Happy, Happy, Birthday Jaden Dear!!!!

Happy Birthday to my favorite 5 year old! He's so special that we had to do lots of celebrating.

Yesterday we did his cake with family and we gave him his new BIKE!!!! His old one was getting small & we wanted him to have a bigger bike in his favorite color. He was so excited & I was too....it will make it much easier for him to keep up with me on bike rides and I can barely pull him in the bike trailer anymore (my legs burn like crazy).

Today, his actual birthday, we had a bunch of little friends over to celebrate and it was a PERFECT day! Lots of swimming, games, a pinata, endless sno cones (some kids ate like 6, sorry moms) and lots of running made for a really fun party. Once Jaden opened his presents he was ready for everyone to go home so he could play with them but we reminded him that he had to wait until everyone went home. He's officially played with every single one...and he got alot!

We love you buddy! You are such a smart boy & you test my knowledge daily. I know you have any amazing future ahead of you & I'm grateful I get to be your mom as your enjoying it:)

Bribery

Jaden hates riding in the car. He whines about it & it can make for a very frustrating ride.

Unfortunately I've been doing a few dealership things this week that has required some driving. It makes me feel better as a mom if I'm including my children in my efforts then leaving them with a babysitter BUT today after another trip to Pocatello (took one late last night) Chris & I were feeling a little guilty. That's where bribery came in. We told Jaden that we'd go to Ross Park & go to his favorite McDonalds ever. They have a free basketball game that he loves!

As we were driving Chris & I were discussing the hope that the boys will reflect back on these experiences with fond memories. The dreamer in me conjured up an image of a dealership worths millions & the boys sharing memories of when there mom & dad were just starting (and making mistakes, but hopefully they don't remember that.)

So, I think we were forgiven for taking them on another road trip....at least their smiles say so. And the lazy river....loved it! It was relaxing! I think I'm a little lazy for wanting to stay there the whole time.

On the way home Chris & I were discussing another business venture we may be part of & we laughed about the massive amount of research we were going to need to do & the places we'd have to travel to get it. These places too would put a BIG smile on our boys faces...if they can get over the time that it takes to get there:)

Thank you Grandma Murphy!

Today Jaden got a package in the mail. He ran to the door & asked "who is it for"? When I had him read the label he was very excited.

After he opened the package I asked him who it was from. He said "I bet it's from Grandma Murphy".

Jaden celebrates his 5th birthday on Monday & is soooo excited to have the addition of this rocket at his Birthday Party. If you recall he fell in love with a similar rocket when we visited Washington.

He had to invite some friends over to celebrate his new present! Here's some pictures for your enjoyment!

for daddy!

I think that Chris is missing the boys a lot...and of course he's missing me a ton too:):):) Today he called several times asking us what we were doing....after several times of him asking if I was taking pictures I asked him if wanted me to post pictures:) I think he's my biggest blog fan!

So here's some of our fun today!

I had to head to Blackfoot to pick up a car at Auction & my friend Jenn came to bring back a car...thanks so much! We decided if we were going to drag the kids to blackfoot that we better make it fun so we took them to blackfoot lake. I thought the chilly breeze would keep them out of the water but they loved it! It took some bribery to get them to leave.

Yesterday I took the kids to tautphaus park & Jaden saw that they had the rides going. I told him we'd go sometime...I didn't realize that sometime better be soon or else he'd keep asking. So this afternoon I took them for some fun on the rides. Landon was so brave to go on them himself. It's so fun to watch them be independent, pay their tickets, & pick their ride...I just LOVE them!

Happy Fathers Day!!!!

Soon we are off to celebrate fathers day at my parents....good food, good company, & most of all, great family time with those we love!

I'm not good with mushy posts so I probably won't go there but wanted to thank my dad & Chris for being the great fathers that they are! We love you!

Shopping for these types of holidays isn't easy. For about 3 months Jaden has been rewarded with money from grandpa for good behavior! I decided that he may be in need of some additional cash flow with Jaden's good behavior (he...he) so here is the end result!

The boys got Chris some of his favorite items too! They don't really get these holidays yet....I'm sure next fathers day they'll wisk you away on a fun boys trip & be on perfect behavior:):):)

Guess where I am???

Can you guess???

In a spa suite celebrating mine & Chris's anniversary. For scheduling reasons we couldn't find a time to get away for our anniversary so I joined Chris in Twin for the night...he's working right now so I have a couple hours of pure relaxation without little ones needing something.

Last night for dinner we planned to go to a really nice restaurant but first wanted to get "burnt lemonade" at this cute little restuarant/fast food place. The food smelled so good we decided to use my fast food point & eat there....it was good, greasy BUT good! Not the best picture of us but the only one we got:)

Thanks mom for watching my little ones! We had a much needed getaway!

What motivates you????

Motivation is an interesting thing.....

Jaden finished preschool a week ago & I wanted him to have a week off before I put him on a structured summer schedule. I wanted him to have responsibilities & continue to work on reading...my goal is that he can read before he starts kindergarten....he's really close.

Last night as he went to bed I laid down with him & showed him his chart of things to complete every day. For each item he completed he'd get a point & each point would give him a certain amount of computer time.

Jaden LOVES computer time....too much! It's actually a battle to get him off!

Yesterday I couldn't talk. I've been losing my voice. I haven't been sick so it's been a little bazaar. I decided...maybe it's allergies so I took some allergy medicine yesterday that made me really sleepy!

This morning....Jaden is up before 7 am, runs to my room, I can hardly move & he announces he's going to clean the toy room. I should mention that he does a really good job! Then run & makes his bed, then runs outside to clean the backyard only to run back in telling me it's too cold. That was ok with me since I'm wanting him to slow down.

Long story, short, computer time is in the afternoon at our home. I like it to be the quiet time during that day & something Jaden looks forward too! Since I had a lot to get done this morning & head over to my sister-in-laws to help her move in (yay...they are here), I didn't have time to sit down with Jaden to work on reading so we came in the middle, he could play on the computer but only hooked on phonics until we needed to go.

Tonight I debate, allergy medicine or not? My voice is a little better so I think it's helping! If Jaden is as motivated as today I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with allergy medicine in my system:):):)

Landon & Daddy

Chris has been travelling with work for over a month...I haven't shared this fact because of the possibility of a crazy out there. If you are crazy; don't come to our home, we have constant visitors & he'll be home soon...just not telling when....oh, and I'll pull out Chris's hunting gun!

Anyways, we visited Chris this week...the boys love staying in hotels & visiting their dad!

I noticed this week that Landon has started to get more weepy & today figured it out! He misses his daddy & is starting to be jealous of the things that Jaden & daddy get to do..fishing, golfing, & doing lots of boy stuff.

I was so used to Landon being a mommy's boy that I've been shocked to realize that Landon wants to go with the boys for boy time!

Today, daddy gave Landon some extra TLC...without Jaden.

The positive.....if Landon wants to go with the boys for "boy time" that means I get "alone time" and that's a wonderful thing!

progress....

I thought I'd share how I'm doing on my challenge. I think by sharing it helps to motivate me....today I was walking down the frozen food aisle & more then anything wanted to buy yummy ice cream. I stopped myself & hopefully I can stop myself the next time too:):):)

Here's the point breakdown.

1. Drink 48 ounces of water a day Easy for me. I drink a lot more then this...except yesterday. I was chugging water late into the night to get my point.
2. 45 minutes of exercise (doesn't have to be consecutive) I was already excercising regularly BUT 6 days has been a lot for me. I've had to do a couple of Sunday workouts to get all my points...shame on me!
3. No soda or alcohol Um....EASY! I've drank maybe 1 soda in two years and never a drop of alcohol. It's like a free point:)
4. No sweets (desserts, pastries, candy, or sugary snacks) Sugar-free alternatives are okay All I can say is "thank goodness for sugar-free alternatives". I like my sweets and although they don't taste as good as the real thing they come in a close second.
.5. No fast food, or unhealthy snacks This one hasn't been too difficult. If we do fast food I usually pick up a salad. I usually like healthy snacks but occassionaly crave potato chips. My new favorite snack is crackerbread with light laughing cow cheese.
6. Consume 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables Usually pretty easy although I've had a couple of times when it was near the end of the day & I had to consume my fruits & veggies. I now try to do a fruit/veggie shake for breakfast.
7. No eating after 8p.m. HARD!!!! I like to eat after my kids go to bed so I have a moment of peace. I've had to change this habit & it hasn't been easy. I usually will do a crystal light over ice to fill that void but it's not the same. I'm sure my calorie intake is less from this one.
8. Read 15 minutes of spiritual or uplifting text EASY!
9. Write in your journal (Daily blogs count, too.) Express specific appreciation, love, or praise in your journal...a goal of two or three items is a good goal! I've played with what works best for me & right now (I still do blog) I've found a small thankful journal to write in throughout the day works best for me. At some point I'll share some of the things I've written on my blog.
10. Personal goal- each week make a personal goal for everyday or make a goal for the entire week. ( Like reading more to the kids, organize a closet, get 8 hours of sleep, etc...) This has been good because I've had a couple of things I've put off that I've gotten done.

ONE FREE POINT PER AREA, PER WEEK..for example: only one day with sweets a week, only one day without exercise, one late night snack per week........or one whole day free. This DAY saves me.....I need it for my sanity:):):)

I have managed to lose 3 lbs...this is good since I really haven't lost any weight this year....I know I lost inches with p90x & I care more about inches then lbs so not losing much weight this year doesn't mean I haven't made progress because I think I have:)

everyday activities!

Today was Jaden's last day of school. I've been so sad to see him done with pre-school. What an amazing experience it's been.....His teacher sent home a CD of pictures through out the year. Jaden & I sat down & he told me about all of them. I'll be busy sorting & scrapping them over the next couple of days:)

Last night before Jaden went to bed he told me he wanted to do a lemonade stand. He made a list of things to buy........bendy straws, clear cups, he wanted three drink choices (I said no), and told me to make sure I got his money box. This morning he repeated the same requests so I knew it was a plan despite the windy weather.

He was so cute!

He had little friends come & visit! After a little while his friend Emily came & helped and they came and announced they knocked on my neighbors door, brought them a drink, & charged them....that's a little embarrassing! At least he took charge:)

I know this is something that he'll do again because he had so much fun. I'm thinking popcycles next time. They are cleaner, more contained, & on a hot day will sell great!

I have to share this picture because it was lost on my camera & I think it's too cute not too! About a month ago I had Jenna's kids last minute & she didn't know when she'd return. Since it was close to bedtime I bathed all the kids & put them in Jaden's sport shirts....no bottoms! I popped them popcorn & sat them down to a movie....they decided it was much funner to dance!

simple fun

Somehow I missed this HUGE field that is well hidden and less then a block away from my house.

Today...the weather wasn't spectacular but it was good enough for the boys to get out & run & get fresh air.

They rode their bikes......

Landon discovered his trike two weeks ago & he loves it. He makes really LOUD 'broom' noises. So loud, you think he's angry:) His little feet barely reach the peddles but he doesn't care & now that he's discovered how to steer he's completely confident.

We took only a ball to play with. Jaden ran around the field & I had to run & kick it at him. I already excercised this morning & got an extra workout in chasing him around & around & around. That's my kind of exercising...you don't even realize you are doing it:)

Landon thought'd it'd be fun to ride his bike down the hill. I had to stop & help him do it many times. I thought I'd solve the problem by leaving his trike at the bottom of the hill...it didn't stop him. He just pushed it back to the top.

Jaden decided to take a safer route & rolled down the hill until he was dizzy!I just LOVE these boys! They are too cute!