29 Years Young

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, dear Courtney, Happy Birthday to you! Yes, it has now been 29 years since Courtney was born. I thought I share a few pictures of Court to commemorate the big day. This picture is when he was a baby (pretty obvious, I know) and it is one of my favorites. Just look at those chubby cheeks.

This next one is his kindergarten picture. I thought it was just darling. How cute is it that he is even in his tie and cute little sweater vest.

And finally I make the leap to adulthood. This is a picture of us in Maui in 2005 (thanks again for including us in that trip Steph and Justin). Really I knew I didn't need a picture of me included in this birthday tribute but apparantly we no longer take pictures of adults once the children come along. So I had a little difficulty finding a picture that would work. Anyway, this is a much loved vacation so maybe it will help with happy memories for Court.

I don't know that Courtney is the largest fan of his special day (I mean, face it he is starting to get older) but I still want to wish him a Happy Birthday. The kids and I appreciate so much his presence in our lives. I love so many things about him so here are just a few. Here ya go Court:

• I love your work ethic. Your parents really did teach you to be a hard worker and I think it is so wonderful. No matter what I know that you will always do everything you can to make sure me and the kids are taken care of.
• I love your sense of humor. It never fails that you can have me laughing until I almost cry. You are just funny. End of story.
• I love your optimism about life. It is so good to know that if I am down about something you will always be there to help me see the positive in it.
• I love the great dad you are. You don't just sit back and watch. I love that you are willing to change a diaper if you need to, or give someone a bath, etc. It is so fun to see you play with the kids and witness your guys' special bond.

I love you very much and hope you have many great years to come!

A Whole Decade...

Wow it only seems like eight years ago when Kellee and I were married. But it has most definitely been 10 years. Thanks to the Bejing Olimpic Committee for throwing a celebration to commemorate Kellee withstanding a decade long onslaught of the psychological torture weapon better know as Courtney. Way to be strong love. The last list I built was so fun that I don't want to over use and trivialize the tactic so here I go in semi thank-you-note format:

Kellee,
Thank you for the entirely too enjoyable decade we have spent together. Though everyday is not and adventure, the adventures are not spread so thin as to cultivate boredom. Thanks for taking incredible care of me. I would likely still be alive without you but someone like me would never make it without someone to remind me about the important stuff (clean clothes, pay bills, shower, the little people need constant supervision, birthdays, etc. - I really would shower i just wouldn't have any soap to make it worth my while.) You may not know it but when you laugh at my not always funny joke you make me feel like a million bucks. I appreciate that you don't hate me when I get to involved in a show or a book and you have to remind me to "engage" with the whole parenting thing. (I am glad I have been able to use this line on you the last couple of days while you are reading "Breaking Dawn". If my expression looks like your expression I don't know how you don't laugh at me all the time.)

Thanks for supporting me in all the things I think I want to do. I know that even if things don't go so well, after a little mockery, you will again be my biggest fan. I love you and I am glad that this has only been our first decade. See ya tonight.

Love ya,
Courtney

Ride, Jaxon, Ride

As mentioned in the previous post, Jaxon has learned to ride a bike with no training wheels. We are so impressed because he learned how to do it in just 2 days. His birthday is in a couple of weeks and so he is waiting (patiently) to be able to get a new bike. For now he has to ride Kambree's bike.

Notice that there are only 2 wheels.

So now we just have to deal with him wanting to go out and ride bikes all of the time. The only reason this is an issue is he hasn't quite mastered the getting the bike started at the beginning so he needs Courtney to help him. Notice the red face. That is because it is dang hot outside and Jaxon just wouldn't stop until he coould do it. Also, wanted to give a shout out to Courtney. Thank you for taking the time and energy to help them with this skill. It is seriously hard work to run behind someone, bent over and holding them up, in the 105 degree weather. I was too big of a baby so I just cheered from the sideline, while sipping on my nice cold water.

Funny Things Kids Say

Our kids must be getting a bit older because they now say things that should make sense but don't quite. I am only going to give you a smattering of the most recent, most memorable quotes.

We were driving to Fishlake and we stop in Circleville to get a drink at the gas station (tradition, who doesn't stop in Circleville). I climb back into the pickup and Kambree asks, "Do people live hear." I am thinking this is pretty lively for a ghost town but who am I to judge so we say yes. Kambree follows up with "Do they speak Spanish or cowboy." I assumed she knew what she was talking about and said "cowboy."

We are on Fishlake and it is hailing and I am trying to get Jaxon under cover so he doesn't get soaked when he tells me he is okay because "I am trying to catch some hell, but it's not that easy." I am sure he meant hail but it threw me off for a second.

Just yesterday we were watching a DVR of Monk and Monk start looking around a crime scene. Kambree has been paying close attention and says, "That Mr. Monk sure is a good looker." Now Tony Shaloub isn't hideous to look at but I sure hope she meant that he was really good at looking.

Rylan is just learning to talk and he can kind of say Kam but it sounds a whole lot more like dam and please sounds exactly like peas. I asked him to say haematoma but he just gave me a blank stare like he thought I was an idiot. I seem to get that a lot from him.

Averi simply squeals but that is kind of fun.

By the way Jaxon learned to ride a bike without training wheels over the weekend.

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

I better start this off by letting you all know that we love our library. It all started when Kam and Jax were pretty small. We would go to storytime at the library every week. As we added more children to the family this seems to have gotten a bit more difficult. Really, if you know Rylan, you can understand it is almost impossible. He is a pretty good kid he just loves to run around the library and hide from me. But we do still try to go every so often.

Anyway, the library has an amazing summer reading program and we have had such a great time participating this year. The theme for this year was BUGS! Now the kids thought this was great. They learned about different kinds of bugs, how to collect bugs, they even had worm races (with these disgusting huge worms). You should see these kids now--they are constantly collecting bugs. Every single water bottle has to be saved so they can put a bug in it. They even put ants in the bottles. Then of course they want to bring them inside the house. The crazy thing is then we are required to feed them meals and go get more books about the particular bug so that we know how to properly care for the lovely things. (and I thought it was pretty good if the kids and the dog made it through the day fed and alive)

These are pictures of the kids with their roley poley bugs. They were trying to help Rylan join in the joy of bugs.

I've been Tagged

*Random Facts*
1. I got to go out without any kids Friday night
2. We drove 1000 miles in 2 1/2 days (vegas, enterprise, salt lake and back)
3. Rylan actually stayed in nursery today (yea!)

*Current Obsessions*
1. Blogging
2. Scrapbooking/stamping
*Goals*
1. Exercise (gotta lose some of this baby weight)
2. Read my scriptures
3. Have more patience
4. Get this darn house cleaned
*My Fears*
1. Having something happen to my family
2. Not being a good mom
3. Germs (hand sanitizer, please)
4. Snakes
*My Joys*
1. My four wonderful children
2. My husband
3. The Gospel
4. My friends

5. Scrapbooking (somehow I must find time to do this)

6. Reading

I tag Kristi, Heather J., Marcie, and whoever else has yet to be tagged.

Kellee has a Birthday (I Think After 25 they Should Be Called Anniversaries)

Well it is July 15, 2008. That means Kellee is 28 years old. Just hitting her prime. To celebrate the joyous occasion of her birth I decided to (in my best engineerese) build a bullet point list of the reason I love Kellee and the reasons she is likely the greatest wife in the world. The last part of the last sentence is supposed the be read in an ascending carnival announcer type voice if you know what I mean.

• Obviously at the top of the list is Kellee's amazing, otherworldly ability to put up with the daily exasperations of one Courtney Coates. Superhuman really.
• I never have to wash my own clothes.
• I never have to wake up in the middle of the night to feed the babies.
• Kellee laughs at all my stupid jokes, not stupid jokes, and wanderings of my random mind.
• Kellee (as the fine accountant that she is) take care of the books as well as all tax returns.
• Kellee doesn't complain when I don't finish a project and start another. This happens more than I would like people to know. I still have a pallet of top caps to put on my block wall I finished last summer.
• She will go camping with me in my super old, not super nice camp trailer. (It's probably because the toilet works.)
• She doesn't get mad at me when I touch the sisters at inappropriate times which unfortunately is probably way to often. (Author Edit: I didn't realize some of us grew up in a monastery like my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Lyndsey and Jeremy, but my reference to the "sisters" referred to Kellee's mammary glands sorry for the confusion.)
• She teaches our children all the things they should know.
• She has way more patience with the kids than I do.

There are way more but I don't think I want to post some of them (too personal) and shouldn't post some of them (too personal if you catch my drift).

Kellee, I love you and thanks so much for spending the last ten years with me. It has been an adventure and if we are lucky the fun will just keep on rolling. I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend the eternity with. Hope you have a great birthday.

Love ya,

Courtney (Kellee, you know what I say here)