Everyone is Afraid of Something.

 

(This picture is from weeks ago, but seemed fitting.  They're pretending the t-rex is chasing them.)

Corbin talking to Tienna:  "It's okay to be scared.  Everyone is afraid of something.  Like me, I'm afraid of werewolves and Jenalyn is scared of Halloween stuff.  Mom is afraid of me never liking her anymore.  And dad is afraid of germs.  And Sultan is afraid of me!"

Sweetest Boy Ever

Corbin saved his chocolate milk from his lunch at school for me today. I gushed over how sweet and thoughtful that was of him and he said, "It's not a gift. It's a privilege you earned by being the bestest mom in the world." Those we're his EXACT words. I kid you not! He loves me.

This kid is the bomb-diggity.

I was hosing off the driveway this afternoon, while Corbin was using a medicine dropper to melt his fruit-in-ice-project-thingy.  One thing lead to another and before I knew it, we were in a full-blown water fight!

He never once complained about it being unfair that I had a hose and all he had was a medicine dropper.  He's the best!

Potty Talk

Corbin really dislikes going to the bathroom.  It's "boring".  So one night I sat just outside the door and we chatted, told jokes and laughed.  Excellent opportunity for bonding, right?  Well, it was!  We had so much fun!  I had to snap a picture so I'd never forget.

He's such a cool kid.

(On a side-note, when Jenalyn found this picture on my phone, she cracked up!  And she has shown it to everyone who will look.  I just think it's adorable!)

What Made You Smile?

This morning Corbin seemed a little off.  So I took him aside and asked if he was feeling ok, or if something happened that he wanted to talk about.  He was really somber and it was so unlike him.

I had crouched down so we were eye-to-eye while talking.  All of a sudden he broke out into his amazing, heart-melting smile...totally out of the blue...I was caught off guard and so I asked what made him smile.  He said, "Sometimes your face just makes me smile."

Awe.  His face makes me smile too.

Naughty Kids

Have you ever seen such misbehaved children?  Attacking a defenseless elderly man?  It looks like the small one is the ring-leader.

I blame the parents.

(this video is over a month old...but it had to be posted.)

A Sweet Re-Telling

We had grandpa's friend join us for dinner last night and we were sharing stories about bee stings.  We mentioned that when Corbin was about 4-years old he got stung THREE times within a month! 

We had a rosemary bush in our backyard and when it flowered it attracted tons of bees and Corbin would NOT leave them alone.

When I got done telling his story, he piped in and said, in the sweetest, most innocent voice: "I just wanted some honey." *LOL*  He went on to admit that he use to try to sneak honey from the cupboard before dinner, when that didn't work he decided to go after the bees.

It was too cute.  And not something I want to ever forget.  I love my sweet boy.

Remember When

"Mom, remember when we use to have the rocking chair and you would hold me on your lap and sing to me until I got sleepy?"

Melt my heart!  It meant so much to me that he remembered that.  It almost made me cry!  It made me want to drag the ol' rocking chair out of the garage and set it up in his room.  I miss those days!  I hope my sweet Corbin never outgrows snuggling with is mama!

Memorial Day 2012

Jenalyn made an interesting comment the other day while we were watching a show on TV.  She noted that all the Memorial Day commercials showed people having fun, partying, playing at the beach, etc.  She said, "Isn't Memorial Day about remembering the people who died?  Shouldn't they all be sad?"

Interesting that she picked up on that.  I love my girl.

At any rate, we did have some fun today.

We picked up Jenalyn's "favorite friend" (from her school class) and we went to Skate World

That was kind of a bust.  Quinne fell too many times and wasn't enjoying herself, and Corbin only used his skates to be tall enough to watch the "demo mode" on the arcade games.  Jenalyn was the only one who really liked skating (that's MY girl!)  So we didn't stay long.  We went to the mall and let the kids play at the little playground there.

Afterwards, we took Quinne home and then Grandpa John treated us all to dinner.  Towards the end of dinner Corbin and Tienna started to get antsy so I took them outside to play in the fountain.  They had so much fun!  And Corbin got "soakin' wet!" (I have a video, but it won't upload *pout*)

On our way home from dinner we stopped by the cemetery to remember our beloved Grandma Jan.  We miss her so much.  Oh how she would love seeing these kids grow.  I wish they had at least been old enough to form more memories with her before she left this earth.  Every single day we feel her physical absence in our lives, though we know she watches over us.  Can't wait to be with her again.

THIS is what Memorial Day is all about, right?

Easter Outtakes

Here are a couple more pictures from Easter that just HAD to be blogged:

Up until yesterday, my kids had no idea Silly String existed. Sad, right?

I asked Jenalyn to smile so I could take her picture. She gave me the most beautiful smile...and just as I clicked, she switched to this face! HAHA! Jokes, on YOU, sis! I'm posting this for the whole world to see :) I love my sugar bug!

Did someone say SUGAR?

I love this face! I love this dress. Just love everything about this picture!

Tienna has a proximity alert for Corbin. Whenever he comes near her, she SCREAMS! Well, usually. This apparently was a happy exception.

I saved the best for last! I told Tienna she couldn't have anymore candy. She has the greatest pouty face.

Easter 2012

Highlights from our awesome Easter weekend

• Grandma's Easter party on Saturday: lots of family, an Easter egg hunt, delicious food, and Jenalyn and I got to shoot a real bow! (Corbin was sick, so just me and the girls went this year. AND, I didn't have my camera, only my phone for pictures. *hohum*).

(Jenalyn thought this was the coolest!)

• Tienna's new shoes.

(I know, they're just shoes, but they make me smile!)

• Coloring Easter eggs.
  
• Planting jelly beans and seeing lolly-pops in their place the next morning! (amazing, right?)
• Bright-colored Easter Baskets.

• Silly String. It was fun for about a minute (which was about as long as it took for the kids to empty their entire cans!) ... then we had the joy of cleaning it all up. *LOL*
  

• New Easter outfits.

(This is the dress I made for Jenalyn for Easter when she was 18 months old. I was so happy that it fit Tienna this year!)

• MORE family time. Dale, Nancy, Miles, Will & Grandpa John came to our house for Easter dinner.
• I made the entire Easter dinner. This was the first big holiday meal that I have ever made by myself! I was really proud. I love cooking for people! Ham, twice-baked potatoes, green beans with bacon, tossed green salad, rolls, and deviled eggs. Oh, and jell-o salad that was forgotten and never made it out of the fridge *ugh*. Aunt Dale brought some delicious cake to celebrate Grandpa John's birthday, a week late ;)
  

Snow Day 2012

Last week, the week before Spring Break, we got epic snowfall. Well, epic for our town. It just doesn't snow like that around here. No school for two days, downed trees, power outages, etc. It was kind of a big deal.

Jason was out of town.

We were basically confined to our house for two days - if you could see my steep driveway, you'd understand why.

We survived it.

And we drank a lot of hot chocolate.

After the kids got done playing in the snow, they came in with frozen toes and fingers, and pink little noses and cheeks. The best cure for that condition (aside from hot chocolate), is a warm dip in the jacuzzi tub :) They loved it!

Tienna watched from from the sidelines. She's not a fan of the jetted tub.

Corbin turned SIX

(His Kindergarten teacher made him a "6" crown.)

My sweet little man had another birthday. No matter how many times I demand that he stops growing...he just doesn't listen! Why can't he stay little forever?

When I asked him where he wanted to have his birthday party he said, "Well, I really want to have it at Chuck-E-Cheese, but I would feel bad because I already told Red Lobster that I would have my birthday party there!" *he didn't want to hurt their feelings*

So on the night of his sixth birthday, our little family had a delicious dinner at Red Lobster.

We had his party with friends the following Tuesday. I wasn't about to pay for 7 kids and their parents to eat at Red Lobster. **cha-ching**

We decided on an Angry Birds theme for his friends party. If you have spent any amount of time with Corbin, chances are pretty high that he has asked if he could play Angry Birds on your phone. He's crazy for those birds!

We had breakfast-for-dinner (eggs: the birdies, ham: the piggies & pancakes with fruit and whipped cream), we knocked over plastic cup towers, and hunted for the angry birds' eggs. Then the kids decorated their own Angry Birds cupcakes.
Also for Corbin's birthday, Aunt Dale gifted the kids one month of Tae Kwon Do. Don't they look deadly? Don't mess. Seriously.
At 6-years-old Corbin:

• Still likes to sleep snuggled up with Jenalyn...when we let him...
• Would spend all day playing video games...if we'd let him...
• Anticipates Saturday like it's Christmas, because that's the only day he's allowed to play video games.
  
• Loves learning Japanese.
• Likes pizza, pirate booty, most fruits, and Mac'n Cheese.
• Dislikes just about any vegetable. Except carrots.
  
• Loves his music! If he's not allowed to be sitting in front of a screen, he has his music playing.
• Is still a blanky boy. He loves his star blanket. *awe*
• Loves to make people laugh.
• Gives the best hugs in the business.
• Has one of the most contagious smiles around.
• Has moves like Jagger.
• Has a weird fascination with anything scary: zombies, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, haunted houses, etc. He'll talk your ear off about them, and then be too terrified to go to the bathroom by himself.
• Has a super cool light saber.
• Has epic dreams that he's Mario, battling Bowser.
• Loves books. He gets super excited for library day at school.
• Hates doing homework. But he's really good at it!
  

I love my crazy little monkey-boy! He lights up my life.

Asian Celebration

My kids performed with their school at this year's Asian Celebration. We were so lucky to have all of my local family, plus Jason's aunts come and support them. Especially since daddy was at Disney Land for work (pfft...)

Grandpa John bought them Asian outfits. Don't they look great?
After the Asian celebration we got to celebrate Corbin's birthday with Nancy and Dale. As always, Corbin got totally spoiled :)
Here are a couple videos from the performances. (Most of the videos were too big to upload *sosad*) I got lucky that both kids were on the ends so I got pretty good videos of them both.

(Jenalyn is the one in the middle on the end - they all look the same in those outfits!)

My Rock Star Family

One of the {many} reasons why I love my family is because you never know when a random rock concert might occur.

I shut myself in my bedroom after dinner tonight because I had a really bad headache. When I came back out I had a rock concert waiting for me. (Luckily the Advil kicked in and the headache was mostly gone, so I could enjoy the show).

Corbin on guitar:

Jenalyn on drums:


And Jason on vocals (he declined photos from the paparazzi tonight).

Tienna was acting as a back-up dancer from her highchair.

They were rocking out to a song on Jason's iTunes and about mid-song, Corbin shuffled over to me and whispered in my ear, "It's coming from dad's phone! We're not really playing music."

*LOL* I'm glad he cleared that up for me. I was about to start booking venues for the tour! That would have been embarrassing. We would have had another Milli Vanilli scandal on our hands!

Big Ambitions

(Corbin's paleontologist hat)

Me: Corbin, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Corbin: A race car driver...wait! No, I want to be a food contest-er!

Me: What? What does a food contest-er do?

Corbin: They race to see who can eat the most food the fastest. Cool, huh?

Me: I thought you wanted to be a Paleontologist?

Corbin: I wish I could have 3 jobs. No, 4 jobs. No, maybe 10 jobs! I want to be a food contest-er, a paleontologist, and a veterinarian!

WOW - those are three drastically different jobs! Anyone want to contribute to this kid's college fund? He's going to be busy.

Corbin - 5 (and a HALF) years old

(pictures by Kristen Moss Photography.)

Corbin started Kindergarten this year. It has been a bit of an adjustment. We've had to talk to the principal and the school counselor a time or two. But I think we're getting the kinks ironed out *LOL* Corbin is so full of spunk. He loves to make the other kids laugh and it sometimes gets him into trouble.

Truth is, I love this boy more than I could ever convey with words. That smile makes my heart soar. And his hug is all I need to make a rough day better. And those eyes? WOW!

He loves his music. Right now his favorite is the Rio Movie Soundtrack. He'll turn that on and run laps around the kitchen and living room. He pretends he's in a race, like on MarioKart. Lots, of good exercise.

In our new house Corbin finally has his own room. No more pink in this boy's room! He keeps his room so nice and tidy. He has even become really good at making his bed. I was so afraid of how he would handle being in a room of his own. But he has done amazing. Although, I did ask him what he missed most about the old house and he said it was sharing a room with Jenalyn. I think they are closer because of those years spent cramped into one bedroom. I'm grateful for that.

Utah Trip: Favorite Memories #4

Having spent most of my youth in Utah, Lagoon was one of the most exciting parts of my summers. There were company parties at Lagoon, end-of-the-school-year class trips to Lagoon, and Stake Lagoon days.

I was thrilled to take my kids there. And it was everything I hoped it would be. The memories of my childhood, combined with joy on their faces, was over the top for me.

The first ride I took Jenalyn on was the Mouse Trap. My dad told her it was *somuchfun* so she wanted to try it. She was absolutely terrified. It was fun to hear her nervous chatter throughout the entire ride. "OH my goodness. I'm freaking out right now! Is it almost over? I'm so scared! Holy cow!"

At the end of the day, Jenalyn declared that it's the second most funnest place on earth ... Disney Land is first. (Not that we know that first-hand, that's just what we've been told.) The kids are still talking about it. It really was that fun.

(It's possible that I drove this exact same car when I was Jenalyn's age. They've relocated the ride since then, but I'm guessing they haven't changed the cars. Very nostalgic.)

Utah Trip: Favorite Memories #1

It was actually a fabulous day altogether, but this moment was especially sweet to me. We built a fire in the fire pit in my brother's backyard and made S'mores. Corbin decided the fire needed a campfire story! So he told Uncle Jerald about "Jerry McCreedy, the meanest counselor in the history of summer camp." Corbin knows the story word-for-word from Scooby Doo Camp Scare, complete with actions and expressions. And Uncle Jerald gave him his complete attention. As if it was the most fascinating story ever told. Corbin relished the attention.

Overheard

Jenalyn: You actually are going to have to marry Lilly in public, you know.

Corbin: Awe man! In public?

Jenalyn: Uh-huh. And that's when you'll kiss her for the first time.

Corbin: YUCK!

Jenalyn: I know. You do a lot of yucky things when you're married.

Corbin: *ugh*

(Me, thinking to myself: Oh my! Where is this conversation going! Should I step in?)

Jenalyn: Like, you'll have to feed her cake! And you'll probably smear it on each other's faces!

Corbin: Eww. Really?

Good thing he has his big sister to lead him down the path of life, huh?