The Boys' Room (a.k.a. Ode to IKEA)

We finally have the boys' room finished. Well, with the exception of a lamp shade anyway!

Here are a couple "before" pictures

These aren't very good shots, but it gives you the idea. They really needed a desk--or 3--since they all have schoolwork to do now. So we decided to buy the components from IKEA and give them a built in desk that would fit all three of them. (yes, I know there isn't much room--but our kids do not play in their bedrooms. All toys are required to be in the family room.)

The colored "spheres" in the left hand corner are planets hanging from the ceiling.

Their beds only ever get made this well--sorry, I was too lazy to make them for the picture.

In order to move things around we had to get rid of a dresser. Since Tank's bed was meant to go against a wall (his platform bed has drawers and cabinets on oneside), one side was just a big, empty space...enter IKEA again! We bought these office drawers and took the casters off of them and now Ezekiel has a futuristic dresser that fits right in with their space station bedroom.

Ok, really these pictures don't do this room justice. You need to see it in person. It really is cool. So you are all invited out whenever you want!

Back to School

Hooray!! School has started yet again. This year is EXTRA special because ALL of our kids are going to school. Jonas has a very SLIGHT speech delay but was still admitted to the preschool at the Primary School. It is every day, all day long. He even gets to ride the bus with his brothers and sister.

Our 4th grader

Our Pre-Kindergartner

Our 3rd grader

Our 1st grader

First day of School

On the porch waiting for the bus

Waiting for the bus

10 Years

Dave,
Since we are staying true to form and are not able to celebrate our anniversary together, I figured I would send you your present the most convenient way possible...via our blog. Since I am in no way eloquent, this is my attempt to show you what I see when I look at you...a wonderful husband, father and my very best friend.

I love you. Happy 10th!
Sunny

London is 9?!?!

I cannot believe that I have a 9 year-old. London is completely into anything High School Musical right now so she decided to have a High School Musical party and she planned all the games and everything.

London took her birthday money and went to Build-a-Bear for the first time. (Notice the High School Musical PJs on the puppy)

This is Gabby (Short for Gabriella--Again, HSM)

She is pretty cute, don't you think? London loves her.

The newest of many HSM shirts.

Eating Icecream cone cupcakes at her party.

More HSM jewelry

I love this card. London and her best friend don't call eachother BFFs--the call eachother BFFELs (Best Friends For Eternal Life)!

London insisted on playing HSM musical chairs

(meaning you listen to the soundtrack of HSM3 while playing)

Once upon a time we played Kiss the Prince (similar to pin the tail on the Donkey) at one of London's birthday parties. So this time she wanted to play Kiss Troy (or Zac Efron). So we bought a teen magazine with a Smokin' picture of Zac and prepared the wall to be kissed with red lipstick.

London with red lipstick EVERYWHERE--Notice it on her teeth!!

Searching for Zac

Only one of the friends actually landed on Zac

(it was actually on his neck--can you see it?? We decided she is a vampire!)

The Kiss

So afterward they decided to try without a blindfold on!

The aftermath! Poor Zac!

Then they semi-settled down to watch HSM3!

FYI: 4 nine-year-old girls are more work than 9 four-year-old boys!! Just for future reference!

Happy birthday London!! We are so glad that you enjoyed your party. We love you a lot and are glad that you are our little girl!

Jonas the Bonus turns 4

Last Saturday we had birthday parties for both London and Jonas, since they have their birthday on the same day. We decided it would be easier just to have both parties on the same day and get it over with instead of spreading it out over a couple days. Jonas decided that he wanted a Star Wars party just like Ezekiel had. So it made it pretty easy for me.

Here are some of his friends playing with the plethora of Star Wars people that we own.

For Joe's party I found this fun game kind of like Pin the tail on the donkey. It was called Help Restore Order to the Galaxy. Depending on were you landed you got a certain amount of points and the one with the most points would win.

Here we are playing the game

Both Jonas and London wanted icecream cone cupcakes instead of a cake.

So here is Joe blowing out the candles.

Getting ready to open presents.

Star Wars and Legos--Joe's two favorite things!

I thought this was funny so I had to take a picture. While everyone else was watching Jonas open presents, this little boy was playing with London's Barbie house.

I love this present and so does Joe. One of the moms made Jonas his own little cape. It is so awesome. He has been running around in it everywhere.

Light Sabers again--OF COURSE.

They were trying to use the force to keep the balloons off the floor.

What good are light sabers if you can't use them to beat up a dad!

Happy Birthday Little Joe! We love you lots and are so glad that you are part of our family!

Virginia Gold Cup Races

One of the companies that Dave does business with invited us to their Anniversary Celebration @ the Virginia Gold Cup Races. Personally I was a little nervous since we have never been to a nice horse race before and I was expected to wear a fancy hat (or so I was told--many women didn't have one. If I would have known it would have saved me lots of frrustration!). Our children were also invited , so it made it nice to be able to bring them and show them off too--they clean up pretty well, after all!!

The kids all dressed up and eating lunch.

The family shot. This is mainly so that you can see my AWESOME hat!!

The rest of these are of some of the races so that you can get a feel for what it was like there. It was a very cloudy day. We were really lucky, though, and it didn't rain while we were there.

It was a really fun day. I don't know that we will ever get the opportunity to do something like it again so I am really glad we went!

Have I mentioned I love my husband?

My husband surprised me for our anniversary! How did he do it, you ask? By surprising me in March, when our 10 year anniversary is in August!!

He told me his dad offered to watch the kids for us so that we could go out to dinner by ourselves while we were in Utah. So he took them to go see Monsters vs. Aliens and we headed to Red Lobster (we had a gift card we needed to use). So we got done pretty early and the kids were still at the movie so I was telling Dave we should think of something to do, but I didn't want to stay out too late cause I wanted to help put the kids to bed so that Dave's dad could get to sleep since he needed to go to work the next morning. Anyway, after throwing around a couple ideas Dave said he had a great idea and he would surprise me when we got there. So we started driving into Downtown SLC. I figured he was going to take me to walk around the Temple and I was thinking how sweet that would be to do without the kids. But we passed the Temple! So we started getting close to Trolley Square and we had gone there before on dates and so I thought that was where he was taking me--but then we passed it also!! So then he pulled up to the 5th South Anniversary Inn and I was so far from figuring out what was going on I still was wondering what the heck we were going to do--we needed to be back for Dave's dad to go to work SUPER early in the morning after all. But then Dave let me know that his dad had arranged to go into work late and that he had packed a bag for us and it was in the trunk! FIRST TIME he had EVER managed to surprise me!! Since he usually ends up being gone for some reason or another on our Anniversary he decided to take advantage of family while we were in Utah and take me to our favorite place to stay--even if it was 5 months early! He got us the nicest room in the place--The Romeo and Juliet Suite!

Here is the link to the room so that you can see the 360 view. The pictures just don't do it justice. It was by far my favorite room we have stayed in there. It was a 2 story room with a balcony and the bed was upstairs. You can't see from the pictures, but the shower was awesome--it came down like a waterfall. Definitely worth looking at on the website!
http://anniversaryinn.com/rooms.php?room=67

Thank you, Dave!! That was an amazing surprise. I loved it and I love you!

The Easter that never ends

Since we weren't going to be in town for Easter , the Easter Bunny agreed to visit us for Family Home Evening 2 weeks early on the Monday before we went back to Utah. While the kids were playing down stairs he hid eggs out in the yard and left them new board games and Sunday clothes.

The kids had fun coloring Easter eggs. Luckily I found a Star Wars decorating kit!

Then while in Utah we made an Easter Sugar Cookie house. It was a fun idea but more work than we imagined with 6 kids helping! We made it at Papa John's house with Aunt Kylee and Papa John helping to direct the kids.

The Saturday the week before Easter was a day of parties for my kids. First we woke up and had an Easter egg hunt at Papa John's. Then we went to my Grandma LaBounty's house for a get-together with all my cousins. After that we went to my Aunt Karen's for another Easter egg hunt for the Putnam side of the family.

Grandma Bobbie with my sweet little niece Tatum.

Aunt Karen went all out. We usually have the egg hunt in her yard but it was supposed to rain so we had it in the church next door. I think she said she put out around 800 eggs. The kids had a blast.