It's My Birthday...It's My Birthday...

Hey, in case you missed it in the title of my post...IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Pretty subtle, huh?

I had to post real quick because I still haven't heard from my mom and thought I'd razz her a bit. She, of all people, should remember this day which occurred nearly 4 decades ago, lol.

Anyway, just dropping in to let everyone know that I'm sort of in unplugged mode (by default, as my computer has crashed). I have only very limited access to my husbands laptop. I'm not able to load or access photos on it so the posts are picture-less and thus rather lackluster for the time being.

I'm getting desperate enough that I may just have to tutor myself on how to set up the whole mobile phone-to-blog posting option. Any advice on this would be ever-so-gratefully accepted, as I'm having serious blogging withdrawls!

I am still taking lots of photos and have a whole slew of posts planned for the days when I get my new computer up and running...which I hope is very soon.

For now, we're just enjoying some relaxing low-key family time while the fam is off-track from school. Our neighbor was kind enough to give us a standing invitation to use her very infrequently used pool any old time we want, just letting ourselves in the side gate. In 108 degree desert temps, this is a real blessing!

Hope to be up and running normally around the 23rd or so!

Well, I'm off to blow out my many candles...let's hope the place doesn't go up in smoke, lol.

Oh, and here I was at my birthday lunch with friends, holding our friend's cutie-patootie little baby Micah. He is the HAPPIEST little baby ever...always smiling, cooing and giggling. And so squeezy.

The Big Dinosaur Dig Birthday Party

We Frumps are party people. Holidays and birthdays around here are celebrated to the nth degree.

Last weekend was no exception.

Since it doesn't always work out the birthday falls on weekends, we usually end up celebrating each of our boys birthdays a bit on their actual birthday and then have a big party the weekend following.

The festive feeling can carry over the course of a few days.

Thus far we've never once had any complaints about this from our boys...though their future wives might have a few things to say about it when they realize their husbands expect the royal treatment around their birthdays.

As per Jeff's longstanding family tradition, on their actual birthday we let them choose what they want for each meal of the day. Judah specifically requested pancakes for breakfast and pizza for dinner.

By pancakes, he really meant cupcakes.

More specifically the strawberry cupcakes that I'd baked en masse the day before so that he could take some into his Awana class. Then kept baking so that I'd have enough for the class I teach and his upcoming party. Hence the sheer numbers of them.



8 dozen cupcakes in three flavors, baked in near triple digit fall temperatures.

I was so tired from it that for his birthday dinner we went out to eat.



This way Judah could have his pizza...and we didn't have to.

The birthday boy was totally cool with this idea.



We even let him blow a dollar on some games in the arcade.

Friday night we spent at the football game where Jeff made a special announcement for Judah's birthday over the loudspeaker.

Saturday was spent at an awards ceremony which was held at a restaurant, the whole event having a very festive air to it all. It happened that 3 people in that group, Judah included, were celebrating birthdays that weekend and so they were called to the front and we all sang Happy Birthday to them.

Judah had been having such fun with his little friends there that I'm pretty sure he walked away thinking that whole night was all about him, too. But again, nobody was complaining.

Silly me, if I'd been on top of my game, we might have gotten by without needing a party at all!

However, we'd already been hard at work putting together his Dino themed party, and weren't about to let all that hard work go to waste. No siree!

Not when we had Dino Dig boxes to look forward to... [click to enlarge]



Or all the other great dino-themed party favors:



Not counting the printing ink or cardstock (which I already had on hand)...these dollar store dinos were pretty inexpensive party favors for the big group of cousins and friends that were coming.

Big popsicle sticks turned these colored print-outs into cute masks.



Then there were super cheap photo-copied coloring pages



And the fruit snacks in dino shapes purchased on sale weeks ahead.



Not to mention the cupcakes.



Three out of four people surveyed in my home thought they turned out "awesome".

Finally, after church on Sunday it was time for the big party!

Friends and relatives arrived.

Right about then was when things spiraled into one big blur of activity.



We did manage to get a few pictures, however.

There was the bounce house



Then the Archaeological Dig for Dinosaur bones.







The cupcakes were a huge hit with the kids. Especially Judah, who had been chomping at the bit to get at those sour-filled gum eggs for a couple of days.



We also had the usual run-of-the-mill party animals in attendance



I must confess that Oscar Mayer (the weiner dog) wasn't actually at this party...but I couldn't resist including this photo here amongst other party animals (it's my party and I'll...put his picture in this post if I want to).

There were also a couple of party poopers...little tykes that pooped out after a while.



And one little guest even partied til he...well, lets just say that too much sugar followed by a long stint in the bounce house are probably not the best combination.

But the Birthday boy was delighted with his party



Now please excuse me while I go rest for the next week or two...this mama is all partied out.

Someone Has A Birfday Today & Funnies

After weeks of enduring the daily barrage of questions, "Is it my birfday today?", "When is it my birfday?" "Is tomowwow my birfday?"...it has finally arrived.

Our baby turns 4 today.





























**sniff, sniff** (I'm not crying...I just have something in my eye...)

SOOOooo hard to believe how time has flown!

One day I was holding him in the hospital when he was born, and practically the next day I was holding him in the hospital after he swallowed 'da money'.

Then there was the time he headed up the effort in which three tots splashed toilet water all over the newly painted walls and floors of our house.

And all the countless other incidents involving cologne, desitin, mommy's makeup, and stickers on grandmas bathroom door.

Yes, at first I was waxing nostalgic, feeling all sentimental that time was going by so fast.

But come to think of it...how in the world did he do ALL THAT (and sooo much more) in such a short time?

Even more, how in the world have I survived this long with lots of only extra gray hairs, a few years shaved off my life and the occasional heart palpitations and loss of sleep?

With his 'stunts' gradually increasing in their severity, it sends a little zing up my spine thinking that he will probably be the type of young man jumping out of helicopters on his snowboard or maybe doing covert ops in the Military.
Lord have mercy.

I know there must be a reason this boy has been equipped with this precocious streak and seemingly inborn fearlessness...some plan the Lord must have for him on down the road.

I have to trust that there is something behind it, because let me tell you, at times it's been a trial on this mama being the mother of such a rough-and-tumble, rambunctious boy. It's stretched and grown me, that's for sure.

And yet, I wouldn't trade Judah or any of his zany behavior for anything.

It's who he is. Who he was created to be. I sure do love that kid!

Happy Birthday, bubba...Judah-Man!

Love, Mom

I'd better cut this short because he needs me to help him 'transform' a helicopter to some sort of robot. See the stretching I'm talking about? I was so sure that I'd spend my motherhood years combing out tangled Barbie doll hair...and here I am, thinking in boy.

Wait until you see the shin-dig we have planned for his birthday!

:: :: :: ::

Funnies

Judah came home from a soccer game on Saturday (which we couldn't attend with him due to local Bible Bee activities, so a friend took him for us), and tells me, "Dere was dis girl dere wif beautifo hai-ow." He acted all shy about telling me. "She was reawwy pwetty."

:: :: :: ::

Judah started Bible Study Fellowship with his Grandma and me on Wednesday mornings. He comes home acting all appalled, "Dere were deez girows dere dat kep' showin' da boys dey're panties."

Turns out he was in the wrong class and it was little toddlers that were just idly pulling their little dresses up over their heads during the story time, lol.

Next week he'll be in the big kids class there.

The only problem is that class was where he saw "da beautifo gir-ow wif da hot pink shiwt on."

The one I found out about right after he asked if it was okay "if he got marroweed someday?"

Should I be worried, lol?

A 13th Birthday Party

The morning of Jericho's big 13th Birthday extravaganza began bright and early when the Bounce House guys came to set up the waterslide.

Judah was beside himself with excitement. "Dey're here, mama!" and later, "I'm so pwoud of getting to go on da swide." (He didn't quite know how to express his delight, but squealed that phrase out with glee.)



If you're looking to throw a party where you don't have to facilitate games...one that is low-fuss and pretty much runs itself, I highly recommend these things. They're great for hours of non-stop entertainment. The kids will come in hungry and thirsty, however, so have plenty of both on hand.

It did require some supervision (to be sure there weren't too many kids at the top of the slide at once, and of course so that nobody drowned or was otherwise injured)...but oh, sooooo worth it.

The company we rented ours from brought it by at 9:oo AM and didn't come back until almost 9:00 PM, so to say we got our money's worth would be a bit of an understatement.

Here Judah swoops down the slide with a cousin.



Oh, and the dollar store foam swords made great party favors. Most didn't last through the duration of the party, but the kids sure had a blast dividing up into teams and playing 'king of the mountain'.



Somewhere in there, I'm pretty sure I heard one boy yell, "For Sparta!!!" before leaping down the slide, sword in hand.

Here, the kids were all taking a brief snack break in the middle of the festivities, and of course posing for the photo.



Interestingly, upon looking at these pictures as I loaded them onto my computer, I suddenly realized that my sons (yet) undecorated aqua walls would look GREAT with sharks circling around... **brain whirring with ideas**

This photo almost makes it look like his bedroom is in an aquarium or something.



**And now, a courtesy cuteness Cut-away Break**

Here, I bring you an adorable witto cutie patootie-wootie ahem, little bundle of joy in an impromptu, mid-party "Anne Geddes" style portrait sitting using one of my porch pots.

Great aunts get full creative license to do crazy things like place preemie babies on pilows in pots and then take portraits of them.

Everyone humors them in their dotage.

And of course ooh and aah when they see just how darling the little baby looks perched upon a green blanket mossy bed. (Work with me, people!)



That adorable little newborn peach-fuzz, and those cute little teensy-tiny little fingers...isn't he just SO cute?

Oh, but it gets better.

Here he is with his eyes open. Sooo adorable!



**We now return to our previously scheduled Birthday Blogcast**

Here is our birthday boy with his easy-peasy oreo-cookie crusted Ice Cream "cake". \

Saved me hours in a 100 degree kitchen and was a real crowd pleaser.

Even if I did have to 'repair' the wax letter candles after little brother got into them. Thankfully all it took was melting one side with a lighter stick and quickly adhering the other side to it.

It was either that or end up with a "Happy Birllday" message on the cake.



Naturally, Jericho had to ham it up while blowing out the candles. With his nostrils.



We're just so proud. (Did you sense that heavy sarcasm just now?)

Then, while big brother is inside for a video game break Wii-th his friends, I got this cute photo of little brother with a couple of his cousins...the die-hards who were still out playing on the slide.



The only drawbacks to bounce house slides with attached pools, was the fact that the attached liners were put on with ginormous velcro, the scratchy side affixed permanently to the bounce house itself which made things a bit rough when the liner would get loose.

But hey, when kids are having this much fun, nobody cares about a couple of abraisions or mild sunburns.

In fact, the birthday boy told us in passing (before his last couple of runs down the slide), "This was the BEST birthday party ever!"



Awwwww.

And judging by the fact that several of his friends begged to stay long into the evening, I'm guessing they thought so, too.

Double Awwww.

It was fun.

I tell you, I don't think I've laughed quite so hard in ages as I did when Jeff passed by with a puzzled look on his face and a pair of BBQ tongs in his hands...heading for the main bathroom. "Someone put a corn on the cob in the toilet!" he called over his shoulder in disgust.

Oh, and did I mention that the bounce house shorted out when someone stood on the edge of the pool, releasing gallons onto the extension cords (yipes!).

Something shorted out, but we were able to move the unplugged cords to a safer location (higher ground) and plug them in elsewhere and it was up and running again.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn until early Tuesday morning that whenever that first bounce-house plug shorted out, so did the nearby plug in our garage, to which our freezer was attached. Thankfully due to it's very full state, I only lost a couple of bags of bananas which I'd kept for banana bread.

Ahhh, yes, the fun just never ends around here, lol.

13 Years Ago Today...

It's hard to believe because I couldn't possibly be old enough that thirteen years ago at 6:47 in the evening, we became parents.

It might surprise you to know that I started off my career as a parent totally doped up on Morphine.

Not by MY choice, mind you, but because that was what the stupid hospital Jericho was born in decided to give me instead of an epidural like the humane hospitals over the river in St. Paul, Minnesota.

This photo was taken after that horrendous ordeal was over and I was home again with our precious little bundle in my arms.



Here is the birth announcement photo of our little Jer-Bear the night he was born.



As a little tyke, I babysat his older cousins, and it seemed he was always trying to emulate their sense of 'style'. He had a thing for 'spenders in those days. (right click to enlarge)



This was a little excursion taken around the time he first started school. That was a nickel fish-food dispenser that usually only put out about a 1/4 of a cup, but it was old and worn out, and he could work it to fill that entire cup for a nickel, which was half the fun of our little excursions there as far as he was concerned.



Jericho loved having water wars with his cousins on the trampoline (he's the one getting blasted with the hose). This was taken a couple of years ago before we moved out of that house.



And here he was today at the actual birthday dinner (not to be confused with his birthday party which comes next Sunday) which we had at the house.



*sniffs*

A teenager.

The sad part? It went like [snap] that.

The good part? He's a great kid...truly a joy to have as a son.

I love seeing his blossoming artistic talent. I went to art school, and didn't have half the talent he has...he can draw anything, and from memory, too.

He can also deadpan and throw in random humorous quotes from movies at JUST the right time and keep us laughing our heads off.

For instance, the weekend before Father's Day we took our church Youth Group on a weekend trip to Kn*tt's Berry Farm. To help cut down on the costs, everyone brought their own meals and we packed them into coolers.

Chef Jeff had cooked the night before and made some awesome Guy Fieri BBQ recipes from the latest edition of Sunset magazine. There was yummy chile-lime corn-on-the-cob, some fabulous spicy skirt steak (known as Carne Asada in our part of the country) and a jicama-cabbage slaw with dressing made with rice vinegar, lending it a spicy mexican-asian flair. Mmmmmelt-in-your-mouth-delicioso!

But I digress.

Jericho and his cousin were the last to belly up to the tailgate. When they got there, Jeff was dishing up their plates and held up some of that yummy chile-lime corn-on-the-cob, knowing how much Jericho had enjoyed it the night before.

Jericho, with perfect comedic timing, deadpans in an effected Spanish accent, "Get dat corn outta my faaaace", and flags it out of the way. (10 points to whoever knows what movie that quote was from and what actor said it, lol).

Now most dads might get angry if their smart-alecky, almost teenaged son tells them to get anything "outta their face", but knowing exactly what movie that was from and that it was all in good fun, Jeff started laughing hard. Clutch-your-tummy-and-stumble around-while-wheezing kind of laughter.

Jericho continually keeps us in stitches. Not only because he's funny, but because he has a ready laugh and an infectious giggle. It's hard not to laugh if he finds something funny.

He's a great big brother most of the time, too. (Judah DOES get into his 'stuff' a little more than most kid brothers, and finding dismantled lego sculptures you'd worked so hard to assemble can be a real bummer. I know, I was an oldest child, too.)

He's a bit of a night owl like I used to be (before Judah, lol). We joke that some nights he tucks US into bed.

We love that he routinely helps his grandma with her yard work, and that he takes pride in a job well done whatever task he's given. His work ethic is something I know he's seen modeled in spades by his dad. I love that he's already giving serious thought to what he wants to do with his life when he's grown up.

I think the things we love most about him are his fun-loving yet thoughtful personality and that he loves the Lord and it shows both in his conduct and in how he relates to other people.

Today, in honor of his entrance into his teens, I'd just like to say, "Jericho...I love you, maaaaaaan." ;)

While I already miss the baby, toddler and little kid stages of your life...we are proud of you and and are enjoying seeing you grow and mature into a young man, and look forward to all the plans the Lord has in store for your life.

May God richly bless your 13th year, Jericho!

Love,
Mom