He Returns!

Uncle Mason hadn't been to visit us in a year and a half and we REALLY missed him!  We were so happy to get to spend a few days with him.  He even got to see Corbin's play. :) 

This was our best bowling night ever - the boys made it all the way through the game without running off to play video games.  It was really fun!

WE LOVE YOU, Uncle Mason!

Tales of Ye Merry Wood

Corbin did great in his first full length play (Robin Hood) and I think he had fun too.  I had fun watching and hearing him up on stage and his brothers had fun trying to spot him in all his different costumes...

as a Page to the horrible Prince John (not the best picture, but it's all I have of him in this part!),

as a villager selling eggs,

as one of Robin Hood's Merry Men,

as a "monk" at Prince John's wedding

 (this next one was taken after - he always kept his face totally covered during the play.)

and as a monk who was (surprise!) really one of the merry men rescuing Maid Marian from her fate as Prince John's bride.

We are so grateful for all the friends and family that came to support Corbin.  Thank you!

Uncle Mason even came all the way from Colorado just before his last performance!  Thanks Mason!

 

We love our little actor!  Great job, Corbin.  We are so proud of you!

Starting a Rock Band

First things first - get your back stage pass with your name on it and customize your own guitar.

 Practice your skills during the "Rock n Roll freeze dance".

And of course we need singers in our band, too - add microphones for even more wild and crazy fun.

Next it's time for your friends to cheer you on in your own solo performance. (sing, play and dance until the music stops and then tap the next person on the head who has to jump up before the music starts again.)

 

 And finally, all rock n roll stars have to have cool glasses!

 Then we got to create our band scene . . .  blindfolded.

Time for cake!

 

 And lastly, presents!  Thanks to all who came and made Cody's 5th birthday so much fun!

We love our little Rock Star!  Happy Birthday, Cody!

Cody at Five

On his birthday, he insisted that he wasn't 5 "until he blew out his candles, and then God would make him 5."  Well, he's 5 years old now and loving it.  He reminds us how he is the boss of himself now that he is 5 and is constantly telling Colton all the things he will be able to do when he is 5 (including "play rough" with the big boys). 

He was a little bummed though that he wasn't going to his new school (kindergarten) after he turned 5, I assured him it would come soon enough, and that he could still have fun at preschool until summer came and then after that he would go to Kindergarten.  He said, "So after it's warm."  Something like that.  These things are so hard to explain.

Cody's favorite things to do:  playing video games (which he has finally learned not to whine about how little time he gets, because then he knows he gets even less), jumping on the trampoline (since it is finally warm enough again), playing with his ninja dog (I gave him a little stuffed dog for valentine's and Russ told Cody he would make some clothes for it and Cody picked a Ninja outfit), building all kinds of weapons and contraptions with his Trio blocks, legos, or whatever else he can find (then he lines them up on the couch so I can buy them for my kids and husband) playing with his friends (there are 5 little boys just on our little cul-de-sac street that are just his age),  having snowball fights with said friends when its cold and riding his "fast bike" when its warm.

He loves to pretend.  Recently, he was the daddy and I was the mommy.  Our children were several different sized stuffed animals that I had to buy and then bring them to visit him at work.  But when we arrived at his work, he said we had to call first.  So we went home and called, and he had to ask his chief if that was okay.  After a brief conversation with the cheif, he told us it was.  When we got there (from the living room to the kitchen), he hugged his "kids" and said "oh, they missed me!"  I love playing with preschoolers!

We still call him Cody-bug.  Although he recently informed me that he would like to be called "Striker" and if I wanted him to do anything I had to say, "Striker, eat your food", etc.  I think this goes along with his spider light-up shoes that he calls his "strike shoes".  Although, he also likes to be called " middle man" (Colton being "little man" and Corbin, "big man").

He often talks about how he has to eat alot so he can "get as strong as daddy".  And when Russ informed him that he needed to eat all the colors of the rainbow then, he mentioned that candy was the colors of the rainbow.  :)

He loves to play in the sand box, loves to play any sport (although he still gets the names confused), loves to go fishing with dad and loves to play outside at Grandma & Grandpa's (even when it's freezing). 

He is always the first to volunteer for prayers at mealtime and family time.  (When I told him that dad or mom would just pick someone, he smiles with big eyes and gives that "pick me, pick me!" look.) 

He loves back scratches and snuggles.  He gives great hugs and goodnight kisses.  And we absolutely LOVE HIM!  Happy 5th Birthday, Cody!

I so thought we were past this stage

Yes, vaseline. And in case you're wondering, our kids have bad excema so we slather them with the stuff after baths and before bed (not to this extent of course).  But apparently I didn't do it well enough the other night, because I heard him playing around in his room, went to tell him to get in bed and this is what I found.  He said his neck was itching.

What I Love

I love books and I love hot chocolate.  Sometimes at the same time.  I like my hot chocolate extra strong made with half water half milk and then cooled down with just a little skim milk.  And I really like to dip my nine-grain toast with butter in it.  Mmmm.  (I think I'll go have some right now.  Seriously.)  But that's not really what I wanted to write about and since there's not much more to say about hot chocolate, let's just talk about books.  I think that is one of the reasons I have been lagging in my blogging, I have been finding so many good books and then I start reading them and then that leads to more books and I can't get enough!

You can read more of my reviews on my Goodreads account. (If you're not on Goodreads, you should be!  I would really love to hear what you are reading and what you thought about it.)  But lately I have gotten hooked into a couple REALLY good, life-changing type books . . .

One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide



When I finish, I will review them on Goodreads, but I already love them and highly doubt that it will go downhill from here.  So I highly recommend them.

I am hosting book club this month and we are reading a book called Moloka'i.  I'd call it historical fiction.  It is a sad, but endearing story about a girl at the turn of the century who is banished, at the age of 7, to a remote leper colony on one of the Hawaiian islands.  I haven't finished this one either, but I would say it is a "must-read" to keep us aware of these atrocities that have happened in our past.  I have had a tear or two at least every other chapter.

And onto this coming year, in one of my book clubs, we decide the books almost a year in advance.  So here's the list, tell me if you have read any of them and what you thought...

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (yes, I will be reading it with both book clubs this year)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
These is My Words by Nancy Turner
Decision Points by George Bush
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safran Foer
Matched by Ally Condie

Books that were cut from the list because of questionable content (as we are all good Christian women) - Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  Have you read either of those?  What did you think?  I think I may still read them to determine for myself, especially the latter as I have heard rave reviews about it.

Oh, and one other book I got from Cody's preschool teacher - Use Your Words - totally altered my parental thinking.  Even though it is written for teachers, I would highly recommend it for parents of preschoolers or toddlers.  Like did you know that you actually shouldn't tell your little ones to "say sorry"?  The best little snippet I took from it was - when giving directions to your child and they are not complying, assume that they didn't understand and go from there.  This has saved alot of frustration for both mother and child in this house, and I have come to see that often it is quite true.

I would love to hear what you're reading and any recommendations you have . . .