Landon's Big Day

Being the youngest child I think Landon has gotten shafted a bit.  With him turning 8 this year we realized that he'd never had an official "friend party" before.  Lame.  So, he rounded up a few friends and we headed to the arcade.  I soon realized that we can't be entirely lame since there were a couple of kids in the group who had never been to an arcade before.  Really?  It was fun educating them on the ways of tickets and tokens.

 After the arcade and a good hand-washing (arcades are Petri dishes), we came back for pizza, cupcakes, and presents.  Judging by the smiles, giggles, and general overall noise level, I think they had a great time.

 Of course, we also celebrated family-style on his actual birthday, too.

Happy birthday, "Boots". I hope you'll always be my snuggle bug - no matter how old you get!

Jayden's Big Day

A few months back we added another teenager to the family.  Jayden turned 13 - can't believe it.  

 The family went miniature golfing, but Jayden said he was going to do it "Happy Gillmore style".  Hmm.

Apparently, when you are 13 you are allowed to light your own candles.

And, apparently when you become a teenager you start sleeping a lot more.  Well, in Jayden's case this can't be true since I have a lot of evidence that he did a lot of sleeping before....

 As I got going through the scrapbook, I found more and more "Jayden sleeping" pictures.  Poor kid.

 I sure do miss my little "Jaybers".  He has been a lot of fun to have around and I look forward to finding out what kind of teenager he'll be.  

What the Old Ladies Are Up To

The Hope of America presentation is a patriotic event that celebrates the youth or the "hope of America."

This was Cameron's year to participate after seeing his older brothers in it several times.

 They wear colored shirts to make up the American flag....

and the loudest applause and cheering is saved for, not the "hope of America" but the "Dancing Grandmas."  This year they did not disappoint.  If you've ever seen them perform, you'll know that they are worth watching clear to the end.

Easter 2013

Easter weekend started off with coloring eggs, what else?  My boys are at that age, again, when it's nearly impossible to get them all serious for a picture.  Didn't we go through this when they were toddlers?

 Easter morning, bright and early, the
"Easter Bunny" (we know who you are) hid ALL 48 colored eggs in the backyard for the boys to find.

 He also hid Easter baskets in the house, which was actually quite challenging for some.  The "Hotter, Colder" game had to be played to find a couple of them.

 I'm not sure what Landon was up to, but at least there was no Easter grass in his basket.  I banned that stuff this year - good riddance! 

After church we headed up to Centerville for the Annual Cousins' Egg Hunt hosted this year by Aunt Laurel. Since my boys are too old for public egg hunts (they are too old to be allowed in), and I don't really like them anyway, we all look forward to this event.

Isn't Dallin handsome?

Cameron is such a good guy.

This is what the moms did - took pictures and looked pretty.  (I hope Laurel doesn't mind my stealing this picture.  I just love pictures of me and my sisters.)

 This is what the dads did.  Well, at least THIS dad - typical.

 All the egg-hunting cousins.

 Okay - now this picture is a story in and of itself.  There is a lot going on here.  First of all, I have to mention how proud of it Landon is.  At first, I told him how "fancy" it was with all the Eddington meaning to the word.  He sensed my sarcasm and his face fell.  I had to quickly turn my words around and give him the praise he was hoping for.  Apparently, since we only have ONE Easter decoration, he decided to make one for me at school.  He told me that he doesn't want me to just keep it for one year then throw it away like I did to the plastic spoon snowman he made in 1st Grade.  Hmm - what to do, what to do?  I've got a feeling that I'm going to have to keep this thing for a while.  Maybe it should join the scary pipe cleaner rabbit - interested, Laurel?  Or, maybe I keep it and give it to him when he gets a home of his own.  His wife will love me for it.

 I do love Easter.  It is one of my most favorite days of the year.

Spanish Dance Festival - 2013

There hasn't been a whole lot of picture taking around here lately.  So, when I saw a cute kid in a BIG hat, I just had to get a shot.  Not to mention the girl on his arm (snicker). 

 Cameron, on the other hand, was like a statue the whole time.  He never smiled and was a stiff dancer.  At one point I had to wonder if the boys were told NOT to smile.  I think he just needed a big hat.

Landon's Reflections Contest

As a parent I have never made my kids participate in the Reflections Contest at school.  However, last year Landon's teacher had the whole class submit a literature entry.  Landon ended up winning a trophy and was so excited about it (no picture and no blog post - lame mother that I am).  

So, when they announced this year's contest, Landon wanted to enter SO badly.  He thought about the theme, "The Magic of a Moment" and thought photography might be fun to do.  He took our little point and shoot digital camera out in the yard and took a lot of pictures.  In the end it was hard to choose just one, so he decided to make a collage.

 He took pictures of 4 different types of plants in various stages of growth - bud, flower, and "done".  This is what he wrote about his project,
"The moment is magic because it can show a cycle of life like a human. the bud is like being born, the flower is like grown up life, and dead is when it ends.  But, the plant keeps on going.  Each moment has its own beauty."

After turning in his project, he could NOT wait until the awards assembly.  He just HAD to know if he was getting an award again this year.  I kept telling him that there were a lot of students and that not everyone can win every year, that just because he won a trophy last year, it didn't mean he would win again this year.  But, lo and behold, he DID win again this year.  He won first place in his age division for photography and moved on to the multi-school level where he earned an "Award of Merit" (a feel-good way of saying, "Thanks, but you aren't moving on to the next level.").  Landon was SUPER proud of himself and so are we.  He says he's going to enter Reflections every year.  

Christmas Eve/Day 2012

The annual "Picture by the Tree".

This year we did something new - made gingerbread houses (from a kit, of course).  Three of us worked on one house, which, of course, became a contest.  It was actually kind of fun.

It's our Christmas Eve tradition to open one gift as a family.  The gift will always be a game that we learn and play that night.  This year's game was a fun one.

Christmas morning before all the real fun begins...

  One of Landon's favorite presents.  In fact, it was probably the most popular gift among all the boys.  With the boys getting older, there aren't as many toys Christmas morning.  The Hot Wheels track was something to put together and play with all morning.  It was hard to tell who enjoyed the track more - the one who actually got it, or the big brothers.

 Dallin has gotten older and harder to shop for.  But, he is still a good kid and easy to please.  A high school sweatshirt still brought a big smile.

 Cameron had been eyeing this Nerf-type gun and was really hoping someone would give it to him.  His day was made. 

 Jayden got a lot of baseball related items, as well as this gift card maze from Grandma Visnaw.  He took great pride in being able to solve it with minimal effort when others were stumped.  What a fun way to make them work for their gift.  

Jayden also got suspenders, which he promptly sported with his pajamas.  What a goofy kid.

 The aftermath - the bigger the mess, the better the Christmas, right?

 Later that day we headed up to Centerville to spend time with family.  Laurel and Doug had quite the spread which included Laurel's Gingerbread Army - delicious.

 I love this picture for a few reasons - my brother is crazy and I love him, our sweaters almost match, and it was while I was still feeling good.  Let's just say that I didn't have to worry about all those extra calories I ate on Christmas, after all.  Hmm...

The kids look forward to their "second Christmas".  Grandma and Grandpa were so thoughtful to still have gifts for the grandkids, even though they were halfway around the world.  We missed them.

 Christmas Day is one of my most favorite days of the year.  There's nothing better than seeing "Christmas smiles" on kids' faces - no matter how old they are.

Merry Christmas!