birthdays.

We have had some pretty special birthdays lately. The first was Jeb's 13th. I can not believe I have a teenager now. He is growing into such a great young man and I enjoy him more and more every day. He truly has a servant's heart, always asking what he can do to help. I love that about him.

 

We went to his favorite pizza place for his birthday dinner, decorated a bit around our house, and had his traditionally huge birthday sundae. My favorite part though was when he and I slipped away for a Saturday morning date. We indulged on Nutella hot chocolate and muffins. So good!

 

 

A few weeks later this special lady had her 76th birthday. She has been struggling with her health lately, and that has meant lots of doctor's appointments. It was really nice to slip away for a reason other than to see the doctor. We went to lunch and I loved catching up and soaking her in. It was a great day. Later the boys made her feel super special with a cake and flowers. She means so much to us and we are grateful to have her in our life.  

 

 

 

38.

38 already looks like it will be a fun year. 

september.

September was gone in a blink. We (supposedly) ushered in fall, and I guess it's a little cooler. It was in the 90's yesterday, which is almost sweater weather in Vegas, right?

These three guys had birthdays:

 

Gavin and Ryan turned 10 and Jeb turned 12. I can't believe that 90% of the crew is in double digits now. Time goes by too fast.

 

Also in September, we realized that Matt may have been a Romney. We found these two pictures:

 

 

Yep. Do you see it? The top picture is an old photo of Mitt and Ann Romney's family when they were young. The picture below is of Matt and his dad.  Ann even looks like my mother in law. I sent it to her and she had to do a double take.  Who knew? Matt and Mitt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

august.

It's a good thing I live in the desert because I am boycotting the end of summer. I am ignoring all the cute fall crafts and pumpkin recipes. There will be no discussing Halloween costumes. I will not partake in fall scented candles or autumn wreaths on my front door. If I am needed, I will be by the pool with a book and an iced drink every weekend until further notice. It all just went by too fast.

 

But...as much as I fight it, we are officially back to school and back to the routine of life, and I guess that's a good thing. August was a good month. I tagged along with Matt to Denver for one last trip before school started.

 

It was especially nice because it was on his birthday. For his birthday dinner, we went to my favorite place in Denver, El Diablo's. Oh my goodness. It was so good, as always. You have to love a man that chooses YOUR favorite place on HIS birthday.

This guy has lost about thirty pounds over the last 5 months.He looks great, but I believe we will have to get him some new clothes before winter.  His clothes are literally hanging on him.

I surprised him with some birthday balloons in the hotel room. He was really excited and thanked me over and over again. There were a few on the hotel door to greet him and he walked into the room with the biggest, sweetest smile on his face.

 

 

A few days after Matt's birthday, his sweet daughter, Madi, turned into a teenager. I seriously can't believe how grown up she is, especially after spending a week with her in Buffalo this summer.

 

 She is a beautiful girl, inside and out. She is talented and really special. Did I mention she is absolutely crazy and so much fun to be around?  Madi, we hope your 13th year is your best yet!

  

While Jeb is still busy with tennis, Griff has started rock climbing. He climbs at an indoor center for two hours a week and really enjoys it.
 

 He comes home sweaty and sore, which is a beautiful thing. Griff has made a commitment to losing weight and has stuck  with a diet and exercise program better than most adults. His face looks thinner and his clothes are fitting better. I am really proud of him.

I have officially submitted my application for the RN program and I am patiently anxiously awaiting an acceptance letter in the mail.

 

While I wait, I am taking classes towards my BSN and working. Hopefully, if all  goes well I will start the program in January.

 

 

 

 

The first day of school was super smooth. I officially have a 7th grader and a 5th grader.

 

 

 They're pretty cute, too.

 

After school we had our traditional catch up over cookies. It was a nice treat (especially for a household that has been treat- less for a while now! However, these were low cal and vegan.)

 

 I found out all about their teachers, their favorite classes and what all their friends did over the summer. I want to freeze these special times forever.

 

So that's August. I'm still clinging to the last little bits of summer. Summer doesn't officially end until, like Spetember 22nd or something, right?

 

 Happy Labor Day!

griff's b-day.

In the middle of the hectic holidays, a very special birthday happened. Griffin turned 10. We alternate years between family only birthday celebrations and friend parties, and thankfully, this was a family only year (I have barely recovered from Griffin's Nerf party from last year).

Red Raiders Spring 2011

            Griffin chose Sushi Fever for his birthday dinner, and we enjoyed teppenyaki. It was a blast and our chef was a complete riot. The restaurant sang happy birthday to G and served him a huge (gnarly looking) scoop of tempura ice cream. He loved every minute of it.



Gavin and Griffin at the zoo - summer 2011



    Griffin is a really special person. He is so much fun to be around and has one of the best senses of humor of anyone, adults included, that I know. He has a passion for life and has concrete goals for his future.He is a leader and a great friend.



Nickel City - December 2011

  Griffin is also very sensitive. He is always concerned about other's feelings and tries to make everyone feel included no matter who is he with. This usually makes him the life of the party with everyone wanting to be around him.



Nicki and Sean's wedding- November 2011

 Griffin won't admit it often, but he loves his brother, Jeb. He teases and antagonizes Jeb non stop, but if anyone else tries to bother Jeb, Griffin won't allow it.

Griffin and Jeb - Church Primary Program 2011

 Griffin adores spending time with his step brothers and sister. Griff and Gavin (aka "G-Force") are usually found hanging out together whenever we see them. Family is very important to Griffin.

Griffin with the twins- summer 2011



Amy's 2nd birthday party - June 2011

 Griff adores his little cousin, Amy. He was willing to go all out and wear pink proudly at her princess party and it made her so happy. He is really great with her and it's fun to see his soft side when he spends time with her.

At 10 years old, Griffin wants to be a chef and restaurant owner when he grows up. He plans to attend UNLV for his bachelors in hospitality management and then Le Cordon Bleu for culinary arts. He wants to own a chain of restaurants called "Griffin's Grubb" and assures us that family members will always eat free. He loves to cook on Monday nights with me, loves the Food Network, and Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay are his favorites. Griff is running for class mayor and is hoping for a win. He is very interested in Asian cultures.  He likes baseball, playing video games, and reading.  

 G-man, we adore you! I know your tenth year will be amazing and full of goodness. Love you, big guy!

busy having fun.

We've been enjoying a great December! It has been busy, but filled with wonderful activities like celebrating Hanukkah! The guys LOVED the potato latkes. They were so yummy! They also liked playing with the dredel.

We learned alot about the holiday and how there are many different winter celebrations for people of different cultures and faiths. (Don't you love the ehow printout?!)

The boys have an "Advent Activity Jar" that they have been picking from every morning. The jar is filled with fun things to do for each day in December like make gingerbread houses and fort building. They always have something to look forward to and get really excited about each activity. We also read a scripture every day about our Savior's birth


We built a heck of a fort in the boys' bedroom and strung Christmas lights through it. We ate a treat and read a Christmas story.


We still haven't taken the fort down yet!

Then, there was the Las Vegas Wranglers hockey game. Jeb got a free ticket from DARE and family members were only $10 each. We had a ton of fun and the boys had a great group of friends there. They danced like crazy! They even got on the "jumbo tron" for the whole arena to see!

(Yes, that is my son above with a popcorn bucket on his head and "shades".)

This is the move that got them on the big screen!

A little bit of "Blue Steel" goes a long way when you're as cute as this guy.

The best group of friends! All such great kids!


Then it was time for Griffin's 9th birthday party. Another Nerf party and let me tell you, this party was nuts! There is a huge difference in 10 to 12 year old boys and 7-9 year old boys. I compared the younger boys to "puppies on crack" on my Facebook status yesterday. Oh Mylanta, the house was noisier, the chaos was swirling, and the excitement level was off the charts. We had a lot of fun but I must confess, I am happy we do friend parties every other year and I'm good for a while. :)

Oh, December, you have been wonderfully busy. And oh look, it's just the 12th!