Kyle's 7th Birthday

Kyle had his 7th birthday on November 10th.  It was a fun weekend for him!  The night before, Oma and Opa came up and spent the night.  We went out to dinner at Pizza Hut and then bowling at the Bear River Bowling Center.  

The next morning, we opened presents and Kyle had a good time playing with them with his brothers and sisters.  

I made Kyle a "Lego" cake because he loves playing Legos and can make some very creative things with them!  The cake was a lot of work, but also fun, too.  ( I always call it play-doh for mommies.)  

Kyle is such a great boy and we love having him in our home.  He tries hard to be a good brother and is always game for trying something new and exciting.  He keeps our lives interesting and we're thankful for his energetic and fun personality.  

Erika's 9th Birthday

Erika getting ready to take the big plunge at the end of the waterside.

We celebrated Erika's ninth birthday on July 24th.  It was a different one for Aaron and I this year because she had spent the weekend at Oma and Opa's house with Kyle and Heidi and a few of their other cousins and had a blast.  But, she woke up on her birthday morning at their house, not ours.  

One exciting thing for Erika was the opportunity to go on a horseback ride up in the canyon with Oma and Opa that morning.  She got to ride and control her own horse and she really liked that.  

Jared was worn out after a busy day and decided
Opa's lap would be the perfect place for a nap. 

In the afternoon, we met Oma and Opa with the kids at a pool in Ogden called "North Shore Aquatic Center."  I was impressed with the pool- it was really nice with lots of fun things for the kids to play on and do.  They especially loved the big waterside.  Heidi just kept wanting us to take her on it over and over again.   

For her birthday this year, Erika wanted me to make her a "firework cake" so I did my best.   We are happy to have Erika in our family and can't believe how fast she is growing up!  

Erika's 8th birthday

We celebrated Erika's eighth birthday on July 24th.  She had a great day.  It was a Sunday and we had just spent the whole weekend prior camping.  She got a nice new bike and helmet.   

Oma and Opa got her a set of new scriptures with her name on it.   They were able to watch her open her present over the internet on skype (they are on their mission in Vietnam).  



I thought some of these pictures were so funny- the kids were trying so hard!

Since this is a big birthday for her, we had a party with a bunch of friends.  Now, I don't mean to brag, but Aaron and I are dang good party planners.   We don't let the kids have a party every year, just at the landmark ages- 5, 8, 12, 16.  (That's the plan, anyway).   I put a lot of work into getting ready for the party and I think it was a success. 

Erika wanted her party to be a water party, and we had the perfect weather for it.  We had a slip 'n slide, waterslide (on the swingset), and jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler under it.  After this, we had a bucket relay race with water.  Then, we had a treasure hunt around the yard and the kids ended up each getting a prize at the end.  We had some water balloon games with a toss and then a huge water fight. 

After the water fun, we had a pinata.  Don't ask about the signifigance of the chinese girl for a pinata, because there is none.  We were in a rush at the store and they only had 5 to choose from and I let Erika choose.  (I had started to think I would have to make one myself and that could have been kind of crazy).  The kids had a blast hitting the pinata and then scrambling around for candy. 



I made this "book cake" at Erika's request because she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES  to read!!!  If I don't know where Erika is, I can usually find her on the couch in the living room reading a book. 



What a fun dad- he wasn't afraid to get out there and get wet with the kids. 

Overall, I think Erika had a great birthday and it was a lot of fun.  We are so thankful for the good friends she has been able to make in such a wonderful neighborhood.   After the party was over, Aaron and I were both  exhausted!!   Doing a party takes a lot of work, especially with 15 energetic kids.  We're glad they all had fun!

Happy Birthday Heidi!

We celebrated Heidi's fourth birthday on May 25th.  I made her a butterfly cake because she loves butterflies.  Heidi is my "cuddlebug".  She loves to cuddle with me at bedtime and to have me give her "butterfly kisses".  She also really likes the song "Butterfly Fly Away" by Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus.  She will sing along to it.  Aaron says that is the perfect song for her because it is so quiet and gentle, like her personality.  We love our little Heidi!!  I can't believe she is four years old already.  It has gone by fast.  She has progressed so much in the last year, which has been a relief for us.  Like a little butterfly, she is progressing at her own rate until someday she will spread her wings and fly just like a beautiful butterfly. 

One of the gifts Heidi got was a bubble maker.  After we had cake, we went out in the backyard and turned it on.  The kids had so much fun running around on the grass, catching and popping bubbles.  I think this was the highlight of Heidi's birthday.  She was so excited!  Ah, the simple joys of childhood!

Kyle's 5th Birthday

Opening presents at 6:30 am on Kyle's birthday.   (Showing off his new remote- control car from grandma).

On November 10th, Kyle celebrated his 5th birthday.  It was actually more like "birthday week" for him, though, because we were celebrating it almost every day.  On Monday, for family home evening we went bowling for our activity, which was Kyle's choice, and kind-of for his birthday.  Tuesday I went to Kyle's preschool with him and brought cookies for his class and they sang to him.  He got to be the "helper" and wear a special birthday hat.   Wednesday was his actual birthday and we sang to him in the morning.  Daddy got up extra early and made everyone french toast, which was Kyle's choice for breakfast.   He also chose spaghetti for dinner that night.

Erika quizzing my parents with flashcards on their Vietnamese

Heidi and my Opa have a special bond.  
She loves to cuddle up to him. 

Erika with her great-Oma Erika

Later that evening, Oma and Opa Michel came to visit, as well as "great-Oma and great-Opa" (my dad's parents).   They stayed for dinner and played with the kids.    My parents have accepted a call to serve a mission in Vietnam.   They put their papers in this year and many of us were expecting them to be called to Germany or someplace similar where they both speak fluent German and were born there.   So, the call to Vietnam came as a surprise for most of us.  It is actually part of the Cambodia mission.

It is a welfare mission (no proselyting) and they are 2 of 8 missionaries in the entire country.  This will be  a challenge and adventure for them.  We will miss them a lot, but we are also so proud of them and thankful for the example they have set for us of service and obedience to the Lord's will.

Kyle trying out his new fishing gear he got from his Opa.  
He  just can't wait until he can go fishing with it!!

On Thursday we had a birthday party for Kyle with a bunch of neighbor friends.  I have found age 5 to be a fun age to do a party because the kids have made a few friends from the neighborhood and they get so excited about the smallest things.  It was a lot of fun!   We played a few simple games-  pin the nose on the clown, musical chairs, bingo, a pinata, and we also had cake and presents.  I love it because you don't have to do a whole lot and the kids have fun.  

Go, Erika!  She is really getting into it!

The birthday boy trying to hit the pinata.

I made Kyle a "Mater" cake, which is what he requested.  It was a little
tricky, and I only had limited time to do it, but it turned out okay.   

Blowing out his candle

We sure love our little boy!  He is growing up so fast and so much fun.  It is fun to watch him learn and make new friends.  He loves life and brings so much joy to our family.  

Erika's 7th Birthday

 On July 24th we celebrated Erika's 7th birthday.  (We call her our pioneer baby.)  This is one of the first years we have actually been home for the 24th because every other year we have been vacationing this weekend, for some reason.    Tremonton actually has its' "Tremonton Days" celebration this weekend so this is the first time we were able to participate in this.

In the morning, after having Erika's favorite breakfast- crepes, and opening a few presents,  we headed over to the park where they had a bunch of booths set up and some free blow-up toys the kids could climb around on.   That night, they had fireworks at the park and we got to watch them from our house.  (Heidi and Jared were in bed.)

After the park, we came home for lunch then headed over to Brigham City and went swimming at the Community Pool.  I think this is our favorite place to go swimming.  They have little kiddy slides for the kids to go down and also a pretty fun waterslide kids can go on with mom and dad or by themselves.

Erika and Kyle have gotten so much better at swimming this year after a few sessions of lessons and they  both decided they were brave enough to go on their own this time.  They had a blast!  We met my parents at the pool and they had fun swimming with us, too.

Heidi was exhausted after all the fun!

After swimming  we all headed back home and had Erika's favorite homemade dinner- fettucine alfredo, and then cake.  I had a lot of fun making Erika's cake this year.  I learned how to do fondant at aYoung Women's activity a few months ago and had fun decorating my first cake with it.  The crayon box fits Erika perfectly because she LOVES to color!  We love our sweet Erika and are so grateful to have her as part of our family!

Kyle's Birthday

My little boy turned four years old on Nov 10th. We had such a fun day together! In the morning before daddy went to work, Kyle couldn't wait to open some of his presents. He was thrilled to get some new CARS, of all things, and a backpack to put them in. He also got a few other odds and ends. It was fun just to watch him get so excited about a few little cars. He got his birthday present early this year- a bike, which we gave him in August so he'd have a chance to ride it a little before it got too cold. That's the challenge of having a November birthday. He also got a new helmet and knee pads (Lightning McQueen, of course.) It was really cute- when he opened the knee pads, he said, "Yes! Now I can go work with you, dad!" He had seen his dad out building with knee pads on and figured that was what they were for. He loves to be daddy's little helper and has been out back "helping" Aaron build the garage in our backyard.

I got to go with Kyle to his preschool and talk about the four years of his life and how much he's changed and learned during that time. It was fun to watch him interact at his school, and to help the teachers out. Heidi got to join in the fun, too.

Kyle had requested to go bowling on his birthday so later that night we went to "Wild Bill's" bowling alley where we enjoyed pizza and hamburgers. Kyle was so into the bowling he hardly had time to eat. The best part for him was that he got to have his own bowling pin with his name on it. He got to color on it and put stickers on it. We all wrote a birthday greeting, too. We all had a great time! Then, we went back to the house for some cake and ice cream. I had spent HOURS on the Lightning McQueen cake for his birthday. (Before, whenever we asked him what he wanted, all he would say was, "I want a Lightning McQueen cake." That was it) I think it turned out okay.

We love our Kyle. He is such a fun boy and adds so much life to our family. Thank you, Kyle, for letting us love and teach you. You bring us so much happiness!