Princess, Princess or Barbie

THE THEME
When asking Emma what kind of party she wanted the answer is always princess or barbie or either one since they are interchangeable anyway. (At least in Emma's mind!)
She couldn't decide between a princess castle cake and a mermaid cake, but I talked her into the princess castle cake because I thought it looked easier to make. Boy was I wrong. This is attempt #1.
The second layer fell apart when I tried to put it on the first layer.











I baked a whole new cake and the same thing happened with attempt #2.

THE CAKE
I decided we would have to be happy with a one level castle. Emma just had to stick Ariel on top because no princess castle cake is complete without a princess.


Emma's birthday fell on a Friday night and it happened to be the last night of the Nerdin's visit so we invited both sides of the family and held Emma's party at the church.

THE GAMES
It was perfect for the kids to play and run around. Here they are playing a big game of duck, duck goose.






THE GIFTS
Emma loves all things barbie and princess so that is what she got most of. She also got some color wonder stuff which she loves!




THE PINATA
We were going to do the cake after the gifts, but someone forgot to bring the candles so we jumped ahead to the pinata.






HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EMMA
I can't believe this girl is 7 already.








Emma and Brynn-best buds

AJ got Ariel off the cake and was scooping up ice cream with her dress and sucking it down.












THE CLEAN UP
We got a bunch of balloons stuck on the ceiling and Bryan came up with the most creative idea of getting them down. The vaccuum with the hose on the end.


Emma had a very fun birthday and she was so excited to share it with so much family! Thanks everyone for helping our Princess celebrate her day!

Classroom Treats

Emma had a birthday Friday. Her class goes swimming at BYU almost every Friday and that makes for a pretty fun birthday activity for Emma. It's so nice of them to plan that just for her. After swimming I took fudge bars to her class since they are one of her favorite treats. Emma loves her friends in her class!

These two are her particular friends since they are the only ones Emma's same age.

Bowling Night

Tuesday some people went to Boondocks but we weren't able to go. Tuesday night Eldon took Julia and Andrew ice skating with all the cousins. Andrew said, "I was super fast when they turned out the lights." I guess the disco lights made him feel speedy! Again, no pictures for Tuesday.

Wednesday night Eldon, Bryan, Zach and Eric went golfing while the rest of us went Bowling at Fat Cats. I sent Julia around with the camera so we got lots of great pictures, or at least lots of pictures.
AJ would stand here waiting for the balls to come up saying, "It's coming!"
Julia did pretty good. This cheer was after her 2nd straight spare.

Someone even let AJ have a turn.










Emma cheered every time she hit a pin.
AJ being a puppy now.

















"CHEESE", says Makay.

Day #2

Monday Morning we played some Settlers and Zach worked out bench-pressing Andrew on the laundry basket.

Later we went swimming at the Lehi Pool but I didn't get a single picture because we were all too busy swimming.

Oregon Spring Break

Our Oregon cousins had Spring Break this week and the Nerdins decided to come to Utah for their vacation. We started the break with desserts at our house Sunday night.
The BIG kids played outside...













While the little kids watched from inside.

Happy "Green" Day!

My kids were very excited about the green shirts I found for bargain prices at Walmart. We had to take a picture before Emma left for school even though we hadn't had a chance to do Julia's hair yet.












AJ and Brynn are best buds. He is even trying to mimic her by folding his arms.


My SIL is sooo creative! I love this flower she made out of felt and a few buttons and pinned over the top of an existing flower to add more green to B's shirt. Adoreable!
How do people come up with things like that?

I told AJ he had to smile and say cheese for the picture. That is when I noticed his lunch still in his mouth. He has just started storing things in his cheeks for hours after a meal. It drives me CRAZY!!!!
Good thing he is so darn cute!

Las Vegas

Eldon and I went to Las Vegas with my parents for the Mountain West Conference Basketball Tournament. The days preceding our departure I tried to keep all the kids healthy. Made them go to bed on time, tried not to share too many germs with each other, etc. I thought, as we left at 6:00 am Thursday morning, that we had done it. We left without one sick child and didn't have to feel bad about leaving sick children for other people to take care of.

Little did I know....
Andrew had caught the stomach flu from who knows where. Thursday night Grandma was up ALL night with him puking.
Then they all slept at Kelly's Friday night.
Andrew shared his sickness with Emma who started puking Saturday morning just before they were leaving to go to Jeanna's.
AJ started in with it Saturday afternoon and Andrew started again while Emma still had it. Jeanna had 3 of my puking children at one time. Bless her! Luckily Lisa was available to help and took Emma for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. AJ slept all night, but Andrew had it again and was up all night Saturday. My kids even shared with their cousins, Ashlee and Erica who were sick Sunday, and Lisa who had a mild case of the bug Monday.

Nobody even told me until Saturday night that my kids were sick and by then it was too late to head home. AJ was in the tub when we got to Jon and Jeanna's to pick them up because he had just choked on something and puked. Since we got home we haven't had one sick child.

This was one of my worst nightmares and it makes me never want to leave my kids again. But it also makes me feel so GRATEFUL to have such WONDERFUL family members who care for and comfort my children as their own while I am away.

AJ's Antics

I heard AJ crying from the other room again and found him on the bike this time. He was NOT happy about me running back to get my camera before I rescued him!

I think he will forgive me!

Near Death Experience

I almost died last week. I was taking my vitamins in the morning and didn't realise the lid to my water bottle was in my hand along with all the vitamins. I tried to choke them all down and couldn't understand why it was so difficult this time. Then the lid got stuck. I coughed and gagged and was losing air quickly. I looked around at the 5, 3(my niece), and 1 year old wondering who was going to give me the heimlic(sp?) maneuver. I leaned over the sink trying with all my might to get some air and get the thing out of my throat, knowing that I had already gotten all my vitamins out, when the lid finally popped out. I was shaking and crying, and thankful to be alive. I have never choked like that before, and hope to never have a similar experience.
At dinner that night when I was telling Eldon that I had almost died that morning Andrew pipes in with, "If you died mom, we would have to get a new mom."
Problem solved. Simple as that. One mom dies, just get a new one!

No cooking = A Great Week

Julia and Emma wore matching outfits Monday. We even did their hair the same.

Kind of sad that I judge a week by how many meals I have to prepare.
Monday I took the 3 oldest to the dentist for cleanings. We got done around 4:30 and they were all starving. It just so happened the dentist had given them coupons for a free hamburger to Artic Circle. We got 3 free hamburgers and one order of french fries for them to share and that was dinner. I had soup or something healthy and Eldon had fried eggs.

Just more pictures of the girls. Don't they look adoreable!


Tuesday my presidency meeting was cancelled and then my mother-in-law called and invited us over for dinner. So a busy evening turned into a calm, quiet evening. I love it when that happens!

Wednesday was the worst day for every reason. I cleaned my bathrooms, dusted, vacuumed, swept and mopped my floors, had to fix dinner, and then put the kids to bed by myself. At least all the bad stuff happened on the same day. I dragged myself to bed at 10:30 sore and stiff from a long day of hard work.
This is how Andrew felt about me cleaning all day.

Thursday we had left-overs and then I had book club. I got to sit and chat with my friends and eat yummy food! It was great!

Friday night we went on a date to Texas Roadhouse. We went on a double date with Grandma and Grandpa Hult, but we could have triple dated since we happened to run into Grandma and Grandpa Tuckett at the same restaurant at the same time. What are the odds. That was our first Texas Roadhouse experience. It was delicious!!! We had a coupon for a free appetizer so I was full before my meal arrived, but it was all so good I just had to keep eating!

Saturday Julia had festival in Orem. That's where she gets judged on a couple of piano pieces she has been working on. She received a Superior Rating again! One more and she gets a trophy!
Eldon had two hours between Festival and the basketball game in which he took down the Christmas lights. Eldon loved the BYU game and even stayed for the ceremony afterwards.
I stayed home most of the day making food preparations for Sunday dinner since it was our turn to host the Hult Family dinner. When Eldon got home from the game I got to go scrapbooking, where again I chatted with friends and ate yummy food!

Sunday was a little hectic before church, during church, and after church. Sometimes Sunday seems like a day of rest, maybe not this month:)

Overall, it was a great week! I only had to prepare 2 meals the WHOLE week!!!!