39

I turned 39 on February 23rd.  It's hard getting old, but it is a lot easier when you have wonderful people who make the day fun.  Scott took the day off work, and we started the morning with Owen's gymnastics class.  From there we went to a title company to sign on a refinance for our house.  (We were able to convert to a 15 year loan and knock off 2 interest points.)  And then to make up for the boringness of signing on the refinance, Scott let Owen pick where we would go to lunch.  Owen picked (with some guidance from Scott) The Griddle. 

By the time we finished with lunch, it was way past Kate's nap time.  It didn't take long in the car till she was out.

I love this picture.  The love that these two have for each other is so special.

It also didn't take long for Owen to join his sister in her nap.

We dragged out the drive as long as we could, so these two could sleep, then Scott took me and them home, and he went to get Aaron from school for therapy. 

After therapy, Scott took Aaron with him to Cold Stone to pick out an ice cream cake for me.  Aaron was so excited that he got to pick it out.  My friend Kendi also brought me her famous chocolate cake (my favorite) for my birthday.  Scott cooked me a delicious dinner of halibut.  My parents arrived during dinner, and were here for cake and ice cream.

Next up were presents.  Aaron had worked really hard during the week to earn enough rocks to redeem them for prize box.  He used his prize box reward to pick out a bottle of nail polish to give to me.  It was so sweet.

I got a new  blow-dryer, some more lightening spray (to help me stay blonde), a sweet picture from Owen, a box made out of Popsicle sticks from Sara, and new ear buds for listening to music while I exercise.

And my favorite present, was a power point presentation on the computer that Sara made for me.  She went around to each of her siblings and asked them what they loved about me, then typed it all up and did a page for each kid with pictures of them and me through the years.  It was so sweet and totally made me cry.

Blessed

I love little moments that remind me of how lucky I am.  Like walking into my room and seeing my youngest three snuggled up with each other watching tv.  I am so lucky to have them!

Boise State Basketball

Scott had someone at work give him tickets to a Boise State Basketball game.  He got 10 tickets, so we could take our whole family, but we decided Kate and Owen might do better if we left them home.  We hired a babysitter (it's been a long time since we've had to actually hire a babysitter) to stay with Owen and Kate, and we let the older three kids invite a friend to come.  Sara's friend couldn't come, so we ended up with just Josh and Savannah's friends (so 9 of us in all). 

We had amazing tickets, right down by the court.  We got there just after the game started, and we made our way down through the crowd to our seats and sat down.  It was a packed house, and the noise level was pretty loud.  I looked over and saw Aaron sitting with his hands placed tightly over his ears, a look of panic on his face, and tears forming in his eyes.  I immediately knew that this noisy, crowded environment was too much for him, and knew I needed to find some earplugs fast.  I headed out of the gym, and found some badge wearing workers.  I explained to them that my son has sensory issues and the noise was too much for him, and asked if there was somewhere I could buy earplugs.  They told me if I went to customer relations, they would have some to give to me.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and returned with ear plugs for Aaron (and Nate, since he has sensitive ears too).  Those ear plugs saved the day for us.  Aaron was able to enjoy the game once he had the ear plugs secured in his ears.

Josh and Carter loved watching the game, Aaron and Sara and Nate loved the popcorn and lemonade, and Savannah and Olivia loved sharing themselves with social media.

Scott and Josh and Carter especially loved half time, when the entire Boise State Football team came out on the floor to be presented with the Fiesta Bowl trophy.  

Such a fun afternoon!

Boise Aquarium

Nate got invited to a friend's birthday party at the Boise Aquarium.  We've never been there, so Nate was really excited about getting to go.  It was such a fun place, and Nate loved it! 

 

Blue and Gold Banquet

The Blue and Gold Banquet is always such a fun thing.  Aaron received his Bobcat award.  He had actually earned it back in September, but for a series of reasons, he didn't get to experience the ceremony till February.  He was thrilled about getting to be the center of attention.

After the awards, the real fun began.  It was a carnival theme, and each kid got tickets to spend playing games.  All my kids had a blast.  I'm so thankful for great scout leaders!

 

 

 

Lunch in the Park

Owen and Kate's new favorite thing is having lunch at Merrill Park.  Three times a week, I drag them along to the YMCA for a few hours, while I work out.  They actually really love playing in Kid Watch.  Owen always is so disappointed when I come pick him up at the end of my workout.  So, we make it better by continuing the fun and stopping at the park on our way home.  I let the kids play, and I enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.  And most of the time, we are lucky enough to get dad to pick up Wendys and join us for lunch.  Not only is it the kids' favorite thing, but it's mine too!

President's Day

Monday (February 16th) the kids were out of school for President's Day.  We spent the afternoon at the bike park.  I didn't get any pictures of the older kids, because they were always off on their bikes on the trails.  Anne met us there with her kids, so she and I were able to sit in the sunshine and visit while the younger kids played around us.

After the bike park, Aaron went to therapy, and then he and Josh went to a football clinic.  Flag football is starting up again for Spring, and their coach wants to get some extra practice in for some of the older kids.

After football, we loaded all the kids up and took them out to dinner.  It has been forever since we've done this.  For one, it's so expensive, and it also is very chaotic.  For the most part, the kids were really good.  Owen was pretty sad and crying till his food arrived, but then he was all smiles.  I can't even count how many bowls of macaroni all the kids plowed through!

 

These three thought it was funny to "fall asleep" at the end of the meal.