Happy Birthday, Aubrey Ann!

Five years old today!

Party Weekend for Aubs

Ready for birthday breakfast with Grandpa on Saturday morning

It was a My Little Pony birthday this year, and of course, she had to choose a pony with all the colors of the rainbow for her cake, which meant lots of frosting colors and decorator bags/tips. The things we do for our children...Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the featured ponies.

With Caroline in their matching ballerina outfits.

just sitting and chatting with Grandma

Aubrey had a wonderful time at her family party, but you wouldn't have known it from her face and attitude that afternoon. She was a rather ungrateful gift receiver. We forgot to give her the gift-receiving pep talk we usually give the birthday child before each party, and it showed! Oh dear. After most people had left, and she was going through her gifts, we got to see her excitement and that she really did appreciate each and every gift. We'll make sure we do better with that next year. I started thinking, though, about how it really was representative of how life with Aubrey has been lately. We have been in constant battles over attitude and respectful, cheerful obedience. Our little girl who used to be so easy has asserted her independence and decided to not be so easy anymore. It's going to be ok. We are prepared to succeed in this and determined to help her work through these issues, but it sure has been difficult lately! I'm looking forward to this next year with our five-year-old. She's got a big year ahead of her with kindergarten and all.  Aubrey has always been a delightful girl with a bright smile, a love for people, and a sensitive heart. She is full of fun...when she's not being a stinker. We joke about how she's 5 going on 15, but we really want to be able to enjoy that future 15-year-old, so we are going to work hard now to make sure we can! Aubrey Ann, we love you so much. We always will. Happy birthday to you!

 

Savvy Joel

Conversation after dinner between Kari and Joel, overheard by Greg:

Joel: "Hey Kari, we need to have a cookie."
Kari: "Oh, yeah! Let's ask Mommy."
Joel: "No, not Mommy. She's grumpy. Let's ask Daddy."

Good thinking, Joel. I was grumpy--sick and grumpy. Makes me wonder how often conversations like this occur in our house. There are four of them and two of us, probably happens pretty often!

My Valentines

It's a sniffly Valentine's Day for us--colds all around and sinus issues--but we're making the day special anyway. Kids woke up to valentines from Daddy (and Mommy, but Daddy gets all the credit this year) and had a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, eggs, and sausage. They were all very excited to go to school and have their parties. I almost kept Aubrey home because I think she's developed a sinus infection and woke up feeling and looking not so great, but her tears convinced me to let her go to preschool this morning and then call the doctor.

I like the "homemade" valentines we did for the kids' classes this year. I've wanted to do the lollipop one ever since I saw it on Pinterest a couple years ago. It was super easy, and they turned out great. Joel opted for the Lego Star Wars one instead of the photo. He liked the glow stick light saber idea. We did tape candy on the back, though, because, according to Joel, it just wasn't a valentine without candy!

Look at all of them! Just think how many there will be when Grant is in school and does 'em, too! Oregon really needs to do something about these class sizes.

Kari making cookies with a Grant-monkey on her back.

We've been calling them "the twins" lately. Their toddler pictures look so much alike. Kari is a wonderful big sister. She can calm him down better than we can sometimes. She's going to be a good babysitter in a couple years--can't wait!

I am thankful, oh so thankful, for all four of my little valentines, but I have to give a shout-out to my big valentine. He has been pretty amazing this last week. I was able to go on our church's women's retreat this last weekend (a wonderful time away with friends and no responsibility, cooking, or cleaning), and Greg was super dad, spending the weekend taking good care of the kids, one sick kid, even, coaching and going to basketball games, and getting everyone to church on Sunday.  I came home sick from the retreat on Sunday afternoon and was worthless that day and for most of this last week.  I married a pretty great man--a wonderful husband who gives me grace when I fail and when I'm down and a wonderful dad to our kids, so fun and so capable. I've never put much stock in Valentine's Day--I expect to love and be loved EVERY day of the year--but the kids sure do love it, and I did appreciate the chocolates waiting for me this morning. :) Happy Valentine's Day!

*Update: Took Aubrey to the doctor this afternoon. She does, indeed, have a sinus infection (not contagious), but she also has strep (highly contagious)! Bad mom and member of society for sending her to school and exposing all of her preschool class to strep throat! I didn't know, but still...
We can't seem to stay away from strep around here--3 kids with it in Dec, Kari two weeks ago, and now Aubrey. We're going through a lot of toothbrushes!

Sunny Winter Day

Yesterday afternoon was so unusually warm (in the sun, at least) that Aubrey and Grant were able to jump on the trampoline without coats and even played in the sandbox. Some of the sand was a little wet, but they didn't mind. They played for a long time out there and came inside filthy but happy.

"...they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes..."
Grant loves this book. Aubrey has it memorized, so she read it to him--twice--and with the same inflection I use when I read it to him. :) He asked her to do it again, but she said two times was enough. It's funny to me that we've had this book since Kari was little, and yet none of the other kids have ever liked it. They thought it looked too scary. Not so with Grant; it's one of his favorites. He's our little "wild thing."