Fourth of July Festivities

This past week was so busy and chaotic! We need some R&R after our 4th of July celebration. I don't believe we got into bed before midnight ONE single day last week. We spent the evening of the 4th at the Simpson's house... and BOY! do they know how to throw a party! There was yummy food, a cotton candy machine, ice cream cones, misters coming from the garage, four wheeling, and LOTS of fireworks. And, unfortunately (for Aaron) we took a bazillion pictures...

Thanks to Rachel and Tom for throwing a killer party! Our kids will never recover!

birthday party

The 4th of July weekend is the BEST TIME TO PARTY! I wonder if our others kids will eventually feel bad when they realize that EVERY YEAR Ben has had a huge, crazy, invite-the-entire-neighborhood kind of party when all they get is cupcakes and a little confetti. But it's their fault for being born in the winter (or mine for not wanting another summer pregnancy.) Party #7 was a success... and quite scaled down from his first birthday when we had over 100 people show. This was just a few kids and their parents. We went swimming, BBQ'd hot dogs, threw water balloons, had a killer Transformer pinata, ate cake and swam some more. It was a lot of fun and Ben got spoiled. He has a great group of kids here- ranging in age from 2 to 10. We love our friends and neighbors. They are our family away from home!

Every year I make a delicious flag cake for Ben's birthday. It's made with cheesecake pudding and whipped cream topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. This year, about 3 hours before the party started, he asked if he could have a flag cake AND a Transformer cake. So we made some extra chocolate cupcakes, threw a couple of miniature TF toys on it and we were set. I know Ben is probably ready to part with his traditional flag cake, but I am not ready to stop making it! It's just too yummy! This year it was half the size it usually is, so we're taking baby steps.







The craziest part about this entire night was NOT that I got chocolate frosting on my chest... but that right after this picture was taken, I left Aaron with a mess to clean up and I rushed off to a wedding. I went with wet hair and stayed out until midnight. It was crazy (and oh, so much fun!) Thanks to all who came and especially to Aaron for supporting me and my love to throw parties!

There's a 1st time for everything...

This afternoon we took our kids swimming to battle the heat (even though it was ONLY 104 degrees.) At the pool we met a nice family from Armenia. They own a home here in Vegas and come for a couple of weeks each year to vacation. We enjoyed chatting although their English wasn't exactly understandable. The sweet grandmother pronounced a blessing upon me that my next child will be female. Actually, I am not exactly sure what she did (or said) but I like thinking that she was a prophetess and called upon the heavens to send me a girl.

The entire family got a KICK out of Zack.. but not because he was splashing in the water or trying to "swim like a dolphin." They liked him solely because of his white skin. I allowed them to point and gawk.. because it might be a while before they see another albino two year old. And luckily, they gave us a little entertainment in return. The mother (probably age 45.. give or take a few years) was completely frightened of the water. She stuck her feet in for a while and, before taking the plunge, she decided to borrow her children's orange arm floaties. I could not take my eyes off of her as the floaties squeaked up her flabby arms. When they were in place (nice and tight, I am sure) she slowly stepped into the pool. Her husband had her by the arms and the whole time she was screeching in Armenian. "No, no! Ah! Oh! No!" Had you heard her shrieks without seeing what was actually going on, you may have thought he was stabbing her in the heart. We truly felt lucky to get a front row seat for the show.

She was shaking and her husband was trying to ease her terror as she tightened her grip around his neck. Slowly they made their way to the other side of the pool.. which happened to be a whopping 4 feet deep. After about 10 minutes in the pool, she stood up on her own! I felt like giving her a round of applause. Everyone was so happy for her and she had the BIGGEST smile on her face. You have no idea how much I wanted to snap a picture of her... but alas, my camera was in the car and I didn't want her to know I was making a spectacle of her big accomplishment. It was bad enough that my kids were starring at her. Luke finally turned to me and said, "Mom, what is WRONG with that lady?" I quietly whispered in his ear, "They must not have swimming pools in Armenia."

We have proof. Weekend entertainment doesn't have to cost a penny.

Happy Birthday Ben (and America)

Name: Benjamin Jackson
Age: SEVEN
Height: 49 inches
Weight: 45 lbs
Teeth missing: 6

Favorites--
Color: Blue
Animal: Cheetahs and Rhinos
Food: homemade breadsticks, strawberries and ice cream (but not strawberries on ice cream.) He likes most foods, but doesn't want anything touching anything else!
Books: Meet the Autobots, Meet the Decepticons and any other Transformer book out there. He also loves animal encyclopedias, and anything by Shel Silverstein
Movies: Transformers, TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
TV shows: Sponge Bob, The Suite Life, Drake and Josh, Zoey 101 (I hate when they watch this show!)
Games: Sorry, Crazy 8's, Chutes and Ladders

Jokes he's made up:
(I hear about 50 bad jokes for every good one he comes up with..)

What do you call your mom when she isn't being nice? A MOM-ster.

What did one car ask the other car? Do you have GAS?

What farm animal is good at math? A COW-culator

What is tall and nice and says 'OUCH'? (Me.. after he pinches me on the arm.) "OUCH!"

Where do mashed potatoes go when they die? The GRAVY-yard


Funny Things said by Ben:

"My eyes are tired, but the rest of my body is ready to party!" (said at midnight.. age 6)

"Watching this much TV is really UN-responsible." (age 5)

"I think I know how Santa just keeps on living. He's kind of like the three Nephites who just never die. They have lots of things to do on the Earth, so God just lets them keep on living." (Good theory, kid. We had this conversation last week. almost age 7.)


Things to remember about Ben's BIRTH-day: My water broke at 11:00 pm on July 3rd. I was sun-burned, exhausted and ready for bed. Earlier that night, my husband and I were at a BBQ with friends (yo- Garmons!) and I had to leave before fireworks started because I wasn't feeling well. I didn't even consider the fact that my stomach cramps were contractions because my due date wasn't for another two weeks. When my water broke that night, I didn't know what was happening! I had to call my mom at midnight and ask if I was really having a baby. She assured me I was... She was torn between coming to Provo for the delivery or seeing my little brother at the airport on the 4th of July. He was leaving the MTC and flying to Russia.. She stayed for the airport and sent my sisters down to be with me. Debbie and Cindy were able to be there for the delivery, hold the baby, take pictures and then head up to Salt Lake City to see my brother off. It was a crazy day, but that's usually the way my family operates. Ben followed suit and started out with a bang!

July 4th is a special day for Aaron's side of the family. Not only is it Independence Day, but it is the wedding anniversary of Duke and Lee Burnham (Aaron's grandparents) who both passed away early and unexpected. Brandy was very close to her parents and was emotional at the hospital because she knew that it wasn't by chance that her first grandchild was born on such a special day. He was sent down by two very special, loving great-grandparents who knew how to celebrate in style! Ben and Aaron's mom have had a special bond since day one.

Ben was born at 7:09 am.. weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces. He had a TON of black hair and the nurses kept referring to him as "Harry" although we informed them several times that his name was Benjamin. My husband really wanted to name him Jackson.. but I didn't want to introduce ourselves and "Aaron & Janet Jackson" and I felt strongly that Ben was it. I had not even considered the name until late in my pregnancy. Aaron and I were reading in The Book of Mormon about a righteous and Christ-like king who gives the most wonderful, uplifting advice to his people before he dies. Our son is named after King Benjamin. Someday I hope he will live up to his name and become righteous, bold and strong.

Since the day he was born, he has been an easy child. He is obedient, faithful and good. He takes what people say literally and tries hard to follow EVERY rule! Our biggest challenge as Ben's parents is trying to keep him from stressing about every little thing! He was born wise beyond his years and even though it's crazy to think that I have a SEVEN year old, it seems like each time Ben has a birthday, I feel like he's been that old for a while now. He is an awesome little boy and I am so glad he's mine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENNY BOY!

Dinner with the Poulsens

Suzanne and Jason Poulsen are some of our favorite people and they just happened to be in Vegas this week.. Suzanne took Jason on a surprise getaway to celebrate his last day of residency!! Wahoo! We met at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba's for some delicious food, fabulous conversation, and a medical diagnosis- (Jason is a doctor and Suzanne is a nurse.) We know how to pick and choose our friends, eh? Can't beat free medical advice over the dinner table!

Four years ago today, (totally random, I didn't mean to be so sentimental) we met Jason and Suzanne at a BBQ for Ben's 3rd birthday. We were the new to Spokane and anxious to make new friends. The minute I talked to Suzanne, I KNEW she was going to be a keeper. She is sweet, funny, very personable and so cute you just wanna to pinch her (or punch her!) We were instant friends and the rest is history. But my first impressions aren't always right because I pinned Jason as a punk. I went home that night thinking, "How did such a guy get a girl like that?" But I quickly learned that Suzanne was the lucky one. Jason runs a close second to the best husband around! We love hanging out with them and wish we still lived minutes away. We really miss those lazy Sundays afternoons-- getting competitive over card games (Rook and Eucher to be specific.) Those were the good ol' days... when they would get SO frustrated because they could never beat us! It's probably better for their self-esteem (and our egos) that we only lived by each other for a short time. They moved back to Salt Lake the following summer to finish residency and now he's a full blown Doc! We love them for coming to see us AND for finally starting a blog! All my dreams have come true (and I expect frequent updates!)

Congratulations Poulsens! You worked hard and sacrificed a TON... so enjoy rolling in the dough! Can't wait until the day one of your daughters marries one of our sons!

ps. A big thanks to Rod and Nat for watching our kids late into the evening! We owe you big time!