A Very Merry Birthday post for Kace Eli

It is Kacie-Con-Queso's birthday! Wow, the world meets a super cool five year old today. Kace is a classic 2nd child. He is easy going, friendly, & fiercely loyal. Uncle Matt is a 2nd child & totally relates to this kid.

Koen & Kace will actually smile for the camera! They let me have at it during their summer trip here. Their deal is that they have to be able to look at the picture once you have taken it. They are both tech savvy beyond their years.

Berry pickin' during their visit. Parker mocked Kelly out for his poor showing. (His tray had been robbed by the kids repeatedly.)

One thing cousins that live in seperate countries miss is the birthday parties that come and go each year. Kaleb was stoked the boys could make it to his Roaring Springs 9 year old adventure. In July I won 10 tickets to H2Overload & knew we would use them for Kaleb's big party. It was not exactly age appropriate, with all the hormonal, bikini-clad teenagers grinding on the dance floor. But no one in our group under the age of 10 seemed to care. And hey, the price was right.

Grandpa Ken is having a birthday in a few weeks. He is a little older than 9 ;)

Kaleb good friend for 3 years, Cade came along so we had Ken, Kelly, Kaleb, Cade, Koen, Kace, & Cojo-whew! We only lost one kid. Collin wandered off & scared me to death for about 5 minutes.

Well, this one was for you Kace, you are our #1, just like your jersey says. We wish you great things this year & can't wait to play again when we meet up to see your new BROTHER. That's right folks, Kirsten is having a boy. (I already told you, Archuletas only produce male offspring. Hey Kir! We could have been Queens in China!)

Birthday Girl

Dinner date with sister=fabulous. I hate my birthday, it is seriously the worst day of the year for me. Linds sent me more than a week of bday snail mail including a card that says, "A birthday is like a vacuum cleaner. It's just there, and then it sucks. And when it is not sucking, it's there waiting to suck." OMG. I think that is going on the blog header with the naked turtle.

I did try my best to get in the spirit. We went camping overnight at Horsethief Reservoir with Andrea, who shares my bday!

And! She knit me this hat, gasp! (I sneezed as I took the pic.)

A walk downtown with my cute kids. We found out Nampa has a yummy Vietnamese joint & it is right across from the M!

Flowers from the hubby & a new owl from myself :)

Birthday treats: homemade granola bars & Ginger Zucchini Cupcakes.

I turned 29 so naturally, Matt took me to Brick29 Bistro for lunch on the big day. Collin was a very sweet escort as well.

Another year older & hopefully wiser, here are some quotes Mrs. Nicole Nelson has gracefully forwarded to me over the past year. Good stuff!

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”― Winston Churchill

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

― Charles W. Eliot “The cure for anything is salt water—sweat, tears, or the sea.” ― Isak Dinesen “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman

“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”

― Lee Iacocca

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

― Anonymous

Inspiring Beyond Description, thank you Linds

The Big One Part 7

To recap, Matt & I escaped to Seattle to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. (10 years!) We spent 3 days in the city & 3 in nearby Union, WA on the Hood Canal. We had one last stop planned, to see dear friends Erin & Nate in Burligton. But the route we chose took us right past 2 destinations that were too good to pass up. Ikea & Glo's.

Love this store!!!

Here comes the drool...

Yea, it tasted even better than it looks. Hard to leave this place but we had these gorgeous folks waiting.

And they bought us all tickets to see Natalie Merchant at Ste. Michelle Winery. (!!!)

They have the cutest, most warm & welcoming home with a fantastic garden, chickens, & bees.

I made bacon cupcakes to go along with Nate's french toast. (It was gobbled up too soon for pics.) It was an act of God that we actually left. These two are gems, truly the best.

Well, that wraps things up for our big adventure. We came home to 4 happy boys, pooped out from a week with their grandparents. Thanks you guys, we did not worry about the kids the entire time! Certainly we will not wait another decade to make such a fun trip.

Warning! This post is dirty!

Matt ran his first 10K! He did not even break a sweat. Also, running pro, Lindsay ran on the team at the 1st Annual Boise Dirty Dash. Andrea, Becca, & Chris rounded out the team. They are our teacher friends from the boy's school. I did my best with Fawn, Laura, & Martin to be a good spectator & photographer. I think I was more exhausted from all the excitement than the runners! Good times & I think I smell a tradition in the air.

Just Jo-jo

So Collin & I have been a pretty awesome duo since the 3 older boys have started full day school. We nap, & watch Ninja Turtles, I have even started some projects I had given up on. And, the garden is getting some much needed love.

Super cute little assistant I've got on my hands.

Also, when I did my post on dirty sinks, this popped up. Hmm...very funny.