Ian's 8th Birthday Party

Ian had actually turned 8 years old several weeks prior but due to scheduling problems and the like we had his birthday party several weeks late. We had it at the Arlington Heights Park District pool again this year. As usual lots of kids showed up and everyone had a great time.

One of the benefits of your kids getting older is you don't have to worry quite as much about them while they are in the water. Because of this we were able to chat a little more with the parents that came and we felt comfortable turning our backs for a few minutes while we setup the cake and drinks. But even if we hadn't felt so comfortable the park district provided a lot of life guards this year. I think there were at least four of them, possibly more.

Ian's cake was a "Star Wars" cake that we ordered from a local Wal-Mart. Personally I prefer the cakes that Meijer makes but they didn't have a Star Wars themed cake. It tasted pretty good and it was devoured by the kids in a heartbeat. I had hoped that I ordered a significantly large cake that we would be able to take some home, and we did but not as much as I had wanted.

The important thing about the whole day was Ian had a great time and he was very nice to tell his mom so. It makes it a lot easier to spend the money and the time and effort when your kids appreciate it.

Ian and Cami's First Basketball Class

This last Saturday was Ian's and Cami's first steps into the world of basketball. The class is sponsored by the Des Plaines Park District. For a relatively small town our park district actually has a lot of classes and activities to take advantage of. I suppose that helps offset some of the high taxes we pay. Anyway, both of the kids were really excited about the class, Ian especially so.

I'm really happy that there are enough girls in the class so Cami doesn't feel alone. There were enough girls that they had their own group when they were practising passing, dribbling, etc. But during the scrimmage all of the kids were mixed together. Cami had no idea what to do during the game. In fact, one of the coaches put her with another girl to do the "jump ball" to start the game and after Cami hit the ball she and the other girl just stood there for 2 or 3 minutes because they didn't know, and weren't old, to get into the game.

Ian really had a good time running around. Basketball might be a good sport for him because he can be in constant motion. He enjoyed baseball but there were alot of times when he would just stand in the outfield and practically fall asleep because nothing was happening.

Ian's Baptism

It is so hard to believe that 8 years have passed since Ian was born. I have been pondering his baptism virtually from the moment he was born and suddenly it is upon us. However, we were able to plan in advance and it all came off without a hitch, except I ended up crying in the font even though I had promised Ian that I wouldn't.

Our friend Ginny flew in from Utah for the event, which made us all very happy. She took the photo above (thanks Ginny!) and was a great help and added a lot of moral support.

Ian's grandpa gave the opening prayer, his Auntie and his Aunt Ginny both gave talks, and his Aunt Gina gave the closing prayer. We definitely felt the Spirit there that day. Auntie was very emotional and that made the rest of us tear up also. I was happy that when I did break down in tears I had already successfully said the prayer and had dunked him.

My heart is so full of emotions about this event that I can hardly express myself. Needless to say I am very happy that Ian chose to be baptized and I pray that he will keep his baptismal covenants in his life. And it warmed my heart the next day in Sacrament meeting when Ian was welcomed into the ward as the newest member. It also made me very happy that there were so many people from the Ward that attended his baptism.

Halloween 2009

The kids look forward to Halloween almost as much as they look forward to their birthdays. This year was no exception. I must admit that Aura and I look forward to it as well because we really enjoy seeing to kids having so much fun. Of course, it's a lot of work for us. Aura had to modify Ian's Stormtrooper costume because it was too long and I had to help the kids carve their pumpkins, but in the end it was very rewarding.

This year the kids did most of the carving of their pumpkins themselves. In the past they have been too young to handle the knives or they've been in bed, etc. but this year they cleaned out the gunk from the inside by themselves and they traced their patterns onto the pumpkins and even did some of the cutting. I would have let them do all of it if we hadn't been running late, but they had a party to go to so I had to step in to move things along.

The party they went to up the street was fun though I must admit I missed most of it because I had to run out to the store to get some more candy. I'm not sure if it's a sign of a bad economy but the shelves were full of candy and there were not alot of people buying it.

And speaking of candy!.....

here is a photo of a portion of their haul. They did really well this year. Our neighbors were very generous with their candy.

We were pleased that some friends of ours dropped by unexpectedly. First Uncle Brian and his sister Susie dropped by with some candy and gifts for all of us (thank you!) and then the Odell family dropped by in the evening. Not only was it great to have someone to hang out with while "Trick or Treating" but we were able to get our pictures taken with our pumpkins. Every year we take pictures of me and the kids with our pumpkins, it's sort of a tradition of ours, but this year I was afraid we weren't going to get the photos taken because our photographer, Aura, was not feeling well. But our friend Mike stepped into the breach and we got it done. Phew!