Happy Birthday to Owen! Again!

We had a GREAT time partying for Owen's birthday today at the Sports Academy tumbling gym with some of his little friends and cousins. I daresay the Moms had just as much fun as the kids! Check out Julie wowing us with a front-flip, Nikki doing a back-flip at 6 months pregnant, and Brittney crossing the balance beam with grace and style. I am so proud of my friends! I'm just sorry I didn't get a photo of Jen doing something spectacular too! Thank you, friends, for coming! Thanks to Jason for bringing ice cream, and to Julie for bringing the leotards and for being the cleanup committee. Thanks especially to Owen for providing us this opportunity to get together and celebrate his birthday! We all love you, Owen!

Because this party was in the middle of the school day, we were sad to not be able to involve ALL of Owen's loved ones, i.e. anyone older than him. And the weather kept some family from coming... We missed you!

Our Yurt Adventure

At the Green Canyon trailhead, ready for an adventure! My parents and brother, Lee, joined us.

Stopping for a snack break about halfway up the trail. Bennett ate mostly pringles.

Lee and Jason pulling the sleds full of kids. MUSH!

The Lambert Party of Five hanging out inside the yurt. We were all really happy to have made it, and to be warm. We made it up in exactly 3 hours, just as the sun was going down and Jake was headed for meltdown mode. We are gathered around Jason, who was actually really sick, but a very good sport. Let's just say he got well acquainted with the new forest service outhouse. All night.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Owen with some festive sparkler candles.

Jake loved playing with Grandpa's mini-flashlight. Loved it so much he broke it, actually.
Sorry, Dad!

Bennett and Owen settle down for bedtime with a little Gameboy fun.

Playing on the top bunk with Uncle Lee.

The Green Canyon Yurt a.k.a. Home Sweet Home

Jake actually walked a looooong ways on our way out.
He was having so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa.
We had to force him to get back in the Chariot so we could make better time!

Thanks, Mom, Dad, and Lee for getting us and all our stuff up to the yurt. It's no secret that we could never have made it without you all.

Happy Birthday to Owen!

We have had a great time celebrating Owen's fourth birthday over the last few days.
It is so fun to celebrate with Owen because he is so grateful and excited about each little thing you do. He said, "Thanks, Mom!" about a gazillion times on his birthday. What a sweetie. Have I also mentioned that he is cute?

Owen selected the menu for every meal we ate on his special day. Here's breakfast:

Owen loves his new froggy boots!

Happy birthday to the happiest, sweetest kid around! We love this guy!

(More celebrating will be happening tomorrow at a birthday party with little friends,
so more photots will be coming!)

And the winner is....

Bennett participated in the Reflections contest this year and was honored at a ceremony at Logan High. Bennett has a serious aversion to being on any kind of stage in front of people. So, we just didn't tell him what the event was all about until we were actually there and it was starting! He was very nervous to go up on stage, but he did great, and was very proud after it was all over.

Bennett's picture was really cool. The theme this year was: "I can make a difference by..." and Bennett's entry was: "I can make a difference by making a painting no one has ever made before." How cool is that?

Art Days at the Lamberts' House!

Here's a fun idea I got from a great book we have called "The Concoction Book for Kids" or something like that. It's scratch-n-sniff paint! And it really works, but it also really stains, so beware! Just mix a little bit of water with some powdered Kool-Aid drink, and voila! Homemade watercolors that make your whole house smell fruity-licious. Then invite some neighborhood kids over and let them go to town.

You know your kids have watched too much TV when...

A couple of nights ago as I was tucking the kids in bed, we shared a sweet, and then hilarious moment. (They insist that it's NOT FUNNY. It's serious.) As I gave Bennett a kiss, he told me he was glad that I was his Mom. Awwwww... Owen echoed his sentiment, and I told them how much I love being their Mom too. The rest of the conversation went like this:

Bennett: "I'm so glad Dad is my Dad too, and that I have a family. It would be so sad if we didn't have our family, wouldn't it, Mom?"

Me: "It really would be sad."

Owen: "Yes, but if you don't have a family or anything, you can just push the button on Life Alert and someone will help you."

Me: "What?"

Owen: "It's called Life Alert, and you can push the button if you don't have any family around to help you and you need some help."

Me: Hysterical laughter.

Bennett and Owen: "Mom, stop laughing! It's true! It's real! We've seen the commercial!"

Island Park Weekend

Last weekend we had such a great time in beautiful, snowy Idaho with my family. It was gorgeous, and snowed almost the whole time. (Except for the day Jason and I went skiing; how lucky is that?!) The kids probably had the best time of all with uninterrupted cousin/ Grandma time. I am posting a whole bunch of photos of the trip knowing that at least one of my readers will care to see them. :)

On our way home, we stopped by Rexburg to see the absolutely gorgeous new temple there, as well as to investigate whether or not Craigo's Pizza still had the amazing breadsticks Jason remembers from his college days at Ricks. Indeed, they are still there. Delish!

Owen and Olivia

Owen and Olivia (that sounds like a great children's book title, doesn't it??) went to their second tumbling class this morning. They are soooooo cute! I am highly impressed with their skills! Julie and I watch from the viewing area above, feeding Jake and Evelyn snacks and trying to keep them from falling off the bleachers. After class all the kids run wild on the mats and trampolines. Jake cannot wait to do tumbling like his brother!

Why I Need a Housekeeper...

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~Phyllis Diller

Upon hearing loud and raucous laughter from the kids' room, I walked upstairs to find them dancing around with underwear on their heads, and Jake pulling everything out of drawers and off shelves. Really, though, who could help but laugh out loud??? And at least the underwear was clean! I think.

Ski Night at the Beav!

I realize I'm getting a little carried away with the slideshows, but I'm just experimenting a little. Hopefully you won't get too dizzy looking at my last couple of entries!!

Winter Outing...

We are getting ready to go stay at the Green Canyon Yurt in a few weeks, and wanted to see how far the kids (Bennett in particular) could/would hike. Fortunately, he did great! We had a great time enjoying some sunshine up on the bench above North Logan. It was beautiful!

Little Jake

Our little Jake is constantly cracking us up.  He has the biggest blue eyes, and most expressive face ever.  Jason's sister, Leslie, suggested that we make a collage of all Jake's funny faces.  I wanted to try out this new slideshow website, and thought I'd try a collection of photos of our little entertainer, Jake to see how it works.  Enjoy!