Pearl's Birthday - Part 1

Oops. Somehow I haven't gotten Pearl's birthday on here. It hasn't been a month, so I don't need the cone of shame yet, but it is getting close.

Pearl is a fabulous five now. My baby is five. She will be going to kindergarten in the fall. How did this happen so quickly? (Well, trust me...at times it did not seem speedy in the least.) I feel like I should miss the baby stage, but I don't. I like sleeping too much to miss midnight feedings.  I am saving a bundle now that we are diaper free in this household. And my children act like three year olds often enough that I it brings back enough nostalgia to tide me over.

Pearl had school on her birthday. There had been a light snow so she went out early to play.

Well, I thought she was playing, but she was getting snow to clean my front door. How thoughtful.

It was a low-key day. We went out and got balloons after school. Pearl picked a large butterfly.

Kids came home, we eventually had dinner and finally it was time for presents and cake. Pearl was so patient waiting the whole day. Never thought to put NERDS on a cake before, but they give it a nice zing.

Would you like a little cheese with your cake? This guy is pri-tty cheesy.

We sang and Pearl blew those candles out before I even had the camera in focus. Oh well. There's always next year.

Then it was time for gifts. Pearl was very excited about everything.

She would jump out of her chair and point at the next gift she wanted to open.

We'll have to work on her money identification. She pulled out the fiver and said, "Look, a dollar."

Usually I buy all the gifts and the distribute them for kids to wrap and give to the birthday girl. This year, Ivory already had a present ready for Pearl. She had made her a little bag and filled it with trinkets and treats for Pearl. It was very thoughtful of Ives.

Grandma Dargan sent along several puzzles. Pearl loved them all. And has put them all together multiple times. She is a puzzle fiend.

Robyn wanted to get her a pillow specifically, so we went shopping. She found this funny monster pillow whose mouth can hold items. We put some candy inside for Pearl. She loves that silly monster so much. She named him Cheeseburger and he sleeps with her at night. This is the best picture we had of him.

Pearl had a great birthday, but it happened to fall on Mutual night, so Tyler and June were quickly out the door that evening. So, we planned to go to Kangaroo Zoo the next night. Stay tuned for Pearl's Birthday - Part 2.

Stealing Homework

I see a lot of school assignments come and go around here. Today, I saw an assignment still on the computer, probably printed out in a mad rush before heading to school. I read it and loved it. I thought I would share it with you.

I am From...

By June Cazier

I am from Foursquare.

I am from FHE.

From jamming that pen down my throat.

I am from a warm cosy house where people love me.

From Midgard, and Carnegie Hall, from Atlantis and the Parlor.

I am from my secret closet, with a pull-string light and a broken door.

I am from taking pictures of flowers.

Because I couldn’t think of anything else to photograph.

From baby-sitting and wondering why I even thought

Watching kids was a good idea.

From being called Jitterbug.

From being called Junebug and June Foose and Juniper.

Cross Stitching during General Conference.

Drawing with chalk ‘til the sidewalk is full.

I am from these moments.

I am from Crack-Offs and Féte Day.

From eating pie on PI Day,

From riding the Grom.

From biting my nails and staying up late.

I am from Foot, my bear.

From car keys under the swing.

From Splash Mountain at Disneyland.

I am from food. Key lime yogurt. Spaghetti.

I am from eating all the time.

From asking for more food,

And being called the Bottomless Pit.

The time when I ate eight cupcakes

School projects that I didn’t want to do.

I am from these moments.

I am from pretty rocks and shiny shells

That smile when I pick them up and cheer when I add them to my collection.

From teasing my sisters, then playing with them.

From playing Zoobles for hours.

From winding the Grandfather clock.

And playing board games until no one else wants to play.

I am from a new pink bike and a bright red desk always covered with stuff.

From being messy, but making my bed.

I am from going to church every Sunday, and school all the other days.

From being taught by my teachers and friends.

I am from road trips and seeing new things.

I am from listening to guidance, then doing my own thing.

From stories Mom and Dad have told me,

Stories I wish I could tell.

I am from memories that make me myself.

_______________________________________________________________________

I am constantly amazed by the individuals that my children are. I claim them all, but they have their own personality and style. They are built piece by piece by their internal genius and the interactions around them.

I hope I add something beneficial for them.

I hope I leave a positive mark.

Top O' the Morning to Ye

Hope you are wearing green today, although the thought of pinching someone just because they forgot something (or didn't care) seems silly to me. If we really pinched people for poor memory, I would be sore from head to toe.

Regardless, it feels good to be blogging today. Last week was a mess of throw-up, late nights, and one sick little Pearl. (Thanks March. I thought we were on good terms...) I don't know what it is about illness, but not a lot gets done. This week, I plan to be more productive.

Starting with a fabulous post full of golden coins stuck to foreheads. You guessed it. It must be St. Patrick's Day! Seamus (our resident leprechaun) has not shown a whisker or the tip of his pipe around here. (Actually, I'm assuming he doesn't smoke since I never smell it.) I never get too worried about him. Some years, he bombards us with puzzles and the like, and other years, we don't hear from him until we deliver the gold.

But we never miss getting out our gold coins and filling a pot of gold for Seamus McDermott. We have been doing this as long as I have been blogging. We rushed through dinner last night so we would still have light outside to take pictures. This is an important picture-taking tradition. It was fun to look back at the blog with Pearl and show her every year where she had a coin on her head, including when she was as fresh as dewdrops at dawn.

Check us out this year.

We dropped the coins from our foreheads into the pot again. It was quite funny since June couldn't get her coin off her head. She sat over the pot and made plenty of faces waiting for the trinket to detach.

Ivory didn't want to miss the pot. Tyler said she looked like she was throwing up instead of depositing a coin. (No more of that, thank you.)

Pearl gave Daisy a good bonk on the head to dislodge her coin. Seemed to do the trick.

The girls wrote cute notes for Seamus.

Robyn -
Seamus, You are awesome! All your green...! You know? That's my favorite color! Green forever! WITH A HINT OF YELLOW! I hope you enjoy this years St. Pattricks day. I hope haven't left us. I enjoy, lovingly your small, joyous, company.
Love, Robyn the Pattrick

June -
Sheamus, Happy St. Patrick's Day! Add these coins to your stache of gold, and wish for no rainbows. Wear green and wish us luck for the next year!
p.s. Sorry I spelled your name wrong.
p.p.s. Leave me a code. I love those the most!
Love, June

Ivory -
To: Shamus You are great! Pearl said in our prayer that you should replace our coins with candy! You really should!
From Ivory E. Cazier Your favorite!

Seamus was ever so obliging. Our coins were replaced with candy.

And there was a code.

The girls made short work of it. The solution is below. If you really want to solve the puzzle on your own, go ahead.








For those of you who don't, it says:

Me appetite fer gold be fed
For ye there is a puzzle instead
The monsters be gone
Thanks to yer leprechaun
It is safe to look under yer bed

The girls did just that and found another small treasure.

I think it has been a good day. And don't hate me for taking everything down tonight and decorating for Easter. It is right around the corner. But know that I have a soft spot for the Irish and their traditions that have been slightly warped here in America. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ivory's 9 Year Gallery

I do feel badly for Ivory that no flowers will ever be blooming for her birthday pictures, but such is the luck of the winter birthday girl. There was no lack of sun this time around. I wanted to wait for a more overcast day, but this time of year, those days often are accompanied by snow, rain, or extreme cold. So, we did the best we could. Some of the pictures are bright and sunny, but they fit Ivory's personality.

She is such a fun girl. She is working so hard to be generous and think of others. She does random kind deeds and can be very thoughtful at times. She is funny, and has a quick wit. She never seems to be at a loss for words.

She is still doing well in gymnastics and likes to show off her skills when she gets the chance. (You might find some pictures following that theme.)

Regardless of the time of year, birthday pictures are my favorite. I love to see my girls grow and change. If you want, you can take a quick peek back at Ivory last year. (Can't believe it has been a year since she was baptized.)

And now for Ivory in all her nine year old glory.

I'm so glad she is a spunky part of our family!

Wallace and (Grom)it

Grandpa got a Grom, as seen in the last post. Tyler thought it was pretty dang awesome. He liked giving Robyn rides, and really, he has a soft spot in his heart for motorcycles since he grew up riding them on the dunes with his Dad and brothers. What could be more cool than visiting Grandpa and riding the Grom?

Well, riding alongside him on your OWN Grom of course.

Behold, in black. (We've named it Wallace.)

I think this bike is great for many reasons. It makes Tyler so happy. It fulfills just enough of his dream to have a motorcycle, but it keeps me from going insane since it isn't made to ride on the freeway. (Not that stupid drivers aren't all over the place, but Tyler is very careful.) Oh, and the pricetag was just right. People joke that Tyler is going through a midlife crisis. I don't think he is, but I'll count myself lucky if the actual event can cost us the same amount.

Other fun things about the Grom. It fits in an elevator, or right by your desk.

Room for two, including all those coworkers who are secure in their manhood.

Who wouldn't like to go to the pump and pay less than $2 for gas? The Grom gets almost 100 miles to the gallon.

It also fits in the van for transport up to ID. (You do have to remove the mirrors.)

A motorcycle does require some extra gear. First came the helmet.

It is pretty cool. It even has a sunshade that can pop down while riding. (Not pictured here.)

Next, the jacket. Bright colors to be seen better and some extra body armor in there. I think he is looking pretty hot.

And he's away.

Going, going...gone.

Now, if we can just get the weather to cooperate for more riding. We can be patient. Spring is just around the corner. And it is looking like good weather in Idaho this weekend...

*Tyler bought the Grom after he came back from Idaho with Robyn. He had it in Idaho when he took Pearl. Jami took a cute picture of J.R. and Rozz on the red Grom and Tyler and Pearl on Wallace. Daddy/Daughter riding, but I couldn't get the picture to download.