Andrew's Second Birthday!

Drewbie is TWOBIE! How he managed to grow up to fast is beyond me. This kid is a riot. He loves to give us the cheesiest grins, yells at the top of his lungs if he doesn't get his way, follows his siblings around like a puppy dog, adores bike rides with Dad, gives the best squeezes, cuddles with any blanket he can find, gives Mommy the sloppiest kisses, dances like a wild man, and still takes the best 2-3 hour naps. He is either the family favorite or the world's worst kid. He gives out hugs freely but isn't afraid to whack you in the head if you don't comply with his wishes. Definitely a sour patch kid but all of the happy the oozes out of him makes it all worth it.

Vince's Golden Birthday (#6)

Happy Golden Birthday to my Golden Boy!

Vince is SIX years old! He has been so excited for this birthday because he turned six on May 6th. We celebrated with all things golden. Golden vanilla ice cream, gold candles, decor, wrapping paper, and treats. His favorite gift was the transformer Megatron. He also loves his razor scooter, costumes, legos, and books. To make it extra special, Paul and I created a scavenger hunt for Vince to find each of his toys. It was amusing to watch the wheels in his head turning until he figured out the hiding locations. 

How would I describe my Golden Boy? He is playful, social, a gifted reader, stubborn, loving, and ...did I already say playful? He lives to play with friends, ride bikes, and make believe. He hates to play alone and will beg for friends or family to play with him. He took a reading test in Kindergarten which placed his average reading level at that of a 2nd grader in their 6 month of school. He can read above that level but his comprehension begins to decrease after that point. We enjoy reading Secrets of Droon and the Magic Tree House together. Although he has difficulty keeping his hands to himself, Vincent is a wonderful big brother. He always keeps an eye out for Drew and he often helps Kate as she learns to read. We love our Vincey Boy!  

Happy Birthday, Vincent!

My little boy is FOUR! He has been itching to turn four so he could be as big as his cousins, Trace and Trevor. All he wanted for his birthday was to play at Frog Hollow Park with friends. A totally doable wish, except for the fact that he and Kate both got pinkeye in the days preceding his birthday. Instead of passing around our germs, we wait for them to mend and went to the park sans friends. As per his request, we also enjoyed some chocolate cupcakes with mint frosting.

As far as gifts go,Vince has been begging for a Chick Hicks car. He has quite the collection of Cars cars, but we hadn't had any luck finding Chick. Nana came to the rescue and made his dreams comes true. He also got a scooter (thankfully he doesn't care that it's pink. Options are limited when garage sales are your main shopping source), books, Blades the Rescue Bot, Lincoln Logs, and some other random toys. The real kicker was getting his pedal bike. Vince has mastered riding his balance bike and he's been eager to ride a bike with pedals like his daddy.  He gave it a shot and did a great job... until he got scared and stopped pedaling! For now he still prefers his balance bike, but he likes trying out his new bike when Dad is there to lend a hand.

Four year old Vince is a silly, sweet, playful boy. He can be quite stubborn and he never wants to put his toys down. He'll choose playing outside over watching TV any day of the week. He can be so brave but also shows a sensitivity and resentment to being pressured into trying things. Vince is an awesome reader and we often find him with a pile of books. He just started to show an interest in coloring and art (whereas before he would just scribble and run away to play). Vince is 100% a people person. He needs people around ALL the time. Although he doesn't want Kate to touch any of his toys, he often pulls her into the room so she can have company. He's a great sleeper and he's a pretty good eater... though he doesn't particularly enjoy eating chicken.

I love my Vincey Boy. He has changed me in so many ways. He tries my patience daily and teaches me to love more fully by the minute. I am so thankful he chose to come to our little family and lead the way for his siblings. We're lucky to call him ours.

The Entire Month of December in a Single Post

 I am way behind on blogging. So here goes the abbreviated version of the busiest month of the year.

I started the month with a series of illnesses. First was a sore throat. Then came DOUBLE pink eye. My right eye was swollen shut during the worst of it. I was pathetic and cried and made Paul stay home from work so I could die in my room. As the pink eye resolved I developed a sinus infection. Great way to start off the month, right?

I recovered from the plague just in the nick of time to celebrate birthday #26. Pumpkin pie is slowly becoming a birthday tradition for me. It's just so darn good.

 

 

 Next up was the Wyoming Ward Christmas Party. Santa always makes a debut at the party and the kids loved it. Kate was a bit wary but Vince was a champ and gabbed to Santa about how much he wanted Rescue Bots for Christmas.

Throughout the month we kept busy indoors. We did a lot of building with legos, playing with instruments, getting dressed up, baking, reading, and made the occasional trip to the indoor park at the mall and the Grandville library. 

 

Another highlight was making gingerbread houses with our church friends. My friend Kate headed up the idea and she did a phenomenal job. I think the kids ate more candy that day than they did on Halloween! Sadly, I only snagged one dismal photo of the event.

 

Another item of note was seeing real reindeer! Thank you KDL for being so awesome!

 

Christmas morning came and the kids were so excited. I love that the older they get the more they can anticipate the holidays and traditions we have. We opened presents, sent Vince on a hunt to find his train set, and ate caramel sticky buns. Sooo good! Nana and Grandpa Griffioen joined us that afternoon. We celebrated Christmas dinner with a fiesta. My friend, Christie, makes delicious homemade tamales so we ate those alongside guacamole & chips, Spanish rice, corn, and jarritos. My parents stayed the night and on the 26th we tried the Shark Tank restaurant, Tom & Chee. It was hit with the fam. 

 We ended the month at the library where they had a countdown and new years celebration at noon. The kids made hats, party streamers, and blew into kazoos until they deteriorated from massive amounts of spit. It was a total hit. 2015 went out with a bang!

Happy Day.

Happy New Year! But more importantly, happy birthday to my one and only Mama!

(Ruth & Mom)

I will never be able to express how much I love this woman. She has sacrificed much to bring seven children into the world and raise them as a stay at home mom. She is beautiful, selfless, passionate, understanding and helpful. She is and always will be the best example of what a mom should be. Here's to another year!

Birthday Freebies

I am a sucker for birthday freebies. Especially when it comes to free food.

In years past, I've taken part in lots of birthday deals. But back in my younger days I would get suckered in by the BOGO and "free appetizer" deals. Getting an item free is great, but paying for the rest is not so great. So this year we made a pact to only cash in on the absolutely free, no purchase necessary, zero dollars out of pocket, FREE food.

And now I'm here to share with you our list of free birthday foodies.

 1. Baskin Robbins: We typically pass on paying beaucoup bucks on specialty ice cream. That's part of what makes this free scoop of one of BR's 31 flavors so exciting

2. Del Taco: Just for being born you can get a free premium shake. Complete with little strawberry bits that will get stuck in your straw and a fluffy whipped cream on top. The hubs usually steals this one from me. (Also available in chocolate and vanilla)

3. Red Robin: This bad boy will get you a free burger (or chicken sandwich) and bottomless frites for frizzle.

4. Which Wich: A free small (7") wich of your choice. This year I went with a club and traded in my usual Dijon mustard for honey mustard. It was a birthday treat for sure.

5. Pita Pit: We are regulars at Pita Pit, so I was to the moon when I got a birthday deal for an entirely free pita. I love that they don't charge extra for items like avocado, artichokes and feta cheese.

6. Denny's: This puppy requires no prior sign up, obnoxious e-mails or printed coupons. Go in ON your birthday and feast upon their Grand Slam. Make sure you have your ID though! They'll ask for it when you check out.

7. Noodles & Company: A free bowl of drool worthy carbs! There are so many tasty options, but my current fav is the Japanese Pan Noodles.

8. Rubio's: Up to $7 in free food. I scored a Burrito Especial free of charge. Woot woot! I don't like fish, but it you do there are tons of other seafood options for you.

9. Dickey's Barbeque Pit: A free Big Barbeque Sandwich. If you live in Provo you can pick up this deal when you get your Rubio's! They're in the same parking lot. Delish.

10. Sonic: We didn't cash in on this treat because there were too many others that trumped it. But ON your birthday they offer a free tater tots or slush.

11. Firehouse Subs: Also didn't partake of this goodness because you can only eat so much food on your actual birthday. This is similar to Denny's where you don't need to sign up for anything. Just show them your ID and you're golden for a free sub.

12. Mimi's Cafe: Free desert- no purchase necessary! The coupon also says that it must be dine-in, but we were able to get this one to-go last year without a problem.

13. Rita's: This Italian ice/custard will take you to heaven. Especially since it won't cost you a dime. Dang, it's good to be born!

 The only place we stooped and forked over cash was at Tucanos. One free churrasco with the purchase of another. Worth it, because it's a $25 savings if you dine in for dinner.

 The list isn't enormous, but it is cost effective and delicious.  If you're aware of any deals I missed inform me pronto. Oh, and no need to thank me.