David's Birthday

 On David's birthday, we made a last minute decision to make a birthday cake. Which may sound funny, coming from his cake decorator mother. But David couldn't decide if he wanted a cake or  not. In the end, I decided we better make one just in case it came time to blow out the candles, and he was disappointed that they weren't in a cake. It was nothing fancy--it was just a place to put the candles.

David's fun was in helping me to make the cake. He probably took a bite or two of his piece when it was served, but it wasn't polished off like his icecream was.

My sous chef's work at its finest: Counting out the eggs, getting them out of the refrigerator, and lining them up ready to crack. He gets to crack them too, as long as he does it into a small bowl and I inspect for shells with each new addition to the big bowl of ingredients. David is very good at cracking those eggs carefully!

For dinner, we served up the fancy pasta he's been begging for every time we pass it at Costco. So in planning his birthday dinner, I took him to the aisle with fresh pasta, and told him he could choose one. He went straight for the lobster filled ravioli. Of course! The ravioli itself has white and red stripes. I steered him to something a little more common, like cheese filled tortellini, that I knew he would love. He quickly agreed, and that was set. We served up a pasta bar with different sauces and toppings. We were happy that our friends, "Petersen" and Joshua would join us for our celebration dinner.

 On the morning of his birthday, David informed Sam and I that he is no longer our bugaboo.

That's a sad day.

We asked him what he is now, and he said, "I'll be your buddy! And buddies are big enough to help with projects. I can't be a bugaboo anymore because I'm not small enough for you to pick me up and play 'tick tock' anymore." It's true, he's getting bigger.

 In that case, Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!

 We celebrated David's birthday the entire week. Of course planning the party was a big part of the fun and anticipation. David was also treated to the movie "Frozen" by his dear Petersen (aka Shasta). She asked him at the snack bar what he wanted, and David chose a bowl of ice cream with a big bucket of popcorn. David was in heaven with that bucket. He was leaning over it, shoveling popcorn into his mouth, and half of it would drop back into the bucket for the next lucky popcorn bucket sharer to enjoy. Note to self: get David an extra bucket or bag to enjoy his own portion of popcorn. She also let him choose an arcade game in the lobby to try out. Petersen is such a sport when it comes to spoiling our boy! Of course, all of this also helped confirm Petersen as David's favorite person to be with. Thanks for loving our boy, Shasta!

All Smiles

I think Alina likes social interaction as much as her brother. But how she goes about asking for it is very different. If someone walks into the room, Alina will sit there, with a soft smile, watching their every move until they look at her. Once she gets their eyes locked, she'll give them one of these:

Her whole face lights up, which means the whole room lights up. It's rare that she'll share this smile with the camera, so I especially love it that we caught her smile when it was in full bloom.

David's 5th Birthday Party

We handed out a few of these invitations.

And we were so excited to have friends over to help us celebrate David's birthday!

We went to bed the night before the party with two major accomplishments. One was that I actually had everything decorated. If you know me and my standard "Carmin time" you'll know that feeling on top of a party before it begins is a huge accomplishment. I love hosting people, but not great at the time management leading up to hosting. So that's one of my personal areas of improvement I'm working on. For this particular party in January, I felt successful. The other accomplishment was that we had our entire basement cleared out of boxes. We now officially have a rec room/second family room for playing! Yay! This was definitely the selling feature of the house, so I am thrilled that we can now use it as I imagined.

 Here's the loot ready for our guests--bags and a pinata. Can you see what the pinata is? Going along with the construction theme, it's a wrecking ball. Easiest pinata ever. (But somehow it still managed to take up lots of hours of my week in making it! So glad I didn't try something more difficult than keeping it in a ball shape.)

 Party games were simple. We pulled out the oldies but goodies. We did pin the nail on the hammer, but other than that, I didn't feel the pinterest pressure to make all the games have the construction theme. We went back to the classics, like Red Rover (Daddy and Madi made a team for a good part of that game!)

 While these boys and Brynlee held their own quite well.

 The team size increased by 50% right before we broke it up for lunch. We also played Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, Hot Potato and Duck Duck Goose.

 Picnic on the floor. This meal was hillarious. I thought every kid would like our menu: mac 'n cheese, jello jigglers, canned peaches and cheetos. The cheetos were the only hit. I had everything in pre-portioned cups so I could easily serve the food. The kids started telling me that they only like macaroni when it is shaped like "this" or "that." Um. Sorry, this is what we've got, kids. I finally cleared everyone's plates away and served dessert: Oreos and ice cream cups. No cake at the party, just dessert that little kids love.

Partygoers: Christian, Hunter, Lucas, Ethan, David, Tyler, Brynlee, Jonathon, Bennett and Madi

 A huge lesson on breaking open the pinata: Let the little guys have a turn before the biggest kid takes a whack. Actually, the pinata was not broken open by hitting it. The string broke, and before I could retrieve it to re-tie the string, the pinata had been ripped in two. That was a lot of work for only 2 kids to have a turn. The other kids were so stunned that it was open (or maybe this was their first time seeing a pinata?) that it took a while for the mob action to happen. After a few minutes, this is what the crowd looked like. Everyone seemed happy with their collection of goodies, so I guess the pinata was success, even if it was short-lived.

David had a great time, and felt loved by so many of his friends coming over to celebrate. David loves being with people more than anything else, so this party was very special to him. His only wish that didn't come true was that his cousins could please get on an airplane so they could come to his birthday party, too. We hope that someday that can happen! But for this year, David was in 5-year old heaven.

This last part is for my journaling sake--not at all to take away from the fun of the party. This is keeping it real. The last kid left and I wanted to take a nap for 3 days straight. Wow. That was a lot of work. Next time I'm not going to do that alone. I went to school to be a pre-k to 3rd grade teacher. At the end of the party, I realized that my stress level was through the roof, and I was so grateful that those career aspirations never panned out for me. I wouldn't call it high stress as much as high energy. At one point, I was trying to get the hot potato back to start a new round, and I felt like the kids were all playing keep away with me. It was borderline chaos at times. Whatever it was, it wiped me out. About 10 minutes after the party ended, I was laying on the couch with a splitting headache and wondered how long it would be before I did that again. I kept thinking that if I waited long enough to blog about the party, that this perception would soften or go away. Well, it hasn't. But from what I hear, everyone else found the party to be a rip-roaring good time, a smashing success, and the kids went home all sugared up. And David felt loved. Yep, I'll be doing that again.

Sneak Peek

 We've been busy celebrating one of the best miracles to ever come to our family.

We love our David!

More to come soon about the celebration around this little boy's big life.

Moose Encounter #3

I'm hesitant to post this story, only because I think people might  be beginning to think that I'm making these up. But I'm not. This is the town we live in. It's rare for one little boy to have 3 moose encounters in just over 2 years, but I guess they seem to find David. He's a moose-prone Alaskan, what can I say!?!

If you've read my other two stories, this one was in the middle. It wasn't as close as this time or as far away as this time, but somewhere in the middle. (Technically, we also came close here, but in comparison, it hardly seems  like an encounter.) This time was close enough that I was trying to see every move my boy made the same time I was trying to see every flinch of the moose.

So here goes.

We were out delivering birthday party invitations, and I was letting David go up to the door by himself so he felt big. I wanted to hear what he said at each door, so I would turn off the car and roll down the window a bit to hear his conversation at the door. At my friend Rebecca's house, we pulled up, and the first thing I  noticed were the nice tall snow banks all around her yard. They are about 4 feet tall, and impressive for this year of little snow and lots of warm temperatures. I was trying to remember if they had a snow blower or not to get them so tall, or if her husband just lobbed the snow up that high. So when I pulled into her driveway, I was impressed with how high the snow banks were. They ran down the driveway and in the very front, by the sidewalk.

David was waiting at the door, and I was waiting to listen to him at the door when I saw a pair of legs in my rear view mirror. On top of those legs was a huge bull moose. When I saw him later up against the house, his back rubbed just under their windows on their split level home. I would put those windows about 7 feet off the ground. Anyway, this bull moose was walking down the sidewalk, passed behind my car, and I rolled down my window and called to my boy: "David, stay where you are! Don't move!" I thought if David could hold still that the moose would keep going down the sidewalk on his merry little way.

No such luck. 

David kept looking in my direction like he couldn't quite hear me. I didn't want to do anything sudden like swing the car door and stand up, since the moose was only about 10 feet from the car and maybe 15 feet from my boy. So I was calling to him from the driver's seat through the passenger window. He finally turned all the way around and saw the moose, who had decided to stop on the side walk directly in front of the front door. The front yard is short, maybe 15-18 feet deep. David saw the moose and started moving towards the car. He took a slow step, a slow step, then three quick steps then ran. Of course I was shouting directions at David, but they were pointless. He was in his own problem solving mode and either he didn't hear me or he tuned me out while he was thinking about what to do.

David O. McKay once taught that there should be no shouting in a family unless the house is on fire. Do you think my-child-in-the-line-of-a-moose also qualifies? Because my voice was shouting. Controlled, but shouting.

The moose had turned to look at David, on the front porch, from his place on the sidewalk. Just as David took the three quick steps, the moose hefted his front hooves onto the snow bank. I think at this point, those antlers must have been reaching heaven itself. If you want to see a bull moose get bigger, watch him put his front hooves on a snow bank 4 feet tall. I was trying to see what the hair on the back of his neck was doing--surely he couldn't be scared of a little boy! I didn't see any signs of him being scared, I only saw a moose that wanted to get over the bank and into that particular yard.

David reached the driveway's corner that led to the car about the time the moose put his front hooves into the yard, and kicked his back legs over the snow bank to follow. At that point David was too small between the snow bank and the car for the moose to see him any longer from the other side. I flung open the door and hurried David into the front seat. From the safety of the car, now that both of us were inside, we watched the moose walk over a snowman without even trying and find a snack on a bush in this family's yard, inches away from where David had been standing at the front door. In fact, his antlers kept swinging over the spot on the porch where David had stood while he reached down to nibble.

Oh, and the family? A tremendous blessing that they were not home because usually in their house, when the door knocks, there's a gaggle of small children 7 and under that run to the door with their parents close behind. I'm so glad that David's knock didn't entice them to open the door to a moose on their porch!

If you ask David, he'll tell you that this time he wasn't close enough so the moose couldn't tackle him.

Swimming

David has been a real trooper in working with me around the house in recent weeks. So one day I gave him 2 chores to complete, then told him that chore #3 was to go get his swimming suit on.

This boy holds nothing back when he feels excited about something! He offers wonderful compliments, he tells everyone that he loves them and gives sweet hugs, and he's quick to obey. When he feels so happy, I can see his best self emerge, and I love it!

We ended up going to tot time at the local indoor water park. The first time he came out in his swimming suit, this is what he looked like:

Once I convinced him (ahem, we're not leaving until . . .) to put his clothes over his swimming suit, this is what we had:

David often carries the diaper  bag for me over his shoulder like that. I am so grateful for a boy that loves to show his mama how strong his is all the time!

(And about that half-painted green wall over our door and window--we can't decide if we like the green or not, so we haven't bothered getting up there with a ladder to finish the job. Any thoughts? Should we keep it, or paint it off-white, or paint it the gray in the rest of the upstairs (see the half wall)? We already have a pretty blue accent wall in our main living area. In the summer light, this green is overkill. In the winter darkness, it is just right. Any thoughts?)

Comfy

I put Alina in the jumperoo for the first time while we worked at cleaning the basement for about an hour the other day. When I looked over to see why it was quiet, this is what I found:

 I think she'll eventually figure out that this new contraption is useful for a lot more than just a nap.

But for now, I'm glad she feels comfortable in it!

In other news, our basement is looking a lot more like a large rec room/family room, and less like a storage place! I'm on a mission to get the projects done so we can enjoy that room--and my newly downloaded playlist is helping us tackle it an hour at a time. For now, I'm looking for a stud finder to get some of the wall hangings up. Our stud finder apparently was lost in the move.

Help

David loves to offer the help.

 Alina appreciates receiving the help.

David rarely sits still while Alina drinks an entire bottle, but sometimes if I'm getting lunch for David, I can coax him into beginning Alina's feeding so I don't have to delay preparing his lunch. Once he settles in, David loves the cuddles.

Just Waiting

I often put Alina in an upright position in the corner of the couch. Sometimes she stays up, and looks around. Other times she squirms around and falls over. I find it so funny whenever I find her knocked over, waiting for me to come back and check on her. Sometimes she'll let me know with a squeal or a cry that she has fallen. Other times, she just waits for me to help her get back up.

 Just for the record, Alina greeted me with an exuberant smile and squeal when I came to her rescue. But she rarely shares the smile with the camera. I've got to get this girl past her camera shyness--her smile and laugh is too cute to be shy in front of a lens!

 Alina's patient self is becoming a little more rare. She has a lot more opinions these days, and certainly lets us know when she wants something other than what is happening. But every now and then, we get a glimpse. I think her patience will return once she can more easily move herself around and communicate more effectively with us.

Polar Bear

 A few weeks ago we had a large dump of snow, followed by very cold temperatures. David didn't let that stop him from playing outside. After begging and pleading to go outside, he finally pulled out his most convincing line, "But mom, the cold doesn't bother me. I'm a polar bear." I finally decided that as long as he was dressed warmly, his body would tell him when it was time to come in and get warm. When I heard his snow boots stomping up the stairs, I would start heating up water for some hot chocolate. By the time his snow gear was put away, his mug was ready to warm him up.

We thought this was a funny picture--a result of the big snowfall, followed by sub-zero temps made it so snow didn't fall off of surfaces. Instead, it froze in place. Here is a row with our mailbox wearing "snow hats."

Part of it all

 Alina loves to be in the upright position, part of everything.

She can have the most exciting toy in front of her, but if she hears movement or voices behind her, she strains her back and neck to see what's going on.

 At dinner time, she will squawk in her chair or swing until she is lifted up to see everyone's face. Once she's  part of the party, she sits still and quietly, just basking in the company of the people she loves. Every now and then she'll let out a sigh to show her approval, but mostly she just sits in one of my arms while I eat dinner with the other.

 One of my favorite things is that I am among that company--part of the family that she loves.

Oh how we love this little girl of ours!

Almost every week at church, an older lady asks me if she can take Alina home with her.

I tell her she'll have to beat me in a wrestling match to do that.

I think she is joking. But I am completely serious.

Chores can Wait

This is a true David moment--he's got the broom between his knees while he plunks out a few keys on the piano. That piano seems to always be calling to our boy.

On another note, this boy was the best singer I had in primary each Sunday. (Primary is the class for children 12 and under at church) He would sing with his whole heart. Then it came time to practice the primary program (a performance in sacrament meeting by the children for the entire congregation). At the Saturday practice, David was singing with his whole heart. His shoulders were moving up and down with the enthusiasm of his voice. I am the primary chorister, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching David's light shine on that front row. He was not being obnoxious--just your typical 4-year old that isn't yet aware of social norms, and is freely uninhibited because of his innocence. 

Then a 10-year old girl from the back row sharply called his name in the middle of one of the songs. David turned around, a bit startled, and was met with "SHHHHHH!!! You're too loud!" That was on October 19, and David didn't sing the rest of the day. And he didn't sing for the sacrament meeting program the next day. In fact, since then, David hasn't sung in primary at all. He loves all of the songs, and knows the words better than most of the other children that I lead. But he won't sing in primary. He just looks around, and acts bored. He sings all of the songs at home, we sing them at bedtime, naptime, at family night and around the piano. Music makes this little boy tick, but I need to find a way to rekindle whatever we lost that day.

I don't think he knows what turned him off to singing around other children. If I hadn't witnessed it, I wouldn't know either. When I ask him, he just shrugs and says he doesn't like singing. But that's not true! I've seen how he loves to sing! How do I help him regain the confidence to sing when he's around other children?

Her tongue

 For about a week, Alina was doing major exploring with that cute little tongue of hers. Anytime she would "talk" to us, it was all tongue and bubbles.

Accentuated with cute little Alina coos and squeals. (This girl can squeal!)

 Our smiley girl is particular as to when and with whom she shares her smiles. More often, you will catch this furrowed brow that appears to indicate she is thinking hard about something.

 Now if you don't think this is cute, then I've really got nothin' for ya.

We happen to think it's darling.