Happy Birthday Kelsey!!

Today was Kelsey's birthday. :0) She turned the big 9. Wow time flies. This lucky little girl got to celebrate her birthday twice this year. Once with just the family and then on Saturday with her friends.

She really wanted a flower cake...so this is the one we made for the family birthday party.


And this is the one she had to celebrate with her friends. :0) I think both of them turned out really cute.


The girls each made a couple of bracelets and then we made mini pizzas. It was a lot of fun.


Here is a picture of all the different bracelets.


And then of course, the pinata. What is a party without a pinata??


Even Spencer got in on the action. Of course, this was after the pinata was broke open, the girls had picked up the candy and everyone went back in the house. LOL

All in all, I think everyone had a good time. Kelsey, I hope you had a very special day and know how important you are to our family. Dad and I love you very much. You are a special little girl.

The Power of the Written Word

Last week Chase had an English assignment to write an "opinion paper". So Chase decided to write about his opinion on the high school No Backpack Policy. Just as a little bit of background...our high school is overcrowded (as many schools in our nation) but due to the overcrowding Seniors are not assigned lockers. If they want a locker they have to share with a friend, underclassman or stranger. Since Chase didn't have anyone to share with he did not have a locker. Well, the school also has a policy in place that states backpacks are not to be brought to class. Now that put Chase in a pickle...no backpack in class, but no where to put it either...what a conflict. In most instances, when Chase explained the situation to the teachers, they were very willing to work with him and simply asked him to place it by the door as he came in, sit it by the teachers desk, one teacher even told him to put it in the lost and found box next to her filing cabinet. So he was good...until he went to German class. This teacher has an absolute fixation on this rule and is absolutely, positively unwilling to work with the student in finding an "alternative" solution. I have been taken back by her fixation on this Backpack Policy. So instead of acting out, Chase simply wrote his English paper on his opinion of the No Backpack Policy. His paper referenced his understanding of the policy and why it is in place but also outlined why he didn't agree with the policy as it is currently written. His closing statement to the paper was "They [administration] create a situation and don't help with a solution and if the teachers spent as much time worrying about the academic progress of their students and they do on enforcing this policy, maybe the school wouldn't be on the State of Idaho's schools with inadequate academic progress list."

Needless to say, the paper was given to the vice-principal, Chase was called down to the office and was assigned a locker...all to himself.

I couldn't have been more proud of him for voicing his opinion...and the opportunity it gave him to see one voice can make a difference. :0)

Happy Birthday Spencer

It was Spencer's birthday on the 14th. We had fun with Grammy and Poppy P. here to celebrate with us. We went to his favorite place to eat, McDonalds, and then came home for presents, cake and ice cream.




Spencer was actually interested in opening the presents himself this year. Yes, he is a more careful "present opener" than most 7 yr old little boys, but he did it. :0) That is progress.


He an Todd got his new race track set up and Spence thought it was great!! He would bust up laughing each time the cars went down. He would say "Ready, Set, Go" and Todd would push the lever to release the cars. Spencer would get to excited to push the lever himself. We were all laughing at him laughing.


This is the Lego birthday cake I made. I thought it turned out pretty cute. :0)

Spencer blowing out the candles. By this time he was tired of all the extra "attention" so Kels and I decided to help him out so we could be done. It was a great day and I think he had a good time. We are grateful to have him a part of our family. Love you Spencer!!

Skydiving

So I am slow getting this pics posted, but better late than never...right? :0) Anyway, here are some pics of Chase and Todd's skydiving adventure back in September.

The group of crazy people before we left the house. These four, Chase, my friend Jonnie, Kayla and Todd were the ones planning on jumping. We had all got together for a BBQ (aka last supper) earlier that afternoon and then played games, visited and joked around until 4 pm when it was time to head out to the airfield.

This is the group of us that went out to Skydive Idaho, spectators and jumpers. There was a lot of excitment in the air.

Chase suiting up.

Chase and my friend, Jonnie, ready to go. The jumpers could only go 2 at a time so Chase and Jonnie paired up and Todd and Kayla jumped the second round.

Chase's descent...they jumped from 10,000 ft. Not sure how far away from the ground he is still is but this was the first photo I could take and actually have him more visible than just a black dot. lol

Chase coming in for the landing. Since they were all tandem jumping, they landed on their rear ends.

Now it was Kayla and Todd's turn. They both received some "on ground" instruction before taking off.

Suited up and ready to go.


Todd as he is coming in. His descent was the fastest since he was the biggest.

This was the easiest way to watch the jumpers coming down. Luckily the landing area was nice and grassy.

The jump is now complete. All survivors. I think they all had a good time, enjoyed the experience but I'm not sure any of them were so "in love" with skydiving that they would do it again.

Happy Birthday Chase!!

Chase turns the big 18 today. Hard to believe he is there already. We had a big and I mean big party for him yesterday. He had about 25 people over. We played volleyball, played on the inflatable Bungee Run, watched the BSU / Oregon State game and ate!! It was soo much fun.

This is a picture of Chase and Kade on the Bungee Run. This inflatable was soo much fun!! Even Todd and I tried it. Yes we are sore today, but it was WORTH IT! :0)

This is Justin and his fried Tyler as they are being pulled backward by the bungee. All you can see of Justin is his black socks. Did I mention we had a good time?

This is the small group that was in the house eating for a few minutes during the party. Yes the gal in the orange BSU shirt is Chase's girlfriend Julia. :0) She is headed for BYI-I on Sunday. Not sure how those two are will survive the long distance. I imagine Chase will want to be going to Grandma's more often. :0)

At one point in the evening, Mariam decided to see how many large green grapes she could fit in her mouth. It was hard for her not to laugh as the rest of us. She fit 25 grapes in there. Unbelievable! I couldn't believe she did it without choking.

I hope you have a great day Chase and may you continue to grow into the strong, independent, righteous young man that I know you are. I hope that you always find happiness and can see the bright side of things when the going gets tough. I am so very grateful that you have been a part of my life and a member of our family. I can't imagine what things would be like without you. I love you! Happy Birthday!!

Pierced Ears

Kelsey finally decided she was brave enough to get her ears pierced. We told her that she could have pierced ears after she turned 8. Then it was just a matter of her decided she was ready. :0) We went to the mall on Saturday and she watched a baby and a 3 year old both get their ears pierced before it was her turn. She still cried a little bit, but she was brave trooper for the most part. The earrings she chose are her birthstone. Aren't they cute?

Mosquito Bite

I wish there was some cool story for Spencer's black eye but there isn't. Its a mosquito bite...plain and simple. He has always had an allergic reaction to mosquito bites. The bite area always gets really, really swollen sometimes to the point that the skin splits open. This time isn't any different. The bite is actually at the side of his nose and he got it Tuesday night. This is what he looked like this morning. If anyone has a remedy to help reduce the swelling we are open to suggestions. :0)