More of Peter's First Birthday

Peter had a hard day today.  He went to bed about 5:00 this evening, which means we are probably going to have a horrendously early morning.  Nobody could bring themselves to wake him up from his late nap.  It was really the only peace we'd had all day.  
When I was putting up the most recent post of his birthday I couldn't find these pictures, but now I have.  And I'm glad because he wasn't smiling in even one of the previous post.  Consequently, we get to enjoy Peter's first birthday-- take 2.

He was quite happy to have all of us singing to him.

And it was unusual, but lovely to have the family sing a pleasant rendition of "Happy Birthday", as opposed to the usual completely off-key, varied, tempo, yelling version.  Usually it is a competition to see who can sing the worst.  But everyone in the family knows it is no good to upset Peter, and our traditional singing would definitely have upset him.  Out of respect the birthday baby, we kept it pretty.

I particularly appreciated Abe, Clark, and Cannon wearing the Aloha shirts for the party.  Clark requested his shirt from Santa Claus last Christmas. 

Abe loves Hawaii more than almost anyone I know.  He is wearing his prized Hawaiian shell necklace.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you that he has had his bead necklaces since we went there on our honeymoon and he busts them out for any Hawaiian themed activity.  He got them for free and they are probably monetarily worth less than 2 cents.  But can you put a price on sentimental value?

Peter gives high-fives and fist-bumps, but he always points his index finger for fist-bumps.  He gives out hugs, but he is rather discriminating with who he hugs and when.  We haven't figured out his method to deciding who he will hug and who he won't.  Funny boy!

He will pretty much always give me hugs, even though I do really mean things to him, like trying to feed him the frosting on his birthday cupcake.

"And you call yourself a mother!"

One-Year Celebration!

PETER TURNED ONE!  WE SURVIVED HIS FIRST YEAR!!!!   This is a true cause for celebration.  I'm just gonna say it... It was rough.  All of my babies have really mellowed on or before their first birthday, so I feel quite confident Peter has smoother waters ahead.  He is finally onto a somewhat predictable eating and napping schedule-- only about nine months late.  He is, however, still quite picky about food and gags very easily.
He was not impressed with his cupcake.

He knocked it out of the way.

We tried to interest him with a taste of frosting.

 No deal.

The kids smeared a bit of frosting on his face to make it look like he went to town, but it was a charade!

They even stuck his finger in it.  He still wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.  He entertained us by jabbering and talking about the cupcake... well, we assume that's what he was talking about.

My sister and her kids and Naomi (our English Auntie) came over to celebrate.  We had a little luau.  And by luau, I mean we had plastic leis, toothpick umbrellas for our drinks and cupcakes and Hawaiian haystack to eat. 

As I've mention time and again to anyone who has listened to me whine over the past year, Peter has been a handful.  He's intense and strong-willed and reminds me of his oldest brother who shares many of his traits.  But I've also seen the amazing qualities that come along with such a personality.  He will do remarkable things, and certainly won't be left behind in our large family.  We love him so much.  He loves to give high fives and fist bumps.  He loves to give hugs to all the kids before his naptime.  He loves to climb up and down stairs.

Naomi is just a little bit popular round these parts.  Children (young and old) adore her.

  The kids enjoyed a little bit of American Ninja Warrior while eating their birthday ice cream.

Happy birthday, Sweet Pete.
George's nickname for Peter is Peeto the Cheeto.
Abe calls him P.J. (Peter Jesse)
I like to call him Pete-Heart.
Sometimes we call him Stinky Pete.
We love him and are so very grateful to have him a part of our family.

Guys and Dolls

Last weekend was the production of Guys and Dolls and Clark and Bethany loved every minute of their involvement with it.

Clark played the roll of Harry the Horse-- he was the second worst "bad guy" in the show.  I saw three of the four shows and I really think he got better and better with each show.

Bethany absolutely relished getting to be a Hot Box dancer.  She is the fourth in from the left. 

As always, the costumes were wonderful.  This is Bethany's "Take Back Your Mink" dress that she stripped off to reveal quite modest bloomers and a puffed sleeve undershirt. 

Bethany has a great group of kids in her Sunday School class that came to see the show.  Before it started I told them to make sure to really cat call and whoop it up during "Take Back Your Mink" and try to embarrass Bethany, because she was already pretty embarrassed to be taking off her dress.  I think it made her a little feistier!  What fun!

I loved this show-- loved the music, the dancing, the leads, the laughs.  I feel so thankful my kids had the opportunity to interact with other great kids-- literally singing and dancing their way through life!

 It's not the greatest picture, but Bethany is bottom right.  My favorite thing about her on the stage was her big, beautiful smile and adorable dimples.  A couple years ago she needed to choose between violin and dance-- both being rather pricey activities.  She chose violin, but has since missed dancing.  Doing these plays gives her a wonderful opportunity to continue dancing, at little to no cost.  I consider it a blessing in her life.

Here, Harry the Horse is rolling the dice in a crap game.

Based on their reactions, I'm thinking Harry the Horse lost.

 They also got to be tourists in the Havana, Cuba scene.
Overall, it was just a really great, very enjoyable, uplifting show to be involved with.  Definitely a highlight of the summer.

We were glad Elinor made it back for the last show on Saturday night, but she was gone to Beehives camp Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I quite missed her.  Partly because I actually had to pay babysitters for Thursday and Friday night so I could go watch the play.  It's been a while since I had to pay a sitter.  But mostly I missed her because I really enjoy her company and she is like a beautiful alto in the choir of our family dynamics.  Other family members may sing their parts louder and draw more attention to themselves, but Elinor is a wonderfully calm, soothing, enriching, and helpful part of the family.  She doesn't cause a lot of waves, but when she's not here, something is not quite right.  I was so happy to have her home.

When the matinee ended on Saturday, Bethany and I and Dad and Bev raced off to our next cultural event of the day.  Bethany's orchestra concert was squeezed in at 5:00 in American Fork.  She had been doing Lyceum Music Festival every day last week from 9:00 to 3:30 and then rushed off to rehearsals and call times at night.
I love this picture of my dad helping me tend a very active Peter at her concert-- which was amazing and wonderful.  Their guest conductor was Dr. Ryan Murphy who is the assistant director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  He was incredible to watch and Bethany said he was awesome to work with.

Peter was enthralled with Grandpa's pocket and missionary tag and pens.

Cannon and Faith got to tag along with Abe to work one evening last week.  Here they are passing the time playing Battleship.
Back in July, when we didn't have as much going on with our family's schedule, I was looking forward to our homeschool starting back up.  But now that August is so full of activities, I think I could handle a few more weeks just to get ready for school!

I'll Be in My Van

Please forgive me as I publicly congratulate myself on getting all of my children dropped off on time and picked up on time from all of their activities over the past two days. 
We usually keep a fairly busy schedule, but this week is like nothing I've ever attempted before.  If you need me this week, you can find me in my roving command center (my prison van).  I'll be somewhere along the Wasatch Front chauffeuring my peeps.

Cannon is doing a theater camp at the University of Utah from 9:00-12:00, Monday-Friday for two weeks.
Bethany is doing an orchestra camp everyday this week from 9:00-3:30 in American Fork.
Elinor has Beehives Camp Thursday through Saturday.
Clark has Driver's Ed at Corner Canyon High School from 11:00-2:00 every day for two weeks.
Clark and Bethany have dress rehearsals and performances from 5:30-10:30 every night this week. 
Today Faith had an Activity Days field trip and gymnastics.
George had a Dr. check-up with shots.
Elinor had a piano lesson and a babysitting job.
Last night we went to a play downtown.

My goodness!  It all worked.  It was kind of a beautiful, choreographed scheduling dance.
GO ME!!!!
Obviously, I've been spending a fortune on gas and I've spent more time in the van than at home.  If this was my life all the time it would drive me to drink!  The next three weeks will involve quite a bit of driving, but this week is definitely the most insane. 
As I drive around I've been thinking about the benefits of this lifestyle. 
 Here are a few in no particular order:

1.  Peter likes it.  While he hated riding in the car when he was a young baby, he is quite calm and content to drive around these days.  In other words, no crying Peter.  Happy day!-- ROAD TRIP!

2.  I let the teenagers pick the Pandora station we listen to.  Generally, I like their choice of music, and if we disagree, it's a good opportunity to discuss why some songs are not appropriate.  But for the most part, it keeps me a little younger and hipper.

3.  Lots of time to talk to kids individually or in different than usual groupings.  Everybody is strapped in and in pretty close proximity.  Everyone is having different than usual experiences, so there is lots to ask questions about and share.  I have nothing to do except drive-- no phone distractions, no housework, no taking care of Peter.  I am more available to focus and listen. 

4.  Speaking of housework-- there is a lot less of it when we are gone all day.  No time to engage in messy projects.  No time to cook involved meals with lots of dishes.  Granted, no time to eat healthy food either, but it's a trade off, right? 

5.  A change of pace in the family is refreshing.  We haven't had a terribly busy summer, and as much as I want to like the down time, I am happier and more content when we are going with a fuller schedule.  In a couple of weeks I'll be begging to settle down to a school schedule!

6.  As I'm driving to and fro, I like to picture them in their different activities, experiencing new things, learning, and developing their talents.  I like it when their talents don't require my driving all over tarnation, but I'm willing and happy to live in my car for a week, if that's what it takes.

This opens Thursday night-- I am so excited!  I really think it is going to be a fantastic show. 

Somehow-- I'm not sure how we made this happen today-- George learned to ride a two-wheeler by himself with no training wheels.  It took about 30 minutes and he was solid.  It was fun for me because Abe has taught all the other kids to ride, but I taught George.  I'm sure he was very ready, and that contributed to the ease and rapidity with which he learned, but I think I'll take a bit of credit.
In other George news, he had four shots at the Dr.'s office and was so brave.  No tears, no drama.  This was definitely worthy of a slurpee!

Clark and I had quite a laugh over Cannon's Napoleon Dynamite picture as he shows off his jellyfish marionette he made at his theater camp, today.  He didn't mean to look like Napoleon, but can't you just hear it, "It's a jellyfish marionette, GOSH!"

We had a night at a local park with neighborhood friends this evening.  We were tired from our day's activities, but it was so lovely to be outside on a beautiful summer evening.  These darling little ladies were serenading us with song and dance numbers from the Teen Beach Movies.

Last night these four kids and I enjoyed a real treat.  My dad bought us tickets to see Nephi and the Sword of Laban.  I'll be honest, I don't always appreciate gospel themed theatrical productions.  I don't like feeling like my emotions are being manipulated regarding spiritual matters.  I was VERY pleasantly surprised by this play.  It was inspiring and I would absolutely enjoy seeing it again.  Abe was so kind to stay home with Peter, and Clark and Bethany were at their play rehearsal so they missed out.

I'll sign off with my favorite saying to my children when life gets "too full".  "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings!"  How blessed we are to have so many wonderful opportunities.

The Best Gift Ever

On his real birthday he opened his gift from us-- quite possibly the most successful, appreciated birthday gift ever to be given in our family.  A gumball machine.  A nice one made of glass and metal-- not cheap plastic.  It is substantial and takes real money.
The downside is that it dispenses gumballs (or other candy), which then can be spit out on the floor, swallowed, stuck in hair or carpet, etc.
So why, you may ask, would I choose to give such a gift to a 5 year old?

I will only say, it is the most perfect gift imaginable for George.  As part of his never-ending collecting of trinkets and such, he is an avid collector of money.  All kinds of money.  In my recent decluttering project we found some Italian money and ancient Roman facsimile coins.  He has been very troubled by the fact that he had nowhere to spend his Roman money.  It's something he has rather perseverated on.

The absolute BEST moment of his entire birthday was when he realized the gumball machine would take coins of all sizes.  "HEY!  IT TAKES ROMAN MONEY!!!!"
Joy beyond measure!

The entire family was enthralled.  You'd think this was the latest and greatest technology finally come to our home, rather than a gumball machine.  As soon as it was unveiled, every single child (except Peter) ran to their rooms to retrieve their coins to try out the miraculous invention.  What a thrill!  And every single time it worked.  They put in a coin and out came a gumball, whose flavor lasted for less than 15 seconds.  George made bank!

And now George has something to do with all his money.  When he comes and asks what he can buy with the few coins he holds in his hands I can reply, "Go buy yourself a gumball!"

I mean, really, this gift alone would have been more than enough. 

But with a mouth full of gum, he shows off his other gift-- portable, pot-up soccer goals.  Not that I think these will get me out of sitting through little league soccer games this fall, but maybe with a bit more practice it won't be so painful. 

We had one other box of goodies to open.  It didn't have anything to do with George's birthday, and it had come in the mail several days earlier, but we hadn't had a chance to gather as a family and divy it up.  My brother's family (Matt and Misty) sent us a box of summer fun for the whole family.  We all took turns choosing and it fairly entertained my peeps for at least 24 hours.  Three cheers for Matt and Misty!

It contained beauty masks for the ladies.

There is a mask for Clark as well, but I'm thinking he probably won't try it.
Where is his sense of adventure?

Happy 5th Birthday, George!

Well, I just really, really like this little person.  George is five years old and absolutely wonderful.  Here are five fun things about George:

1.  He is detail oriented-- not much gets past him.  He asks lots of questions because he likes to thoroughly understand things.  He remembers all of his possessions and loves them.

2.  He is a hoarder collector of all things valuable (or not so valuable).  The necklace he is wearing in this picture came in a bag of hand-me-downs from a relative.  He took to it and didn't want to take it off.  He told everyone that it would "help you if you were ever in mortal danger".
That's a pretty valuable necklace. 

3.  George has always been a remarkably responsible and obedient little person .  He doesn't wander off, very rarely tantrums, likes to do his "school work", goes to bed willingly, and unloads the silverware when asked.  That's pretty good.

4.  George is a seriously picky eater.  This is one area he is not so cooperative, although I suppose his pickiness is more my fault than his.  He regularly smells new foods before deciding if he will partake.  He loves cottage cheese, so that's something.  I won't list everything he doesn't like-- too lengthy.

5.  He loves to run errands with me.  If I am dropping someone off somewhere, going to a store, or talking a walk in the neighborhood, he always wants to come along.  He is a pleasant companion who does not complain if our errands take a while.  In fact, that's another great thing about George-- he doesn't complain about much of anything.  He is a really tough cookie.

Yesterday was his bug birthday party.  We chose a bug theme because he spent many, many hours in the spring and early summer searching for bugs and snails in the backyard.

Don't laugh.  It really was the best I could do.
You can tell it's a snail, right?  Not really my forte.

Buzz, Buzz, Sting (Duck, Duck, Goose) with their bug antennae was a good way to warm up.  Every older kid knows how to play Duck, Duck, Goose, but remember that every older kid was once a younger kid who had to learn how to play.  Knowledge of how to play the game isn't inborn-- even though it's hard to remember ever not knowing how to play.  It's pretty hysterical to watch little kids learn to play.

We did a bug toss into the spider's web.  George's bug is in flight in this picture and our spider's web is a mosquito net.  A friend gave us these giant plastic bugs that were really great, except that one of them was a really awful, realistic looking black spider.  I said no one could use that one, because it was too disturbing to me.

I really need to just throw that spider away, because I fear one of my people will use it to play a life-threatening joke on me.  It wouldn't threaten my life, but if they use that spider to frighten me, their life would be in danger.

The gang and their bugs, except for one little gal who was feeling shy and stuck close to her grandma.

Pin the spots on the lady bug.  I'm not terribly proud of my cupcake snail, but I am proud of my lady bug poster.

Our picnic with food geared towards little ones and George's picky tastes-- cheese and crackers, grapes, apple slices, Cheetos, and juice boxes.  Nothing too messy, and food they could dish up all by themselves.

This was one of my favorite parts of the party.  Traditionally, Abe tells some sort of story at the little kids' birthday parties.  Yesterday he told a bug story about his oldest sister, Samatha, when she was a missionary in Paraguay.  She came home to find a huge spider (the size of the paper plate) scurrying across the wall and she killed it with her shoe.  Abe is a MAGNIFICENT story-teller and the children were in raptures!  I could listen to Abe tell stories all day.

It was a special day because we celebrated cousin Emi's birthday as well!  The party was on her actual birthday.

George and Emi' blowing out their candle together!

A great picture of the actual moment of destruction!  Way to go Cannon!

And they're off on the bug hunt!  Clark had scattered lots of plastic bugs all over the backyard and the kids descended and quickly found them all.

When Clark was this same age he had a bug party as well, so it was fun to remember back when he was little.

The party with their stash of candy from the pinata and their bugs. 

I like this picture because George was pretty enthralled with the toy gun.  So much so, that it was difficult for him to draw his attention away to thank his friend.  I suggest the day may come when that cute friend might warrant his attention more than a toy gun:)

 George was the giant bug.

They had their bug spray (silly string) ready.

GET HIM!

Silly string is short-lived, but what joy while it lasts!

This little bug was a good sport.

Then they turned on Abe and chased him around the yard with their bug spray!  I adore this picture.

Happy birthday, George!  We love you!