(July 2nd)

Saturday, we got together for a bbq at a friend’s house. We had a lots of friends and food, minus a few who were out of town. We also celebrated a birthday!

It’s not a birthday without cake, but we had to get a little patriotic. Plus, Lauren loves fruit so it was a win win. This recipe is one from my Ina Garten book, and it is delicious. I forgot candles, so instead, we just sang to the birthday girl.

Lauren and Allison then served everyone the different desserts we had. Thanks ladies!

Remember those tickets I got Kevin for his birthday? Well the weekend had finally come to put those Foo Fighter tickets to use. Christina was willing to watch the kids for us so we could go stay the night and not worry. So we left around 4 after Kevin got done with work, and headed east. It was supposed to be about a 2.5 hour drive there, which turned into a 3.5 hour drive, because of traffic. We took our time and enjoyed the ride. We got to Quincy and checked into our hotel, then headed to the Gorge Amphitheater.

Sasquatch is a music festival that starts Friday of Memorial Day weekend and goes all day, every day till Monday night. We were only attending Friday. A lot of people camp, but we will never be in that group. Those campers are crazy. So while our kids were at home with Christina…

(Photo courtesy of Jameson and the itouch)

We arrived here

We will definitely be coming back here for more concerts. It’s right along the Columbia River, and gorgeous.

Since we didn’t know the bands playing before, we just walked around and checked stuff out. We got Jameson a Sasquatch shirt, and Kevin a Foo Fighter shirt, and me a Sasquatch jacket. I had thought about the fact we would be outside, so we brought coats. But, I didn’t think to bring anything else. So I was freezing. The good news is, since we were both cold, we cuddled up for the first part of the concert. We watched the “glo stick” dancers off to the side of us. When we couldn’t take it anymore, we headed down to floor in front of the stage. First, we got warm, secondly, we had lots more fun in the crowd.

Kevin got to sing back up for Dave Grohl.

They made a joke throughout the night asking who was camping in “District 9” making reference to that alien movie. It really did look out of control. On the hillside, you can see all the cars parked. Basically, people put their tents at the trunk of their car, and everyone was packed in as close as possible. Then they had port-a-potties lined down the camps. This is why we wont be camping there, ever.

We had so much fun. Thanks to Christina for watching our munchkins so we could have some alone time. It was much needed.

(May 7th)

Saturday started with a visit to see friends. Jameson was excited to visit Jake, and we never leave empty handed. Jake passed on a dinosaur to Jameson, which he can’t leave anywhere now. I think he slept with it the first few nights. If you didn’t know these two, you would think they were brothers. They have the same hair color and somewhat resemble each other. And we would be happy to have Jake fill the slot as big brother for Jameson.

(taken with itouch so not best quality)

After some catching up, and fun times, we headed home for some rest before the big party Saturday night. It was Grandpa McCulley’s 80th birthday and we were to celebrate in style. It was a 50’s style theme, so we got the kids dressed up. Jameson was not so excited to take some pictures.

Those are tic tacs in his sleeve. Don’t think I’m a bad mom. Although, my own mother couldn’t believe I let him have a fake tattoo on his arm for the night. It was completely gone by Monday. No worries. The stylish Aunt Steph and Uncle Josh…

Check out those stylish shoes. And here’s some proof for my children that I actually do exist. This is probably one of the only pictures of me during this whole trip.

And here is the birthday boy!

We had a good time visiting with family. We were able to see everyone and talk with those we rarely get to see. So Happy Birthday Paka!

Happy Birthday! Kevin’s birthday was yesterday, so we got to celebrate. We went out to a Japanese restaurant with friends, and then we all went to see the movie, Limitless. Wasn’t my favorite show, but I got to spend a night out with my husband without our kids. I did my own research and found out Kevin’s favorite band would be playing at Sasquatch this Memorial Day weekend. It’s a big music festival that kicks off Friday and last through Monday over the holiday weekend. So I got him tickets to see Foo Fighters. Tonight after dinner, the kids helped him blow out his birthday candles.

Jameson didn’t get to have brownies with us since, he didn’t eat his dinner. He wasn’t too excited about that. So, to follow along with the other birthdays, here are some things you might not know about Kevin:

• He really does love his car, even though it smells like old man
• He loves oreos, Cookies n Cream ice cream, and Toblerone’s
• He loves teaching
• He is a wheeler and dealer, and can trade to get things he wants. Kind of like that kid on craigslist who turned his phone into a car.
• He had long curly hair when we first started dating.

Oh how I love this man and all his ideas.

Saturday, we celebrated Ella’s birthday with our friends. These invitations were sent out to our friends, since our family is pretty far away. ***Disclaimer*** Please note: While planning this party, or any other party, I search blogs and websites. I get ideas, and don’t necessarily remember which sites they came from. So if you happen to see something that you think came from your site and want credit, let me know. I’ll gladly edit my post to add your name in.

The invitations read (most of it was borrowed from another invitation I found, not sure where, though.) :

Polk-a-dots and Little Black Spots

LadyBugs and Tiny Tots

Our “Little Lady” is Turning One

So Fly On Over and Have Some Fun!

The Infestation Will Be Held in Ella’s Garden

(Insert Address)

At (Time) on (Date)

Give us a Buzz at (Phone number)

A Feast Will Be Waiting For All Buggy Friends

So Come Ready To Dive In!

We Hope To Spot You There!

Head Gardeners: Kevin and Brittany

As we were getting ready Jameson got his hand stuck in the candy jar.

He didn’t like the fact that he had to let go of the candy to get his hand out.

We started off by coloring our front windows to look like a flower garden. Jameson was coloring on the back window, and Kevin couldn’t help but draw with us. It was too much fun to not join in.

The dots on the door are little lady bugs I made. They were stuck all over inside the house, also. This was for a game to be played later.

As you came in the front door, this is what you saw… “flowers” lined the wall. (My original plan was to tie them to green “grass” bundles, but the pedals were too heavy and the balloons didn’t float with them on. So we improvised.)

I made some tissue pom poms to fill where extra love was needed. Each child had a hat, which lined the top of the piano. The girls got lady bugs, and the boys got frogs. (The hats were found at Michael’s in the dollar bins.)

The table provided all the treats: candy, cake, cupcakes, soda, juice, and water. I found lots of different vases at thrift stores and filled them with red and black candy: jelly bellies, licorice, raspberry gumdrop candies, cinnamon bears, Swedish fish. I found a bug catcher kit at Michael’s that included the little bug catching net used as a scooper.

We had moved both couches to the family room, providing more space in the living room, and a place for the Dad’s to hang out in the other room. The food was set out on the sideboard and counter tops. We served pulled pork sandwiches, chips, macaroni salad, chicken nuggets, and french fries. I set out our picnic blanket, and all the kids got to eat on the blanket. The parents got to stand or sit where ever with their plates.

After the kids were done eating, they gathered on the blanket for a story. I read this book:

At the end, when all the ladybugs had flown away, instead of turning the page to find the ladybugs, I told the kids they had flown all over the house. I gave them each a bucket and told them to go find all the ladybugs. Once all the ladybugs were found, we played “Put the spot on the Ladybug.” The little kids were just given a dot, the older ones were blind folded, and the oldest got spun first.

Our finished Ladybug… (you can tell we have a lot of right handers)

Once our Ladybug had spots again, it was time for another game. I had leaves for the kids (made from foam) to spread across the floor. Then they each got their hats on.We had 11 ladybugs and 4 frogs. The music played and they flew from leaf to leaf, and then jumped to each leaf. After a few rounds, I took some leaves away. Of course, the ones that didn’t have a leaf were sad, so the next time I took all the leaves. Once all the leaves were collected, and I saw a bunch of sad faces, I told them it was time for cupcakes. That cheered everyone up.

*I did not do winners and prizes, because at this age, if one gets a prize they all want one. I didn’t want any tears shed at the party for not getting a prize, so no games had winners. *

We sang “Happy Birthday” to Ella, and all the kids helped blow out her candle. Then they were each given their cupcakes to eat on the blanket. We had chocolate cake and homemade strawberry ice cream to go with our red and black theme.

Ella was only given a cupcake. She ate enough cake on her actual birthday.

Once the kids were done eating, I sent them outside to look for bugs and play. While all the kids were outside being watched by the Dads, I cleaned up inside. The picnic blanket was shaken outside, and trash picked up. Then I filled their little buckets with the candy that was on the table. After the buckets were filled, I tied a red or black balloon to each bucket. That was their party favor to take home. Once that was all done, the kids came back inside to open presents. Since Ella isn’t so big on opening presents, I let the children that brought the gift open it. That way, they each got to open a gift.

We tried to take a group shot of the kids. This is all that would sit still. While these pictures are being taken, Ella and her friend were sitting on my lap. One of Ella’s gifts was a baby doll, and these two little girls started fighting over it. I was laughing as Ella and Lilah pulled the box back and forth until one hit the other one. Oh, are we in for it.

So if you look, you can see the two little girls on my lap fight over a pink box. Ella received lots of clothes, a baby doll, and a book from friends , and a little kitchen toy from us.

As everyone left, they got to grab a box with a balloon.

A few friends stayed to help clean up. While we cleaned, the kids all sat down for a movie. It’s a good thing we have lots of little chairs, because they all want to sit on one. I was laughing that they were still wearing their hats.

After cleaning, while these children watched a movie, we had a photo shoot happening in the other room.

Jameson ate candy and wore his hat until bed time. After everyone was gone, all of us took a nap. Except Kevin. I think he played computer games. We had an eventful, fun day. We’re so glad to have made such good friends that will celebrate birthdays with us when family is so far away.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us!

(The ladybug on the left is an extra I found from our “Find the Ladybug” game. The card and ladybug on the right was made using my new toy… a Silhouette SD. Man, I wish I had that before the party!)

The Thankyou card reads:

I’m one lucky lady to have friends like you

To come celebrate my first birthday and have cake too!

(Insert personal message thanking them for gift)

Bugs and Kisses!

Ella

Those will hopefully get sent out tomorrow. Happy Birthday to our Baby Girl! We love you so much, Ella!

Today is Weston’s birthday! Yes, my baby brother is now 18. This means he is no longer a minor, and will go to jail. So keep that in mind, Weston. Just kidding, he is a pretty good kid. I was almost 9 when he was born, so he was always our living, breathing, baby doll. It was awesome. We had our own “baby alive” doll. Want to know what he was like as a child?

He was an active little boy, who would call his friend by the age of 3, many times a day, all day. He would ride his tractor over to his friend’s house. Before we had a chance to notice he disappeared, they would call telling us Weston was at their house. He went through many sets of stitches before age 3, and still loves to ride 4 wheelers. (That last picture was not fun. The back axle wasn’t quite right when we left on a ride, and 15 minutes later, the back wheels no longer turned. Weston had to hole the handle bars straight, while I held the back axle to keep the bike on the rack of my bike. I didn’t realize how many hills there are between that spot and the cabin. Down hill was just as bad as going up hill. I was either holding on to the bike so it wouldn’t roll off, or pushing on the bike so it didn’t roll on top of me. Rough ride, but Weston had fun.)

To finish off my siblings, some things you might not know about Weston:

• He bed hopped when he was little. He slept with Christina almost every night. Sometimes he would get the courage to come to my room (it was in the basement), and then I would send him back to Christina anyway. Poor kid.
• He could tie knots by the time he like 4. He definitely tied us in our rooms a few times.
• He’s not a fan of ice cream? I think that’s right. I know it’s some delicious dessert food.
• He really enjoys to dj.

Happy Birthday, Weston! We love you so much!

That’s right. We survived the first year = Ella is now 1 year old!

But, first things first. Did you see this post? You have till Sunday night to leave your comments. If there’s only 10 of you we might have to send you all something, but I doubt that’s the case. Anyway, on to Ella.

She no longer has the baby face as proven in this picture. Where did it go? We have a full fledged toddler on our hands. She now walks everywhere! This is her new found freedom. She loves the fact that she can now carry something while she walks. Ella is also able to stand back up after she looses her balance, rather than having to crawl to something and then stand back up. She says “Ma” and “Da,” and she actually correlates them with us. This also goes along with the fact that she yells.. aaalot. Since Jameson gets to walk around everywhere at the store, she thinks she should too. Let’s just say, shopping is not so fun. She also tells us she is “all done” in sign language. She does this when she is done, and when she doesn’t want to eat what we have given her. I gave up on not giving her peanut butter or honey. She has gotten a hold of Jameson’s sandwiches too many times, so now I just make them for her. She has also switched to milk. I was tired of buying formula, and she’s 1. She also drinks Jameson’s milk, so what’s the point?

Ella does not like to be alone. In the morning when she wakes up before Jameson, she goes and bangs on his door. You really have to watch her, or she wakes up the whole house. What would we do with out her, though? She started out a fighter…

And grew to be this crazy girl…

So today we did some pictures, including a cake smash. I can’t wait to get them back. We both looked super cute this morning, but I didn’t take any pictures, since someone else was. But, for dinner, I did give her more cake, and we took pictures.

She also got a pedicure by mom…

(Remember, we were all dolled up earlier in the day. This is right before bed.)

And that was how we celebrated Ella’s big day. Don’t worry, we have a big plans for this weekend. Tomorrow we have her one year appointment, so we’ll let you know how much she’s grown. Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

This week, we had 2 birthdays, and I have only written about 1 so far. Who is the other one?

None other than Christina! My mom loves these types of pictures by the way. To our credit, we took this my freshman year of college trying to finish off a roll of film to get it developed. So sorry I missed posting on your actual birthday, but you were not forgotten. I have any pictures that are framed of us on top of the entertainment center. It’s like an ode to Christina up there, but at least I get to see you everyday. A present will be in the mail next week for the Dixon girls. I was a slacker at sending things this week, but to my credit, it was Brittany’s daycare around here. Jameson loved having friends all week to play with, but that meant I was home a lot. By the way, if you lived by us, you could bring your chillins to Brittany’s daycare any day. It comes complete with hot meals. 🙂 Depends when you pick your kids up if you get lunch or dinner. So, I think you need to work your way up this way.

Since I did this to Paul, we might as well put Christina on the spot. Things you don’t know about her:

• She likes to buy cookie dough to eat, never to make the cookies.
• Even though she’s left handed, she does most things right, including batting and ironing.
• She danced when she was little (we both did, but I really don’t remember it so I don’t think it counts).
• I’m pretty sure she never got a “B” in school. I always had teachers asking if I was going to be valedictorian like my sister. I told them to check their grade books and they’d have their answer. (That was a negative.)
• She’s my best friend… but you probably knew that one.

Happy Birthday, Christina!

This song is a tradition around our house when someone turns 23. And guess who has earned the honors this year!

Not many people get to see this side of Paul, but we do frequently. Despite the song, everyone actually loves Paul. Jameson was even singing the birthday song today for Paul. We miss having Paul around. He used to come to Reno all the time to visit us while he was in high school, and even lived with us for a summer during college. We haven’t seen Paul since August, so I think it’s time for a visit. We keep telling Paul he needs to do an internship up here with us. So some things people might not know about Paul?

• He’s a gentleman.. still opens doors, carries bags, carries my kids, pumps my gas for me, etc.
• He can cook
• He’s a great baby-sitter for his nieces and nephews
• He’s an ordinance worker (he wonders why the old ladies stare at him. We tell him they’re trying to think which granddaughter they can set him up with.)
• He can play the piano by ear
• He plays guitar
• He’s not so good at free boarding
• He loves his older sister

So here’s to another year, Paul. Hopefully we get to see you soon. I mean, you are the favorite Uncle. No one has been able to change that. Even with better bribery. You had it right when you started Jameson young on the bribery.

By the way, ladies, he’s single. So if you’re interested in the bachelor, let me know. He’s awesome.

*Apparently, Paul and I need to take some more recent pictures together. High school and college pictures… we need to update.

After getting call from the post office, we learned we had a few packages waiting for us. I knew this, since one was guaranteed to be here Wednesday and it wasn’t. Kevin went to the post office and after some confusion, they sent him to the closer one. He came home empty handed only to have me explain in more detail, and send him back to the post office. Finally, the mix up was resovled, and he came home with 2 packages. While he was gone, we also received on at the house. Grandpa Judd sent something for the kids…

Jameson had to put his shirt on immediately.

Then he got to open a package from his friends in Reno…

He immediately went and got his pillow off his bed (which has Cars on it) and replaced it with his new Buzz pillow. We stick true to the story line around this place.

He then had one last present to open from Auntie Erin and Uncle Jeff (my college roommate who is awesome)

We may have to take this one apart and find the speaker. It is seriously loud, and tape over the speaker doesn’t help at all. Big Buzz, along with every other toy he got for his birthday sleeps in his bed with him every night.

Thank you to all who spoiled my child and spent even more money on shipping. We really do appreciate all you do for us.