We Have a Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday Layla Darling!

My sweet little girl is 4 years old today!

Where has the time gone? I decided the best thing to do is write down everything I can think of about my three year old Lays so we don't forget her.
She is 100% girl!

She loves dolls, tea parties, and my little ponies. Lays screams with joy... and also rage. She loves to dance like a princess, talk like a princess, and dress like a princess.  She snuggles with you, cheers for you,

and is always ready to compliment you.

Layla also loves to follow Tom and me around. I have never had any of the others act like her.

She cooks with me every day, and

 loves, loves, loves cheese!

 She has requested cheese "shamwiches," cheese tortillas,

 and macaroni and cheese for her birthday food.

Every morning she will wake me up with a "good morning mommy, I love you!"
She likes to teach me how to do stuff, and always wants to be the one who gets to say the prayer.
I love you Lays.
                                                                        p.s. Please don't grow up any more!

I had to update this post with pics from the actual day.

This year I had her gifts set out the night before so when she woke up they would already be out.
It was fun to start the day with a party. I think I'm going to make it a tradition.
She loved, loved, loved her little pool from G&G Bridge.
After that I decided to let her do whatever she wanted.
She did not want to get dressed, or do her hair.
I am so proud of myself.
I actually let her!

This is p.j. change #3. Can you spot #2.?

Missy did it again! These pictures truly capture the girls party. I have more to post, but I haven't got them ready yet!

We took a little trip!

Hello good old Moscow, we missed you!

This last week we went to our old stomping grounds because

Tom was asked to be on a panel at the Law School.

I was excited to show the kids the Moscow in my memories.

Some things were still the same, but some were a dissapointment.

We got to show Jay where he was born, but the cool black bears at the research center had been replaced with big horn sheep.

(By the way in case you aren't aware, sheep are so not as cool as bears to a kid, actually to anyone!)

 We got to show the boys the two apartments that we lived in while Tom was going to Law School,

but the Taxi Cab that is in front of our old house was broken, and disgusting!

The steering wheels were completly missing, and the bottom was full of mud, yuck!

Thats them standing in front of it in the pic. I couldn't even let them get in it was too gross!

 Why must things always change? At least the food at our favourite restaurant

Loco Grinz

was still "tamazing"!

I also got a shot of the cows with the hole in their side.

Now that is something that I have never seen before, have you?

(My kids liked these way more than the sheep!)

Hanging out with the Nakaia's was fun too.

Tom and Dru were mission buds, and we have always

 kept in touch. Dru is going to Law school in Moscow right now.

 When we first met Melissa, I only had Logan

 now look at all of them. To quote Melissa, "we have a tribe man!"

Looks like we need more girls eh?

This was, all in all, a good trip. It was just two days, which allows for a smaller degree of annoyances,

 and not too long of a drive which also allows for a smaller degree of annoyances!

Don't you just want to eat him?

This kid is so sweet!

I don't want him to grow up at all. While I was telling this to Jade she said that it might be cause I should have another kid. I felt sick thinking what if she's right? What if not wanting your last to grow up is a sign your not done? What if I have to be sick again? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Then I realized that I don't  want Logan, Jameson, or Layla to grow up either. That made me feel better, and now I am 97% sure I'm done. I can't say 100% cause I don't have a crystal ball, but it feels good to be in the 90's at least!

Library days

I like to take my kids to music and movement at the Library.

We have fun, but usually J-man is too cool to dance. Parker usually is too, but I caught him in a moment of weekness in this priceless shot.

This is how they usually act.

How do boys know to act like that? You'll never catch me saying,

"Now we're going to a music class, and I don't want you to do any dancing, singing, or having fun of any kind!"

Why do boys think it isn't COOL? And how do they learn it so soon?

Look at Lays and Ellie! They love it!

Oh well, I guess boys really will be boys!

Update on Lays party.

I know this is silly, and that I only did one post for the boys birthdays, but...

I did a practice run of Lays cake! I have never attempted a 6 layer cake before and I was nervous!

Isn't she cute?

Logan loves scouts.

I never expected it to happen, but I am starting to like scouts,

Because Logan loves it.

He got his wolf last month and the kids had to wolf down a pie to find the badge.

Cute idea eh? This kid is wolfing down everything constantly though!

 When he eats I have to get him two of everything! About 1 hr after dinner he is moaning to eat again, and I honestly don't know whether to let him or not. I'm always thinking- Does he need to? Am I "super sizing" him, or is he just growing? I swear that kid is going to be as tall as me in a few years the way he eats!

And is it just cause I'm his mom, or is he getting really cute?
Oh, and I also wanted to blog that...

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

When Tom turned 30 I threw him a big bash.

 So he offered to do the same thing for me, but I wouldn't let him for two reasons, #1. I like to plan parties, and #2. if I had let him I probably would have ended up watching college basketball with a few of my closest friends. Tom has his strengths, but lets face it this kind of thing ain't one of them. If you think I'm being harsh just ask me what he actually did do for the first half hr of the party!

Now you know why I am glaring and threatening to punch him in this picture. Just joking I actually think I was trying to get him to stop snaping pics of me.

So this is the invitation. I know boring for you, but this is actually so I can show my kiddies in like 10 years.  I put r.s.v.p. to Tom so he could be in charge of something!

 Tom and my sis Jack actually did do a funny multiple choice questionare about me. They were kind enough not to make it too much of a roast. Jen won and got a B.F.F. neclace with a pic of me in it.

Do I know how to throw a rocking party or what? hahaha!

Jen also made my Birthday cake! What a sweetie.

Marie and Jason won "Best Outfit!"

So this is a game I made up for Toms party and I decided to do it again. We just challenge everyone to do silly things and see who will win. The first one was popping 5 baloons the fastest by sitting on them.

The second was getting 10 jelly bellies out of the Jello the fastest.

Up and down the stairs the fastest.

Staring contest.

Tom and Jack and I all figured this one out. We told them it was sculpt the best beard, but it was actually who could lick off the whip cream the fastest. I made them big huge bibs out of plastic table cloths. This was the funniest thing I have ever made my adult friends do. I can't believe they actually did it. One second they were sculpting their husbands a whip cream fassion statement, the next second I yelled, "actually the contest is who can lick it off the fastest." They didn't even stop to take a breath they just went nuts!!!!

I love my friends.

Drinking contest(pop of course)

Arm wrestling.

This one was wraping the toilet paper around your wife the fastest... Tom cheated.

Nate and Staci won the fabulous prize

I had a ton of fun. Parties are really the only time you can really get silly,

and I can be myself without coming across as the nerd I am. 

 I hate being 30, but love my life.

I just decided to do 30 things about me.

1. I hate being alone unless I am in a wood shop, or snorkeling.

2. Tom always says it is o.k. to talk to yourself as long as you don't answer... yep you guessed it, I answer!

3. Every year I like peanut butter less and dark chocolate more.

4. I still hate olives.

5. I hate to get up, do my hair and get dressed.

6. I am a lazy perfectionist. If I don't have time to do something right I don't do it at all!

7. I am turning into my mother in the good ways and the bad ways.

8. I love my sisters and cry for Lays.

9. My smile is giving me smile lines.

10. I am too honest when I talk to people I know love me.

11. I love to over think, over plan, and over stress about things.

12. I still laugh when someone falls.

13. Never got the chicken pox... and oh did I try.

14. Get a kick out of my kids, but do try not to laugh at them.

15. Tend to think I'm right. 

16. Love to read.

17. Am still in love with Mr. Darcy.

18. I am a "realist" to the extreme.

19. Love hot tubs.

20. Like to think that I can not only "dish it", but also "take it".

21. Every year I force Tom to take pictures, and he never thanks me till they are a few years old.

22. I like to talk unless I'm expected to, then I am way nervous.

23. I can not spell at all.

24. I fell in love with Tom in 20 mins.

25. Tom always wins "phone showdowns." I will always click over for him no matter who I'm talking too!

26. I don't like to cook breakfast food.

27. Like to paint.

28. Have middle child syndrome.

29. Hate everyone who doesn't get sick when they are pregnant.

30. Get attached to inanimate objects.

This is in no order cause whatever I thought I wrote down.

So I guess my 30th was good and hope you either had or have a good 30th too.

Here is what I've been doing.

So I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have been trying to plan 3 Birthdays!

I'm turning 30!!! Yuck!

Henry is turning 1!!! Ahhhhhh where did that year go?
and

These two are turning 4! I am having a hard time accepting this.
It seems like only yesterday Ellie was bald and Lays had way too much dark, dark, dark brown hair!
But alas 4 years truly have passed so Missy and I decided to throw our girls a joint Birthday party.
  Missy got a super cute idea for the invitations so we took them to a candy store for these shots!
The theme is a rainbow polka-dot party. You may wonder where we came up with such an original idea.
Maybe you're thinking "why both?"
Well, Lays has been wanting to do a rainbow party ever since Jay had his Golden Birthday,
and if any of you know Missy you'll know why we added the polka-dots!
I love that one of my bestest friends is such an awesome photographer.
Thanks Missy!
You can't see it in these pics, but she put little gems on the shirts.
To see her tutorial go to the black
How DoesShe?com
button on the side of my blog.