Birthday Boy!

 This year J turned the big 3-8! We celebrated with chocolate cake and English toffee ice cream. The day before his birthday, J bought a propane torch kit with which to annihilate the weeds in our yard. Best. Birthday. Present. Ever. Here he is unwrapping the second and third best birthday presents ever:

 The kids wrapped it.

 Can you tell?

 Strawberries and blackberries from our garden and hard candy.

 Because every boy needs a lunch box.

The day before J's birthday was a whirlwind day. I was in and out all day -- taking kids to piano class, running errands, picking kids up again, taking boys to buy jammers (the tight swim bottoms for boys, which at first embarrassed them and then became awesome because Olympic swimmers wear them), going to lunch with an awesome friend, driving up to IKEA for a few things, going to dinner and a concert with a couple more awesome friends -- and didn't get to spend much time with J. The day of his birthday was the Brigham City Temple dedication, which made it so we were home by 11:30AM. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with our favorite furry white guy. I love him so much. Yes I do!

Happy Birthday, J!

So...I thought it would be pretty funny to put 37 candles on the cake I made for J's 37th birthday. The cake was a 4"x8" rectangle with a cupcake in the middle. (It was a camera, but it wasn't impressive, so no pictures.) The candles were placed about 1/4" apart from each other, a motley assortment. The cake was fairly bristling with candles, a few of them randomly sparking as they were the relighting kind.

I was right. It was funny. The heat from the candles melted some of the frosting off the cake. The blown-out candles made so much smoke I thought the smoke detector was going to go off. It was fantastic!

Happy Birthday, J!

Belated...

I am privileged to be married to the sweetest and sexiest man on the planet. (To be fair I made him pose like this.) He was out of town for his birthday, working late and being tired and miserable. I save all the sappy embarrassing stuff for his ears only (you're welcome, readers of the blog) but just wanted to alert you to the fact that he is now 36 years old! Somehow 36 is so much closer to 40 than 35 was. Now he's not in his "early- to mid-thirties." No, now he is in his "mid- to late-thirties." Happy Belated Birthday, JP!

August

So in reviewing the posts of this blog I realized that J has been doing all the posting lately and I have been on hiatus. Here is August in a nutshell:



In no particular order,
--We tried the candy 'Warheads' for the first (and last) time
--O got a pet dog that looks remarkably like his little brother at the end of a leash
--We finally threw away our 8 1/2 year old stroller. It's the only single stroller we've ever owned and served us well through 3 kids. Farewell, Peg Perego. Rest in peace.
--O learned how to ride his bike without training wheels
--J and I sat on the swing and took funny self-portraits
--H found that riding on the rear pegs of S's bike is a great way to travel around 'the Island of Sodor' (the block) after receiving his assignment from "Sir Toppins-hat" (mom) to do so
--O created a play-doh mock-up of Arches National Park


My mom celebrated her 65th birthday with us in Orem and had 2 cakes. What a lucky lady. I made the "Brown Derby" (and if you don't know what that is, shame on you -- you need to go back East, walk into a bakery, and order one) and we bought another kind of cake from Gloria's in Provo. The boys made picture frames for her and helped her start her 66th year of life off with a bang!

Jumpin' Jacks

S had a blast at his first ever "friend party" for his 8th birthday. This is seriously the only good picture we have of him playing at Jumpin' Jacks -- in the rest he's just a blur.


My two little adrenaline junkies:


Click on this one. J's hair is great and H's face is priceless. Don't be fooled by the apparent look of terror. H climbed up this one again and again. The crazier and more wild he slid down, the better!


This is J's sister after she made her way down that same 30' slide:


O too was a blur. He didn't have a favorite huge inflatable thing -- he just ran around to all of them, giving each one equal time:


S with the cake I thought would be too small, so I bought 20 extra cupcakes at WalMart. Turns out it was perfect and we were inundated with sugar for the next two days. Good times...


J's mom on the left, his sister on the right. And yes, that threadless shirt does say, "I listen to bands that don't even exist yet."


Happy Birthday, Dear S!

I Can't Wait Until I'm Eight...

Can you believe this boy is eight?! Eight years ago it was not snowing. Eight years ago I weighed 40 pounds more than I do right now. Eight years ago I was an "expecting mother." Eight years ago, I had no idea what was in store for me. Would I exchange my last eight years for anything? Not a chance.

Today my first-born son is 8 years old! He is the brightest, most tenacious, corniest, weirdest, most creative S I know!

We began the day with me bursting in the house from a 4 mile run in the snow singing "I like my birthdays every one! Each brings a greater joy to me!" and waking up my still-slumbering boys. Grandma and Grandpa Kim called to sing "Happy Birthday" on speaker phone -- complete with harmony at the end -- to my sons' delights. S was presented with the traditional plate of "8" shaped cookies on and hot chocolate in the "You Are Special Today" plate and cup. (I fed him waffles too.) This morning I made the cake (giant chocolate cupcake with white frosting and m&m sprinkles), wrapped 4 boxes of gifts from G & G Kim, and filled treat bags. We are heading to Jumpin' Jacks for S's first ever "friend party" and couldn't be more excited about it! This is a big birthday, folks! Tomorrow my little S is going to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love this birthday!

We love S! We love...
...his love of music -- singing, piano, tapping rhythmically on any surface with heel-of-hand thumps and fingernail thrumming.
...his love of books. He's reading "The Hobbit" right now. When I see him curled up on the brown chair immersed in Tolkien, I can't help but think, with a rush of pride, "That boy is so my kid."
...his love of all things Korean. He feels the need to share his (sort of) cultural heritage with his friends, although, mercifully, he chose the Airheads as his class birthday treat instead of the roasted seaweed that he'll eat by the sheet at home.
...his love of order. From the time he was 1 and lining up all of the matchbox cars up till now, when he came in my room the other day and sternly told me that I had folded his pants wrong and put them in the wrong place in his drawer, his mind has had to be very well-ordered. I bet the inside of his head would look an impeccably clean library.
...his love of his brothers. Don't get me wrong -- my wild little monkeys fight a lot, but they care for each other, help each other, and play together sweetly too. H lately has been tackling S -- jumping on him and rolling around with him on the floor. S just laughs and says, "H is so cute, Mom!"
...his love of learning. If a subject interests S, he will research it, take notes, and put together a chart, graph, or paper for me to read. Recently, he made a list of Roman gods, the corresponding Greek gods, their roles, and relations to each other. He's moved on to learning all he can about horses and will next tackle South Korea.

We love our S so much! We are so thankful for 8 incredible years with this boy!


(I will post pictures of the party and baptism as they occur, as well as finish up our Moab vacation.)

H is Free!

H is now 3! We had his party on Saturday.


Here is his cake. I don't know why I didn't buy the train cake molds earlier. They are a hit!




H loved the sleeping bag from J and me. He impatiently bounced while I took it out of the box then promptly jumped in it and started rolling around on the floor.


He only left the sleeping bag to play with the blocks from Grandpa & Grandma Kim.


Three years ago today I went into labor and was breathing through increasingly intense contractions while watching J eat a jalapeno cheeseburger and tater-tots from Sonic. To be fair, it was my idea to stop for lunch on the way to the hospital so J could receive nourishment before having to be my doula. Turns out, I didn't need anyone to coach me through delivery since, for the first and last time, I opted for the epidural. With S and O I was determined to birth the babies my way -- no drugs, just relaxation. It worked out fine and is my preferred way of birthing a baby. With H, however, J didn't seem capable of handling a drug-free delivery, so I had some guy stick a massive needle in my back. I got sleepy and J got chatty. 40 minutes after the doctor broke my water, H made his way into our life. He was and is a handsome little bugger and has always had our whole family charmed. When one asks him, "Are you spoiled rotten?" he replies, "I'm not spoiled; I'm H!" I love how he says his "th"s with an "f" -- as in fumbs (thumbs), funder (thunder) and free (three). He is our little blond boy (hey -- he's blond for coming out of my body!) and has the most beautiful brown eyes -- I could get lost in them. We are so glad for three happy giggly years with H!

Happy Birthday, MaKayla!

On the first day of the New Year, we went sledding for our niece MaKayla's birthday.












The second we arrived at the park, O was off on the first hill he could find, grass and all!
















S was the only one brave enough to go down on the saucer. He caught some awesome air at the bottom again and again and again!











H and I made it down a couple of times, but he didn't like me braking with my feet -- it sprayed snow in our faces. I love his little half-excited, half-terrified smile in this picture!










J and O getting ready to race!













How're you doing, Good Lookin'?

















After we were all sledded out, we went to Pirate Island.












Aaarrrgh!

O turns 5!

I can't believe my little O is already 5! He opted for an "Army Party" this year. Here is his cake:



The number-shaped cookies are a tradition I picked up from J's Grandma Squire. I think she put a cap on the age, so she wouldn't be making cookies for all of the grands and great-grands, but I got them for a few years at least! They are birthday-person specific, so the whole plateful is for the birthday-person to dispose of as he/she wishes. O asked for his in blue this year:


Another tradition from J's side of the family is the "You Are Special Today" plate and cup. O requested crepes for breakfast and hot chocolate for his cup:

Yes, that is my man blowing up the balloons with the air compressor. He thought he was being manly; I thought he was being lazy. That's why I blew up the Spiderman Bop Bag O got from Grandma and Grandpa Kim all by myself. Was it worth the light-headedness to make a point? Sure it was!

O in action blowing out the candles:

In addition to the bop bag, he got a remote-control car from Grandpa and Grandma Lundgren and a skateboard from his crazy parents. He's been asking for one for two years, so we finally caved. I'm anticipating a broken limb or something pretty soon.

Birthday Eve

Tomorrow my hubby turns 35. Why does 35 sound so much closer to 40 than 34 does? I've been teasing him relentlessly because it's fun and aging doesn't bother him. I think he's starting a mid-life crisis involving climbing really big mountains and buying crampons. Oh well, at least it's not a fast car or a leggy blond.

The cookies are made ("35" and assorted pirate shapes -- I was swayed by the cool treasure chest-shaped tin they came in at Michael's for 75% off), the gift has been purchased. I've dutifully instructed all who ask what he wants for his birthday to direct them to REI gift certificates. I've decided that, instead of recycling all the AARP mail that comes to me because of my name, I will save them and give them to J.

All is in readiness. Tomorrow I will wake up next to "a crotchety old man!"

A Happy Birthday, etc

The Monday after we returned from vacation, Mom and Dad Kim drove up from Gallup. Remember that ostrich egg we bought in Escondido? We surprised my mom with it upon their arrival.

"A birthday present for me? What could it be?"


"Uh? What is this?"

"Thank you! How wonderful and unique!"

So the next morning we cooked it -- boiled it, actually, for an hour and a half.

Then we pulled J away from his conference calls to open it. The Dremel really was the best tool for it, but egg shell dust does not smell good, so we relocated outside. (BTW, the man can dress!! $80 shirt, flip flops, jeans, and an ancient floppy hat -- gotta love his style!)

Et...voila!

I had one bite, J had one bite. Dad Kim refused, as did S. H doesn't eat eggs, so he passed, but Mom Kim and O? They ate half that ostrich egg between them. Mmmmmm

My mom was thrilled with her gift and we were glad to be able to surprise her with such a novelty. She looks great for being 64, doesn't she?

After lunch we headed for the climbing gym. Here's my mighty mighty dad:

Monkeys all

H and Grandma

J and S

Now, Son. This is how you do it.

Mom and Dad Kim left Wednesday for California and Big Sister but will be back in a couple days. They left a stack of Veggie Tales movies which have occupied my kids while I've battled hay fever and irritability. My brother calls the movies, "Relig-tables" which is true, but which I also have absolutely no problem with. If they don't seem to listen to me when I tell them to be nice to each other, but somehow Bob the Tomato or Larry the Cucumber resonates with them, then thank goodness for Veggie Tales!

I Like My Birthdays Everyone

S came down birthday morning to this from dad and mom:

This from Uncle E:

(not fully unwrapped yet, it's "Bad Bear Detectives" by Daniel Pinkwater (more on him later))

This from G&G K:

And this made by mom in the tradition of Grandma-Great Squire:

(Sorry, I can't figure out how to turn it!)

It was also Keep a Poem in Your Pocket day, in honor of National Poetry Month. S chose to write one of his own. Here it is in its entirety:

"My Birthday is Today, Hooray!"

My birthday is today,
Just before May.
And I really like to say that my birthday is today.

I am seven years old,
And a little more bold.
I have four pieces of gold,
And I'll never be cold,
'cause my present is summer PJs.
I know more to teach my brothers some ways,
To be more careful with girls and not to laze.

My birthday is today, Hooray!


As per his request, we showed up in his class with donuts at 2:15. The appearance of donuts caused much mayhem with his classmates. O helped pass out the Krispie Kremes, and H was a hit, shrieking with laughter at the kids in the class.

On the way home we hit the toy store for new bike helmets for S and O, training wheels for O to use on S's old bike, and bells for their new vehicles.

We arrived home and, after homework, tried out the new bikes. Let's just say that it may take a while for S to get used to the bigger bike. J arrived home around 5:15 and we headed down to the Olive Garden in Provo for S's birthday dinner. After hearing that the wait was 30-35 minutes and remembering that it's Women's Conference at BYU, we decided to drive to the American Fork Olive Garden and not partake of the chatty (and sometimes catty) dinner conversation that would surround us because of all those women! It took about 30 minute to get to the restaurant in AF, but we walked in and were seated at a nice table right away. Dinner was yummy and fun. The boys were phenomenal! Sometimes their table manners leave much to be desired, but they were really great last night. The staff sang their celebration song to S, who kept his face in my sleeve the whole time. Then he enjoyed a piece of the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake all by himself, while the rest of the fam had Zeppolis (Italian Donuts) and the Chocolate Torte. Yum Yum!

Home and bed. We were partied out!

Now a word about my little/big S...

What a fantastic kid! When he was born 7 years ago, we had no idea how simply pushing that boy out of my body would change EVERYTHING! The pregnancy was great. The delivery was perfect. His little head was perfectly round. Even the doctor, who had delivered hundreds of babies, commented on what a good looking kid he was. The second night in the hospital, S started screaming and, it seemed, didn't stop for 6 months. Colic. Between the screaming and the non-sleeping, S managed to pork up quite a bit. He was so roly-poly and cute. We'd laugh because he was like a little ball with Michelin legs. All of his pants were too long because we'd have to buy them a few sizes bigger just so the waist would fit. And so he grew and grew...

Today he is my big 1st Grader. Reading Harry Potter books, playing songs on the piano and violin, writing stories and poems, being the ring leader of the monkey show in the Judd Circus. He is so helpful and capable. He loves corny jokes, so if you know any, send them this way. He loves to read and read and read. He loves language and to sing and hum. He's always kept us on our toes and will continue to do so, I am sure. We love this amazing kid. He truly amazes us everyday. Some days we are amazed by how much he learns and remembers. Other days we are amazed at the size of the boogers he manages to pull out of his nose and wipe on the wall. Still other days we are amazed at his tenacity or his sense of humor or his ear for music. He is incredible! We're so glad for 7 years with this boy!