Jett's Birthday Party

Jett had a great birthday! He was so excited to open his presents as soon as he woke up. All he asked for was Nerf stuff, so Nerf stuff is all he got! He got this great automatic Nerf gun, a ton of darts, and a Nerf vest.

In the afternoon, I brought cake to his class and everyone sang to him and we handed out some cake to all of his classmates. Of course I remembered the plates but forgot the forks, so everyone had to eat with their fingers. Afterwards, I checked him out to take him to lunch. He chose to go to Greek Slovaki because he really likes their spaghetti. 

Jett's birthday happened to land on a Friday, which was perfect since that is the day Dave has off of work, so we decided to do his party that day. He told us months ago that he wanted a pool party (of course the kid with a fall birthday wants a summer party), so I looked into it and the Legacy Center had a party package for the indoor pool. 

Jett invited about 10 or 11 kids. It was a great turn out! Abby, Casey & Liev all came as well! We had pizza and then the cake I had made (Nerf of course), then he opened all his great presents, and then they were off to the pool!

I had bought a ton of off-brand darts to decorate around the sides. I mean, how on earth do you make a Nerf cake without spending two days putting it together? Answer: darts and ribbon. Ha ha!

The kids all got pumped full of sugar, so this happened (notice Miles in the back gulping down a bunch of rootbeer):

They seriously were running around like crazy. Jett finally got around to opening his gifts. He got A LOT of great presents.

Cruise was excited to give Jett his presents: a Five Nights at Freddy's flashlight and a light-up blue Lightsaber with sound effects.

And per his request, Abby & Casey gave him cash: $20. He was really excited about that one.

The kids had a blast swimming, and luckily it wasn't too crowded, so it was pretty easy to keep an eye on everyone.

On Saturday, Grandma & Grandpa Ybarra came over to give Jett his gift (more Nerf darts!) and to have some leftover cake with us. Jett also received his card from Grandma & Papa Greer and was excited to find more money!

It was a great birthday!

Today You Are Seven...

Dear Jett,

No matter how old you get, I still look at you and see my itty bitty, smiley, squishy baby. But today, you are seven, and even though you're not a baby anymore, I still love to snuggle you and pretend you're only a foot and a half tall.

Jett, what can I say to one of the best kids I know? I guess for starters I can say that you are the sweetest, most caring and kind boy. I don't care how much education you get or how much money you make when you grow up, all I want is for you to be a kind and loving individual. And I am amazed that by age 7, you are already that kind of person. Your teachers love you, kids want to be your friend, and all others are impressed with who you are. I feel so grateful that you came to our family. You have taught us all so much and believe it or not, you are such a good example to us all about how to treat others. I love how tender-hearted and sensitive you are. You feel so much, which makes you more empathetic to those around you.

I am genuinely impressed by how grown-up and responsible you are. I forget that you are only 7. You are such a help to me when I need someone to keep an eye on Miles or to follow some specific directions or chore. You are so smart and you question everything. And even though I sometimes may be irritated with how many "why"s you throw out in less than a minute, I am grateful for your curiosity and your need to understand the world around you.

Jett, you're such a good kid and I am grateful you are mine. I love talking with you and listening to your stories and ideas. I love your jokes and all that you find funny in life. I love your laugh and the way your eyes disappear when you smile. I love your hopes, dreams and hearing about your daily successes. You are remarkable and I'm proud of the boy you are and young man you are becoming.

Happy Birthday Jett! I love you soooooo much!

Love,

Mom

Em's Weekend in SoCal

My sister Ruth is expecting twin boys at the beginning of January. She already has 3 boys, so you would think she would have plenty of clothes and stuff, right? Of course not! Do you know how many boys have cycled through the already existing clothes? 8. Yes, 8 boys. My 3, Ruth's 3, Char's 1, and Abby's 1. The boy clothes circulating amongst the Greer sisters have seen better days. On top of all that, Ruth needed gear for 2 babies. So we decided to throw her a baby shower! And thanks to my parents, we were able to make that happen. Char, Abby and I were flown down to SoCal last weekend for the shower. But really, we just wanted to get together. The last time we were all together was over a year ago and it really wasn't quality time since we had all the kids and adults jammed into my house. I guess you could say we didn't have much sister time. So this was a perfect opportunity to hang out, just the 4 of us.

Abby and I (and Baby Liev) flew out of SLC Friday morning and Dad picked us up at Long Beach airport. We got our car rental, grabbed some lunch, and headed to the parents' house in Seal Beach. Charlotte was already there, so the three of us headed to the hotel just a couple blocks away to check in. Char and I shared a room and Abby and Liev had their separate room. I cannot tell you how excited I was to behold a clean, soft, queen size bed that would be all mine for the next two nights. I immediately laid down and couldn't get back up for a couple hours. It was magical.

After chilling in the hotel, we headed to Mom & Dad's place to have dinner. Ruth and her boys came and Grams made it as well.

 I gave my dad his birthday present: the usual, personalized desk calendar with pictures of the boys all over it.

That night, Abby called me in the middle of the night because Liev had woken up with a fever and crying. He was reacting to his shots that he had gotten a couple days before, poor baby. So Charlotte went to the pharmacy and got him some Tylenol. Luckily he slept in a bit and felt better in the morning. Charlotte and I left to take Dad to Ruth's place so he could take her boys to the movies while we all ran errands and prepped for the baby shower. After picking Ruth up, we headed back to the hotel and picked up Abby and Liev. From there we drove all over town running errands for the shower. At one point, we all got so hungry we started losing judgement and became irritable and irrational, as women in our family tend to do, so we hurried over to Wahoo's where I got the world's best fish tacos. I inhaled those things! Two was not enough. But we were on a schedule and had to get to my Aunt Carol's to set up the decorations and prep the food. 

We got to Carol's and got everything set up. 

 Carol's friend offered to make the cake for the shower. So I sent her the picture of what I wanted and she did not disappoint! It turned out so cute! And the inside was chocolate cake with buttercream filling and fresh strawberries. It was A-MAZING!

 Here's everyone who came. Ruth got so many great gifts and things she desperately needed.

 And of course we were forced to take a bunch of pictures. Lol!

 This is Aunt Carol with Ruthie. She was so sweet to host everyone and provide all the dishes and stuff. She was so sweet and actually started tearing up when she saw me. It definitely made me feel loved.

 After the shower, the four of us girls got back in the car with all the stuff from the shower and took it to Ruth's house. From there, we headed to The Donuttery so Abby and I could pick up some donuts, because...well, you don't need an excuse for donuts. Abby was excited because they had vegan donuts, but unfortunately for Charlotte, they didn't have gluten-free, which is stupid. I got a dulce de leche creme brûlée, a chocolate covered bavarian cream, and a cruller. They were SO GOOD.

We then headed to Seal Beach Main Street and hit up the shell shop because you can't go to Seal Beach and not go to the shell shop. I bought the boys some little gifts and then we all walked to Z Pizza where we met the parents and Ruth's family for dinner. (I just realized that most of our activities as a family involves eating.)

After dinner we walked down the street to Paradise Ice Cream where my parents bought a bunch of different flavors for everyone to share. We drove back to the hotel where they broke out the ice cream and we sat around for a while before everyone had to go home. 

 Sunday, Char, Abby and I, all slept in, had our breakfast, got ready, and Char & I checked out of our room and hung out in Abby's. Char had to leave that morning, so Mom & Dad took her to the airport and Abby, Liev and I chilled in the room for awhile, then walked to Del Taco for lunch. I actually have never eaten at Del Taco, and I know people love Del Taco, but I just don't get it. I'm not a fan. But food is food.

After that, we drove to Huntington Beach to Ruth's place. We got to snack on leftovers from the baby shower (yay cake!) and then we all got in our cars and headed to the beach to walk on the pier. I actually have never been to Huntington Beach, so I was really excited, even if I wasn't going to swim. It didn't disappoint. In fact, it was so great, even Santa was there!

 The weather was perfect and it was just so nice to be back at the beach. It's my happy place. I could spend all day at the beach.

 There were a lot of performers on the pier, but this guy was my favorite. Accordion is not a common instrument these days.

There were also a lot of fishermen at the end of the pier. I didn't see anyone catch anything, but it must be a good spot because there were poles lined up and down the railing. 

After walking back, I heard a bunch of drumming and came across this group. Apparently, people just bring their drums and show up to play together. It was so fun to listen to!

Oh, and Baby Liev also got to experience real sand for the first time.

 After leaving, Ruth and her family ate dinner and Abby, Liev and I walked down the street to a Mediterranean restaurant where I had the best gyro ever. We walked back to Ruth's and then drove to my parents' house so they could take me to the airport.

It was a nice trip to get a break from everything, but definitely not long enough. The boys kept calling me, so I didn't get as much of a break as I thought I would, but it was still nice knowing they missed me. Poor Dave was sick the entire weekend, so he had to do it all himself while being super sick. Poor guy. He said I'm not allowed to leave him ever again. Ha ha!