SIX!

Dear Lord!  Where has the time gone!! 

Aiy-yi-yi!

Yes - the boys turned SIX yesterday!

We had a wonderful birthday WEEKEND!

One of the bad things about having a birthday on the 29th of the month...

It hit April - and the boys KNEW that it was their birthday month...

Boy - was that a LONG month!

;-)

Luckily, the construction paper chain link helped us count it down.

Excitement really started brewing around Wednesday or Thursday last week, as the chain got shorter and shorter.

Friday afternoon, we kicked off their birthday weekend with a school carnival -

so nice of them to coordinate with our big day....

all of their classmates, gathered in one location, playing games, eating popcorn and cotton candy, winning cakes at the cake walk (we played twice, won each time - joy!).

Bidding on items at the silent auction - unbeknownst to either Gary or I, Logan was walking around and signing his name to a few baskets.  Lucky for us, he only won one!  And not too bad, he bid on a $98 picnic basket filled with all sorts of goodies - and it only set us back about $25! lol

Saturday, we stayed indoors, cuddled on the couch with Tinkerbell and rested for our baseball game.

Which was played in. the. rain. boo!

Later, we had a pre-party with of course, presents!

 Austin decorated his own paper for Logan..and Daddy helped.  But over on the right, you can see Austin's picture of our trampoline/basketball hoop combo!

Logan got Austin a toy version of The Claw!  Austin ALWAYS wants to sink money into the real Claw games anywhere he sees them...though he has never won a single item.

Happy to report, while the mini-game version is challenging, prizes have been won!

Sunday -

The BIG day!

Church, fun! fun! and more fun!

And then the PART-TAY.

Once again, we had offered separate parties to the boys, but they ended up combining.

Theme: Ninja Training Course!

Adding school friends into the mix, we had about 25 kids.

Yikes!

We begged, bribed and pleaded with Nonnie to have it at her house!

The main reason, I wanted to avoid combining 25 kids and the trampoline in my backyard!

Also, Nonnie has an amazing carport (that my brother built).

And was the perfect location for the PART-TAY!

Nonnie loves us.  And her boys.

So, she said YES!

Hold for pictures!

 After Logan got done breaking his board, Austin hugged him and said, "Logan - are you happy?  This is your DREAM (breaking boards) come true!!

;-)

 Part of the Ninja training course, walking across a beam and smacking the big balloons with a battle ax.

 Not part of the "supervised" course.  Logan and his fried, Ryan - sword fighting on the beam!

 Sort of what 25 kids playing Sword-mitten look like!

;-)

 Getting ready to load up their chopsticks and carry marshmellows for points!

 What two crazies who don't want their picture taken look like.

Um, yeah - that WAS a huge pinata!

Note the really big, nice bounce house in the background!

Friends just happened to own one, and those awesome friends just happened to bring it to the party for us!  Boo-yah! = Fun!

 What 25 kids picking up candy look like.

;-)

What Ninja cakes look like!
No, I did not make them. But I made the phone call...to my lovely neighbor..who did make them!
And they tasted EVEN better than they looked!

 Happy Birthday, Austin!

 Happy Birthday, Logan - please don't catch your Ninja headgear on fire!

 The back of their cool shirts I made!

 Austin and his bestest girl, sharing a moment!

All-in-all - a great party!

Six.

Though!

Aye-yi-yi-yi!

Baseball!

The boys have started their first season of baseball.  Gary is helping to coach.  I am really enjoying the games!  More so than soccer...but not sure why.  I love soccer, but when all the boys are in a huddle, it's hard for me to see who is doing what.  I usually feel like I'm just watching a huddle of feet run around a soccer field. 

With baseball - I get to see each boy do (or not do ) his thing!  Plus....I have always, always been a sucker for a boy in a backwards baseball hat!

 Austin, looking, precious to me, in his catcher equipment!

 Austin rght.  Logan, left.

 Logan, ready to bat.

He is intense!

He might play a little on the bench, but for the most part he is "in" the game at all times!

 Logan - nice swing!

 Austin on first, ready for his brother to hit him to second!

Logan on base after a great hit! 

 Logan: catching.

His favorite position - he says!

 I don't know what Logan is doing, but his facial expression is very cute!

 My favoite pic!

 Austin is Number 9.  Do you see this? 

Do you see how HE is trying to take over the coach's Post-game summation!?!

And, Yes, that IS a finger he is pointing/shaking at the coach.

Lawd - I swear, this child is meant for leadership! 

But, maybe not baseball.

This was how he played outfield.

This was not in between hitters.  During all of the pics, there was a batter swinging at the ball.

;-) 

Like I said, I am very well entertained during the games!

Shadow Dancing...



Easter 2012

 My handsome little men!

 Logan, left. Austin, right.

 Mommy and Austin

Mommy and Logan

Mason and Lory 

Evan

 Easter egg hunt!

 Look at that egg WAY up there!

Austin, will you help me get it?

Teamwork!! 

 Daddy and the boys!

It was beautiful weather!  Evan was home (and Amanda, but she somehow escaped my camera..boo!).  Nonnie hosted us two days in a row.  It was a fantastic weekend (aside from Mommy being sick for 3.5 days). 

The boys wrote the Easter bunny the ight before and asked for some pretty major items.  We tried explaining that the Easter bunny doesn't quite work like Santa.  ;-) However, they were quite disappointed the next morning - not ungrateful, just disappointed.  They each asked a few times if we were the ones that go out and buy the stuff.  And I tried to avoid flat out lying, but I do really want them to keep that magical hope alive.  I feel like they've only just kinda "grasped" the whole concept and I do want to give them a few more magical moments before it's all shattered by some 5th grader on the bus! 

 ;-)

Up to it, Again!

Either I'm getting older or maybe it's more "tireder" -

Austin is still up to his old tricks, but I seem to be finding less humor in them!

;-)

I have documented some rather good ones and have enough for a post.

So, enjoy!

~~~

Said randomly one day, in the middle of doing nothing,

Austin: "Mom, when you die, can I have your Ipad? Oh, wait - or are you gonna have it with you, probably on your belly?  Well - if you don't take it, can I have it?  I know, don't tell me - first Mason gets it, then Evan, then Logan and then me.  Right?" 

(We have never talked about "leaving things" and I have no idea how he grasps the whole concept.  And I never got a word in, I just thought the whole thing was rather funny!)

~~~

Numbers! Numbers!  Austin memorizes all sorts of numbers - he knew his home phone number in no time.  He was all excited because he got a five digit lunch number at school.  Both boys love to tell me their bus number, their room number, etc. 

I did get a little concerned one day, however; when he started telling me EVERYONE else's lunch numbers!  I made him double pinky promise that he would never-ever try to use any of his friends' numbers at the lunch counter! 

~~~~

Party time!

Austin came home from school one Friday talking about how he was going to have a party.

Told me who he was inviting, etc.

He bugged me about all night.

I tried to explain to him that these things had to be organized.

He responded that he HAD organized it!

Later that weekend, I checked messages,

(Even though we have a home phone, I never answer it and rarely check messages!)

There was a message left on Friday from a rather distraught mother.

Her child was insisting there was a party at Austin's that night that he had been invited to.

The kid had (been forced to) memorize our home phone number.

The child was so insistent that the mother thought she had missed something and her child just would not be consoled, so she embarrassingly called the number hoping to get clarity on the situation.

(After I stopped laughing,) I had a discussion with Austin about organizing parties and forcing kids to memorize his phone number.

Any else seeing some FUN teenage years in our future??

~~~

New lingo.

Austin now tells us he has a "Safety Tattle!" 

Apparently if someone (him) is in danger - you are allowed to do a Safety Tattle.

~~~~

And lastly, I would like to document/record some of my recent Facebook status updates:

As a mother, I try to never miss a teaching opportunity! Austin, "Mom, you look Japanese." Huh? "With that thing on your head.".Me: "Austin, the culture you are referring to is 'Indian' and that thing on my head is a zit, not a traditional bindi worn as a Hindu symbol of marriage and prosperity."

~~~

Just talked to Nonnie - she's at home with the twins. She just "caught" Austin trying to ride his bicycle down the slide in the backyard! ;-) Poor Nonnie - she's going to have a heart attack watching these boys! Then, she sent me this picture - they buried their "Rocks" and created tombstones for them! ...they've only been home from school for 45 minutes!

~~~~

Parent teacher conferences today. Both boys are doing well...but Austin's teacher looked so serious when she told us that she thinks he may be a little challenged with organization. I thought Gary and I were gonna fall out of our 12inch chairs from laughing so hard! That's kinda like saying the ocean may have some water in it!

~~~~