up for a nice dinner at, none other than..."The Logger!" *sigh* The girls now want to make it a tradition...lol!

Me, Nattie, Sarah

We arrived back home to find an empty house. Part of the birthday surprise that I didn't know about was that Adam planned to take the kids and spend the night at my parents house. It was nice to stay up late and not have to worry about waking the kids with our laughter. We had a blast! Truly...it was just like old times.

In conclusion, my 30th birthday was flat-out awesome! Thanks to everyone, especially my sweetheart, for making this milestone a celebration to remember fondly.

My Big Boy's Birthday

We've pretty much said goodbye to toddlerhood at the Brown house. Wow. Soren had an awesome 4th birthday. We ate burgers, visited with friends and family, ate some cake, and opened some gifts...typical birthday stuff. Soren wanted a Disney's Cars themed party...so that's what he got. He also received LOTS of Cars themed birthday gifts...including (but not limited to) jammies, coloring books, Moon Sand (that's a fun one for mom to clean up), various toys, and a Lightning McQueen shaped radio/CD player. He didn't say much, and was quite serious throughout the party. One thing that eked a smile on his face was the new addition to his rubber chicken collection. As many know, Soren has a strange love for rubber chickens, and chickens in general, that started a couple of years ago (click HERE , HERE, and HERE for a couple of past "chicken" blogs).

When squeezed the chicken whines.

He told me his remote control car was his favorite gift...

I just had to share this pic...such a mess :)

Today, on his actual birthday, he went to preschool. It was nice to return after missing an entire week last week from sickness and stitches (he's still coughing though). I was snack helper and we ate freshly baked cupcakes and strawberries. It's "B" week this week, and Miss Kara thought it was funny that Soren Brown was having his Birthday today. They read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and made Brown Bears with the letter "B" glued on the tummy with Black Beans! At circle time Miss Kara presented Soren with a card signed by the class and a book to take home. Then, all the kids made him an imaginary cake...