The Best Birthday Ever!

I am finally getting around to posting about Big's birthday. My favorite worker guy/basketball player/female leopard/tyrannosaurus rex/drummer.. (etc) is five. I can hardly believe it! It seems that in his mind, though, being 5 makes him more capable of doing things that he wouldn't always do by himself before. I mean, he would do them when he was playing a character, but now he'll do them when he's just being Big, too. I like that. 


Big was home for a lot of the preparations for his birthday, but I made sure that the decorations were put up after he went to bed on Wednesday night. That way he got a nice treat when he woke up in the morning. (I realized that I didn't post a picture of Bud's decorations when I wrote about his party-- they were very similar to Big's, but with a yellow puffball hanging from the light)

During the day I made Big's cupcakes that he requested. Well, I made part of what he requested. He wanted both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes but I wasn't feeling like making both, so I made the vanilla and bought him one mini chocolate cupcake from the bakery. Big supervised me as I frosted the cupcakes and I thought it was hilarious when I'd finished a few and he said, "You're not very good at that. Maybe I should do it." 

We decided to open gifts before dinner so that Big would have a chance to play with stuff while we finished up preparing the food. He wasn't disappointed with the idea. We started out with the more tame presents, but he was really excited about them.

I knew this next book was a good purchase, since he actually paused to read it for a few minutes before moving on to the big and exciting presents. I love knowing that a present is just right.

Then we got down to business. Look at that anticipation on his face. Or is it greed?

Then we moved on to the biggest and coolest present of all. It was when he opened this gift that Big announced, "This is the best birthday ever!" Good, Big, I'm glad. We know you've wanted that double dump truck for (what seemed like) forever. 

After dinner we moved on to cupcakes and ice cream. Big requested just one candle, a number 5, be on his cupcake. Thank heavens he only had to blow out one. Even Big was dying of laughter at the end of his efforts. The kid must have huffed and puffed at that candle at least 20 times. (And, yes, I know a bunch of these pictures are blurry, but they were just too cute not to post anyway)

At the end, Big got so close to the candle that I thought he'd burn his lips. But it worked.

The next day, Friday, Big had his very first friend birthday party. Since there was only one friend he wanted to invite, Rophone just took them bowling and out to lunch. Exactly what Big had in mind. Rophone took a few pictures while they were there. Big had a great time, doing little dances to help his ball go where he needed it to go. 

We're glad you had 'The Best Birthday Ever!", Big. We love you!

Friday Favorites

It has been a rather uneventful week overall. The last soccer game was on Saturday (already wrote a post about that), no dance or musical rehearsals... what did I do, exactly? Hmmm... well, I did laundry, fed the kids, ran the kids to school and a few appointments... oh, yeah, and tried to recover from having my wits knocked out of me along with my teeth. My memory seems to be even more spotty than usual, so we'll see how I do.


1. I wasn't feeling great on Sunday (I think not taking it easy after my knock to the noggin caught up with me), so I didn't attend church. The rest of the family decided to stay home with me so we could be together. We've been running around in opposite directions so much lately, it was really nice to have some family time.


2. I did a lot of errand running this week, trying to return too big items received by Bud for his birthday and round up things for both Big's birthday and both of their friend parties this week. Huh. I guess I did do something after all.


3. I can hardly believe it, but even with The Teeth Incident I am pretty much caught up on laundry. Weird.


4. Big turned 5 yesterday!! (I'll be posting about that this weekend.) He was super happy with how the day went, so that means I'm happy, too. I swear he even looks older.

5. Speaking of happy... Edith's new thing is to tell you when she's happy. The other day when we let her roam the house she kept saying, "Happy. Happy!! I'm happy." It's cute.


6. Big had his very first friend birthday party today. Since there was only one friend he wanted to invite, Rophone just took the two of them bowling and to lunch. Big had a great time. 


7. Rophone is working tonight, so I had to take all the kids to their elementary school extravaganza all by myself. The boys wanted to do different things the whole time and only one boy wanted a sno cone until after we waited in the really long line and then as we were walking away the other boy said he wanted one, too. The baby wanted to get out of her stroller and walk, but I couldn't possibly keep track of the boys as she wandered. Tears, tantrums, sore teeth, momentary panic as someone ran off and couldn't be located, an argument with the 11 year old at the end (lovely).... it wasn't pretty, but we all survived. And everyone ended up having fun (parents don't count). The boys got to do most of what they wanted, Ginger got to roam with friends for a while, the baby got to explore enough to just about satisfy her (plus, Ginger took her for a ride on the train!). Okay, I'll admit (now that it's over) that I had a bit of fun, too. Seeing my kids smile will do that. Plus, I think they ran around enough that they'll sleep well tonight. Definitely worth it.


8. I have the best husband. For me, anyway. He's just what I need. The kids love him, too. I really like my family.


I guess now that I write it all out, the week wasn't that uneventful after all. I suppose comparatively it was, but I needed the break. On to next week!

The Teeth Incident

I wasn't going to post anything in detail about what happened to my teeth, but then I realized that since this blog is supposed to kind of be a record of our lives I should write it down. I mentioned the incident rather briefly in my Friday Favorites post last week, but left out a lot of detail and a gruesome picture. But, I'll get to that.


There are a bunch of neighborhood women that get together to play basketball one morning a week during the school year. I used to go, but then I got pregnant. And then, this year, I have needed to drop Big off at preschool right in the middle of when they play so couldn't go. So, it's been two years since I've played. Two years of all of the other women begging me to come back. I really can't believe how long it has been.


Anyway, last Thursday Rophone had the morning off. When I realized that I'd finally be able to go play basketball again, at least once, I was excited. But then that morning came and I didn't really want to go. I thought I was just nervous about playing again, or that I was just being lazy and wanted to spend the morning with my husband. Now I know that the real reason I felt like I shouldn't go is that I wanted my teeth.


But, I convinced myself to go and planned to take it easy and just have fun. That's why when I got a rebound about 10 minutes in and got ready to casually pass to my teammate, I wasn't prepared to have someone reach around from the side to try to wrench the ball away from me. Because I wasn't even remotely in that mindset, the person's initial few tugs on the ball twisted me so that my legs were crossed. I then was in no position to do much fighting for the ball, but I tried to hold my ground. I did a pretty good job, although with my twisted footing I was definitely at a lean. And then the other person let go. 


Oops. That's when the Laundry Queen made like a tree and fell. On her face. I have a huge bruise on my hip, one on my forearm, and one on my chin. But it's my teeth that really took the brunt. See?

Everyone is amazed that I didn't cut my mouth to shreds or bite through my lip. I mean, there was virtually no blood. I think that I hit my chin just right so that it popped my mouth open and my teeth had an unobstructed path straight into the floor. I say straight into the floor because that's where my right tooth shard still is. Stuck in the gym floor. 


Seriously. The floor bears the imprint of both teeth, with the right one lodged pretty solidly in there. My friends tried to pick it out but were unsuccessful. There was a pinewood derby held in that gym on Thursday night and some of the women that were playing ball showed everyone my teeth marks and told them the story. Not exactly the type of fame I was looking for. 


Luckily I have a fabulous dentist and he got me right in to do a temporary repair. He glued the left shard back on and built up the right to match. It looks really good. Now I just have to wait to see if I need root canals before they fix me up for good with crowns. 

I'm pretty sure I had a bit of a concussion, a little bit of whiplash, and definitely a lot of internal swelling. But, I can breath through my nose now and pretty much close my mouth all of the way. I can tell my teeth aren't in the same position they were before, but we'll see how they are after the final repair. I just can't wait to be able to bite into things again!


Anyway, last Thursday definitely wasn't the best. Today, a week later, the day was much better-- Big's birthday! I'll post about that after I get pictures of his friend party tomorrow. 


P.S. The friend who caused the whole teeth incident felt awful and she and a few other friends brought me flowers and applesauce. Not quite the same as having my teeth, but it was nice. ; )


P.P.S. I'd also like to apologize to all of the women who now play basketball that I hadn't met before. Sorry about all the swearing, I hope your children aren't scarred for life. I guess I made a memorable first impression, eh?

Surviving Soccer

Well, we did it. We survived having 3 kids signed up for Spring soccer. Not to mention the fact that we also needed to fit in double rehearsals for Pen for ballet and her school musical. All of the kids finished up this week and, while it was fun, I must admit that I'm breathing a bit of a sigh of relief. 


I'm just going to do one huge post about all 3 of my soccer players instead of one for each, so get ready for a lot of photos. Since posting a lot of pictures is so unusual for me, and all...


Ginger was so much fun to watch this year. She is really starting to get more of a grasp on how the game works. I'm also beginning to see a little more aggressiveness emerge, which is good to see. Ginger is so laid back that she doesn't always exhibit much competitive drive when she plays, wanting to just have fun. She actually scored a goal this year, though, and almost scored several others. Awesome. The most important part is that she really did have a blast.


Here are a few pictures of Ginger playing:

Way to challenge her for the ball, Ginger! (Ginger was victorious, by the way)

She did a great job of controlling that high ball. Awesome, Ginger.


Bud had a great season, too, and loved having Rophone coach his team. It was fun for the two of them to share it together. Bud just loved running around, being part of a team. 

I love this next picture. It looks like he's saying a prayer for good luck and crossing his fingers to hedge his bets.

Then Bud caught a ball in the face, so maybe neither worked. He was tough about it, though.

I love how intense his face is as he runs to the ball in this next shot:

I had to include this next one because Bud looks like he's running backwards. In slow motion. Isn't his hair magnificent? So many jealous women out there. 

Good season, Bud! 


Big started the season as a good player with a mop of hair and ended the season as a soccer star that could see what he was doing. He loved every minute of it. What a blast to watch him play.

I love how you can tell even from behind how much fun he's having from the way his cheeks look. I can just picture his smile.

Big would do these awesome celebrations and dances after he or his team scored or did something really good. I loved them.

Preschool soccer can be a bit rough, though. Check out what that kid is doing to Big! Good thing I didn't notice until later or I might have had to instigate a smackdown.

Then Big got tired of having to blow his hair out of his eyes and doing this all the time...

... so he decided to cut his hair and a star was born.

The biggest difference is that being able to see made him faster so his teammates weren't able to catch up and steal the ball away from him when he had breakaways (a big problem at this age). Big's goal count greatly increased and his 'unintentional assist' numbers went down. We're okay with that.


On the way to score a goal...

... and then the little celebration.

What a fun season for all three kids! Definitely a reason to celebrate. I'm glad you had such a good time playing, kids. Your dad and I had a great time watching. We can't wait to see what next season has in store.

Another Friday

Let's see...


1. Pen was in her middle school's musical and they performed this past weekend. I loved seeing her and could tell that she had a really great time. That makes me happy. You can read about it here if you haven't already.


2. On Tuesday, Bud had his last soccer game and celebrated his birthday. I'm really glad Rophone coached Bud's team this year. It was fun for Bud to have his dad to share the season with. Bud's birthday was fun and I'd say he is definitely acting seven. You can click here to read about it and see pictures.


3. I need to be better about recording the funny and cute things the kids say and do on my blog instead of just on facebook. Wednesday morning Big and and Edith were doing the chicken dance together, having a blast, when suddenly Big stops and asks with suspicion, "Wait a minute.... do chickens even dance?" So funny.


4. We got to hang out as a family in the evening on Wednesday. No ballet, no soccer, no anything. It was so nice to be together and we had Bud's requested birthday dinner of grilled chicken, couscous, steamed veggies and blueberries. It was nummy.


5. Thursday... hmmm... yesterday was definitely a mixed bag. It started out pretty badly. I finally got a chance to go play basketball with my friends since Rophone had the morning off and was able to take Big to preschool. I actually had a feeling I shouldn't go, but went anyway because all of my friends really wanted me to. So, I went and ended up breaking both of my front teeth off as a result. No, not a favorite. But, what I will say is a favorite is that I have a very talented, fabulous dentist who temporarily fixed my teeth so I don't look like such a freak anymore. See?

With my broken teeth, Rophone told me I looked like the Queen of his double wide. I'm glad that because of my dentist I don't need to change the name of my blog. Or move into new digs. I really should have just stayed home to enjoy a morning with Rophone, though. Big sigh.


6. Rophone had to work Thursday evening (since he had the morning off, which was wasted with me at the dentist's office). Given the state of my face and the shock that comes with what went on, I can't say I was excited about it. But, because he was gone, I was forced to step up and take Big to his soccer game (my folks took Ginger to hers at the same time). If I would have stayed home to wallow in my misery, I would have missed Big scoring 4 goals. Yes, I said 4! It was fantastic. The kid is a rockstar. Anyway, it was fun to watch, even though I was afraid all of my cheering would send my teeth out of my mouth. They are a bit loose, you know. Four goals! That's like a hat trick with a bow for embellishment. Woohoo!


7. We've gone on two walk/bike rides this week. It's so nice to be out and I hope the great spring-like weather continues.


8. My fabulous husband is taking me out for soup. My poor mouth is tired of trying to chew. 

Super Seven!

I can hardly believe it, but Bud turned 7 today! I can't believe he'll be out of the house in 11 years. I guess I'd better make good use of the time we have left. When I mentioned today that I have a 7 year old, one of my friends commented, "And not just any seven year old! A hip, styling, sets his own trends, thinks for himself, strong inner strength, kind, thoughtful, coolest Greek God looking kid I know seven year old!" It's true, he's such a great kid.


Bud got to spend the day at school today-- he loved how many birthday well-wishes he received. Being at school is perfect for that. After school we hurried home and the kids did their homework so we could head out to Bud's soccer game. Since Rophone is the coach, we made sure that we were in charge of the after game treat so I could do something special for Bud's birthday. The whole team sang to Bud and no one seemed sad about the mini cupcakes I handed out. 


When we got home from the game, we opened presents while we waited for the pizza. Pizza wasn't actually Bud's choice for his birthday dinner, but I was at his game instead of home getting dinner ready. I'll make his requested meal of grilled chicken, couscous, steamed veggies and blueberries another night this week.


Bud was pretty excited about his gifts:

As much as we knew Bud would love the clothes he received (he is such a clothes horse), we were most excited to give him the one non-clothes item among the gifts. We really thought he would think it was fantastic.

Considering that he stayed right where he was and started reading it with his Grandpa, I'd say we were right. He loves geography and is excited to learn more about each individual state. 


After we finally convinced Bud to come have some pizza, we did the cake and ice cream. I, once again, made Bud his requested lime yogurt cake. Bud huffed and puffed at the candles, and I love how at first he's looking at the camera instead of at what he's doing. 

(fast forward a few huffs and a few puffs-- the last few candles gave him trouble)

Yay! Happy Birthday, Bud, we love you! 

Brace Face

Pen got braces today! I felt it was necessary to take before and after shots outside of the orthodontist's office. Pen didn't feel it was as necessary as I did, of course, but I won.


Before (like you can't tell):

After:

Pen will only have to have braces for a year to 18 months. She felt pretty good about that when they first told her, but when she came out of the office after getting the braces on she said to me, "It's going to be a long year." Guess we'll see how it goes. All I know is that her smile will be even more beautiful when she's done.