my husband is the BEST!

Mark surprised me this year with two dozen roses mixed with lilies for our anniversary.  We've been married for seventeen years!  I love him so much and he still knows how to make me smile and laugh.  I'm a lucky girl.

COLTON turns ELEVEN!

Colton is eleven years old today!  He got to open a couple of presents in the evening.  We were going to have his party on Saturday, so we let him open a few presents on his actual birthday to be able to do something fun on his actual day.  We played "hot and cold" while he searched for them.  He got a few books...

...and a body pillow he has been asking for.

On Saturday we had a family party at dinner time, and Colton got to invite two of his best friends.  Kyle had picked out several fun gifts for Colton from the dollar store...

Kyle really spoiled Colton with all kinds of fun surprises!  He sure LOVES his brother.

Grandma and grandpa Bybee and Aunt Heidi gave him a new CTR ring...

Morgan gave him a new Owl City CD...

...and his big gift was a Nintendo DS from Mark and I.  He was SO excited about that one!

We also gave him a white shirt and tie for Church (still cool, but not quite as exciting)...

...some more books...

...and a new boom box for his room.  He loves listening to music and John Bytheway talks as he goes to sleep at night.

His choice of cake this year was a Heath Bar cake with Pirouette cookies around the outside edges.  Getting a lot of candles on there Colton!

I LOVE MY COLTON!!

bAcK tO sChOoL

Here are our traditional "first day of school" pictures taken before dropping them off for their first day back...

books make great friends

It is always so fun for me to see my children wrapped up in a book.  This is because I completely understand being able to lose yourself in a fun story.  It becomes painful to put the book down because you have to see what is going to happen next.  It's like living in a dreamworld in which your mind is guided in creating a completely different world.  You lose track of time and anything else happening around you.  For awhile you get to become someone else - you experience the excitement, heartaches, fear, joy, and learning of a character.  You become a part of that story.

My kids have learned this joy created by reading a book.  Each one of them LOVES to read...just like me.  It's really fun to see them choosing to read.

It's funny, because although I periodically go through toys and clothes, donating what has been outgrown, I will never donate a book (unless it's one we really don't like).  Books to me are like old friends.  I love them and will hold on to them for my kids to share with their children at some future point - or there will be some waiting for future grandkids to enjoy when they come to grandma and grandpa's house.  I enjoy seeing picture books that my kids have completely outgrown, because it brings back a flood of memories associated with each book.

In the picture below, Colton and Kyle had created a fort in the hallway outside both their rooms.  I passed that hall and found Kyle quietly reading by his fort. He was totally wrapped up in the story and never even noticed me as I took this picture.