Birthdays

This is the time of year that my family is drowning in birthdays. Hannah's birthday is Sep 18, Court's is Sep 23, and mine is Oct 1. We had a birthday party for Hannah on the 19th. She asked to have it at our house, and we decided there would be more room in our backyard. Luckily, the weather cooperated (except for a little wind that made one of the games more interesting).

Hannah wanted a super hero theme, so we got really creative with the games. Court and I cut out 20ish foam masks for the kids to decorate. Court also made a meteorite pinata. It only sorta looked like a meteorite, but the kids thought it was cool because it was a pinata.

There were about 15 kids that came. We played four games which required the use of their "superhero" abilities.

First, there was using their super strength to knock down a wall. Court connected his heavy compression sleeping bag up to a pulley system in our big tree. I risked life and limb climbing that tree to attach the pulley. I don't do very well with heights, and I climbed more than 15 feet up the tree. Anyway, the kids had to throw the bag into a wall of empty boxes. The wind kept blowing down the boxes, so we had to change angles a bit. And I got to re-stack the boxes 15+ times so everyone had a chance to play.

Then the kids played hero, hero, villain (which is just the superhero version of duck duck goose). Of course, they had to use their super speed to get away from the villain.

While that was going on, I pulled the kids aside one at a time to use their x-ray vision. Court and I set up several objects in our garage. We put them behind a sheet and shined a light to created a shadow of the objects on the sheet. There was a ladder, a bike, a tennis racket, a fishing pole, a hammer, and a broom. The kids came in a tried to figure out what was behind the sheet. There were two kids that got everything.

The last game was Save the Citizen, which was a relay game of trying to cross the yard with an egg on a spoon.

The kids broke the pinata, Hannah opened her presents, and everyone had ice cream cake. We got the cake from Baskin Robbins. Hannah asked for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and brownie for the cake. I had them put the Superman symbol on it with and "H" instead of the "S". For future reference, ice cream cakes are expensive ($40). Overall, the party was a success, and Hannah got lots of toys.

Of course, Court's birthday wasn't near as involved (no super party). We are trying to stick to a budget, so no expensive gifts. I took the girls to the store and had them pick out Court's favorite snacks and a card. They chose Hot Tamales, two Pomegranate Rock Stars, Pepper Jack Cheezits (he prefers Tabasco, but they didn't have any), and a box of Zingers. We put candles in a New York Style cheesecake and sang happy birthday.

It's been a fun week.

Current status

Here's a quick summary of what's going on in life right now...

I'm working full time at a lab as a chemist. I verify label claims for dietary supplements. If you ever wanted to know how to test for folic acid, riboflavin, or any of the other myriad of vitamins and minerals, I could tell you how. I'm still trying to work my QVET Consulting business on the side, but it is difficult. I just finished writing a chapter for a reference book about cleaning medical devices and such. I'm not sure how long until the book actually publishes, but it's kind of exciting. I hope it helps get my name out there for my business.

My husband Court is still looking for a job. He is bored stiff at home, and hates being out of work. But he is accomplishing a bunch of projects around the house. Our deck out back got pressure washed and painted. Our kitchen/dining area has been painted a nice golden yellow. Next comes the trim and ceiling (white). He's also fixing his mom's old stove and installing it in place of our even older stove.

Sydney started 4th grade this year, and Hannah is in 1st grade. They are both getting so big. Both are reading well above grade level, especially Hannah. It's almost funny to see the assigned books she is sent home with compared to the books she checks out of the library. Hannah is bored in class and has started talking and acting out during class. She gets "warnings" a lot, so Court and I have talked to her about. I hope things improve. Sydney's teacher is focusing a lot on individual responsibility, and it's been really good for her. She's always been a pleaser.

I've been teaching them to help around the house more. They can empty and load the dishwasher. They're pretty good at sorting the laundry, but they can't seem to remember how to start the washer. They are also much better about really cleaning their rooms.

We've got so many plans for the future. We are working through the clearance and cancellation process so we can get sealed in the temple, hopefully before the end of the year. We hope to build a house in the not too distant future. The girls go to school based on where their mom lives, and we want to be closer to their school and their school friends. Court keeps talking about buying an airplane, but I think that's a while away still.

All and all, the Lord has blessed us and we are grateful.