Another reason why there is Nothing like a boy!

I looked back and saw Jake in the back seat of the car playing on the way to drop him off at kindergarten...is there anything better than seeing a boy's imagination at play....after 3 girls this never ceases to tickle me...cars, planes, trucks....please stay little Jake and play with legos, and cars.... and get big eyes when you see a tractor or dump truck, or Garbage truck going down the road! (P.S. my choices at this moment are to 1. take a shower now or I won't get one today 2. follow through on the threat to the 2 girls that if their rooms aren't picked up before going to school that when they come home all that is left out will be confiscated 3. start dinner or there will be no dinner with the running off to softball practice 4. blogging 5. eating lunch so I don't binge on "crap food" later cause I didn't eat lunch........guess which choice I choose?)

It's time to put the plate away

This is the birthday plate that my friend Gil made us years ago....and I am usually happy to put it away at the end of February...it needs to rest until July...it has seen a lot of action in the past month-3 birthday breakfasts-at least 5 rounds of birthday cakes-the poor plate just needs a break! (and so does the mommy who has to wash this plate and prepare all the treats that adorn it)

We made it. Jake had a great birthday! My youngest child is officially 6 and no matter how many years go by he will always be my baby. We took him to chuck e cheese for lunch. On the way there Jake showed some confusion about going there for lunch so I told him that the "chuckster" was lunch and that after school we were going to eat at a nicer place for dinner with Aunt Mo. Jake quickly responded with "ohhhh, we are going to eat at McDonalds"? He is YEARS away from earning a trip with mom and dad to Ruth Cris! I love this boy....oh how I love this boy! Thank you Heavenly Father for giving me this little guy with an adorable lisp, a love for his mommy and the best little cuddle guy I could ever have. I call him my "boy wonder" because I really do marvel at how he just melts my heart...how he sees the world...and how I just love him!


lego cake.....for a lego lovin' kid!
NEXT-Kailee turned 14 the very next day. Kailee was our first baby....she really defines why we kept having kids...she is so great, sweet, good! I was driving her to school on her birthday and said (she's still the new kid and only knows a handful of new friends)"Kai is it o.k. to bring ya flowers and balloons today" of which she let me know that she really doesn't want that attention and that she's all good. I then said "I guess a singing telegram performed by your dad is out then?" She just looked at me like -"I would die!" She is a good sport. We took her to a casino buffet...come on now...she's 14...gotta start the clubbing early! Just kidding...we live in Nevada...all the finer restaurants (McDonalds excluded) tend to be in Casinos! She got a virgin strawberry daquiri that was as big as her head (which isn't big at all!) but the drink was. It was a nice evening to spend with our first baby who is really growing up way toooooo fast. She is applying for this program called the International Bacalaureate which are courses that are a few steps above AP and earn college credit. The next day she collected some letters of recommendations from teachers. All the letters were exceptional but one in particular touched Paul and I so deeply. When we enrolled Kai in school, a senior gave us the tour of campus and upon seeeing who Kailee-our little 8th grader-had for geometry, he informed us that this was a tough teacher. He is a tough grader and gives no slack to anyone. This is an excerpt from this teachers' letter of recommendation:

"Kailee recently moved from North Carolina to Reno, NV and enrolled at Damonte Ranch High School for the second semester. As an eighth grade student she was placed in my Formal Geometry class and at first I was concerned that she would have trouble transitioning into the class, but she quickly put my concerns to rest. Not only did Kailee put my concerns to rest, but she has become one of the top students in the class. In the short time that I have known Kailee I have found her to be an incredibly bright young lady with a bright future ahead of her. Kailee is an excellent student, but she is also a very well rounded individual. Kailee Guthrie is motivated to succeed and interested in challenging herself academically."

There is much more but I just had to post how neat it is to see others seeing the light that we see in our own children. Kailee is not just a pretty face and a smart girl...she is a light. There is something different about our children....they stand out because they try to do what's right. I am so grateful that my children try to live the gospel and that they are building a relationship with their Heavenly Father. It shows...it is needed....I am a lucky mom!

So birthdays are complete until July when my Shelby turns 12 and is a "young woman". I have a few months to prepare for that melt down. One day these little guys will see how a mom's heart aches and celebrates at each birthday. One day they will be gone....do I love them enough? Do I let them know how unique and awesome they are enough? Will I teach them all they need to know before they leave? I love birthdays but I wouldn't mind keeping them young a few more years!