Caleb's 7th Birthday!

Yesterday was Caleb's birthday. He's seven now. Today was his seven year check-up and the doctor asked about his siblings. After hearing their ages, she remarked, "Ah! A middle child! Good and bad, huh?"
I think it's hard to be the middle brother. Not the oldest, not the baby. (I always tell him that he is so blessed since he is the ONLY one in the family that has a big brother and a little brother! But sometimes I think he wishes he was either of those!)
But truly there are SO many special things about my Caleb and I hope he knows how precious and loved and cherished he is in this family!
Caleb is a joy. Always has been. He was a handsome baby and people used to stop me to tell me how cute he was! He had a sparkling little personality, even as a baby. Knox was more of a daddy's boy and Caleb became more of a mommy's boy in some ways. It was really sweet. While he was all boy and loved to roughhouse, he would ALWAYS pick me for prayers (at night, when we all pray with the kids before bed, someone starts and then whoever prays picks the next person to pray) and if I didn't pick him, he acted like his heart would break. He would always hold my hand and still does. He loved to cuddle and be hugged and tickled and rubbed. He was a charmer and manipulative but rarely got into trouble because he liked to please. Still does. He's smart and pretty much learned to read without much effort. Everything comes pretty easy to him but he's very sensitive about any failures. And he loves being the center of attention!

He had to share his birthday with Father's Day this year and he was NOT happy about it. We tried to make it special for him too but he will have another celebration anyway. This Saturday we will celebrate with a Pirate Party. I bought tons of pirate stuff including swords, eye patches, pirate head bandanna thingies, skull candies, treasure maps and a treasure chest pinata filled with toy gold coins, candy, skull bouncing balls and little trinkets. Plus a customized vinyl door banner that reads: "Ahoy! Beware of Pirate Caleb!" and a skull and crossbones on it! Caleb and his brothers and friends will each receive a treasure map and Jesse will take them on a treasure hunt with some stops on the way. One stop will lead to a chest full of Pirate Booty and drinks, another will lead them to their swords, another will lead them to a chest full of water balloons for a cannon ball fight and the last spot will be the buried treasure (a.k.a. the pinata!). The menu is simple since it's an afternoon party-root beer floats and cupcakes and candy! Then a sleep over with his cousins and pizza and a showing of Pirates of the Caribbean!
I love to celebrate all my precious kids on their birthday. It's their day and they look forward to it every year! Especially Caleb who loves to have a day to shine and not be in his big brother's shadow!! He's looking forward to a "cool and awesome" party so I hope we deliver. Hey, he's only seven once!!! These seven years have flown by and I'm guessing in seven more, he'll have NO interest in me throwing him a little party with skull gummy candy and pirate cups so I'm going to make the most out of these birthdays while I can  and pray that the memories of these parties will fill Caleb's heart with the knowledge that he is loved and special and important to us! Even though he's a "dreaded" middle child! ;)

The Oil Spill

So. I woke up at 5:30am to snoring and crying and I'm not sure which was loudest. That's not that big of a deal except that I didn't go to bed until after midnight. AND when I ran downstairs to make crying baby a bottle I stepped in something slimy. Shocked, I realized it was a puddle of olive oil. Then it all came back to me. The night before, right as we were rushing out the door to see the Lakers game and BBQ at a friend's house, I grabbed a box of crackers and accidentally knocked the olive oil off the shelf. The bottle broke and oil gushed out under the pantry. But we were in a rush and I was wearing a white skirt so Jesse easily convinced me to leave it for the evening when we got back. But the evening became night and we didn't get back until after 11pm. I'm sure you can see where this is heading but, yes. I forgot about the oil spill.
So, I'm standing in a puddle of oil at 5:30ish am and finally notice that the oil is now EVERYWHERE. The once semi-contained puddle under the pantry had traveled via the tile grout and was ALL over my kitchen. And the little river of olive oil had also carried little flecks of glass with it. 
Ava screamed bloody murder when I plopped her into her highchair so I screamed bloody murder for Jesse to come help me! Who, by the way, was asked late yesterday evening to cover the pulpit of a friend who had gotten ill so he stayed up well past midnight preparing a sermon!
20 minutes, 1 roll of paper towels, 2 kitchen towels, 2 thorough sweepings and a good mopping and the oil/glass mess was done.
That should have clued me into what kind of morning I would have...Let me just sum it up: fussy baby, cranky toddler, staying home from church to care for the before mentioned, accidental poop smearings, fat lip, bloody finger catastrophe, fighting neighbor kids under the window of FINALLY asleep fussy baby and realizing I have to go shopping at Costco before a major BBQ day. 

Moral of the story=oil spills are always bad.

Trader Joe's Thursdays. Ummm...Friday...

Ok, life is crazy busy and I have so many other things going on that I haven't blogged in awhile-even missing my TJ's blogs. But I wanted to share this super easy, yummy thing I made this week while my carnivorous hubby was away:
Veggie Stir-Fry w/ Veggie Egg Rolls
(everything is from TJ's)
pack of pre-cut Stir Fry veggies*
bag of frozen veggie fried rice, thawed
pack of veggie egg rolls
Sweet Chili Sauce
soy sauce
olive oil
One Omega-3 egg, beaten
~Bake egg rolls according to package. Heat some olive oil, saute the veggies in it. Pour in a dash or two of soy sauce. Cook until done. Put to the side. Put a little olive oil in a pan, saute the rice. When almost done, push all the rice to the outer edges and pour in the egg to scramble. Once scrambled, mix the rice in. Pour in a dash of soy sauce. Egg rolls should be done. Cut in half because they are sooooo hot and will burn little mouths if they don't cool down first.
Put some rice and veggies and an egg roll on a plate with some sweet chili sauce. Or mix the rice and veggies with a dash of sweet chili sauce in it. It's up to you.

My big boys had seconds and thirds of this! It was so easy, healthy and tasty.

*Or make your own with onions, bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.

10 birthdays

Knox is 10 today. A decade old-so amazing. He's such a gift to us. He truly makes this family happier, fuller...just better! He is a fabulous son, big brother and is daily becoming a fabulous man. Seeing his heart for God is one of the greatest joys in my life. Thinking about how to honor him on his birthday made me think of all his past birthdays. And I thought it would be fun to remember them...

1st= I made a huge 4-tiered star cake and frosted each layer a different color. everything was bright and cheerful and the party was held at a friend's lake house since we lived in an apartment and too many people wanted to come celebrate Knox's birthday! Knox ate the top star and LOVED the cake! He also got a cool rocking airplane from Kristi and her mom that he was obsessed with.

2nd= A football party! Knox loved football and was so excited to see the football cake I made. My mom flew up to help and bought every kid at the party a little football shaped cup with matching straw-big hit! Jesse borrowed an Elmo suit from a customer and my cousin wore it to surprise Knox and the kids. Scared Knox to death!! He hated it!

3rd= Knox saw a Kawasaki kid motorcycle at the store and asked for it for his birthday. We told him yes and he patiently told us that he  would be getting it on his birthday. For 6 months he waited! We were so amazed and proud of him! We had a fireman party with a pinata and lots of friends. We rented Dizzy's Tumblebus to come to the party. After cake, Jesse brought out his new motorcycle. His face lit up and he zoomed around the yard on his new motorcycle. Everyday. For a year!

4th= We had a race car party complete with a race car cake and a race car jump house. The cake took me 4 hours to make but was worth it when Knox proudly showed his friends. He was concerned that the crushed oreos were real dirt though.

5th= Super Hero party. All of Knox's friends came dressed as Super heroes and Knox dressed up like Spiderman. Everyone looked so cute in their costumes running around the yard and playing hilarious games. Our yard was covered in silly string for a few weeks afterwards!

6th=Star Wars. I think this is the first year I bought a cake. Knox helped design it and insisted on flames all around the sides. It came out perfectly. Our house was jam packed since it rained that day (1st rainy birthday in WA. Miracle!) and Knox got tons of cool Star Wars presents.

7th=Ninja party. My brother-in-law made amazing invitations for Knox's Ninja party. Everyone came dressed as a Ninja or in all black. I made black Ninja headbands and wrote every one's name on it in silver fabric paint. Jesse made an amazing Ninja training center in our yard-obstacle course, bow and arrow shooting range and Ninja skill tests. Knox designed the cake again this year too. Same flames all around and I found Ninjas and dragons for him to put on the top.

8th=Seahawks sleepover. Knox invited eight friends over for a BBQ, bonfire and sleepover. The dining room was decorated so cute-all Seahawks. But the boys thought it would be more fun to have a food fight than admire the decor! And during the Smores time, they had a serious flaming marshmallow fight.

9th=Pirates of the Caribbean party. Since Knox's 9th birthday was just a week after I came home from the hospital after having Ava, I was hoping it would be something easy. Knox chose to have a party at our apartment clubhouse (where we were living after the house sold/before moving to Cali). We rented out the theatre to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Jesse took the boys swimming, ordered tons of pizza, and then they ate cake, candy, popcorn and soda in the private theatre. Probably one of the easiest, cheapest parties we've ever thrown but Knox said it was his favorite so far! Go figure...

10th= Some friends from church have awesome laser tag guns that work off each other’s and that was all Knox wanted for his birthday. Well…a ball, shoes, clothes, itunes gift cards and a cool hat. But mostly those guns! So we bought them and arranged a laser tag party with his friends who have the guns and two school friends (his friends have 2 extra) . Jesse is taking the boys to a park to play laser tag for a couple hours. then back home for pizza and an ice cream sundae bar (Knox decided he doesn't like cake) and a movie.


~Birthdays are a big deal in our house because I hope my kids remember their birthdays as being special and a time that they were celebrated. My kids are all growing up so fast and I know I only have a short window to impress upon them how special they are to us, how much we love them and what a blessing we think they are! So, I can’t wait to celebrate another birthday with my precious son Knox and am praying for many more decades of birthdays to celebrate with him!

Ava's Birthday Party

Ava's party was so special. It turned out exactly how I hoped! I had been thinking about and planning it for months so it came together pretty easily. Some friends have asked me about how I did it all. Especially on a budget. Well...the number one tip I have for that is to plan the theme early and get stuff as you go. I knew I wanted a pink cupcake party last year!

Here are a few other ways I kept the quality high but the prices low...

I saw this tutu at Home Goods while shopping with my friend Melissa. She bought it for Ava for Christmas. I found the cupcake rhinestone at Michael's and ironed it on. Perfect cupcake party tutu!

ALL of the paper goods: banner, cupcake toppers, mini boxes, bows for the "Ava game" I made with the help of my friend and Stampin' Up consultant Christina. After spending 6 hours making everything, Christina told me that EVERYTHING was her gift to Ava. How sweet was that?!?!?

 I used hot pink tulle, candy and cupcake serving dishes/candles I picked up at Kohl's for 50% off from Valentine's Day to make the dessert table. I already collect white serving dishes and linens. 

I made all the cupcakes, frosting and cupcake pops myself and that is WAY cheaper (and tastes WAAAAAY better) than buying them.

And one of my favorite decorations were the pom poms. I bought 10 packs of tissue because I wanted a ton of them but it was worth it! They are soooo cute and easy to make once you get the hang of it.

Well, I better get planning on the next birthday party. Only 4 months until Lucas' SpongeBob party! :)

(My older boys' parties are much easier but not as cute. Knox is having a laser tag party next weekend with a few friends and Caleb is having a boys-only party at a local arcade in June. Don't worry-I didn't forget about their birthdays! hahaha!)

My grandpa

Today is my Grandpa's 90th birthday. Arthur Cassius Knox. We celebrated with a family party on Sunday. As a gift from the family, my aunt thought it would be nice for us to all write our favorite memories and send her a copy so she could collect them and present them all together in a "memory box". That way family in other states could participate too. I'm SO thankful to be near my grandpa in the twilight of his life and that my kids will get to know a man who is amazing! My cousin Aaron jokes that he's like Forest Gump because of all the things he's done in his life: driven in a Model T Ford when it was new, played in the largest college football game in history (Army vs. Navy), landed a fighter jet on a ship, crashed said jet (which he jokes about), fought in WW 2, played a huge role at NASA helping get the first man on the moon, and has loved our grandma for 65 years!!...just to name a few of his many accomplishments!
But to us grandkids, he is just our grandpa! The best, most awesome, totally loving, special, amazing Grandpa.

Here is what I wrote:

My Favorite Memories with you, Grandpa!


Most of my favorite childhood memories are wrapped up in you and my family. I loved to play in your backyard, eat apricots and watch the pumpkins grow. I loved snuggling up to you as you read me story books. And I still love hearing you tell me how I knew all the words and would never let you skip a page! I remember being so excited when you’d let me play beauty spa and I’d give you a foot soak and foot rub. Grandma used to laugh at how you made us pull your boots and socks off even though they were as big as we were. I thought you were the coolest grandpa ever because you called yourself Grandpa Dog and barked and pretended to eat Alpo. Please tell me you pretended! I thought you were the biggest and strongest man ever and was always amazed at how much food you could eat! You ate your own and then all the grandkids’ leftovers! You didn't get mad at us grandkids often so when you did we knew we were in trouble. Like the time we sold Grandmas decorations for quarters to buy candy or when we would throw underwear out on the roof or say rhymes with your name and a bodily function. You used to give us money to walk up to Thrifty and get ice cream cones and you’d take us swimming in the neighbor’s pool when they weren’t home. Playing “Kick-the-Can" was the best part of every holiday and my boys still ask to hear stories about how Great Grandpa Knox would come out of nowhere to save the day and kick the can. You told fabulous stories with too much modesty and we all loved hearing about your days at college, in the Navy and working for NASA. You were the only one who could teach me anything about Geometry and I loved your big hugs and hearty greetings of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” whenever I came over to visit. When I was a crazy teenager you always told me how pretty and smart I was. When I tried on my wedding dress for you and grandma a few weeks before my wedding, you told me that Jesse will always think of how I beautiful I look on my wedding day since “every man does” and grandma whispered to me to try on her wedding dress to make you cry. I loved watching you dance with grandma at your 50th wedding anniversary and couldn’t wait for my own wedding the following week since I knew I was marrying a man just about as wonderful as you! You laughed with joy when I told you I was naming my first born son Knox after your family and you always tell me how great and strong and handsome my boys are. You have left an amazing legacy for all of us to follow and I’m privileged to be your first (and favorite! Kidding!) grandchild. I love you and Happy 90th Birthday!

Me, my 3 boys and my grandpa at his 90th birthday:

It's Just Another Manic Monday...

....Well, week actually!


This weekend was beautiful. Celebrating my one and only daughter's 1st birthday and my one and only living Grandpa's 90th birthday! (His bday tribute is tomorrow on his actual birthday)

Left my house at 6am yesterday to go to the OC and got home at 9pm last night! After being woken up at 5:30am by a crying Ava, I was up at 6:30am and got my big boys off to school by 7:20am this morning and then got completely overwhelmed by my house, my toddlers, my week ahead and my weekend so Jesse sent me to the gym and de-decorated the yard. Best hubby award!!! After an hour of cardio (lap swimming is H-A-R-D and awesome. I'm in love) I came home to hungry babies, a messy house, a houseful of people coming over at 6pm BUT renewed energy to do it all. Isn't it crazy how exercise GIVES you energy? What a blessing.

I tackled emails/facebook (it's necessary. really)/Lucas' birthday party planning (and maybe a little bit of Ava's 2nd party. Don't judge me!)/lunches/laundry/blog/shower/babies down for naps-and it's only noon!

Now I just need to clean/shop/cook/help kids with homework/be a hostess to our Monday night group of FIVE families/watch 24/cuddle with my man/sleep.

And that's just today!

Tuesday= 2 families over for dinner to discuss church plant stuff!
Wednesday=Torrey Pines hike with my new BFF! And Happy Hour margaritas after!
Thursday=MC with the 35ish people I really love and don't even mind that they make my floors really dirty! hahaha! ;) (I don't know if any of them read this, actually, but they know my humor!)
Friday-Monday=Pismo Beach vaca for my parent's anniversary! House on the beach, Jacuzzi on the deck, laughs and memories! Can't wait!!!!

So, yeah...it's just another Manic Monday but I'm soooo blessed to be busy with the people I love.