Friday, May 31, 2013

Birthday Fabulous Friday

We'll have to skip the fashions today and go straight for the birthday since we're finally finished celebrating and able to do a recap.
 
JR always finds a way to spread out his birthday festivities over a few days. 
This year he was able to stretch it for 3.
 
Monday, Granny Sherry took him to lunch at his favorite, Benihanas.


Then Wednesday, the actual birthday day, we started the day with Epic 3D.


Lunch
(Clearly, this foodie has very broad tastes- Benihanas to IHOP)


Then cake, ice cream, and a balloon fight
(no, not water balloons, they literally just swatted each other with balloons)
with friends from the neighborhood.


And he wrapped up the day with the Astros/Rockies game with the Stenger girls.
(Where he is convinced he, and he alone, started the wave.)


But his birthday wasn't finished yet. 
Though we celebrated for an entire day, he still didn't consider any of that his "official" party.
 
 
And what did JR ask to do for his birthday?
Well, what any 10 year old boy wants to do...
 
Take a friend and go to the Boulder Dinner Theatre, of course!
 
 
I haven't been to a dinner theater since I was a kid, but I have to say, the food was better than I expected, and the production of Wizard of Oz was top notch.
 
I knew JR would love it (which he did), but even his friend, Nicolas, said, "I have to admit, this is really good." (referring to the show.)
 
 
So we are now officially, officially finished celebrating 10 years of JR.
Though I'm sure he'll somehow stretch his 11th year spectacular into a week.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Birthday Fairy

This is what you look like when you wake up after a visit from the Birthday Fairy.
 


I was thinking the Birthday Fairy would only visit when you turn 10.
(In celebration of such a big milestone.)
 
I was wrong. 
 
 Looks like she'll be back for the next birthday of some little people that live in this house,
or I'm quite certain riots will break out in the streets.
 
 
It was sweet of the Birthday Fairy to leave me a picture of her work on my camera last night. 
I think she might have been worried it would be ripped down immediately.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Our Family (Well, Almost)

Kyle doesn't get much recognition when it comes to his artwork.
But one of the last days of school he brought home this little gem.

Obviously one of his teachers helped label our family.
Our family minus JR.  Told you those two hardly noticed the other existed.
Can we just discuss how awesome it is that I'm entirely pink.
Sure I'm missing arms, legs, mouth, and nose...but I'm pink! And my hair is nice and big too.
 
He's also taken to creatively spelling his name...almost like he's the offspring of a crazy movie star.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

The First Day (and Night and Second)

The last day of summer vacation I took the kids to Elitch Gardens,
 so I figured what better way to start the first day of summer vacation than to do the same thing.
 
 
That, and Reed came in my room before I had even opened my eyes to ask if we could go.
 
 
My crew inside the observation tower with Denver's most important/cultural/significant/revered landmark in the background...Mile High Stadium.
 
 
Still their favorite
 
 
I should have known something was seriously wrong with Reed when on our last ride of the day (the teacups) he laid his head down, said he was tired, and asked if we could go home.
 
That night he came in our room crying that his ear hurt.  Jason and I sat up with him and gave him meds, thinking we had cured him with Tylenol.
 
But yesterday (vacation day 2) when Reed told JR not to touch his ear, we decided that maybe a doctor should look at it.
 
Of course, it wasn't our awesome doctoring skills of giving him Tylenol that made his ear stop hurting, it was his eardrum bursting and reliving the pressure of an ear infection we didn't even know he had.
 
10 days of antibiotics, 1 week without swimming, and 2 more observant parents and he'll be as good as new.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Fashion Fabulous Friday-Last Day of School Fabulous


School might be out, but fashion never takes a summer vacay.
 
JR has definitely grown the most this year.  I just packed away almost every shirt he owns!



With Alex, his to and from school bike riding partner.
 
 
These two just can't get any cooler...being almost kinders and all.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Graduates

These little things right here



are official Pre K graduates.


They'd start Kinder tomorrow if they could, no summer necessary.


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Bear be Gone

This has seemed like the longest Cub Scout year ever.
I know, I know, I complained about all the work when I was in charge.
But, not being in charge is hard too.
 
(But not hard enough to volunteer to run anything again!)
 
Last flag ceremony as a Bear.
 
 
 
First official "portrait" as a Webelo.

 
And if you're like Kyle and Reed and wondering what kind of animal a webelo is (since he's been a Tiger, Wolf, and Bear) well, it's not anything. It means "we'll be loyal scouts".

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Their Biggest Fan

The Littles played their last soccer game of the season Saturday.
 




There's one person in the family who's super happy about that.
 

I don't have the heart to tell him T-ball starts today.

Monday, May 20, 2013

I Thought I was Cooler than I am

Lots of the PreK moms also have 3rd graders.  They were discussing how excited their daughters were that they were chaperoning the upcoming field trip. 
One of the daughters even cried because there were too many chaperons and her mom couldn't go; she begged her mom to come anyway.
 
 
After all these encouraging stories, I just knew JR was going to be thrilled I had asked Granny Sherry to babysit so I could chaperon.
 
 
I told JR the exciting news, and was waiting for the jumps and cheers when he said,
"Um, don't sit by me on the bus, okay? Or at lunch."
 
 
When the morning of the field trip rolled around, JR looked at me and said,
 "You're not going to wear that, are you?" (I was wearing a maxi dress.)
 
 
Despite my son's "jubilation" over my presence, we did manage to have a good time at the Denver museum.  JR's teacher apologized for putting me with an all boy group, to which I replied, "No biggie..it's just like being at home."
 
 
My group


And despite his stern warnings, I was, in fact, allowed to eat lunch with him. 
Where they spent most of their time feeding the very-use-to-field-trip-kids-with-lunches squirrel.
(He was a big fan of Cheese Nips.)

Friday, May 17, 2013

Fashion Fabulous Friday



This is how I picked him up from school.
This is how you wear a hoodie and a sun visor.
 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Can't Escape Their Mama's Genes

I'm pretty sure the kids thought they were up in da club instead of the soccer field this weekend.
These look like dance moves (yes, it totally warms my heart) not soccer moves!
 
The Lean
 

The Stomp
 

The Thriller Dance
 
 
And, just for good measure, a ballerina pointed-toe jump.
 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Cops!

The kids' school had an online auction this year.
I bid on a few things, one being a ride to school for a student and a friend in a police car.
 
And, I won.
 
(Jason doesn't like that I use the word "won". He says, "you didn't win anything. You bought it.")
 
 
Friday was the big ride to school. (Since we live less than half a mile from school, I guess 'big' isn't the right word either.)
 
 
I bought it for JR and his friend, but these two were all up in it.


The flashing lights certainly attracted our neighbors' curiosity!


Kyle and Reed loved talking over the police intercom. 
They alerted the neighborhood, "Get up! Time to go to school!" 
One of the neighborhood kids in JR's class told him he heard them.


They pulled up waving, calling out friends' names over the intercom, and saying "School has been cancelled for today!"


Pretty cool way to get to dropped off at school.


And, of course, I've already had to promise Kyle and Reed I'll buy it for them next year. 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Wanna Hire My Kid?

Last week JR had his last Audition Technique class. 
(I would have loved to have taken a class like this when I was his age.)
 
They learned about headshots:
 
Comedy headshot

Dramatic headshot

They learned about resumes, call backs, and cold readings.
They sang, they danced, and they worked on monologues.
 
JR now has his monologue ready to go for any audition.
(This was at his last class.)
 
 

Monday, May 13, 2013

My Day!

For Mother's Day I got:
 
-A picture with the kids with everybody's eyes open.


-And a trip with the child that loves me best to go pick out my own present.

We did a great job picking out. 
 
And now the front porch looks like this.

 
Yay for Mother's Day!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

For the Mamas

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there, but especially:
 
My Mama
 
The most hilarious, fun, and awesome mama on the planet.
 
 
My Mother-in-Law
 
The most helpful and stylish mama on the planet.
 
 
 
My Step Mother-in-Law
 
The best cook and only mama who can wear a hat better than me on the planet.
 
 
 
And, of course, they're all gorgeous.
I mean, just look at them, you'd think they were Hollywood actresses or something.