Kendall's birthday

When your birthday falls on a Sunday, you get to have a whole weekend celebration. So Friday night, we went to Texas Roadhouse, her choice, and Kendall got to ride the cowboy thingy while holding her free ice cream.

Then Saturday (when most of the celebrations happened), she woke up to streamers and balloons in her room. We went to The Farm for breakfast, when Kendall picked the French toasts (I had the Belgian waffles).

Kendall wanted a Shopkins birthday party, so that's exactly what she got. Most people don't even know what Shopkins are, but she saw some YouTube videos on the toys, so... I got some Shopkins tableware from the party store, some girly nail polish and lip gloss for the favors, and some DIY Shopkins jewelry that the girls made at the party and took home with them. I also rented an inflatable castle, and the kids had a blast jumping on it for the majority of the party. We took a little break from jumping to eat some pizza, fresh fruit and veggies, and of course to open up presents and eat some cake. After everyone left, except our cousins, we broke the piñata, ate too much candy, and played with the new toys. The boys didn't see to mind that everything was pink and girly. Haha.

There were a few hiccups along the way, but overall the party was a success, and everything was super low key, so I didn't have to run around and stress out about stuff. Basically, the grownups talked and the kids played.

What were those hiccups? Well, it started raining shortly before the party started. Then we heard thunder and saw lightning. I called the bouncy place to see if I should shut everything down but they said it'd be okay with a little rain; however I should shut it down immediately if it ever got too windy, because the whole castle, with the people inside could flow away. Yeah, that didn't sound good. Fortunately, it was only a little windy, and only for a short while. Also, I ordered a birthday cake from Cold Stone, but when William went to the store to pick it up, they didn't have a record of the order. I did, though, which William showed them. But they simply did not have the cake, so William had to pick one out from their limited selection freezer. At least they gave us a free carton of ice cream... Still, I was kinda mad. We ran out of time, which is why we had to do the piñata with just our cousins. Oh, and we'll be eating leftover pizza for the next 5 days, but that's not so bad.

We were very happy the party had such a good turnout. Nearly every friend Kendall invited was able to be there to celebrate her turning 5.

On her actual birthday, Kendall requested pancakes for dinner, but since she wants to be a Chef when she grows up, she helped make them

So now a little bit about Kendall... One of the best compliment I ever heard came from Kendall's teacher, Miss Chris. She said that Kendall is very compassionate. She connects with the needy in ways that kids her age don't typically do. She notices that kid that's playing alone in a corner. She notices that kid that is struggling with a task given by the teacher. There are a few kids, like 2 or 3 in her class, that have special needs, and Kendall is always the first (and only) person to help with whatever they need. She pushed one of those kids on the school swing the other day, just because she wanted to help and be nice. She also told me about this other kid who was touching the flower in her hair, and he pulled on her hair a little, but he hadn't meant to hurt her. Now Kendall often asks for flowers or bows in her hair, because this boy likes to touch them, and it makes him giggle. Sometimes she imitates his laugh to me, not to make fun of him, but because she likes to see him happy and hear him laugh. She is compassionate beyond her age. She loves everyone. She is a friend to everyone. She includes everyone. She doesn't judge anyone, but accepts them as they are.

Kendall is also very caring. And she cares a lot about this baby. She prayed a long time for a sister, and I think she will be this baby's second mommy. She will love and care for her in all the ways she knows how. Kendall is constantly kissing my belly and talking to the baby. She understands that she is in there, that she's already a little person, and that when she comes out, they'll be best friends.

Kendall is also strong-willed. She knows what she wants. She is very decisive. And she doesn't let people influence her in the wrong direction. Some people might call her bossy, but I think she is a leader.

Kendall is smart. I think that having older brothers motivates her to learn. She wants to keep up and know everything they know. She loves to read books, which sometimes means actually sounding out the words, and sometimes telling the story as she remembers it. Either way, I love it.

I also love that she says she is "special" for being left-handed. I have been telling her that since the first time she noticed everyone else in her class being right-handed, well except for that one boy who has special needs. But I love that she knows and truly believes that it makes her special, not different.

Kendall is also very talented and crafty. She loves gymnastics and is actually really good at it. She has developed some serious muscles in her thighs and arms. She also loves to do crafts and draw pictures. Her favorite things right now are playing with Barbies and play-doh. But she also loves to take bubble baths, ride her bike outside, and watch YouTube videos about new, upcoming toys. She likes to go to the movie theatre, have friends over to play, and play at the playground with her brothers, whom she is getting along with better and better each day.

I can't imagine my life without this spunky little girl in it. She can't sit still for more than 10 minutes, but at night, I love to snuggle up with her in the bed while she tells me about the most random stuff that has gone through her mind that day. She is my special baby girl, and I love her to pieces. I can't wait to see the many things she will accomplish in her life. She's going to turn into an amazing and successful adult, no doubt about that.

Kendall and Xochitl (who is in Taylor's class).

Her little sister Xitlali (who is in Kendall's class)

didn't want to have a picture taken.

With Isabella (who is in Kendall's class) and her little sister, Luna.

With Zoey (who is in Logan's class)

With Claire, her friend from church.

Avylyn was also there with her little sister, but they were the

first to leave and I didn't get a picture.

10th anniversary

If you'd asked me a year ago what William and I would be doing for our 10th anniversary, I would have described a dreamy vacation, with just the 2 of us, sipping on Pina Coladas and getting massages on the beaches of Hawaii. We would have gone zip lining and hiked up to a volcano. We would have spent some time eating at fancy restaurants and relaxing in our own hot tub right outside of our room.

Boom! That's reality calling me back to earth. I am 6 months pregnant and we just bought a house. That dreamy vacation obviously ain't gonna happen. At least not until my momma quits working and can babysit the kids while William and I leave for a week, or two :-) And we should probably save some money, too, which means my mommy makeover is gonna have to wait, too.

So... instead we went to SumoMaya, an Asian-Mexican Fusion restaurant. It sounds interesting, or weird to a lot of people, but William loves Mexican food and I love Asian food, and he and I are a great team, so the 2 foods have got to blend well together. It makes sense, right? And it was delicious! There actually wasn't as much blending as I anticipated, it was more like, you could order Asian stuff, like sushi, or Mexican stuff, like chips and guacamole. We got both of those. We also got some tacos, which did have some Asian flavors, and Pad Thai, which was 100% Asian. I'd go back again. The restaurant itself was very swanky, and the prices were decent. Good anniversary date!

I planned William's gift for like 2 months. I had this friend from Ohio draw and paint a picture of William and I on our wedding day. I was so excited to get it framed and give it to him that I could hardly contain myself. Anyway, he loved it and it will be a beautiful piece of art in our new home. Danelle did a fantastic job. I am very happy with the end product.

So, 10 years... We have 3 (and soon 4) kiddos, we've lived in 4 different states (UT, IA, OH, AZ), and we've lived in 5 (and soon 6) different homes. William has been in school/training most of our married life, and it has been tough, but we've made it through.

I do feel blessed to have found a man who is such an ambitious hardworker and has sacrificed so much to give us the almost-perfect life. He is loving, caring, sweet, and makes me happy. He is a wonderful husband and an amazing father. I'd marry him a million times over. Marrying him was the best decision I have ever made. He's my person, my soulmate, my better half, and we complete each other, as cliché as that sounds. I am one lucky lady :-)

Hole in the rock

I've heard about "The hole in the rock" since we've been here. It's one of those Phoenix landmarks that you have to see if you're ever here.
I have to say that I wasn't impressed with the park and the lakes at the bottom of the mountain, mostly because they didn't look well taken care of. There was trash everywhere.
But the hike up to the hole was very quick and easy, even for me. And the view from the hole from breathtaking. A fun family trip. (And daddy apparently doesn't know how to cut random people out of pictures.)

Visit from the Hights

We started off the month of April with some fun visitors: the Hights. The cousins were on Spring Break, so they took advantage of their free time to come visit us. Although our kids were in school, we made the most of our weekend, late afternoons, and very late evenings. The kids all slept in late the morning after they all left. It was a blast having 7 extra people in the house! Yes, 5 kids and 2 adults. We are fortunate enough to have a house big enough to accommodate that many people, which is awesome.
The older cousins babysat, the younger cousins entertained, and nothing were ever quiet... unless everyone was on their iPad or iPhone.
The adults went shooting. It was my first time, and it was actually a lot more fun than I expected. I definitely want to go shooting again. Of course it helps that I was a pretty good shot, not that I'm bragging or anything. That night, we went out to dinner in Scottsdale. We actually had an appetizer at one place, a main course somewhere else, and dessert at another restaurant. We used the golf cart shuttles to get around. And that's what Scottsdale is all about. Well, that and getting wasted, which we didn't do.
As for the kids, they took turns riding in everyone's car, spent some time in the swimming pool (because it's April here, yo), found mice bones out in the backyard and played with them, took bubbles baths in the giant tub, had sleepovers all over the house, and played in the splash pads at the mall.
As a group, we saw Zootopia at the movie theatre, played about 200 games of Wacky 6, ate a multiple resaturants, including that one that sells Belgian waffles, and celebrated Spencer's birthday party at Air Time.
It was so much fun that I can almost, almost, forget the fact that one morning, as I got into the car to take the boys to school, my battery died. Then it died again at the pump, and again at the store. Fortunately, Lily had a charger in her car that she let me borrow until I called AAA to come and replace the battery. That same day, which happened to be Spencer's birthday, Lily's car broke down because of something coming loose with the brakes, which had just been replaced the previous week. Fortunately, it happened close to our house, not while driving out here and out to Sedona in the middle of nowhere. And fortunately, they were going the speed limit of 45 and not 85 mph. And fortunately, there wasn't a ton a traffic around and no one was injured. But the car did have to be towed, and Marcus had to stay with it for 3-4 hours until it was fixed. Happy birthday, Spencer.
But in all seriousness, it was a lot of fun to see the 11 cousins all playing together. We missed Tyler, Meili, and Koa. I think it's about time for a Beeston family reunion. Well, actually, maybe when I'm not so pregnant. And probably also after baby girl is a little bigger and I can actually sleep through the night again.