Trying to catch up

Well it's been forever since I've posted anything so I'll try and catch up here in the next few days. I will spread it out a little to give everyone something new to read every few days. So here goes, the first of many posts...

The big 4 0 - for Chris that is

I can hardly believe that Chris turned 40 this year. We can't be that old can we?

Chris has been planning his big 40th birthday bash for a long time and with the help of some great friends he had what he said was the best birthday ever.

Chris reserved the Family Life Center at church for two reasons: Basketball and the size of his guest list. There were over 100 people on his list and he had such a great variety of activities planned that everyone found something to do. He had basketball, including a free throw contest, volleyball and dodge ball for the adults and movies,board games, things to color and the playground outside for the kids. There was of course a lot of food and socializing but I think the best part of the night was the Dodge Ball game. They let the kids play first and then adults played a few brutal games. I toyed with the idea of playing but thought better of it after watching a couple of games. Being a spectator wasn't necessarily the safer option but it was definitely entertaining.

I am so glad that so many of Chris' friends were able to come and share this special occasion with him. After looking at the pictures it seems like everyone had a great time. To see the pictures click here.

Pay it Forward

The Rules

1. Be one of the first three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your three friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought that count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love! If you are not one of the 1st three commenter's on this post, you can still play along. Post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

p.s. I just wanted to spice the post up a little so I added a splash of color to some of the words.

Swimming on March 1st ?????

After mowing the lawn yesterday Chris decided he wanted to go swimming. I knew nothing of this plan until Seth came out in his swim trunks. Of course after Kyle and Caleb found out they wanted to go too so off they went to change their clothes. This I had to see. The water had to be 68º or less, which is way too cold in my opinion. Really anything under 85º is too cold for me but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Kyle and Caleb were the first ones in. As soon as they put their feet in I knew it was cold but that didn't stop them. They started on the first step and slowly moved their way down until they on the third step down. Chris came out and took a running start and jumped right in. The look on his face was priceless! He looked so cold but he didn't get out. Seth was losing his nerve but Chris finally persuaded him to jump in. He looked terrified and got out right away but he did get back in a couple more times. Bruce didn't want to miss out on the action so he kept bringing his ball and dropping in the pool so someone would throw it for him. At least he wasn't crazy enough to go in.

Is it a little cold?

All in all they probably stayed in the pool for about 20 minutes. You'd never catch me in there this time of the year. I usually only swim in July and August but I guess if most of the family is willing to swim nine months out of the year then it's worth having a pool.

A Very Busy Monday

Last Monday after school the boys and I went to the zoo with my friend Chrissie and her daughter Sadie. Even though the boys have played with Sadie several different times they spent the whole day calling her Stacy, which drove her nuts. I think that she had trouble remembering their names too but they're used to people getting their names wrong so I don't think it bothered them. Despite the name challenges the kids, and moms, had a great time. We saw lions, and tigers but no bears, oh my! We also saw the rhinos, otters, flamingo's, zebras, giraffes. We even had time to stop and play and the new structure by Monkey Village. What a great way to spend the afternoon with friends.

Kyle and Caleb can't resist climbing a good tree!

Sadie, Kyle and Caleb

After Seth got home from school we went to a park in Queen Creek to meet a friend of mine from high school. Amer also has three boys and they are close in age to my boys so we thought they would have fun playing together. They boys hit it off right away and played for almost two hours, giving Amber and I a chance to catch up. Kyle and Caleb were exhausted by the time we headed home so after some dinner and a bath they were more than ready for bed.