Monday, May 7, 2012

January & February

In January, Cade had his first Pinewood Derby. He was so excited. Forrest helped him with his car, assuring him he would win. He used bullets as the weight (yes, bullets - not surprising). Forrest did lots of researching in order to determine how to produce a winning car.  Caden designed and painted the car himself (with a little help from Dad).  He ended up coming in 3rd place....out of four entries. I could tell Caden was really bummed - and so was Forrest. Maybe next year we'll have a winner. Photobucket

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For Cade's valentines, we attched his picture to a packed of Pop Rocks. 
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Since Cole is in preschool and only has a few kids in his class, we gave each of them a Hot Wheels car.  His teacher said it was a big hit - even with the girls. 
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

December {2011}

The highlight of December was Cade's baptism.  He was the only one from our stake to be baptized that day, so our family did the entire program.  It turned out great.  He was one happy kid. 
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We had lunch at Opa & Oma's house afterward with friends and family.  I wanted Caden to know that a baptism is a big deal, so I spent a lot of time planning the decorations and food -even though Forrest said over and over, "Just grab some chips and hot dogs."  
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After the baptism festivities, we went to the Festival of Trees where we admired the decorated trees as well as the fancy gingerbread houses.
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Brad & Michelle bought the kids tickets to use at the kid station.  They were each able to speak to one of Santa's elves on the phone.  Cole told the elf that he wanted a boy doll?? for Christmas - this was the first we had heard of it, so Forrest and I were both confused.  Cade asked for a remote control airplane. They also loved these giant bubbles.  Cole giggled the whole time.
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About a week into December, we received a mysterious package on our doorstep from the North Pole.
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An elf!  The boys named him Gizmo.  He stayed the entire month, causing all sorts of mischief.  Before going to bed every night the boys would talk about what Gizmo might do while they were sleeping.  Sometimes he would leave messes, bring notes back from Santa, or hide in crazy places.
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He brought them miniature doughnuts from the North Pole.
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We even woke up to elf size pancakes one morning.
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Cade had his first piano recital in December as well.  It was at the University of Utah.  He didn't even seem nervous.
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It was an unusual December in Utah - not much snow.  In fact, we didn't even build a snowman this year. 
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Omie came all the way from the Netherlands for Christmas.  She always brings special Dutch treats and presents, which the boys love.
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One of the boys' favorite Christmas traditions is decorating gingerbread houses at Opa & Oma's.  They have a sleepover and get new Christmas jammies as well.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

November (2011)

Yes, I'm way behind on blogging, but I don't want to post recent events until I catch up. So here we go...

There is a little Belgian waffle and fry diner downtown called Bruges. We love munching on frites (french fries) while sampling one of their 1o different fry sauces. But our ultimate favorite indulgence from Bruges is their Waffle Monster. It is a crunchy vanilla waffle stuffed with delicious Belgian speculoos (a carmalized gingerbread cookie spread), vanilla bean ice cream, and strawberries. So, so good.

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Cade turned EIGHT years old this month. He could hardly wait. (When he turned seven last year he had said, "I can't wait until next year when I turn eight, because that means I'll get baptized.") He asked for an army-themed birthday party.

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My cousin's wife, Chelsea, made the cake. It was perfect. Caden loved it. Even the inside was camouflaged.

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After cake and presents we all headed for Kangaroo Zoo - a great place to get the wiggles out.

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Cade was also excited to be turning eight because that means he started cub scouts. I hope he has the same enthusiasm when he's sixteen. ;)

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We had Thanksgiving at Ali's and Jason's this year. It was fun having Michelle's parents with us as well.

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And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving with out a little football!

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

October

You know your kids are getting older when they no longer want to be Batman, Superman, or a Ninja Turtle for Halloween. This year Cade wanted to be a zombie. I searched and searched for a decent non-gory zombie costume, but no such luck. Instead we bought a suit from good will and made a few adjustments. We used leaves from the apple tree, ashes from the fire pit, a bit of dirt, and a dash of fake blood.

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Cole was determined to be a giant for Halloween... until I convinced him otherwise. I talked him into wearing Caden's old pirate costume. It was in perfect condition. When I showed Cole a picture of Caden wearing it he said, "You're right, mom! I do love it!"

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We were so excited to be able to take a small trip to Laramie to visit Cale & Suzette and their kids over UEA. We love the small town feel of Laramie. The kids have so much fun playing together, and Forrest & I love laughing and talking with Cale & Suzette. We love that they are only a 5-6 hour drive away. Here are some of the highlights from the trip:

The kids dressed up for the local Halloween carnival.
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The cotton candy was everyone's favorite.
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The kiddos played lots of games, drew pictures, went to the park & had ice cream cones with Forrest (so that Suzette and I could do some shopping together), and watched Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
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And a trip to Laramie is not complete with out LOTS of delicious food. We especially loved the breakfast quiche, sun dried tomato and feta chicken, fresh strawberry shakes, crepes, stuffed pizza, Anong's Thai Cuisine, Burger King Whoppers, and Village Inn pie.
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