Low-Key Birthday

Alex is 6. 

*sigh*

Sometimes I get nostalgic for my baby when he was actually a baby.

Clearly, my "baby" is not a baby any more.  Didn't I say that like 3 years ago?  Well, I guess it just keeps getting truer each year.

No party this year, just a small family affair (Yes, it was a month ago and I'm really late).  We asked Alex where he wanted to eat for his birthday, and he said, "You just pick Mom."  He's sooooooo easy to please.  He really is such a happy kid.

Here's a little Q and A with Alex - these answers are current.....and by current, I mean right this second, because I know that he'll give me different answers in 5 minutes.  I'm not even exaggerating.

- Who's your favorite super hero? - Iron Man
- What's your favorite color? - Orange
- What's your favorite food? - Taco Bell (That's what he's currently eating for dinner)
- What food do you hate? - French fries with poop (You and me both buddy...and he totally said this with a straight face, completely serious)
- What's your favorite toy? - Bionicles (I've never actually seen him play with Bionicles until right now)
- What do you want to be when you Grow Up? - A person who sales food, like Mr. Crab from "SpongeBob" (I'm not making this up).
- Where do you want to live when you grow up? - At grandma's house when she dies (oh dear, he really just said that).
- What is something that you are really good at? - Playing soccer ball
- What is something that you would like to learn how to do? - Play soccer ball (ummmm.....???)
- What is something that makes you really happy? - Getting toys for my birthday.
- What is something that makes you sad? - Everyone punching me in the stomach, like JT and Madelyn and Mom and Dad (I guess Cora is the only one of us who's never punched him in the stomach? Way to go Cora)
- What's your favorite thing to do with the family? - Say prayers.  That's the best thing.

Okay, looking back on these answers, I realize that you now know NOTHING about Alex except that he is weird;) 

I'll just tell you a couple of extra things about him.  Aside from the fact that he's always happy, he is a fabulous writer and artist.  He is meticulous and detail oriented, and has the best fine motor skills for his age that any of his teachers have ever seen...so say his past 3 teachers.  He loves to let the dog lick him all over the face and mouth, and he also let's me kiss him as much as I want, although I try not to do it right after the dog has attacked him......so gross.  He loves olives (When we get sandwiches at Subway, he just gets meat, mayo, and lots of olives).  But he's not a picky eater. If I order the sandwich myself with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and whatever else, he'll totally eat it.  He loves to climb, and he is fearless.  He loves to swim, and he is fearless.  He dances all the time - he just can't help himself if he hears music.  Everyone is his best friend.  Out of all the kids, he's the biggest Daddy's boy.  He likes to copy whatever Joe is doing.  Everything is a game....even when he's in trouble.  And that's Alex.

Last Call

So we had three sets of house guests in a row, and the last of the bunch was my sister Lorraine and her kids, and my sister Rebekah.  Joe's mom "threatened" to come the next weekend and be our 4th visitor, but what kind of threat is that, really, because we would have LOVED for her to come;)

Unrelated side-note: Our nicknames for each other are Ruth=Roth, Lorraine=Larern, Marie=Mer, Rebekah=Rastink.  I love my sisters:)

Okay, so we had a great time with them here.  We took them to the wharf and saw sea lions, sea otters, and starfish, oh my.

 

We went looking for sea-glass.

We went and saw the Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove, although it was before visiting hours, so we saw it through a fence.

We went to a beautiful rocky beach, looked for marine life, watched the waves roll in, and took serious pictures.

The highlight of the trip was when we went to the Roaring Camp Railroad, which just so happened to be celebrating their 50th anniversary the day we went.  Roaring Camp is a re-creation of a 1880's logging town, and they have authentic steam-engine trains that take you either through the redwood forest up Bear Mountain, or to the beach and boardwalk in Santa Cruz.  There's also a blacksmith, panning for gold, candle making, an old-time photo studio, an old fashioned general store, a chuckwagon BBQ, and other such things.  We mainly went for the train ride through the redwoods, but we did drop by the general store and each kid picked out a candy stick, and we got some lemon drops and rootbeer candy (which was delish).  The day was overcast, but it only sprinkled on us a little, and it was a beautiful ride.

It got even better when they announced that we all got free tickets because it was their anniversary, and there was free cake for us to enjoy after the ride.  Score!:)

Things just haven't been the same around here since all of our visitors left.  The house is messier, our wallets are emptier, our weekends are slower, but our hearts are fuller because of all the great memories we made with our families.  Thanks for coming to see us everybody.  Who's next?!

Aaarrrggghhh me Matey!

Warning!!! This is a whining post;)

1. I had a rough night.
2. I know you can't actually cough up a lung, but can you dislodge one?
3. We are keeping Ricola in business.
4. I'm pretending that the directions for dosage on the bag of cough drops are similar to the pirate code - they are more of guidelines than actual rules.
5. I think my voice is starting to sound more like a proper pirate's.
6. My tongue is getting raw, and my taste buds are suffering.
7. Why do expectorants always have to taste so foul?
8. My abs are getting a really good work out.
9. I'd like to blame my messy house on my cold, but you all know me, so......
10. Do you know what doesn't go well together? A really bad cough and a weakened bladder from having four children.  And that's all I'll say about that.

Cora's Album

While Jesse and Jeanette were here, we also went to the aquarium, and Cora insisted on being in charge of the camera.  This is her handiwork that she wanted to share.

Everyone had so much fun with their cousins (Cora cried when the left).  I'm glad she/we were able to make some good memories while they were here.

Let the Sun Shine

We were lucky to have more visitors - Joe's brother Jesse, his wife Jeanette, and their awesome kids.  We were so excited because it was the first time that they had ever came to stay with us, but we didn't realize that it was the first time they had stayed with ANY of Joe's siblings.  Everyone is always staying at THEIR house because they are in a central location and near the airport.  Truly, it was a momentous occasion;) 

While they were here we got to go for a ride on a glass-bottom boat. 

 

The water was a little murky that day, so we didn't see a whole lot at the bottom.

But it was a beautiful sunny day, and there was plenty to look at, especially all the sea lions.

 

We had two days at the beach.  The first day was overcast and FREEZING COLD!  That did not stop the kids from getting in the water, while the adults shivered on the beach.

 Of course, by the end, some of the kids were colder than the adults - good thing I brought extra towels.

The second time at the beach was nice and sunny.  Of course, the water was still COLD, and yes, our kids are crazy.

 

 

One of the funnest parts of their visit was the sea otter that we got to see up close and personal.

 

 

Come back any time you guys!