Happy Birthday Dallin!

We had a great China Day for Dallin's birthday. He has had a passion for the country, it's people, language, and customs for a few months now. For his birthday he didn't hesitate to tell me what he wanted the theme to be. He wanted the China flag for his cake, and to do a scavenger hunt. Nate and I were happy that this year was going to be just a family party. :) We don't want the neighborhood thinking we're joining the communist party. Dallin definitely has his own mind and it is fun for us to see inside it sometimes.

The cake

Some of the presents and decorations. We had tangerines around the room which symbolize good luck for the Chinese at their new year celebrations. I also had balloons all over with Chinese characters written on them. Dallin loved it!

The scavenger hunt: They went around looking for clues to find fortune cookies, Chinese umbrellas, cards with Chinese characters and the English translation, and red envelopes with money inside. They really had a lot of fun.

I forgot to bring my camera, but we had a great dinner at Pei Wei, a Chinese restaurant of course, where we quickly gave up on chop sticks but loved the food. Even Isaac ate (a little). All this with Grandma and Grandpa here which made it extra fun and special. This one is definitely going down in the memory bank.

A big 7 year old! Happy Birthday Dallin!! We love you!

Grandma and Grandpa Come!!

It was so fun to have my mom and dad visit for the weekend! They came just in time for Dallin's birthday. I didn't get very many pictures, but we had a lot of fun. We played at the park, set up a new trampoline, watched some basketball, enjoyed Dallin's China day, and just hung out.

I wanted a good picture of Jared and my Dad smiling together because they look so much alike. Didn't quite get what I wanted but can you see it?

Thanks so much Mom and Dad for stopping to see us. It was so good to see you. The boys are missing you already! We love you!

Water Park Fun

We had a ton of fun at a water park hotel last weekend. Our friends from Mason City came for a visit. Dallin and Isaac had the time of their lives playing with their friends Cheyenne and Leo, and swimming and sliding. Landen and Jared could've done without all that water and commotion. Jared was actually amazingly well behaved, which was great since Landen was not a water bug and wanted to be held most of the time.

This is the only hotel room picture I got. Landen laid there and talked for quite a while.

Here are some pictures of just the facilities.

The kiddie slide - Landen did go down once.

This is called the lazy river. The water flow pushes your tube around and around a big loop. (it really wasn't this crowded).

Notice the huge bucket near the ceiling. It fills with water and then dumps over a huge area.

You can't really tell by the picture, but it is quite a site when the water is being dumped out!

Cheyenne and Dallin in the lazy river

The tube slide. Definitely the favorite ride. You ride down in tubes. It is pitch black and very fast. I was amazed at Dallin and Isaac. They wanted to go by themselves and loved it!

the stairs to the top of the tube slides

Me and Cheyenne coming out.

Dallin trying to cross the lily pads

Isaac getting drenched in the lazy river

this was a really cool tree in the lobby. A fire place sits in the trunk. Landen is sitting at the bottom.

The babies hang'n out. Sydney and Jared

No School!

Mid-Winter Break. A whole week off of school. The kids were ecstatic. I was, well, racking my brain for lots of ideas to keep them busy and not at each others throats all week. After all, it's winter, we're all inside, all together, all the time. I had to have a plan to keep my sanity, and theirs! Is anyone else excited for spring?

We painted, built, and raced race cars! This was my favorite activity. They loved creating their own car. and the best part - they were $1 at Michales.

We played at the play place at the mall to release some of that boyhood energy. Notice I said "some." I've realized it is an impossible task to release it ALL. They seem to have an endless supply.

A special thanks goes to Bass Pro Shop, for being a totally awesome store for little boys. The fish, the animals, the airplanes, the guns (real ones!!!), the water, all free of charge!

We celebrated the Olympics with some yummy "Olympic torches" (orange sherbet, with red sprinkles on top, on a cone)

Landen didn't quite get the concept.

Of course, played in the snow

Landen would not move a muscle. He didn't think he could move in his snow suit, but he didn't want to go inside either. So he just stood.

Landen is excited for spring.

We created snow flakes to decorate our window.

And most of all, we played with trains! Dallin is back to loving trains (he took a two year break), and therefore Isaac as well. We have started a life of no t.v. or video games. It has been amazing to me to see how it has affected their type of play.

Wheeew! Next is spring break, I'm guessing it will still be cold. Anyone have any more ideas for me? I am definitely open to suggestions!

Funny Landen

Here is my silly Landen boy. We were just shooting pictures for the fun of it. This is before I cut off his cute curly hair. I miss it so much, what was I thinking?