Happy Birthday Seth

Okay, so it's very late, blame it on the laziness of summer time if you must. We did celebrate Seth's birthday on time though and I need to share all the details!

August 6th was completely devoted to Seth! He wanted to go to breakfast with just me in the morning but, unfortunately, I had to take my car to the shop. Yuck. He was ok with that though and we stopped at McDonald's on the way there so he could get the cinnamelts. We were at the car place for three hours! Seth was a trooper and we got to spend some time together. We even went for a walk and bought the candles for his cake and rented a DVD. Pop came and picked us up at this point and we picked Seth's cake up from the grocery store. We ran right home and celebrated with birthday cake and presents. Dessert first on your birthday, what could be better?
Seth opened his gift from Brooklyn, a big new lunch box, and his card from me and Pop. We decided to give him cash this year because he is saving up for an iPod. We went out to lunch to Cici's Pizza and everyone went to Friendly's for dinner. That place is insane! We enjoyed it immensely and I forgot the camera. He said it was the best birthday ever, he says that every year though. Seth got money from his Aunt Noreen, money from Papa and Grammy, Eragon on CD from Aunt Holly and Uncle Brian, and the second and third books from the Eragon series from his dad and Merritt. He could not be more pleased with his haul. The iPod savings went out the window when he found "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" on DVD though. He also bought a video game, another DVD, the Owl City CD and an MP3 player that looks very much like an iPod nano. I think there may have been some candy purchases in there too.

Seth is my sensitive, creative, cuddly soul. He loves being a big brother and wants to help with the little ones more than the older kids allow. He loves to say the prayer at meal time and bear his testimony on fast Sunday. He has no fear when it comes to speaking to a crowd, in fact, he loves the attention. He loves music and movies. I think he is a lot like his Papa Mills. He looks a lot like Papa so that makes sense. He is such a quiet, important part of our family and I love celebrating him on his day!

Do you know this man?

Well, you should. This is Robert Bruce Orr, aka Bobby. Yes, Bobby, even though he is a grown man, he likes the sobriquet and it suits him. This is my husband and today, on his birthday, I want to express to all who read my blog(well I know it's not that many but I can pretend) how amazing he is. Bobby is not the same man I married. He is immensely better than the man I married. His core, who he is, has not changed. The way he handles situations and the way he regards others has. I have always loved the word volatile and that describes Bobby. He was when I met him and he is now but he stops, he thinks, he considers those around him now. He is incredibly introspective; I love that about him. He learns from mistakes - his and others. He listens to me. I know how men joke about women babbling on. They joke about tuning us out. I admit, he does not hang on my every word ~ thank goodness. However, when it's a serious matter for any reason, he hears and remembers everything I say. That is amazing and wonderful to me. Bobby is a loving father. Just when I think he's tired and grumpy and has had it with the kids he will surprise me and do something amazing and kind. Anyone who has seen Bobby with his babies knows how much he loves them. He loves to get silly with them, tickle them and roll on the floor with them. He makes up funny names and songs about them. Bobby is not one to go out and do things, he is a bit of a homebody, but if the kids want a sleepover or a birthday party he is there in full force, entertaining them. I love that we can sit and have intelligent conversations with each other. I never tire of talking to Bobby and I love how he can make everyone laugh. Bobby is a hard worker. He may hate his job but he will do his best at it, no one can say he did not go above and beyond his duties. Is our life just a big love fest over here? Heck no. It's far from perfect but I love and respect my husband and I know he would do anything for us. I am so grateful to have him in our lives.

Caleb's birthday.... late, I know

I have been a horrible blogger lately. I have been busy but that is no excuse. I really was avoiding the blogging until I got a picture of Caleb with his new bike but that never happened and I kept putting it off so I'll start with Caleb's birthday.

Caleb turned 10 on Dec. 2. We celebrated the Sunday before and let him open his presents and got him a cake. Unfortunately, the cake had flowers b/c it was bought last minute. More about that later. He requested spaghetti for that dinner. Bobby grumbled about it but then said it was the best spaghetti he had. I told him I'd remind his of that every time he complained about eating spaghetti. Caleb successfully blew out all his candles, I wonder what he wished for.

On Caleb's actually birthday we took him to Friendly's, a place totally geared to kids. Check out that kid's menu. Insane. They have a better menu than the adults. They had a great time there. The Saturday before his birthday Bobby and I played a trick on him. We talked about stopping by Target to pick up some face cream and trash bags and bought him a bike. He was totally taken off guard and was so excited. Then, Merritt sent him a bike helmet and a book and Aunt Holly sent him two books he has asked for. Grandma and Papa sent him some cash and so did Aunt Noreen - he was rich! We were going to have a party for him but since his present was quite pricey, he agreed that we could wait until next year. It really was a great birthday for him and lasted several days!

Caleb has been doing very well in school this year. I don't hear any behavior problems so if he's acting up it must not be too badly. He is working very hard to keep his grades up, he really has grown up so much this year. Caleb is great with Dillon. He's patient and eager to help him. He has a girlfriend but that is pretty much the only person we hear about. I hope he has other friends too. Caleb is trying harder to complete his chores without being reminded so he can earn time on his bike. He still asks a lot of questions and has a booming voice but he's calmer and less inclined to argue. We're so proud of him!

I met you...

a year ago today.



It was love at first sight.
You keep us very busy.

Everyone loves to play with you.
Your smile lights up our home.



Happy First Birthday Big Boy!! We've had a great year!

Ayden is 3!

And he knows it! We ask, "Ayden, how old are you today?"

"THREE!" he yells gleefully.

We did not get to celebrate his birthday in a big way this year but I figure, 'hey, it's the last year I can get away with it so why not?' When I got home from work I took him with me to Target and to the grocery store. Just the two of us. We picked out a red motorcycle that he can ride on. He used his birthday money from Aunt Noreen for that. Then, we went to the grocery store to pick out the cake. He chose the one with balloons. Then he asked, "Can I eat some of that?" He's so funny. We bought ice cream and he asked for skittles at the check-out. I couldn't resist. Luckily, with the cake hype, he forgot about the skittles. We will save them for another day. The first thing he wanted to do once we got home, was ride his motorcycle but it had to be put together. That was not a problem except, Bobby had dinner ready. The motorcycle had to wait. After dinner was cake. Ayden enjoyed being sung to and blowing out his candle. He chose a piece with a balloon but didn't eat any of it. Go figure. He was actually too excited for Daddy to put his bike together! Bobby got right on it and, after borrowing a hammer from a friend, he was finished in no time. I'm glad it didn't take too long as Dillon really wanted to snack on the parts. All the children surrounded Bobby as he finished it off and then, Ayden went for his first spin. He is thrilled! He has more fun to come since he still has Aunt Holly's gift to open. Yes - it's here, she got it taken care of in time, I just haven't been able to get to Wal-Mart yet. Hey, it's out of the way big time and on a very busy road. I will be able to pick it up tomorrow, I hope. Trunk or Treat and the chili cook-off will be tomorrow too. Then, we'll have trick or treating on Saturday. So Ayden will just get to load up on sugar and celebrate all week. He will enjoy every minute of it.

Ayden updates: At the ripe, old age of three, Ayden is very close to using the potty. I see it in the near future. *crossing fingers* He is stubborn and likes routine. He has to have his juice and watch "Imagination Movers" first thing every morning. In fact, he usually says it before we even take him out of his crib. Yes, his crib. He is still in his crib. He likes it. He stays put in it so I'm not pushing him out. We found a $35 crib on Craig's List for Dillon so I'm thrilled. I can't say he has a favorite food because it's hit or miss with him. He usually likes chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, pizza, pork and beans... kid stuff in general. He loves skittles. He is not a big chocolate eater and still thinks peanut butter is gross. He's my son. (Yes, I like peanut butter but I'm not it's biggest fan.) I can understand about 95% of the words he uses and I can always understand what he's trying to tell me. He is much happier now that he communicates so well and things are much calmer around here. Now he understands when I say that first he needs to do X then we will do Y. That is a new accomplishment and it's huge! He loves to play outside with his brothers. He is very social and tells everyone "Hi". He is sweet and thoughtful, totally rough and tumble and absolutely all boy!

Daddy gave his hat to Ayden and Ayden quickly turned it around to wear it 'his' way.

Daddy got a bit scary with the knife.


It wouldn't be a holiday or birthday without a little 'yelling at the toy' moment.


Ayden was such a big boy and helped Daddy.


What a sweet ride! It was worth the wait!

The video is just because I like the way he says 'airplane'. It was, in fact, the space shuttle.

Brooklyn's Birthday and a Visit

Brooklyn turned 11 on August 16th! Since her birthday fell on a Sunday we decided to have her party the next weekend. I'll will have to include more about that once she has her party. She was so excited to find out what her big present was this year. Bobby and I had bought it back before school was even out and I was excited to give it to her. I'm proud of Bobby for keeping it a secret so long! Anyone who knows Brooklyn knows that she wants to be a rock star. She always has. We bought her Sing It! It's a PS3 video game that has a microphone. It's a lot like karioke but it tracks your pitch and timing and gives you a score. The one we bought has Disney songs from movies like High School Musical, Camp Rock and other teen Disney stars. All of the kids have had so much fun with that game! I think I will get very tired of some of these songs so I'm already looking into the cost of other discs. I have to admit, it's pretty fun.
We gave her the gift early in the day. Then, I made chocolate chip pancakes - at her request. Everyone enjoyed that of course! My oldest friend (from age 8), Amy, was here visiting and she helped out with Brooklyn's cake. Brooklyn picked the Funfetti frosting and Amy used the sprinkles to write out the name Boo.
Then, we all sang Happy Birthday and Boo blew out her candles.
It was a good dinner and some delicious cake and the night was over. Brooklyn's dad and his girlfriend had sent Brooklyn a new comforter so she and I set up her bed with it's new, teen, look. It will be versitile and she'll be able to change up the color scheme when she gets tired of it instead of buying a whole new set. I found a rug at Wal-Mart that will match it perfectly and we'll buy that this weekend. Then we just need the lamp.

Aunt Holly bought her a new blue top and a matching purse from Justice. She looks all grown up and ready for school. Papa and Grammy bought her some cute new clothes too while she was in Houston. She wears them all the time.
I can't believe she is going on to middle school! Time does go by so quickly. Happy Birthday sweet girl.

Seth is Eight!

Time does fly by so quickly. When Bobby and I got married Seth was four and the baby of the family. Since then he's gone through three grades of elementary, become a big brother twice, developed his own likes and dislikes (very separate from Caleb's) and loves the movies and to read. He is growing up so fast. I asked Seth what kind of party he wanted and he did not really want one. He just wanted us to take him to Chuck E. Cheese Pizza and to invite three sisters that are good family friends. I took Seth to Kroger where he picked out a Transformer cake. It had gray and black icing. Maybe that is why it was so sticky. Yuck.
The kids all had a great time playing games. I don't think they even really cared about the pizza, sodas or cake. The adults hung out with Dillon and the kids took turns with Ayden so I think everyone had a good time.

When we arrived home there was a package waiting for Seth. His father and his father's girlfriend sent Seth Voldemort's wand! Avada Kadavra!
He wants to start a collection and this is the first one he got. I did order Harry's wand for Seth but it still is not here! I even waited to post about his birthday, hoping it would be here, but no luck. Aunt Holly's package came though and he loves his new binoculars! She chose that gift because he really enjoyed playing with Uncle Brain's when he was visiting this summer.

I see you seeing me!
Because Seth turned eight he now has the choice to be baptized as a member of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My dad and Sheryl bought Seth his own set of scriptures with his name engraved. He chose a very nice looking dark green. He loves them. Bobby's parents bought Seth a suit last time they were here so he would have it to wear on the special day and my dad and Sheryl made sure he had another nice, church shirt. He is set! The baptism is scheduled for the 29th of August! Happy 8th birthday Bubba!

A busy week makes a long post!

Caleb, Brooklyn and Seth headed off for their last day of school on June 12th. It was a half day so I'm sure it was full of games and goodbyes. They were finished by 11:15. Kind of begs the question, what was the point of that? Anyway, I took a picture thinking it would be fun to compare the first day of school to the last...
Here was the fist day:
And the last: (Caleb was right, I stood them in the wrong order, oh well.)
Is it just me or do they look so much older! Wow kids grow so fast.

Bobby's birthday was the 12th, the last day of school. For his birthday Bobby got to stay home with all the kids while I finished out the school year. Yay, fun for him right? Not only that but his boss insisted on putting him on a conference call for over an hour where she was not pleasant, to put it nicely. I managed to salvage his day but it was not an easy task. We had a tasty Red Lobster dinner and came home for cake and ice cream. I had no candles but Bobby made the best of it.
Happy 32nd birthday honey - you're the best!
The children came with me on the Monday after school was out because I rushed home on Friday and had a couple of things to finish. While there, I went to the book room to shelve some books and heard my name called over the PA asking me to return to my room. I can not begin to say how many scenarios went through my head. The forerunner was that they were fighting and being so loud that someone called and complained. What I found was nothing like that. Seth was sitting in a chair with a paper towel wadded up against his mouth, crying. The teacher next door heard the commotion and came to find that he'd fallen off one of my tables onto his face. Great. The floor in my room is tile too so his mouth was not a pretty sight. Here he is this morning. The swelling has really gone down. The amazing part is that since almost all his teeth are missing already, he didn't knock any of them out.
Hey, it really doesn't look too bad does it?

I would post more on Brooklyn but she is not home much these days. She has planned sleepovers with her friends since she will not be here for a month. My dad and Sheryl bought the kids tickets to come spend a month with them in Houston. The kids are very excited about it and Brooklyn has been making plans to see her friends there too. She's my social bug!

Dillon is officially crawling. He did the inch worm thing for quite some time but now he has the hand, knee coordination down pat and he's fast! He is already up on his knees grabbing at chairs and boxes so I'm sure pulling up is not far behind. Here he is! Watch to the end and he says 'hello' with his cute froggy face.



Ayden loves to play outside. Caleb just came running in shouting that I had to get a picture of Ayden on the scooter. Here is Ayden 'riding' the scooter, showing off his mad skills.