who let the dogs out

what is a birthday without a party? abe's party was on saturday and it was "pawsome!" he has some great friends. one time i asked him why he wasn't eating his cold lunches at school...was there not enough time? did he think it was gross? his response was he couldn't eat his lunch because "my friends think i'm the BOM" they all stand around saying, "abe, abe let's go!" they needed him for the soccer game at recess. i am grateful that he has made some good friends since we moved here.
we started the party at the movie theater. we watched the movie "hotel for dogs". we took up an entire row...at one point i looked at all the kids and thought i must be crazy, but everything went well, only a few bathroom breaks. after the movie and some air hockey we headed back to our house to experience the "hotel for dogs". abe made a sign for the door to welcome everyone to the hotel where they would get to adopt their own dog. sadie and her friends were the hotel workers, welcoming everyone (with the song, 'who let the dogs out' in the background) to the hotel. each boy picked a dog to adopt and name(stuffed animal)...then the dog activities began.

there were three activities that the boys and their dogs rotated through. they each had something to do with the movie.

activity #1: the glowing fire hydrant

the dogs rode in the home-made elevator (a basket and some string) to our loft where sadie and her friends where waiting. the dogs played pin the dog on the fire hydrant. sadie was great, she had it all planned out and made it really fun for the boys.

activiy #2: dog elevator

in the movie, the dog rode in a basket that was pulled with a rope. so the boys each decorated their own dog carrier "elevator". they drew dog paws, wrote their dog's name, and put dog sticker on their elevator. then we filled their elevators with dog food (m&m's)

dog activity #3: exercise

dave had some relay races for the boys and their dogs. he timed them... everything is more fun to an eight year old when a stop watch is involved.

we had pizza and opened presents and ended with cake right as the parents where arriving. it was a lot of fun. happy birthday abe!!!

it's great to be abe...and eight

it was abe's birthday on january 20th. he turned 8!! abe is such an important part of our family. he is a great brother, a peacemaker, has a great sense of humor, works hard in school, and wants to be good. it was a busy day with school, sadie's dance, and basketball, but we tried to make it feel like his big day.... at breakfast i had his baby book out. i realized he hasn't looked through it for years. it was all new to him. he laughed at his pictures and even took a few to school to show his class.

breakfast was the standard pancake with a candle.

later, i took donuts to his class as requested.

after basketball and dinner, we finally got around to presents (around 8:30pm)

i think the wait was worth it....who wouldn't be excited about mini goals and knee hockey?

we love you, abe.

we think you are an all-star!

invite

abe is getting baptized. i can't believe it. here is the invite and if any of you are in town, let us know. we would love to see you.

mr. muscle

i'm pretty sure he's flexing.

should this be documented? not sure, but it was cute. sadie needs a sister around, but she has great problem solving skills. poor max looks like he is dancing but sadie was holding a basketball above her head to make him pose. tricky. plus, max just LOVES sadie and would follow her anywhere.

utah man

way to go utes! i even found myself cheering for them, but sadie couldn't quite do it (notice her face, actually she was just wanting to watch disney channel). dave on the other hand is a ute man all the way. he was giddy all day and since we have no reception at our house, we met him at "granny's closet" to watch the game. it was a great set up with our own hd tv. the kids did get to watch disney channel at half time and then i took them all home so dave could really watch the second half. unbelievable! kai-yai!

one year ago

one year ago (as of last night at 11pm) we arrived in flagstaff. dave started his first day of work today (one year ago) and the kids and i woke up, on the floor, with none of our stuff, ready to explore the house we had never seen before. i think back on that time and remember it being a little crazy and not at all the smooth transition we were hoping for as we ended residency and started into the real world. our first job at bear lake was eye-opening and we ended up resigning, then dave went to american samoa where he had previously done a month rotation and loved it. the hospital management was all messed up and dave ended up getting dengue fever. it wasn't a good situation and as much as we wanted that adventure we decided to take the job here in arizona. i think about everything that happened and it was pretty hard. i also know that we are in a good spot and felt like we had help getting here. i have thought a lot about the scripture ether 6:5

"and it came to pass that the lord god caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind."

it wasn't just a calm ride to where they needed to be...god sent furious wind to get them there. sometimes i think it takes hard stuff to get us where god wants us to be.

but then i love in verse 10 "and thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water."

i don't know about you, but there have been times when i have felt under the water and other times when i feel above the water, but it is great to know that we have light continually.
anyway, i am grateful to look back on the past year, the guidance that we've had, the things that we've learned and all the good that has happened. i appreciate elder wirthlin's words from conference, "come what may, and love it."

plunging into 2009

there is not really a better way to welcome in the new year than with a "polar plunge". dave had to work but the kids and i spent new years eve at my big bro's house. each new years eve he offers anyone FIVE DOLLARS to jump in the pool and swim across, a.k.a. the polar plunge. his kids know how cold it is but since my kids love to swim and $5 is A LOT of money, sadie and abe were the only brave souls.

sadie wondering how cold it really could be.

the swim. pretty cold, but pretty fun.

abe...testing the waters.

he does it!deeper and colder than expected!

but still worth it for $5

luckily aunt karen was ready and waiting with towels and rushed them to a warm shower. they had time to get warm and dry just before the countdown to 2009!

every new year's eve my family plays "let's make a deal". it's an old game show that was before my time. my family has played this on new year's eve ever since i was a kid. even though my kids have no idea about the original show, they look forward to the costumes, the signs and the DEALS. my big bro. was monty(the game show host). the kids dress up in costumes. a sign that correlates with their costume, that begs for a deal is also a necessity. someone gets called out of the audience to pick box #1, #2, or #3. they pick the box they want but then "monty"tries to make a deal with them. my brother would put money on top of another box to try to get them to change their pick or he would say they could have what was in his pocket. the tricky part is that there is always a zonk so the thing in his pocket could be money or it could just be a note that says your mother thinks you're wonderful or something. the kids always get into it, even the teenage cousins are willing to come dressed up, waiting to make a deal (as long as the game ends before ten and then they are outta there:)

kai was always sure about the box he wanted...no deal changed his mind.

he also had the best reactions. he got the play-dough from behind box #3, he lifted it high above his head like it was a trophy!

abe and kai dressed as soccer players with signs that said,

"give me a deal that is better than a goal" sadie and her cousin made this cute airplane costume for max. he is holding his sign that said something like, "fly a great deal my way".
sadie and kari spent days making their (and max's) costumes and signs. they were buildings and their signs said, "knock me down with a good deal." sadie and abe stayed awake until midnight and then some. with cousins, let's make a deal, the polar plunge and the utah game (utah barely pulling it off, winning gonzaga in the final seconds) it was a happy new year!