Percy Jackson Party

He's not quite 8 but the party couldn't wait!

We had our own version of "camp halfblood" set up in the backyard. The boys, 14 total, came and were handed a wooden snake to paint. They really got into the design and colors.

Then each of the boys was given a sword, much like I would imagine 'Anaklusmos' yet without the power to slay monsters or change into a pen. We divided the boys into two teams. It was Poseidon vs Zeus and the first team to pop all their balloons with their swords and put together the prophecy contained in them got the point.

The sword is lost, but what's the cost? The battle you must fight.

So ride the wave all men to save and show Poseidons might.

(they lost their sword on the step of the pool and had to relay race from the other side of the pool, grab the sword, swim back with it and tag their team mate for their turn. The first team done gets the point.)

The land to save the waters raid

the hero's must be wise,

Olympus calls the ship will fall

and save us from demise.

(the boys had to aim for the ship in the pool area with the water balloon launcher. the team that hits closest to the ship's target wins the point.)

the ship

the rest of the prophecy is as follows...

The beauty fair with snakes for hair

will bring you to your knees,
So shield your eyes from her disguise

or a statue you will be.

(Freeze tag. Medusa is "it" and when she tags you the only way to unfeeze is to have a member of your team "kiss" the snake you painted when you arrived with the one they painted. The team with the least ammount frozen at the end of each round gets the point)

His shoes did fly into the sky the hero to destroy,
You must prepare to meet the air, and all your travels enjoy.

(Another relay. Run to the other side of the yard put on the fairy wings and a pair of dad's large shoes and run around the flag. Come back to tag your team mate for their turn. The team finished first gets the point.)

...and then on to presents while you enjoy a blue lolly-pop.

after afterwords, blue cake, blue candles and blue frosting with a Trident on top. Don't forget the blue gator aid bottles to go with the cake.

Then send them out the door with their snake and sword and a little bit of blue candy to go...like I said, it's a

Percy Jackson Party!

GrANdPa

We try to have the boy's grandpa arnett over as often as we can. He is so busy it's hard for him to schedule us in at times. Thing is...he's usually in a hurry to get moving again after we eat dinner. But while Monte was in Greece he stayed on after our Sunday dinner. He even stayed for our Sunday Musical. This Sunday it was 'Guys and Dolls' because, let's face it, who can resist Marlon Brando singing Luck be a Lady. Not that it's great singing...but that it's Marlon Brando...singing.

I digress...grandpa...

This week I have been reminded of how much I love him and how grateful I am for him. He has worked hard the last 6 years and plays the role of Grandpa and Grandma with such nurturing. He gives us a 'loaner' car when ours is dead in the driveway and takes ours in for repairs. He cooks the best steaks. He listens and comforts when I need a shoulder. He tells me I'm doing a great job and that my boys are wonderful, good looking and well behaved. He holds my hand. He cuddles my boys during 'Guys and Dolls' and any other time he sits with them. He tells them they are smart. He holds their hand and talks with them. He shares of himself and his possessions unselfishly. I am so blessed to have him for my father. I am so gratful for his example to me. My life is not perfect but it is blessed beyond measure and largely this is due to him. Thank you Heavenly Father for sending me down to this man. Daily I am reminded of how blessed I am.

BeWarE PiRateS!

The party was the week after the Ward Campout/Birthday...

now THAT's alot of PiRaTEs!!

1 pirate party. 2 birthday boys. 14 friends. 1 pinata. 1 scavenger hunt. 14 swords. 1 cotton candy machine. 14 eye patches. 2 cakes. 14 bandana's. 40 balloons. 2 rolls of streamers. 1 bounce house. 1 tired mom. 1 sticky and pink dad =

immeasurable fun

Camping Birthday!!

The twins' Birthday landed on the ward camp out just as Monte Birk's had last year...what luck eh? Read below to find out more about this exciting journey!!

What an experience it was! On the way up the mountain the car overheated. We had just repaired it from this very problem and were unsure of what to do. We had just finished our Prayer to Heavenly Father and gotten out of the car when a sweet family pulled over to see if we needed help. But he wasn't just any daddy...the father of this family was a car mechanic! He fixed us up and told us what to do and after a small family hike we were back on our way up the mountain. We talked the rest of the way about how Heavenly Father takes care of our needs and love us. We got there and just as we were setting up the tent...BAM!!...rain, rain and a little more, you guessed it...rain! We had so much fun and Monte Birk and I built an even better fire than the ward's group fire! I helps to cover your wood overnight with a tarp. The next day we stayed and played while everyone else packed it up and left. We were the last ones to go and when we got into the car...Nothin', nada, niente! no power left in the battery! (Of, course it just had to happen to us!) No one, outside of our ward, had come around the entire time we were there so we were getting ready to hoof it out to the main road. We said another prayer to Heavenly Father and just as we set off on foot a sweet couple from Flagstaff pulled right up with jumper cables and all! Thank you Heavenly Father for wanting us to go camping with our ward and showing us how much you care! What a great experience for our family!

6 YeArS oLd!

haPpY BirThDaY SeTh and cLyDe!!

Clyde

Seth

When Seth saw these bears in COSTCO his eyes welled with tears and he said, "Mom, I just have to have one." So, being the sneaky mommy that I am I dropped the guys at home and went back to get them for their birthday. Oh my...you should've seen the looks I got driving home. 'Hugeness', as he's been named, was in the passenger seat of my mini van. His head hit the roof and his feet hit the floor. I had to lean forward to see out the passenger window - TOO FUNNY! My neighbor was kind enough to hide them in her house until their birthday, where they took up quite a bit of space! They got to name them in the morning and when they came home from school I had put their names on the T-shirts.

Bringing them up to their room before school posed a bit of a problem but luckily they worked as a team and their big brother was more than happy to show off his muscles and help out.

He's Back!

I didn't mention this before but if you were wondering why my blogging has been so prolific this week...he's been gone...Greece...sound like a business trip to you?

The temple of Poseidon

watch out Percy...this guy'll give you a run for your money!

Parthenon

more of the the temple of Poseidon

the Acropolis
next time...I'm going with him.
please...please...please
let there be a next time!

Tasty Treat!!

You know how I can tell summer is ending?

We had the missionaries over for a summer supper of Tacos and watermelon...well...maybe just TACO's then.

My little fairy

I bought these at the $ store for our girlfriend that we have weekly playdates with. She may never get them. Had I known I would, at the very least, have gotten the blue wings!!

He's walking around saying, "FLY! FLY!"

BaD IdEa

So maybe it's not such a good idea to leave the baking supplies in a lower cabinet. Even if it has baby locks...

FYI I moved the baking goods out before I took this shot hoping to minimize the damage done.

How to survive the AZ summer...

i don't quite know how we survived the summer before we got the pool. I know this is how we survived this summer...

wake up - swim

kung-fu classes - swim

work out - swim

have lunch - swim

swim lessons - swim

dinner - swim

FHE or other evening activity - swim

bath? NAH - just swim!!

By the way did I mention that we swam this summer?

Annual Ski Trip

Let me begin by telling you the difference between 3 small houses and 4 small houses when you are discussing the topic of housing 8 families totalling 44 people. Many of whom are teenagers and 12 of whom are married couples. Huge difference...we're talking huge!! Roosevelt, or as my father pronounces it "ROOsevelt" get those lips out there to get it right. Was AwesOmE this year with 3 boats, 3 jet ski's, 4 houses and all but 3 in attendance. This year we had family devotional time every evening after dinner and it was wonderful. It's the highlight of our summer. This tradition has been going on for at least 18 years now...WOW time flies...

This is pretty much what the boat I was on looked like each time...we just cram them on...and yes, they all had life vests. We were in the junior league with the tubers and babies. Robert's boat was the teenage boat with the knee boarders and skiers.
No difference what boat you were on each day this is what you felt like by the end of it.
We are great food, played plenty of games and slept hard, unless you were Shauna who braved it with an 8 week old...we've all been there!

BroThEr BuCKs

Monte Birk is an avid reader, I know, he's just almost 8, but believe me he reads more than I...and that's really saying something. (scroll down to see photos of him reading at the 4th of July Parade-with the band marching by!) But I digress. In one of his books there is something called "mother bucks" I'm not sure how it is used in his book,but this summer he created some out of scraps of paper and implemented them with his brothers. They could earn "Brother Bucks" by doing nice things for him and then they could buy things from him. Things like small services or time on his DS. I decided to take it a bit further and we used them in the house as rewards for kindnesses, chores etc. That is how they earned TV time, computer time etc this summer. Each 20 minutes of electronics cost something like 10 or 15 "brother bucks". There was one special reward. If they wanted to go without those small luxuries or combine their money they could 'purchase' a family date of their choosing. Monte Birk chose to save his money this summer and-you guessed it-READ instead. With his saved "bucks" he purchased a family date to a Diamondbacks game. A definate WIN WIN situation for mom if you ask me!

My SeLFiSh UtaH TrIP

July 4th we go each year to Utah for the entire week. That's not quite true. I go with the boys for the week and Monte is there with us for either the beginning or the end. Whichever one the 4th actually falls on. I call it my selfish trip. I do what I want in my own time with my own little family. This year we went straight from the airport to Provo town center for the crafts, booths, and bouncers. We hang out at the MTC park picnicking with the Buehler cousins forever to see the Stadium of Lights. Laughing at the way people save seats. We light our own fire crackers in the street. (unlawful in AZ) We go to the big July 4th parade in the morning. We visit with all of my non-family friends and old college room mates that there is never time to visit on the family trips to Utah. We stay at Karen's house enjoying my sister and her sweet family. We go to the park every day, because in AZ it is too hot to go outside if you're not in the pool. And we live a life of unscheduled frivolity. This year we did fit in quite a bit of the Gardiner family as well. With a picnic at the Jordan family and Sunday church with Margot and her kiddo's. Grandma came to both of those as well. Karen and I snuck in a night out alone together for Steak dinner and to go see Audra McDonald in 110 in the shade at the Orem Hale Theatre-a real highlight of selfishness. We came home around 11:30pm to poor Fidalis, the babysitter brother-in -law, and all 4 of my boys and one of his 2 girls wide awake. With the twins crying to him, literally, about how they are going into 2 separate classes for school this year...random. we came home tired, happy, sick of fast food and ready for our pool! I have pictures of it all but those will go into the family book...you just get this...see?...selfish!

4th of July

OK here's a few more pic's... Provo does a fantastic job of entertaining the kids with crafts, face painting, food, jumper toys and the list goes on...we made bracelets, painted, sawed wood and had scouts burn scouting symbols onto our cirles with rod iron pokers...but I ask you now, does it get any better than the $3 Wal-mart shirts? Every good mom should get them!!

Fireworks

This is how the day ended. I begin here because you should have seen Monte and I carrying in all 4 boys to the hotel room-up the stairs and all the way down the hall. It took at least 7 trips total for persons luggage and all. Up the stairs, past the girl smoking-who knows what- on the balcony, while I tell Monte no way can I leave ANY of our babies in the room alone to make another trip to the car. However, 'hotel' is a term I use loosely as I am not sure that your idea of a hotel is anything like this place!! Monte got a voucher from work for a free nights stay here and I honestly believe that someone died in our room at one point or another and no doubt there were a few drug deals going on while we were there. Luckily we were there just long enough to sleep, we were out of there early for church the next day. At least the towels were sufficiently bleached, they must have used 2 gallons on our towells alone-you could still smell it!

as night fell the David Arnett cousins came. We had gotten there early...around 4:00pm to save our seats. Provo is BIG on seat saving. Karen brought a picnic dinner and we played ball, climbed trees, dug in the sand, played with glow in the dark "thingies" you know-what we do EVERY year!!

WHY do I love the fireworks in Provo? WHY will it remain our 4th of July celebration for years to come?

#1 I do not sweat through my various layers of clothing #2 Where else in the WORLD can you be with this many people and not have one person blowing cigarette smoke in your face? #3 It is my "selfish" trip to see my sister #4 The events are planned for you and FREE #5 just LOOK at that sunset!!

Schools OUT!!

The night before the last day of school I thought, "We've got nothing to DO tomorrow!" It was a sobering thought for the "kool-aid mom", as I've been recently labeled by a friend. That being said, the "kool aid" personality in me was definately in need of a kid's End of School ParTaY!! So at 10:00 at night I called a friend for each of my boys and arranged it. I surprised them with water guns and a cake that said "SchOoLs OuT" on it when they got home and soon after their friends showed up! As you can see there are more that 6 school age boys here. It seems that some of them had brothers in need of a party too. What's 1 or 2 or 3 more when you're the kool aid mom, eh?

MB
Clyde
Seth

HaLf - DaY GraDuAtiON!!

We can't call it Kindergarten graduation this year because they are doing kindergarten again next year. The difference is that next year is ALL DAY!! Clyde and Seth's birthday make the cut-off for Kindergarten by 5 days making them the babies of their class. This mean mom is giving them the opportunity to be some of the oldest kids in their class instead by having them do it again.

luCkY DuCkS!!

Best buds Malloy and Ben. We had weekly play dates with these guys all year!

We absolutely LOVE Mrs Mellow