Kolby's 5th Birthday

Happy Happy Birthday Kolby! He turned 5 on December 29 and was so looking forward to being the big #5. We had a really fun birthday with his cousins and a couple of friends from his church class at a gymnastics gym where 2 coaches entertained the kids on the equipment doing obstacle courses, etc for 1 1/2 hours followed by cake and presents. I think everyone had fun and was pretty exhausted by the end of the party. Besides being freezing in the gym, it was great and most importantly Kolby had an awesome time. After opening all of his presents he said to me, "Mom, Dustin gave me the best present ever (a remote control car)." And then he paused for a second and said, "No. Everyone gave me the best presents ever." That made me proud that he was so grateful for all of the nice things that everyone gave him and that he recognized that he shouldn't just single one out.

Since it is his birthday, it is a great time for me to brag about what an awesome little Big boy I have. These are just a few of the things that I love about Kolby:

1. He loves for me to tickle his back and sing him songs every night
2. While singing songs and trying to be peaceful he always needs me to tickle his "underpit" so he can get a really good laugh. He always wants more and more.
3. He has the best laugh
4. He definitely helps out in time of need
5. He is a great big brother who really looks after his little sister and little brother
6. He is a great teacher (to me, his friends, his siblings)
7. He loves his Grandpa
8. He loves Mya & Chloe, the dogs and always wants to make sure they are happy, well fed and well exercised
9. He is brave
10. He likes to do what is right. He loves his CTR ring and has always been a stickler for the rules (just one example: he is already a backseat driver making sure that I am not going over the speed limit because he doesn't want me to get a ticket)
11. He is so afraid of going to jail (maybe that explains #10)
12. He has a tender heart. He doesn't like watching any movie or show where people are mean to each other.
13. He loves being social and active. Having nothing to do is the worst day for him and for me. He wants friends around and activities planned. Thank goodness for preschool.
    
14. He loves his Book of Mormon and likes to mark it and gets so excited about memorizing scriptures and AofF for Primary.
    
15. He befriends everyone at school and is always good for his teachers
16. He loves to tease his mom and give me a hard time about everything, especially going to bed at night
    
17. He loves performing "magic tricks", which Grandpa got him hooked on
18. He loves his trucks/cars/emergency vehicles/construction vehicles
19. He is a great singer and is beginning to memorize lots of songs which I love listening to him sing
20. He loves looking out the window and waiting for his Dad to get home and then running out to greet him
21. He loves to ride his bike, play football and baseball
22. His favorite ride at Disneyland is Big Thunder Mountain and could do that over and over again all day
23. He loves helping with any project: helping put up the ceiling fans, work in the yard, put on the knobs on the cupboard door...anything that involves working with tools and is very competent with them
24. He loves his friends from Visalia and misses them SOOO much
25. He is a sweet, tender, handsome, silly sense of humored boy whom I am glad to have as mine
    

Here are LOTS of pictures:

Birthday Boy & His Dad Before the Party (Kolby was so cute, while we were waiting for his friends to arrive, out of the blue, he started kissing Geoff on the cheek and saying "Thank You, Daddy", "Thank You, Daddy". It definitely took us by surprise. It was very sweet)

Carson in the Pit, Making Sure he takes some home in his tummy

Kort & Luke Playing in the Pit

Grandma, Ash & Blake Looking On

Go Team!

Moms & Babes Trying to Stay Warm

Kade Being a Monkey

Peek-a-boo Madelyn

Abbey climbed to the Top!!! Very Impressive!

The Downen Dudes

Eliza Smiling as she Swings

Birthday Boy Swinging

Madelyn Swinging Away

Time for Cake

Actual Birthday Uncle Dust came over to Drive the Awesome Charger

Happy 5th Birthday, Kolby! We Love YOU!

Christmas 2008

Christmas was so much fun this year (besides the flu that was going around)!!! Everyone was home for Christmas except Whitney who went to England to be with her fiance. There are getting to be so many cousins that it is getting a little crazy around here when we all get together, but it is so much fun. I think that Eliza had the best time ever with her cousin Madelyn staying with us for a week. They are only 6 months apart and played nonstop, usually playing dress up or babies. It was so cute seeing them get along so well and so sad to see her go. It was fun to see the rest of the family too. We met the new baby and also got to see our other Texas cousin, baby Ellie who is so cute and big. I would have put pictures of everyone on here if time would permit, but since I am still in catch up mode, time does not permit. We all had fun just spending time together; one of the highlights was definitely the trip to the bowling alley. I actually got a turkey, which has never happened in my life (I am a horrible bowler who rarely can bowl over 100). Geoff got a turkey, too so it was our lucky bowling outing. Kolby and Carson loved playing with his fun boy cousins and his older girl cousins, whom he idolizes. And whoa...we have way toooooo many toys!!! This madness must stop soon, but it is so hard because it is so fun to give. I definitely need to hide some to regift to them for their birthdays and other special days throughout the year.
Another highlight of the day was Marty blessing his baby girl. It was nice for all of the family to be there and to have a spiritual moment after all of the hubbub of Christmas. After all, that is what Christmas is supposed to be all about - Christ. I am grateful to know he is my Savior and grateful for his perfect example and life. We tried to teach our children a little more about giving this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas to a neighbor family. They loved it and were so excited each night to drop off our little gift and ring the doorbell and run. They even had fun shopping for what we might gift them on each special day. And I think we did a good job...I am 99.99% sure the neighbors have no idea who was giving them their daily gifts. Merry Christmas!!!

Kolby, Eliza & Carson in their Christmas Jammies

Getting Cookies & Milk Ready for Santa

Kolby Loving His Presents

Carson & His New Vacuum with Luke Eyeing it Behind Him

Marty & Baby Charlotte

Cousins on the Staircase

The Girl Cousins (minus a few)

Cute Cousins at the Bowling Alley

Kids Rocking out During Rock 'n Bowl

Preschool & Dance

Decorating Cookies to Take to Kolby's Preschool Holiday Luncheon

Well, the kids were driving me crazy because they were so bored since we moved. They haven't made too many friends here and I am the worst mom about setting up playdates and they were completely socially deprived. So we got Kolby into preschool. I feel like we lucked out that he got into an awesome 5 day/week preschool...there was one spot open and unfortunately it was only in the afternoon, but we took it and it had worked out great. He loves his teachers and has made lots of friends there and absolutely loves going to school. At first it was really weird for me because his preschool is on the same campus as my elementary school...i never thought i would be back there again, but i have learned to never say never!

While Kolby gets to go to preschool, Eliza said she really wanted to do dance. Luckily there is an awesome dance studio right by the preschool and they are both within 5 minutes of our house...I love it! She is so cute in there and gets to excited to go. She loves dressing up and actually follows the teacher pretty well...except when she is looking out the window trying to make eye contact with me to make sure I am watching. When she does make eye contact, she gets so excited that she grins from ear to ear and waves until her arm tires or until she trips, whichever comes first. I love it!

Eliza in Action at Dance Class

Art & Literacy Festival

Kids Watching the Parade

Carson Eating the Dirty Snow

Kolby & Eliza Loving the Snow

Eliza after a Long Day

In trying to get to know our new town and take advantage of all it has to offer, I took the kids to an Art & Literacy Festival at the beginning of December. Geoff was out of town so me and the kids headed out early for the morning parade since we heard Santa would be there. And then we followed the end of the parade to the park that had lots of displays, music and dancing performances, and a bunch of snow that was brought in for the day (very authentic!). The kids loved it. Eliza of course was the most anxious to go see Santa and tell him everything she would like for Christmas. Kolby and Carson were definitely Santa shy. We had so much fun together...who can beat playing in the snow in 75 degree weather in December???

More About the Tree

Everyone Anxious to Climb the Ladder to Get the Decorations out of the Attic

Cute Kids Under the Tree

Christmas Tree Hunting

Cute Kids and Dad in the Wagon

Eliza & Grandpa at the Eliza-Size Tree

The Family

I am obviously still catching up from last year...but of course had to post pictures of our hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Kolby was so excited about getting a Christmas tree this year that we were sure to get it Thanksgiving weekend. I'm not sure if he was more excited about getting the tree or putting the tree in the back of his Dad's new truck (which he thinks is the coolest thing in the whole wide world...the only problem is that he now asks us on a weekly basis when we are getting a boat to go with it. We of course tell him to start saving his moola). We went to a local Christmas tree farm and after much deliberation and seeing that we weren't really satisfied with the selection that was out, the christmas tree worker went to the special tree storage tent to find us the "perfect" tree. And it was a beauty. Probably the best tree we have ever had. It lasted all the way through New Year's Day with no problem...stayed very green and very scented and the best part about it was the needles were never sharp and pokey. You can see from the photos that the kids had a blast and so did Grandpa.

Thanksgiving 2008

Unfortunately, my camera was MIA during Thanksgiving and so I don't even have any photos to post. It was a pretty low key Thanksgiving with a few of my siblings and their families at my parents/our house. :-) Yummy food and fun playing with cousins. I did reflect a lot on what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving and it really is pretty simple: Geoff's job, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope it gives, family and friends. Our family and friends have been so supportive and positive and loving to us over the past few months...we are extremely grateful!

So Long, Farewell...

In November, we moved out of our first house and in with my parents until Geoff could find a job. It just so happens that the night we loaded up the moving truck, Geoff got a job offer about midway between my parents' house and the house we were moving from. There was no turning back, though, after our house was sold, the farewells had been said and a ton of people helped pack all of our stuff into the moving truck in record time (I think they may have been excited to get rid of us!) So off to put our stuff in storage and move in with my parents. We miss many things about our old stomping ground, mainly all of the wonderful people. Maybe we will be back someday...But until then, we will cherish the memories. The photos show some of our "lasts" there: Eliza's last day of preschool, Kolby's last day of preschool, Paige's last time babysitting (she's been babysitting for us since Kolby was 8 months old) and the last night at our house with all of the awesome people who helped pack the truck!

Proposition 8 Rally

Our family had the privilege of participating heavily in the Yes for Proposition 8 campaign in California to preserve traditional marriage between a man and a woman. I know there has been a lot of controversy over the subject, but Geoff and I both agree that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Geoff had the luck of being unemployed during this critical campaign time and so was able to put 40-60 hours/week into getting the vote out for yes on 8. We are so grateful it passed and Geoff was proud that our county had the highest Yes vote percentage of any county in CA. He tried to get us involved as much as possible so we could have some family time and one of the events we were all able to attend was a Prop 8 rally on the street corner of a major intersection in our town. The kids had a blast and were so into the election! It was fun to see them, mainly Kolby, asking questions and trying to understand different issues and the different candidates.

Halloween

Halloween is such a fun time of year! Sometimes I feel like it is always Halloween because the kids love dressing up almost every day. But Halloween is made especially great when you have neighbors who LOVE Halloween and decorate their house so much that you might think you were at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and also throw fun Halloween parties for the kids. This year we had an Incredible Hulk, a Raggedy Ann and a little Duck. Kolby loved being the Hulk and thinks he is as strong as the Hulk. Raggedy Ann got the most stares and comments as we trick or treated cuz she was so cute and the poor little Duck was mistaken for a girl a few times.

Final Pumpkin Patch Photo Shoot

So these are some more photos I found from the pumpkin patch and I figured I'd better post them since I made us dress up in our orange and brown Halloween shirts specifically for a photo shoot. All was well until the winds started blowing at like 50mph and the dust and grime filled our eyes and forced us out! Long live the pumpkin patch! (And yes, I do realize I am posting this in January...I am hoping to get caught up with 2008 by February 2009)