New birthday toys are invited.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
He's Finally Five!
Benson's birthday was on a Tuesday, but he opted to wake up early with everyone before they left for school instead of sleeping in (which would have been my choice). He wanted cinnamon rolls, and we happened to have a pan in the freezer, so we had an easy breakfast!
He got some pool toys (motivation for underwater adventures...) and a Hot Wheels set, which has motorized car pusher things that make the cars go all the way around the loops.
He was excited to share birthday cake flavored Oreos with his preschool class (oh, so sweet!) and played all afternoon with sisters and his friends Henson, Zelda, and Fletcher from across the street. When I asked him how he liked being five now, he said, "I'm not five--we haven't sung the song or blown out the candles yet!" When I told him that he gets to be five as soon as his birthday starts, he informed everyone from that point on that "Today is my birthday and I'm ALREADY five!"
Because he was going to have a party on the weekend with his cake, we just had ice cream sandwiches on his actual birthday. He had a pretty happy day.
And then--the party! Benson asked that morning if, on his next birthday, he would be six. I said yes, and he interpreted that as meaning he would be turning six that day, since we'd be celebrating again. We had to discuss that it takes a year to get to his next birthday, not five days.
Benson asked for an X-wing cake (of course!), and Ben was excited to craft one for him, but on the morning of his party, Emma had all-region choir auditions, so Ben cut the cake and assembled it, then gave some decorating instructions to me and left with Emma. I am pleased with how it turned out, but I would suggest not leaving the decorating of an X-wing cake for the morning of the party! That's a whole bunch of added stress no one needs. I learned.
We invited all of his preschool class and some primary kids and some neighbors--yikes! There was a chilly wind blowing, but most kids were undaunted and enjoyed the waterslide. Some others played inside instead with my girls.
We served hot dogs and PB&J sandwiches with juice and applesauce pouches for lunch, and then we were ready for cake!
Everyone was so excited for Benson to open their gifts. There were a lot of Star Wars themed items!
It was a fun, crazy party. Ben and Emma got home in time for the last half hour, and then I took a nap.
Happy birthday, my baby (who hates to be called my baby but has to put up with it because it will always be true)!
Monday, May 22, 2017
The Days in the Life of Benson
I'm starting to realize that my last baby has only a few months left with me before heading off to kindergarten, so I'm looking for the joys we have together.
We went to a Chinese food buffet, and he had chocolate dipped marshmallows and Jell-O for his meal. Super authentic!
Apparently very tasty.
He's not in this shot, but we made pinwheels in preschool, and the weather cooperated with a nice wind.
Benson and I have taken some fun walks, and every time we go to this park, he wants a picture with the octopus sculpture. This time I complied.
In preschool we did a unit on occupations, and I'm so glad the message sank in for Benson. When he grows up, he wants to be a...
To culminate our unit on occupations, we visited a fire station, and the fire fighters were so good to dress up for us and give us a tour.
(Benson is the only one with his back pack on. He doesn't officially need one, since he lives at his preschool, but since everyone else does, he has one too. When I told everyone to get their back packs on our way to the field trip, he grabbed his. When everyone left theirs in their cars, he opted to keep his on. He was not going to waste this opportunity to use it!)
We had a great trip with Jaxson, Haddie, Emily, Ember, Jane, Hadley, Wyatt, Caroline, Quinn, Calvin, and Kat. It will be so different to not have him in preschool next year!
And to finish, this gem of one tired boy.
Artful Ladies
Caytie and Gracie both had artwork in the Celebrate the Arts show. Caytie was happy to earn a 2nd place ribbon, and Gracie was happy to have been in the show for seven years straight. Nice job, girls!
Scott, Scott--We Like Him A Lot!
Scott tried out for his high school talent show playing Jon Schmidt's All of Me. He's known that song for a couple years now, but it's just so showy that it's perfect for this kind of thing. He was nervous about it all, and during the show's intermission, he thought there was no way he'd place, but then he had his turn and played it about as fast as it can go, and everyone loved it.
The judges, in particular, seemed to really like it, because he won first place!
We're proud of this winner winner chicken dinner. A dose of talent and a lot of practice goes a long way.
Pi Day
This year on pi day, I was hosting my book club. We had read And Then There were None by Agatha Christie, and to go along with the 10 Little Soldiers poem, I made a 10 layered cake. (I'd seen the contestants make a similar one on "The Great British Bake Off," which is the best TV show around, and thought I'd try it.) It was so tasty, though time consuming to cook all those layers.
I couldn't leave everyone hanging, though, so I made my family (and book club) these apple pie bars, which is a great way to make pie, I've decided.
Any reason to have pie is a valid reason for me.
Nostolgia
Our trip to San Antonio reminded me of my first trip there. We flew there from California for a day or two so I could get some information for my state report. Having a dad who worked for the airlines had major perks.
Also, March marked TWENTY YEARS since I arrived as a new missionary in the South Africa Cape Town mission. This first picture is me with President and Sister Markus, after flying from SLC to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to London to Cape Town. I was so exhausted! But so excited!
On my first P-day, Sister Brown took me to the beautiful Bloubergstrand and I could hardly believe that I was a missionary...in Africa...at the beach...with Table Mountain and Robben Island in sight. Being a missionary comes with a few perks, too.
So much I could say about my mission... I think I'll just say that I'm so grateful that I was able to go, and that it has influenced (and continues to influence) my life for good, and hopefully I was able to influence a few people for good, too. If you'd like to hear more, come ask me. ☺
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