HUGE SUCCESS…

you could say

...MAGICAL!

We took pictures of him with each of his guests (also dressed in the Griffindor Robes with Harry Potter scar, wand and glasses in tow) to send them along with their thank you cards.

Almost 100% in attendance…which was good because we had an unfortunate incidence where one wand broke during levitation class and we were in need of that extra wand!

Greylynd Hendrie, Clyde, Donovan Parke, Tristan Vinal, Seth, Daniel McClause, Monte Birk, Savannah, Tyler Badger, Braden Tueller, Jillian Ellsworth.

My little angel wore his robes the entire time.

This is the GOLDEN SNITCH, the GOLDEN SNITCH, the GOLDEN SNITCH, This is the GOLDEN SNITCH it flies SO FAST! Round and round it goes until there is only one person left!

Lunch and Cake
(chicken nuggets, of course) It’s the only way to be sure that they will all eat! In my defense I also offered them carrots with ranch dip to at least add the ficade of health…alas, the only children who wanted that were my own.

I broke my heart to see my masterpiece be blown to Smithereens. By the way, how do you like our huge PVC pike weaponry?!

Flight Instruction class was another big hit! They only made us do this relay...oh, I don't know...5 times!

Some of the kids actually seemed like they were flying they were going so fast!

Wingardium Leviosa!

We practiced our swish and flick with this spell keeping our balloons in the air and under control...you can see how a wand could get broken with this intricate spell...we also had the opportunity to turn each of our 'class mates' into an animal...oh SO FUN! I think we could have practiced spells the entire 2 and 1/2 hours and they all would have been happy!

The kids all went home tired and happy...and my boy said, "Mom that was a perfect party, thank you!" and I got a big hug and kiss...not too bad for a days work as MOM...and I'll take that pay happily! He is SO SPECIAL!

Monte Birk has been insistent on a Harry Potter themed party. Worried that my creative juices wouldn’t start flowing I decided that like anything else, you just begin…

Here is everything we've worked on this week...keep scrolling to see close-ups!

The wands I made out of wooden dowels from Home Depot. I gave them the thickness and texture with plaster of paris and then spayed them with a textured brown paint. I made 13!

I purchased these on sale at Wal-Mart before I had any inkling what I was going to do with them…now thay are new and improved golden snitch lollypop party favors.

Let’s pretend that we can’t see where the kids tried to eat the cakes right wing…

And this is my CROWNING achievement! The Pińata!

Yes, I am proud...it's all made from scratch! After destroying my kitchen with flower paste, cut up cadboard shreds, and gold paint I wondered why we decided that pińatas would be a birthday tradition for our family...gluttons I guess...(I had another picture where you could see both wings, but accidentally deleted it just now...SOOOO not worth doing this all over again!)

After some lunch, broom stick relays, Harry Potter bingo, a rousing game of the fastest snitch (hot potato with a toy golden snitch), and our pińata I'm thinking that 12 6 year olds should be happy...

Wish me luck…

HaPpY BiRthDaY Monte Birk

My precious 6 year old!!!

It seems like only yesterday the nurses at Mesa General were arguing over who would get to hold you through the night so I could sleep. Do you have any inkling how much you are loved?

You have always been quick with a smile and a laugh...

you are always ready and willing to make a new friend...

You are one of the brightest children I have ever known...

you teach me every day...

You are a caring and loving big brother...

Yoe bring peace and happiness into our home...

Your firsts are My Firsts...

Thank You for sharing yourself and learning with me...

my Best Friend Monte Birk.

The Perfect Sunday
At least my version of it...

Alas, the perfect Sunday always begins with the house looking like this...

And ends with it looking like this...

It begins with Monte giving me an extra hour of sleep and then waking to a clean kitchen and the smell of pancakes. Then after our 9 am Sacrament meeting my Gospel Doctrine lesson has great comments and seems to teach itself.

After church the boys settle down to watch a family musical. Today it was Singing in the Rain...more specifically the "make 'em laugh" scene...5 times with them doing all of the actions and dance steps. After that we switched to Family Band one of my all time personal favorites. (The blanket they are sitting on is for their "inside picnic" of hot dogs and melted cheese on chips/healthy...I know...but oh so fun!)

While the movie plays and the boys have their lunch Monte naps on the couch while I make home made bread, some for our family and some for his home teaching families.

While Monte is out doing Church work and delivering fresh bread the boys and I participate in some time honored classics like memory, go fish and dominoes.

Once he comes home and changes out of his suit he joins the fray and we end up wrestling with the boys and eating our own loaf of bread with butter and jam.

Sundays are always best when there is sunshine so we are then off on a family bike ride to the neighborhood park...

where, of course,

the baby happily falls asleep.

Then home to dinner, baths, pj’s, stories and bed where the boys fall asleep by 8 pm leaving Monte and I alone to watch old episodes of “the office” and still get to bed at an early hour (unless I decide to blog the prefect day.)

People have been on me to post some of my "craftiness" so here we go...

This one is an Advent Calendar for Halloween!

Actually this is one that I can't take any credit at all for because a good friend of mine, Ashley Whiting, found one online and thought,"I can make that," and then designed one of her own, made copies, purchased all of the supplies, put it together in packets, invited some girlfriends over, fed us and then helped us put them together. All I had to do was give her a little mullah to pay for it and then show up!

Don't you just LOVE friends like that!

I made these a while ago but I LOVE them so MUCH! they are the GROWTH CHARTS I made for the boys. You can take them with you when you move from house to house.

(I remember when we did this on the door frame at home...) It just seems that no one is that settled any more...so take it with you! You just hang them 16" from the floor in your new abode! I mark them with metallic gold and silver pens and there is a tape measure on the back to show exact height. Cool eh?

JaCKeT cut his FiRst ToOth TodAy!!

My sweet Jackson is officially 6 months this week and has started on solid foods...

I am sad and a little happy at the thought...

could this help him sleep longer at night?

there have been many

going-ons in the Arnett Clan...

Last weekend we went up to Pinetop

Lakeside for Jonny's baptism and

this weekend we had our little

Julie blessed in Queen Creek

(sadly I forgot my camera for the blessing)

We went on beautiful drives up the mountain

Monte & I stole time in the cool weather reading on the front porch once our kids were settled

My favorite were the walks "Singin' in the rain!"

It's a BIG Day for the tWinS!

when asked how old he is Seth can hold down his thumb and show you...but ask Clyde and he'll mumble something like...

"the same as Seth"

6:30 am...did I even dare to dream

they'd sleep in?

even Jack-et wanted in on

the early morning action!

pREsenTs frOm mOm AnD dAd

ClyDe

SeTh

the Handsome BIG BroTheR on the Big day!