Birthday Week

Birthday week has come and gone.

Birthday #37

BambooHR gives employees their birthday off of work. Yahoo! Andrew didn't have to work on Friday, February 20. I skipped subbing and we went on a day date.

The kids and I surprised Andrew first thing in the morning with Chick-Fil-A breakfast. We sneakily got it while he was at the gym.

Andrew and I went to an endowment session at the Oquirrh Mountain temple.

We also  went to a restaurant we hadn't tried before for lunch-- Mooyah's. They serve burgers and fries. We thought it was good, but not the best burgers we've had. The fries were awesome and yes, we had leftovers.

Check out Andrew's new shirt! A bday present from me.

We even had time to sneak in the newest episode of "The Pit" before the kids returned home from school. On Fridays, the kids get out of school early.

In the afternoon, we went as a family to Airborne the trampoline park in Draper. At first, Penelope was very timid and I regretted bringing her. She warmed up and was in heaven. She made friends and was daring down some big girl slides. Andrew was doing all sorts of tricks, flips, and obstacle courses with the kids. So much so that he paid for that for a couple days with some soreness...I happily took pictures.

For dinner, I made Zuppa Toscana soup. Andrew requested lunch lady peanut butter bars for dessert. We hardly had room for more food. My sweet grandma also brought over cinnamon rolls for Andrew's birthday which are his favorite.

That night, Andrew invited a couple friends (Nick and David) to come over to play board games.

My parent's gifted Andrew a Netflix subscription which we are already happily utilizing! Andrew's mom gave him a Texas Roadhouse gift card. Andrew is spending his birthday money on a Brandon Sanderson kick starter book... I bet you couldn't see that coming.

Birthday #33

My birthday was on Wednesday, February 25. Andrew made me breakfast in bed- scrambled eggs and a smoothie. He makes the best scrambled eggs. He wrote me love notes and sent me on a scavenger hunt throughout the house with gifts. I went walking with Jessica and my mom on the Jordan River trail. It was delightful! We all had to take our coats of because it was so nice. George and Penelope insisted on holding hands during the walk which was adorable. Then, we ate lunch--Cubby's. That maple sauce with the fries hit the spot.

I always feel awkward about this part....but I was spoiled and have the best people in my life! I don't say this to brag but to remember.

• Becky brought me a cookie from Local Cookie Co. 
• Jamie brought me flowers.
• Gigi brought me a Crumbl cookie and a Mi Ranchito giftcard. 
• Kira dropped off soap.
• Krista made me cookies.
• The RS gave me chocolate.
• Grandma L sent me a card and money.
• McCall took me out to lunch at Mi Ranchito.
• Brie and Kirsten treated me to Zupas.
• Valerie gave me a journal and pens.
• Jessica gifted me her favorite mascara.
• Jill sent me a book.
• My MIL got me an Old Navy gift card.
• Alison gave me a cookbook called "Let's Eat Cookies."
• My parent's got me 2 new kitchen chairs.

• I got myself a shelf from Costco to organize the basement. Almost nothing beats organizing. Happy birthday to me!

Not to mention the countless texts from other family, friends, and yw. I'm overwhelmed and have a lot of thank-you cards to write. I love my people!!

We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and to the play Fiddler on the Roof. Our dinner was free (thanks to Grannie's gift card)! Our babysitters were free too (thanks Mom and Dad). Our play tickets were pretty cheap. $58 total. We went to the newer Nathan Ruth Theater in Pleasant Grove with the Boones. 

Fiddler was so fun! I laughed a lot! The singers were phenomenal! Our seats were so close we were basically sitting in the action. I had to unbutton my pants... I guess I ate one too many rolls. 

The scene including the dream about the grandma was a little over dramatized. The fog machine could have stopped much sooner.

I'm hoping this play was memorable enough for me to remember... I had forgotten that I saw "Fiddler on the Roof" with my grandma 2 years ago at Hale center theater. Clearly it made an impression. We thought it was well done! It was a great way to end the perfect birthday.

James' birthday is around the corner and I'm working on the design plans to re-do his room so stay tuned!

"Hi"-daho

As if you need more proof that Penelope is darling, she pronounces the state Idaho, "Hi"- daho. She was thrilled to go to "Hi"-daho to see "Bammie" (Grannie) and her cousins.

Our niece, Avery got called to serve in Alabama (spanish speaking) for her mission. We went to her farewell. As expected, her talk was excellent. It seemed like a homecoming address because she is so solid and mature. Avery and her 4 sisters sang "A Missionary's Prayer" for the musical number. Last minute, I offered to accompany them so all of the sisters could sing. Man, they are talented and I loved playing with them. It's a gorgeous song that I hadn't heard before.

The trip worked out well because the kids didn't have school on Friday, February 6. We arrived in Caldwell Friday afternoon and headed back to Utah Sunday afternoon. It's about a 5.5 hour drive.

Grannie also came for the farewell and so did Blayre and her kids. We hadn't seen these Dittos/Kimballs/Maynes since June and it was great to reconnect.

Not pictured, Blayre (Andrew's sister)

Tavia (Andrew's sister) was so gracious to host us. It was a full house! Blayre and a couple of her kids stayed at a neighbor's house. If you want to organization tips, spend time with Tavia. I always come back with new ideas. She is the queen of planning and is such a go-getter. She bent over backwards to make it a memorable and fun weekend. She made delicious food too and it felt like she made feast after feast.

Pickbleball and the park was pleasurable! Our kids also loved going to the local middle school carnival. There were bounce houses and games. Each kid won a 2 liter soda. It was nice to be able to support Eliza at her basketball game. In between quarters, James and his cousins got some basketball in which was cute to watch. Arctic Circle was doing a deal for $1 cones, and Grannie treated everyone to those. Thanks Grannie!

Penelope learned a new song from her cousins about picking her nose. It's hysterical....

"Never, never, never pick your nose! 

Up your nostrils is not where your finger goes

Don't pick yourself a winner cause boogers aren't for dinner

This is the deal if you get caught with a finger up your nose..."

Still working on this concept...

If you're wanting to hear more cute pronunciations from Penelope, ask her to say, "granola bar" and "vanilla yogurt." This girl has fans anywhere she goes. My other kids do too. Isabelle whipped out a violin performance for her everyone on a too big violin and rocked it! James stayed up chatting with Rhett until at least 11pm every night. So glad we were able to make the trip to "Hi"-Daho. There were tears on the car ride home because my kids already miss their cousins.