Happy 5th Birthday Xanderman!!!!!

What a fun day we've had! Xander is a middle child in just about every sense and he has truly enjoyed a day all about him. First my mother's nostalgia of the day he was born. From his first day on earth Xander has moved at high speed and high volume. He was nearly born before we made it to the hospital and (despite being 5 weeks early) he came out screaming so loud the nurses joked that we needed to quiet hom down.

Tonight to celebrate his birthday we went to Pirate Island Pizza. It's a fun, pirate themed restaurant that was part pirates of the carribean and part Chuck e Cheese. The pizza was yummy, the atmosphere was a blast, and the arcade yielded lots of tickets. There were games for all ages. Xander ran from game to game to playground. We all enjoyed the pizza and Xander got sang to and a yummy ice cream. Every time he opened a present he squeeled, "this is what I always wanted!".

My sweet Xander you make life full with fun and imagination. You are so sweet and we all love you so much.

We're pirates! Aaarrggghhh!

Grandpa, Christopher, Darci, Grandma, Xander, Mommy, and Daddy.

Eliza on the merry-go-round.

8 months old

Eliza sits very well now and gets really mad if she isn't on the go. She hates to just lie there anymore, but hasn't figured out mobility. We aren't in a hurry for her to figure it out. Because of this she is still a big fan of her "Johnny Jumper". She has 2 teeth now and there are 2 on their way in. She still wakes 1 or 2 times a night to eat, but she's such a petite and skinny thing that I happily do it for her. She will happily eat solids now and is desperately trying to figure out how to drink from her cup. She is SUCH a people watcher and is happiest in a crowded place taking it all in. I feel like the time is moving too fast and I want her to stay my little baby just a little longer. But I can't deny that she is at such a fun age.

She never tires of being in the bath.

Doin' the Dew... OK, not really, but she was trying really hard.

Happy among her "friends".

Helping decorate for her 1st Christmas.

Braggity Brag Brag

I'm a proud mommy and proud mommies are allowed to brag on their blogs, right?

I got Christopher's report card today. They grade a little differently than when I was in elementary school. An NE or left blank means they weren't evaluated on the criteria. A 1 is "rarely meets expectation independently and requires considerable support and/or intervention. A 2 is "occasionally meets expectation etc, etc with moderate support". A 3 "frequently meets expectation with minimal support". A 4 is "consistently and independently meets expectation with no support".

CHRISTOPHER GOT ALL 4s!!!!!!!

And he's incredibly handsome on top of all that!!

4 generations

Today the girls and I joined up with my mom and grandma to get manicures and pedicures and have a picture taken of the 5 of us. The day was so fun and so precious to me. It is so rare to have 4 generations of mothers and daughters together like this.

My pretty nails

color

sepia

Wordless Wednesday 11/4/09

Eliza is 7 months old!

She wants to get up and go so badly. She watches her siblings play and wants to join them. She has started using her "Johnny Jumper" and is soooo cute in it. She still has lots of smiles and giggles for everyone. We think she gets prettier everyday and wish the time wouldn't go quite so fast.

Happy Halloween 2009

When I woke up this morning I really wasn't feeling the Halloween spirit. I was extra sad, because I usually LOVE Halloween. But as the day went on we all enjoyed our time together as a family and as time to Trick or Treat we were all really excited.

Last year I stayed home to hand out candy, because I was pregnant with Eliza and not feeling great. This year I truly enjoyed going door to door with the kids. Bret was happy to stay home in order to follow the Utes game. Eliza only did a few houses. I mean, she had to do a few for her first Halloween! Then the older 3 did quite a bit. Darci lasted about an hour... Christopher went an hour and a half... and Xander went over 2 hours. He wanted to keep going, but it was getting late and getting cold, and (quite honestly) this mommy's feet were starting to hurt. Xander got SOOOOO much candy. What Darci and Christopher didn't hold out for was the neighborhood full of duplexes. By the time we were headed home Xander's candy bag was too heavy for him to carry and I had to carry it. All the kids had so much fun. I have to admit that Bret and I did, too

Xander's massively huge haul.

Ward Trunk or Treat

From the trunk

Tonight was our ward trunk or treat and Halloween dinner. Despite being a little cold, the kids enjoyed dressing up in their costumes and playing with our neighbors and friends.

Luigi and Indiana Jones

Darci is such a pretty fairy

The devil and the littlest angel

A wicked witch and two pretty fairies

Christopher's Halloween Parade

Christopher's school Halloween parade was this morning and we had fun watching all the kids dressed up at school. Grandpa Armstrong joined us to see them walk.

Christopher runs past while mom tries to get a picture.

Harry Potter Pumpkin made by Christopher's class.

Darci waits for the parade to start.

The whole crew.

Joyschool Halloween Party

Today was Xander's Joyschool Halloween party. He enjoyed the time and activities spent with his classmates. He comes home every week from school with so much to share and a big smile on his face.

Bryce (crocodile), Joey (racecar driver), Maggie (Princess Leia), Xander (Indiana Jones), and Macy (pony). Isaac was out sick.

Xander and Maggie (she's so cute... I just love her).

They were jumping and yelling "Happy Halloween"

My Xander... he's such a handsome guy.