Flashback: June 2011 Grace's 6th Birthday Party

For Grace's Birthday we decided to do a Luau Birthday Party.  We actually did a combo birthday party with our friend Raegan who turned 5 the week before Grace turned 6.  We basically invited all the girls around their age at church along with a few other friends for a total of 16 little girls.  It was pretty crazy but lots of fun.  The weather that day was beautiful but a little on the cold side so we skipped the water balloons like we had planned and some of the girls didn't wear their swimsuits because it was a little cold.

Most of the ideas came from Parents Magazine, including the invitation, which I thought turned out so cute.


The first thing we did when we got there was decorate flip-flops.  We bought Old Navy flip flops when they were on sale and then tore some strips of fabric and ribbon which the girls tied around their flip flops.  Then we played some games.  The first was pass the coconut (like hot potato).  When the girls got out they would get up and dance (I even created a special Luau themed playlist for the occasion).  Then they did the Limbo which was so fun to watch.  Uncle Bryce and Mike were kind enough to hold the tiki torch for the girls to go under.  The girls had lots of fun doing this one.


The final game was a ring toss with swim rings and tiki torches.  They also played on the playground at the park where we had the party.  The cute cupcakes are flip flops sitting on the beach.  I was pretty proud of myself because the flip flops were an original idea of mine.  We dipped nutter butters in candy melts and then used licorice strings for the straps with a little frosting flower in the middle to hold the straps on better.  Then we frosted the cupcakes blue for the water and dipped them in graham cracker crumbs for the sand.  You'll notice in the picture of 14 of the 16 girls that they all had matching hair flowers, leis, and pink hula skirts.  Also on their leis there is a flower that had each of their names in Hawaiian on one side and English on the other.

I think Grace and her friends had lots of fun and it was fun for me to put together.  Hopefully Grace felt extra special.  Aunt Kathleen, Uncle, Bryce, Spencer, and Baby Owen even came up for the occasion which we appreciated.  It's fun to have family so close!

Flashback: June 2011 - Summer Activities

During June each of the older kids got to do a special camp.

Benson participated in Make Believe Theatre.  All of the kids helped to write their own original play that they performed at the end of the month.  The play was about a group of animals that lived in the jungle.  There were several different types of animals and each of them had one of their kind that was different that they made fun of or weren't nice too.  So each of those animals decided to run away together.  In the end they all missed each other and all lived together again.  Benson was a lizard.  They practiced every day in June from 9am - 12noon. He really enjoyed it and it was lots of fun watching him perform.  Sabrina and I went one night and Grace and Mike went the next.

Grace and Sabrina each got to go to Dance Camp for a week.  Sabrina and her friend Raegan went the first week.  At the end of the week they performed a dance to Cinderella.

Grace went with her friend Grace and at the end of the week they performed to the Nutcracker.  Grace's performance fell on her birthday, June 16th.

I arranged some field trips for our church playgroup in June as well.  One week we went to the K-State Dairy Farm (no pics).  We also went to the Salina Zoo.

The last week we went on a tour of the Tuttle Creek Dam.  The guy actually took us out on the catwalk which frankly was quite terrifying with all of those little kids.  The pictures on the bottom left and right are looking out off the catwalk.  Then we went and hunted for fossils in the spillway which they had to let flood in 1993 when the reservoir was too full (that's the digging picture in the bottom middle).

When we didn't have camps and scheduled field trips we were running a pretty strict routine here at home.  We had our day split into centers.  We would have breakfast and do morning chores and then some of our centers were:
Practice Time - practice piano, typing, writing letters/numbers, math, etc.
Creative Time - art projects, coloring, playdough, etc
Reading/Quiet Time
Screen Time - TV, Computer, DS, Leapsters
Play Time - free play outside or inside with toys

The centers really helped the days to not be so long and to accomplish some of the goals that we (I) had for the summer.

Don't Stop Moving!

Grace and Sabrina have been taking a dance class through the city this semester with their friends Grace and Raegan Horspool.  They had a recital the other night and it was so fun to watch them.  After the recital, their teacher came up and asked if they were coming back next semester.  Apparently she really enjoyed having the four of them in her class.  These girls have so much fun together!

Raegan, Grace R, Grace H, and Sabrina

Jillian really loves all of these girls, so while we were taking pictures of the four of them she ran over and stood next to them and starting cheesing it up.  So cute!

Here is one of their dances.  Sabrina is on the right, then our Grace, and Grace H is next to her.  Unfortunately Raegan was over on the opposite side so I couldn't record her too.

Benson's Christmas Piano Recital

Benson has been taking piano lessons since August taught by me.  He is also participating in a group piano class once a week taught by the Primary Chorister in our ward.  Today their class played at the mall in their Christmas Music Festival.  Benson and I played 5 Christmas duets together.  Each time he went up to announce his name and what songs he would be playing he asked me if he could tell a joke too.  Here is Benson and I playing "Good King Wenceslas."

Coming Soon...

Baby #5

A BOY!

Due February 10, 2012 (23 weeks along today)

When we told the kids it was a boy, I had the video camera zoomed in on Benson.  We were SO sure he would be so excited and give us a BIG reaction.  But in true Benson fashion he didn't give us much.  When we asked him if he was excited he said, "Yes.  I can't wait to teach him about science.  When he's 2 or 3 I'll start with very basic science and then as he gets older I'll work up to more advanced science."

Despite his lack of reaction, we know Benson really is excited for a baby brother as are the rest of us!  Next year promises to be another big year for our family - new baby, Mike will finish his MBA, and after that who knows what else!