Peiton turns 4!

Peiton has been waiting for her birthday for like 6 months now. Ever since all of her friends turned four, she has been anxiously, and I mean anxiously, awaiting her birthday to come! At least 3 times a week she would say "It's my birthday?" it got kind of crazy! Finally I could say, "It's your birthday!" You should have seen her face that morning, priceless. She has been wanting to have a Dora birthday party, so I invited a few of her friends and we celebrated.

We went on a Dora Adventure. Each child was given a map and each location had something they had to do. A few of the things they had to do were to go to Lollipop forest, where they had to look for lollipops. They had to cross the Grumpy Old Troll's bridge, go to Kooky Kitchen and have dinner, they went to Sand Trap Lake and looked for sea creatures that got beached in the sand, and a lot, lot more.

After her friend party we had another celebration! Peiton is pretty lucky, she gets to share her birthday with her uncle Cam, so we decided to have a party for them both.

Peiton got so many presents, it was like Christmas. She scored big time with the lipstick and nail polish, she LOVES lipstick and nail polish.

Every gift she opened she acted so excited, it was so much fun watching her open all of the presents.

Uncle Cam got to open his presents with the help from Bode and Logan

Courtney and my birthday is just a couple days later so we were able to open presents too.

Peiton and Cameron blowing out their birthday candles.

This was such a fun birthday for Peiton, it was so much fun for me as well because she was so excited! I must admit, I am really glad I don't have to hear "It's my birthday" over and over again.

Bode turns 6!

A couple weeks ago, we celebrated Bode's 6th birthday...6! Holy cow! I can't believe he is 6!

I have never had a birthday party for Bode with friends, etc...I never thought he would like it or didn't understand that when you have a birthday you have a big party with all of your friends. Or maybe it is that he really didn't have anyone that he would want to invite to a party. Well the last year he really started liking his cousins, Coop's friends, basically older kids. He loved to be with them and play with them. And he was getting a little better with kids his age as well.

I decided that I was going to throw him his very first friend birthday party! Well because he had never had a party before, I went a little overboard and invited about 20 something kids, yes 20 something. Almost half of them were cousins and then a few were Coop's friends, and then some of the friends that are his age. I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, Bode doesn't really like crowds too much, and this was going to be a crowd.

I decided that we would do a Toy Story party, Bode loves Buzz and Woody!

We made the invitations that Bode absolutely loved! He carried it around for a couple days and he hand delivered each one (the walking distance ones).

If you notice on the bottom of the invitation, there is a disclaimer...I was trying to be silly, but I guess a little serious too. I wanted Bode to have all the attention, and I thought this may keep him in the room for a little longer than 20 minutes...it worked, kind of. :)

The kids arrived and Bode was having a blast with all of them downstairs. More and more came and he was still pretty good. We started to play games and he did pretty good, until he decided, "Whatever...I am going to my room and watching my own movie all by myself..it is my birthday, I will do what I want top." And that is what happened. Bode marched himself upstairs and turned on a movie and chilled. I think the thought of coming downstairs was a little terrifying at this point.

The party took place at Pizza Planet, so were were going to have pizza. Try feeding 23 hungry kids pizza...well it is possible if you have some help. Thanks Mom, Collin, Stacy and Hollie...I could have not done it without you! The kiddos were fabulous and Bode ate his yummy pizza upstairs in front of his TV, just how he likes it. :)

After dinner we did presents, I thought this would get Bode to come downstairs. I sure did.

Everyone was so excited to give him their present and we was so excited to open all of them. I was so great with each present, so happy! He received so many nice things!

After the presents we did a pinata (sp??) he loved that too. Too bad that we weren't even able to get through all the kids with it not breaking, that was with only one swing per kid.

After that we came up and did cupcakes, we sang Happy Birthday to Bode, he blew out the candles and then he was outta there!

The party turned out pretty great I think, Bode was pretty good for most of it and I think he did have a pretty good time.

We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many neat people that treat Bode so well. He is like any other kid to them. I think it was my little niece Emma that told her mom, "We are so lucky to have Bode as our cousin, it is so awesome!" (something to that extent) They accept him just like he is. Drew another cousin loves Bode and loves to play with Bode. One time my sister Hollie was tending and she was talking to Bode and asking him a question, and Drew told her "Mom, Bode doesn't talk." Like duh, mom...he isn't going to answer you. I love it, he knows he isn't going to talk but that is okay. The other day I was watching him and I caught him talking to Bode saying, "Bode, can you say patience?" Not sure where patience came from but he kept repeating it hoping that Bode would respond, an me also hoping that Bode would respond. :)

But thank you to all of you that make our little Bode's life better by being a part of it and accepting him and just being his friend. We are so grateful and he is too.

Happy 6th Birthday Bode boy! We love you!

Happy 9th Birthday Cooper!

Cooper is nine! I can't believe how time flies. It seems like it was yesterday, well not quite yesterday, but not to long ago that he was born. What a happy, crazy, sad day! Cooper was born on September 11th, the day! I was happy as could be as our country was devastated. Our family is so lucky that we got something fabulous out of that day.

Cooper is such a gem in our family, really, I don't think Collin and I could really function without him. He is just like another parent, always asking where Bode and Pei are, making sure Bode doesn't run or that he is always safe...he continues to amaze me at how great a brother and son he is.

The last little bit he has been begging for his own room. I don't blame him, he shares with Bode and he just really doesn't get a break from the kid and he just needs his own space.

Well, he had a scout thing the morning of his birthday and he was going to be away for a couple hours, we thought it would be so great if we could do the switch up before he came home and surprised him. We did it, he loved it!

He was very surprised and of course he had to go see where Bode and Peiton were going to be now and make sure everything was okay. Love the kid!

He has his own little desk where he can do his homework and drawings.

He has his own double bed where he occasionally gets visitors to sleep with him from time to time.

It was a great move for us to do for Coop, I don't know if it was the best move, Bode and Peiton are a little crazy together, but Cooper deserves it!

Each year, Sandy City puts up flags in remembrance of all the lifes that were taken on September 11th. We have gone every year except last year.

After the flags we had a birthday party with Collin's side of the family. Cooper opened all his presents and was very pleased with all of them. Everyone spoiled him rotten.

Cooper is our little Lakers fan, I am not sure where he got that from but he LOVES Kobi Bryant!

Grandma and Grandpa Richards gave him a Lakers hat and shirt. He loves them!

I was able to score a sweet deal on some Air Jordan's at Ross, Collin and I knew he would absolutely love them. Were we right? Yep.

Coop isn't too much of a cake fan, for his birthday he wanted this pineapple sherbet with raspberries and bananas, and he loves these cookie dough cupcakes.

After cupcakes and ice cream, Coop put on his new outfit with his new Jordan's and he was a new basketball player. :) It is so fun to watch him play and all the new basketball skills he picks up. He definitely has found his sport.

On Sunday (notice he is wearing the same outfit) we went to my parents for a party with my side of the family. Everyone was there and we had yummy Costco chocolate cake (one of my favorites).

We hope you had a great day Coop! We love you to pieces. :)

Catch up Seven-Peiton turns 3!!

Happy Birthday Peiton! ( Like a month ago. :)

3 years old, really? Time flies. Peiton still didn't really get that what a birthday was this year, but she sure had fun opening the presents and blowing out the candles.

For birthday fun, I thought I would take her to get a manicure and pedicure and get her hair cut(it was way too long).. We go to Cookie Cutters and wait to get her hair cut and then they will do a little manicure on her as well. Well once she realized she was getting her hair cut, she kind of started freaking out. Once they tried to put her in the chair, she really freaked out! There was no way that she was getting a haircut, it was quite embarrassing. I left so upset that there was no way I was letting her get a mani and pedi...I know it is her birthday, but no way!!

That was her birthday fun activity. I am sure she loved it! I sure didn't. :)

We had a little party with the grandparents that night. I made a yummy raspberry sherbet dessert and we just had cookies instead of cake, Harmons sugar cookies that is...so delish!

I don't know who is more excited to blow out the candles, Peiton or Bode.

Grandpa and Grandma Bubba

Grandma and grandpa Great

Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Holly

Happy Birthday Peiton! We love you!