Samuel's Birthday

Caleb hiding between boxes

Austin and Caleb

Samuel lifting weights...I mean shoes

Travis right before NTC

Travis when he got home from NTC....I know it's a little blurry but you can still see the mustache he grew

 

Samuel about to blow out his candles

Samuel hugging his bear (Uh Oh...the bear is upside down)

Samuel hugging his bear the right way

Daddy's Home!!! Yeah!!!

Samuel blowing out his candle

Playing duck duck goose

Playing on the outdoor board game we made with sidewalk chalk

Samuel on the hop like a bunny square

Playing London Bridges

Three legged race

Sack race

Samuel the birthday boy

The letter Austin wrote to the tooth fairy, after Caleb ate the tooth she lost

Lots of things going on this past week.  First of all Caleb had been throwing up every other day for the past week and a half, but has finally stopped throwing up the past few days.  But three days ago he had a fever all day long, and now has a bad cough, and stuffy, and sounds hoarse.  He has not been sleeping well at all.  The night he had the fever, he was waking up every 15 minutes.  It was an extremely long night, and I was crying and begging, and praying for Caleb to sleep better, but my wish was not granted.  He won't sleep at all in his bed, he has to sleep in bed with me or he just cries.  He is still waking up every hour on average each night, and spends half of it in bed with me, because I'm too exhausted to try and get him to sleep in his crib, and he is too sick to let him cry it out.  I have never allowed any of our children to sleep in bed with us, but apparently Caleb is extra stubborn when it comes to sleeping arrangements.  Now that Travis is home (yeah!!) there is just not enough room in our bed for Caleb too, I did not sleep well last night because, Caleb took up my spot on the bed, and I was halfway falling off, or scrunched down at the bottom of the bed.  If Caleb doesn't start sleeping in his bed, I think we may need to invest in a king sized bed.  Caleb has a "mommy sensor" while he is sleeping, he will reach out his arm to touch me and make sure I'm there, and if he feels me, he stays asleep, but if he does not he wakes up and cries.  So anyway, I have been very sleep deprived lately.  Last week Austin lost a tooth at school.  She came home with it in a little treasure box.  I told her to put it right under her pillow so it wouldn't get lost, but she set it down, and Caleb found it, and stuck her tooth in his mouth and swallowed it.  Austin was very distraught, and I finally had to tell her, I would watch Caleb's poop until I found her tooth in it, and then wash it off and give it to her.  After going through Caleb's poop a few times, I told Austin to just write the tooth fairy and note and tell her what happened.  So Austin drew a picture, and taped a fairy she made to it, and wrote a note saying "Dear tooth fairy, my baby brother ate my tooth.  Please give me money.  If I find it, I will give it back and put it under my pillow.  P.S. Please write back.    P.S.S.  You are pretty! (see picture of the note above).  Austin received her $2 that night, and was happy, and the tooth fairy wrote her a little note back.   Joseph missed school on Thursday, since he was throwing up the night before, but he was feeling better Friday so I was ready to send him off to school, when he told me he had a major project due today, and his teacher would not except it late.  So I kept him home for the first hour and half of school, and helped him work on his project.  He ended up making a video, and it turned out really well.  I got him to school with half and hour to spare, before his project was due.   All day Friday we cleaned to get ready for Samuel's party on Saturday and went shopping for party prizes and things.  Friday night, Joseph also went on a campout with the scouts.  He had no coat, because he lost one of his coats and Travis' leather jacket at school, and the lost and found had already been shipped off somewhere.  Austin also went to dinner and a movie with her "Big" and had a great time.  Saturday morning we picked up our produce basket, and went to the Golden Corral for breakfast.  We got home and started getting ready for the party.  I made the cupcakes and ice cream (all sugar, wheat, and dairy free).  While Caleb was taking a nap, and we were getting ready, we heard a car honk outside and looked out the window, and saw a solider getting out of a car.  It took us a moment to recognize Travis (he grew a moustache and his hair on the sides of his head), but then everyone ran out and hugged Travis.  We thought he wouldn't get home until late that night, so we were very excited to see him.  We finished getting ready for the party, and three of Samuel's friends came, and One of them brought their two little brothers, so we had 5 kids come, and our own 5 children.  I had to carry Caleb most of the day, because he didn't feel good, so my back is pretty sore.  We played Wii Dance kids, musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, three legged race, sack race, stomp on everyone else balloons, duck duck goose, London bridges, Simon says, red light green light, and the board game that we drew on the driveway.  Samuel had a little trouble at first.  Every time he lost a game, he would yell and scream, and hit and kick me because he was mad.  But after the first couple times we told him he would go to his room and miss the rest of his party if he didn't stop that.  He behaved the rest of the party.  When we had cake and ice cream, the cupcakes didn't go over too well.  I used raw cocoa powder instead of regular cocoa powder from the store, and apparently it isn't as sweet.  The cupcakes tasted like dark chocolate, and weren't very sweet, so none of the kids liked them.  I thought they were good with the ice cream, but the kids just ate the ice cream.  Samuel opened up his presents.  He got  a castle from his Grandma Kathy, an innotab from his Grandma and Grandpa Hardy, and a big bear from Travis and I.  Everybody left after that and I made Eggs a la golden rod, watermelon, honeydew, and pineapple for dinner.  Samuel had a good birthday, and loves his new presents.  Today I stayed home with Caleb, since he is still pretty sick, and Travis took the kids to church.  We love having Travis home again!