Fun Weekend

This past weekend was really fun. Sometime before Christmas we got tickets to go and see "Phantom of the Opera" on stage. I love the music and the movie and couldn't wait to see it. It was worth the wait, it was so good. The movie doesn't do music justice, live it sounds so much better. The stage props moved around, but the chandelier was my favorite part. I defiantly want to go again and to take the kids to it someday.

While we were in Boise for that the kids went camping with Grandma and Grandpa Arrington. The did projects, hiked, biked, ate food and got dirty. The kids loved it and it makes them ready for G&G camp. 

 Cam needed new socks and he requested ones that go to his knees. I'm not sure why he likes these so much, but we sent searching for long songs. Which him being so short didn't make that search too tough. 

 Jacks in front of the church cabins that Grandpa helped build. The kids thought that was pretty cool to see. 

 Zander and Beck found this walking stick on their hike and carried it all the way back to camp. They used a saw to cut it down a little bit though. 

They were all, and still are pretty worn out, but had a lot of fun. I love all the memories they are making. 

Projects Start

I don't know if I will ever not be able to do summer activities with the kids. If/When that day comes I know I'll miss these days. I love how excited they get for each one we do. Most of them are cheap or just going places. We go to the library every other week. I made a BINGO for them to get them to read throughout the summer. So far they are loving being able to read the book or do the activity and mark a square off. We have movie days, usually just at home. They made color spinners with cardboard and rope. Cam and Beck were better at spinning them, Jacks and Emery couldn't quite figure it out. 

We made flower pots. They painted them before we got the flowers. I made the mistake of telling them that they used to paint on themselves when they were toddlers., so they decided that they should do it again, but it wasn't as much as they did when they were toddlers. Jacks can't make a 'normal' smile in a picture. The next picture took 5 times to get them all looking at me, Jacks not doing a weird face and Beck smiling. 

 When we went and looked at flowers they all wanted indoor ones and the boys thought a cactus would be sweet. Transferring them from the pot to their pot was quite painful. Desert plants are good for kids since they probably won't remember to water them. 

 We made caramel apple bites. The kids loved them and once they were ready to eat they were gone pretty quick. 

 Another day we made a galaxy bottle. The have baby oil, water, food coloring and glitter. Some of them worked really well and others not so much. One smart thing I did was super glue the top on so they don't get oil and glitter all over. Good idea right? Unless the glue leaks off the lid and gets on the kids fingers and Emery gets 2 fingers stuck together a little and Jacks gets some on his skin and thinks something is wrong with him. We got it all cleaned up and they were good soon after. I just won't use super glue with them again. ooops. 

Poor Emery

One thing most people notice right away about Emersyn is she is pretty tiny. She is the shortest in her class, which she thinks is pretty neat. But being small is having one disadvantage for her, her mouth is also too small. I'm not sure how long it's been but she had 4 teeth fall out but new teeth never grew back. There hasn't been space for them to do so, and the last time at the dentist, they noticed also. After an orthodontic appointment it was decided that she needed to have 4 teeth pulled to make room. We tried about a month ago at our dentist office, but she wasn't having it. I totally underestimated how much pull you need to take teeth out. They're baby teeth so for some reason I thought it would be "easy". We decided to go to a different office where they could sedate her. Last week was her appointment to get it done. She was sedated and while they were taking them out, they noticed another tooth had an abscess on it and would need to be taken out anyways. So in total she had 5 teeth pulled! She was a trooper and spent most of the day just relaxing and eating only soft foods. 

 Look at the size of the teeth! We were surprised by that. Emery cleaned up from the tooth fairy (she may have felt bad once she saw the size and amount of teeth she lost). Now her mouth can fill up with teeth again. 

Jacks is 6!

We celebrated our last May birthday yesterday. Jacks turned 6! He was so excited for it to finally be here and he couldn't wait to be able to open his presents. 

 We just did cake and presents. The cake was supposed to be for our nieces baby sex reveal, but the baby didn't want to cooperate so it became Jacks' birthday cake. He did a little better blowing the candles out this year, not as much spit. 

Jacks is still such a fun boy. He really keeps us on our toes because he has so much energy but then he will turn around and be really calm and sweet. Jacks will always give hugs and kisses (which he still says kwisses). I was worried he would be loud in school and talk a lot, but he surprised me and was the perfect little student. He really loved school and especially meeting new friends. I love how Jacks will do things he wants, even when it may not be the norm. He still likes to have his toe nails painted and will wear flip flops to show them off. He wears some interesting outfits to school, like ski goggles and loves how he looks. It's one think I hope he keeps. Jackson does not get how to whisper. He will yell no matter how close you are to him. I say at least 5 times a day he doesn't need to yell. Emery and Jacks are the best of friends and will play together all day so well. She is one of the best to play imagination with him, Cam and Beck try but can never play right. He still has very specific rules to what he plays and has to have you play it his way. Lately Jacks has really picked up on reading and tires to sound out every word he sees. It's always fun to hear what he comes up with when he reads some words. I'd like to say it goes away, but Camden and Beckham still say some words weird.  I think Jacks would be good with a little sibling (it won't happen trust me!) because he loves the dogs and carries Luna around like a baby. When I was younger I used to dress my dog up in doll clothes. Ours can be happy he doesn't do that...yet. I love Jackson's smile and all of the hugs he gives me. If I'm having a bad day he is there to make me feel better with a big hug. Jackson's favorite food is fries. His favorite subject is coloring,and his favorite game or toy is Super Smash Bros. 

Happy Birthday Jackson!

12 Years

This past weekend Brad and I celebrated our 12th anniversary! We spend the weekend in Utah and wanted to try a few different date ideas. First we went to Alcatraz escape and did the prison room. It was so much fun. It took us an hour but we were able to escape. You had to use clues all over the room to help you figure out how to get out of  the room. Once we were in the second room there was a prisoner who helped us out with a few clues too and added a little sarcasm to what we were doing as well. She made it a lot of fun and we would recommend going here. It was so much fun to do and well definable be going back. 

 I have always wanted to try The Melting Pot and finally this weekend we tried it. It was a good experience and very tasty. We had a cheese, broth and chocolate dip. It was pretty pricey, but for a special occasion it was totally worth it. I'd go back for the cheese and dessert. The kids would love it. 

It was a fun weekend getting away from town and trying new things out. Twelve years has gone by so fast and we can't wait for the next 12. By that time Jackson will be 18! I'm grateful every day for the husband that Brad is and for all of the memories that we have. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone better. 

Painting Nails and Baseball

Emery is one lucky girl to have a dad who will take the time to paint her nails. She loves having her nails done and it's a little more special when dad is the one who does it. He is a little more creative than I am so he will actually do designs. 

 Emery and Jacks have started summer baseball this past week. It is both of their first year but so far they are enjoying it. They do need a little work on keeping their eyes open to catch the ball.