Hy 5 : The Star Wars party
Sunday, May 20, 2012 - Posted by Sunny - 3 comments
Ever since Hyrum was named we thought it would be fun if when Hyrum was on sports teams or with his friends that they could call him Hy five. Yeah I know, I know. I'm cheesy. But we set out to find things with the number five on them. ( they are really hard to find as it turns out ) We found a few.

( Hyrum circa 2009)

This year was Hyrum's fifth birthday and i knew it needed to be special birthday...and it was. He decided that this year was to be his Star Wars birthday. A birthday party we are particularlyequip to throw. I set out to find killer Star Wars games that would be fun to a 5 year old yet not so elaborate that someone with a newborn could throw together in a week when we had help. We specifically did his party on Friday so my parents could be here to help and in the end it could NOT have been done without them. I would have had a nervous break down I promise.

When we were in the beginning phases of planning I was asking Hyrum who he wanted to come to his party and he said (being completely in LOVE with 'A New Hope' at the time) Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, C3P0 and R2D2. I didn't have the heart to tell him that they were not real but as the days went on and he told every last person he saw who was coming to his birthday party and talking to me nonstop and excitedly about who was coming to his party I had to break it to him that they were not only actors but were actually a lot older than when they made the movie. I showed him a picture of what Han Solo looks like now and he said "Why did he become a president?" (Thinking that he'd become a president of the church...who of course all have white hair...well I guess president Monson doesn't which kind of begs the question that never occurred to me until now.."How is that? Does he dye his hair?" Interesting) So I had to shatter his dreams of having the Star Wars heros at his party. But in my defense he didn't have many others on his list. I wanted to encourage real live friends. But I did manage to bring some of his imaginary friends to the party.


I had the itinerary all planned out...and printed...and taped to the wall. We started off watching the Padawan Menace while the party guests arrived.


Then when all were here we went out back for a little pit droid pizza and gaffe bread sticks. Then when everyone got done we got a visitor for our first game


Jango says (similar to Simon says in most respects)

Then after that they challenged themselves in the jedi training course which was an obstaclecourse in which they ran and made their way across the "lava" around the tree over the play set and in between the "asteroids" to the finish line. A piece of cake for all of them but gave them a chance to RUN.


Right before the guests arrived ( or maybe it was when they were eating dinner ) I found some Star Wars shoe size stickers that my amazing mother in law gave us ( a giant roll of them mind you ). I was struck with the brilliant idea to use them as accomplishment stickers that theyreceived after each challenge. Each accomplishment moving them toward their ultimate goal of becoming a "true jedi" It worked flawlessly, calming many a rowdy party guest.

Then came the moment they didn't even know they were waiting for. They got their lightsabers. We made them out of a section of PVC pipe and a dollar store pool noodle. Perfect! We let them brawl for awhile.


Then they got in pairs to do some lightsaber training. They and their partner had to keep a balloon aloft for as long as they could using only their lightsabers. After that they tested their skills with a "real" jedi master...a pinata, of course.

Since Hyrum's birthday is always around cinco de Mayo there are always pinatas on sale the week before his party so we always have a pinata...it's become tradition. Last year was easy since there are plenty of super hero pinatas...not as many Star Wars ones. Luckily I had my dad here who was up to the challenge of making superheros into jedi. Or as it turned out Diego ( of Go Diego Go fame ) into a jedi. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the before because the transformation was really dramatic. Here's a couple progress pictures.



We put the jedi on a long painters pole to bounce it around with. And we used the lightsabers which I totally didn't think would work to break it. But they worked quite well actually.


We were doing so well. There had been no tears shed during the party. Due in part to there being no prizes. Everyone won. The stickers... genius I tell you. No tears that is until the pinata.
Like I've said before. It's not a party at our house until someone throws a fit. Well someone knocked some candy out and Hyrum didn't get any...cue the fit.

So Derek, the master, came after they each had a few trys at whacking it and told them that it was a test of a true jedi to see if they would wait on the line while he hit all the candy out of it (milky ways, starbursts and mint pattys, which I think look like tiny deathstars - I'm a sucker for a theme) until he said that they could get the candy.



I was completely impressed when not a single boy moved from the line to get the candy. It may have something to do with the fact that Derek threatened them with not getting any candy at all if they moved. In the end they all got candy and were happy.

Then they all got the chance to destroy the death star. My dad had drawn two death stars on the driveway and the boys were divided into squadrons and brought to the front and each given a blaster ( water gun ) and then they were to try to destroy ( erase ) the death star with their blasters until they ran out of ammunition.


Then when everyone was done they all went to get a torpedo ( water balloon ) and then on the count of three they were to "shoot" their torpedos at the death star.

Everyone had a blast with this and we played this game at our house again and again for days and even weeks after. A true sign of a good game. We've also found ourselves playing Jango says from time to time as well.

Then there was cake and another "friend" joined the party

( That would be Luke Skywalker who joined the party)

We never got to gifts when the guests were here. We just ran out of time. We did them after and took pictures to go in thank you notes. The gift from us had to be a presentation.


A two wheel bike. He was excited but was much more interested in opening and playing with the TOYS he'd gotten. We prevailed upon him to get on the bike but there wasn't that much excitement


That is until he put on Mema and Papa's gift.


He calls it armor and it has been completely essential to his riding a two wheeled bike, even with training wheels. He absolutely loves his bike and armor.


Happy birthday Hy five. We can't believe it's only been five years since you've been here, we can't remember what life was like without you yet we can't believe you've grown up so fast. We love you!


On my own
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - Posted by Sunny - 2 comments
Monday was my first day on my own with the three boys. Noah walked into our room around 8 am all smiles and asked where Daddy was. I told him that he was at work. He dropped his head and burst into tears. Those were my exact feelings as well. The rest of the morning was an adventure in tiredness.

Hyrum started taking pictures of Noah at the breakfast table. I was too tired to stop him.





































These aren't even half of the pictures of Noah Hyrum took that morning. He soon found other inspiration on the table.





He took a few pictures of me which I QUICKLY erased horrified but later in the day when he found yet more photographic inspiration ( namely his feet) he caught a few more of me that were acceptable




Do you see in that last picture? Proof that I picked something up that day. Proof that I did SOMETHING.

As I went through Hyrum's pictures I realized that he documented my first day alone with the pivotal third child addition and rather regretted erasing the horrible pictures Hyrum took of me. They were authentic and real and very indicative of how I felt. Someday I'd look back and laugh. I tried to get another picture of my state of being and while they have a flavor the weren't as good (or as horrible) as the originals.

Have you ever seen yourself tired...that kind of tired? It's not a pretty picture to be sure. You always imagine yourself elegantly or dramatically tired or at least sweetly tired. Not ugly mean tired.


Scary!

I actually really liked a couple of the pictures he took. Very artsy.


And lastly proof that the boys made it through the day alive.


But not without a few tears.
For both of us.


Babymoon
Sunday, May 13, 2012 - Posted by Sunny - 0 comments
So in the weeks leading up to the birth of Elijah I really wanted to do one last run away to the mountains for a day. I wanted to spend some quality time with my boys naturally but in reality I wanted to run away so that I could use the maternity swim suit that I bought when I was pregnant with Noah and never used. But as we looked at the weekends leading up to D day there were commitments and conflicts every weekend for probably 6 weeks or more leading up to baby time. I was so bummed. But as it turned out the 'babymoon' I actually got was A LOT better!

On Wednesday, the day before we had little Eli Derek's family got here to be with the boys while Derek and I were at the hospital and to get to know littlest man a bit. They stayed for a few days after I came home with Elijah to help us adjust and to help me recover. While I was kicking it in the hospital my brother and father in law were busy fixing the lock on our sliding glass door and the cupboard above the stove that was threatening to fall off at any moment and my mother in law was keeping my boys busy and happy. By the time they left our refrigerator was packed with food, the boys were enjoying their "new" books and toys and the sliding glass door was not only locking but sliding like it was on ice without a sound.

When they left on Monday Derek stayed home from work for TWO WEEKS with paternity leave to entertain the boys while I loved up on the newest little Tangren. They'd run off on little adventures to the store or the park leaving me home to pretend I had just had my first instead of my third.


But don't worry Derek too learned the power of a warm sleeping baby.


The boys were eating it up having Derek home. The "adventures" to the store were really adventures when Dad was taking them. They just played all day long. It didn't even really matter much what they were doing...with dad...it was fun. Case in point. We were in the front yard pulling weeds and Derek was showing them how to get dandelions out. ( Derek does yard work to relax- no, seriously ) Then when they'd lost a little interest they'd gone to do other things when Derek yelled. " I found another dandelion! Who wants it?" and TWO little boys chime "ME!" and go running towards him. When Dad is teaching them things they are becoming men, taking on a challenge to conquer. When I teach them things, I'm giving them chores to do. I guess that's how it is with boys and Dads and boys and Moms.

Derek decided to re season the badly rusted dutch ovens that we've neglected for years. He planned on it taking an afternoon...it took three days and exhausted all of our propane for the grill. In the end it took a wire brush drill bit and the oven to complete the job.


But he had a cute little helper.


Noah scrubbed and scrubbed with Dad


It was during the re seasoning that Noah decided that we were holding out on him by telling him he wouldn't like it and not letting him have any apple cider vinegar and insisted to have some. He found out for himself that we were right. We have a very funny video that is too large for blogger that will be blackmail someday.

Then after two weeks of Derek being home it was time for him to go back to work. But then came my parents to help for a week. My dad always likes to have things to do while he's here and we were happy to oblige him. A couple things had been knocked off that list by my husband and his brother and father but he wasted no time in getting things done. First up was taking off the remnants of the broken safety gate and patching and painting where it had been. He also made a strawberry box for us so that we can start our own you pick strawberry patch since I've missed that so much since moving to Utah. (Let me tell you people store bought strawberries are tasteless at best)


While he was at it he leveled the ground by my house, dug bricks into the boarder of the grass (which has since been admired by more than one set of people) oh and totally cleaned out the weeds. Just because he's amazing. He finished it the same night we discovered that the forest of tomatoes in my kitchen window had grown much taller than I'd realized and needed to be planted last week. So after unsuccessfully trying to plant them myself with two crazy boys wanting me to play with them and another little boy wanting to be held, an unexpected visit from the Relief Society and getting said crazy boys in bed I gave up trying to do it myself and let my wonderful husband and father plant my garden by flood light.


I snuggled little man while my equally amazing mother folded my boys laundry.


That's the magic and beauty of a post baby babymoon.

One of the things on the list was getting screens for two of the windows in our house that have been without them for as long as we've had the house. I figured, EASY, because you can just go out and get those....well no you can't. You have to buy a kit and make them. Can I just say again how glad I was that my dad was here to do that. Not the first clue where to even start. But not only did he do that but he also replaced the screen in our screen door that was letting flies in. Yahoo!

He also added fun stickers to our Swaggerwagon depicting our current family


Yes we've officially become one of those families.

While my dad was busy taking care of the things around the house, My mom focused her attention on taking care of me and little Elijah. First order of business was getting me a fresh new look. As soon as we had Hyrum off to school that Monday we were off to the salon for a cut and highlight.

In the evenings Elijah would get fussy and the only thing that would calm him down would be my Mom holding him like this


They bonded a lot while she was here.


Of course my Dad got plenty of snuggle time too. He is known as the baby whisperer. He hasn't lost his touch.


We had our first big excursion while they were here. We headed up to the City Creek Center to check that out




It gave me a little more confidence about taking all the boys...anywhere.

They were also essential in putting together and carrying out Hyrum's birthday party...more on that soon.

When they left I watched them drive away and cried. Not only because my 'babymoon' was over but because I really didn't think I could do this on my own.


Blessings
Sunday, May 06, 2012 - Posted by Sunny - 2 comments
Today we blessed Elijah in church. We ended up having more family at church today than we've EVER had in our ward and it was SOO great. My parents got here Saturday morning at 1 am and then on Sunday morning around 9 am Derek's family got here to play with the boys a bit before church.

I waited till the last minute to get little man in his outfit.


He wore it well, just like his brothers before him.

Then he went to be snuggled by grandma's and get more pictures taken.



His brothers were not as willing to be in front of the camera.


We prevailed upon them for one though.


Then we realized the time and rushed to church. We almost filled two pews meeting three more of Derek's cousins and their families (who luckily had been saving seats)!!

I gave pads of paper to Cheryl (Derek's cousin) and my mom (and kept one myself) to record as much as we could of the blessing at the end of it all I think we captured a lot. I'm excited to see what this little man becomes. It was so nice to have people to watch boys with me in church for once.

After sacrament I ran off to teach my lesson and then met up with all of the family in Relief Society. So nice to be together. After church we met at our house for a little BBQ.


The weather was nice, a little on the chilly side especially in the shade but nice. Of course our neighbor had to pick the very moment we were sitting down to lunch/dinner to start sawing away on his deck, but we made do.


Elijah slept through it all in his swing. The life of a newborn. At the end of the day we had altogether too much dessert since Derek's family left two pies behind after they went home wanting to be a part of the festivities despite having to leave, but it just made it all the sweeter ( although we would have much preferred that they'd been able to stay...with their pies. ) It was a absolutely crazy and fabulous day!