BANDS AND BIRTHDAYS

I am not sure how it happens, but it does. Almost every year Awesome A has to share his birthday with some other event. And he always does so without any complaints or whining. He just goes with the flow...

This year, he shared with Middle School Arts Night. We went to watch Little C perform in the band.

Little C- white shirt, purple tie.

I think he was playing the triangle in this song. He is not taking band again next year. He says it's boring. It told he he at least has to keep playing the piano then and that's the deal we've made.

Princess P reading her book during the concert.

We went home after the concert and had the in-town family over for cake and ice cream. Awesome A scored big with money gifts. He was one happy guy.

Chocolate and money! Yes, just what I wanted!

I helped him blow out the candles while I was singing Happy Birthday. Oops. What are mothers for? I didn't have 18 candles anyway. 

Chocolate cake!

 The cousins love hanging out together (even if it's on our broken trampoline). 

Princess P, Cousins G and B, and Baby W.

 Then the girls got a little crazy and started eating their cake without utensils... Those silly girls!

Chocolately girls.

The next night Awesome A had a birthday party and had a bunch of friends over to eat treats and watch movies in the back yard. 

Some of Awesome A's buddies.

JANUARY DAYS

Most of our weeks are filled with small, but still important events and activities that tell a lot about us as a family. I thought I'd post a few pics to illustrate our family at this moment in time.

Little C reads Spiderman comics regularly.

Big C dresses in a special outfit to grill the burgers.

Princess P (in orange) at the 4th grade County Fair. 

Princess P sews her PJ bottoms. She loves sewing and begs me to sew. 

Awesome A decided to cut off his long hair into a mullet. 

Just kidding! We cut it like this to send a photo to the missionaries to make them think he got a mullet. He didn't. I cut the rest of it off. It is nice and missionary short now.

KID UPDATE

Lots of little happenings are going on at our house, so I thought I'd share a few tidbits. 

Big C has been doing some work for a friend who happens to be a photographer. Our friend posted this photo of him cutting cement on Facebook with the caption, 'Muy Macho!' I just couldn't resist stealing it. It is truly a cool photo!

Husband at work!

 My sister's son just got baptized yesterday and we went up to be there with him. I love to see my kids together with their cousins. I loved my cousins growing up and want the same fun friendships for them!

Cousins are the best!

 Little C is not really into scouting, but he does it because he is supposed to. His leader is amazing and has really helped him get going and caught up to where he needs to be. He just got 9 merit badges and his First and Second Classes.

Christian getting his stack of merit badge cards.

Princess P has to do book reports this year in school and it is actually something she is excited about. For the first month she chose World's Greatest Fairy Tales (a book I used to read when I was growing up). She made a diorama all by herself and I was SO impressed! I loved it!

Snow White in her glass coffin with Prince Charming, elf, and assorted woodland creatures.

 A just asked a girl to Homecoming the other day and got an answer tonight. It came in the form of a huge ball of plastic wrap with candy in it and the answer in the core. She said 'YES!'

It's not even Halloween yet- look at all that candy!

PUTTING A FACE TO THE NAME

I am a big fan of The Hunger Games books, well, at least the first two. I was pretty disappointed in the last one and am still considering writing my own version (he he). We are discussing this last book, Mockingjay it is called, at our book club tonight. One of my friends thought it would be fun to find photos of people we thought might resemble the characters in the book, so I went on a cyber quest to find mine.

This is the main character- the name leaves a lot to be desired, but I love her in the first book. She seems like a naturally pretty brunette with long brown hair.

Gale is her best friend (love his name) and hunting partner. I always picture him dark and chiseled, so if you combine the face of the first boy with the coloring of the second, you'll have my version.

Peeta (by far the stupidest name ever- why could she not have just named him Peter, for crying out loud) is the cute, sweet baker boy. He is blond and very boy-next-door looking in my mind.

Well, there you have it. I don't have real names for all these people because I am not trying to cast the movie (I don't even really want them to make a movie- I think they'll ruin it). I was just trying to put actual faces to the images in my mind.

I am looking forward to book club tonight!

I LIKE TO READ

I do. But in no way am I an intellectual. I admit it freely- I read for fun, to escape, to pretend, to visit times and places I'll never get to in 'real life.' Here are a few of my recent favorites:

This was my pick for our book club last month. It is a very fun, but interesting read about women during the Depression. Very unexpected things happen, which I love.

Another historical fiction book, but based on a real diary. I laughed a cried through this book (which is my favorite kind of book).

And last and favorite. This is an amazing look at the relationships between black and white people during the 60's in the deep South. Loved it!