A Touch Of Tyrell

I was actually really sad and cried a lot on my birthday.  I also cried a lot the day before too so I had a crying hangover. You know, where your eyes feel fatigued and you feel dehydrated? It's been a rough 3 years for Jake and I  (some things get better while other things get worse) and I can't seem to stop crying. But it doesn't make anything better... it actually just makes it worse because Jake gets mad that I've been crying so much.  So I slept on the couch, woke up and went on a drive. Life has been too stressful and I needed to get out of the house. When it comes to fight of flight... you can probably figure out which one comes more natural to me.  I ended up driving through midway and park city.  The colors blew my mind.  My mom called and tried her best to cheer me up/offer sympathy/understanding.  I eventually came home to birthday surprises that Breckie and Jake worked on all day.  After baking all day I suggested he skip his dinner pl...

Brace yourselves.... Everett turned TWELVE. And he's officially taller than me.  He's a really neat kid. 6th grade was pretty interesting for him socially... I think he's finally learning the value (and how to value) friends. It's a work in progress. Sometimes he blurts out rude things without thinking (he gets that from me 😓) and it's caused some arguments and sticky situations. But that's what middle school if for, right?!? To expose all shortcomings and make a complete fool out of yourself... Jake took him and two of his friends to Labrynth (an escape room) and maybe even to the movies. I can't even remember! He's still into video games, his oculus (virtual reality), and youtube. If it has a screen and can entertain you... he's all about it! He's getting a little mustache and is loving being taller than most of his peers. 

I made a fairy garden cake for Roxy's 6th birthday... It turned out super cute! We had a little party with her two friends Harley and Brooklyn. One is a year younger and one is a year older.  It was pretty adorable to watch Roxy open her presents because she just let everyone join in and open whatever and play with it. She's pretty awesome at sharing! She's still our little baby. Still sucks her thumb, has a "green blankey" and "tippie" (one corner of the green blanket that she loops her pinkie through) and has a palate of a toddler. #donettesforbreckfast She loves her barbies, a boy named Gus, youtube videos, and her mama the most!  

  Having a family member have a birthday a mere  days after Christmas and the night before New Years Eve adds an extra challenge. Everyone is partied out and you've already given that person all the gifts! But Jake is the easiest to please when it comes to birthdays!!  He's one of those people that says he's the age he WILL be on his next birthday all year long. So he's been saying he's 38 for a while now but he actually just turned 38! We made him a cookies-and-cream cake, decorated, and the kids made his birthday cards.  We had his favorite... Costco lasagna, salad, and french bread.  The kids were super excited about cake and presents.  We gifted him some new, fun family games, some Lego sports cars, and a new pair of Bogg boots for the winter snow and slush.  Happy 38th Jake!

For Everett's birthday we went to the Lego store. Everett has been picking out Lego's for his birthday since my grandma sent his $20 for is 4th birthday and he picked out two police cars. He was so adorable with his big toothy smile and focus as he followed the instructions and put them together.  I've always loved Lego's so I don't mind "investing" in them. I feel like they are memory-keepers in a way and a gift that keeps on giving.  He was debating between the Ford Mustang, the Ghost Busters car, or the buccaneers pirate ship.  He decided on the mustang!  He started building it right away... you know it's good when he chooses a toy over screens!!! He told me I didn't need to do all the decorations and stuff but I told him I had to! He needs to know he's special and worth decorating for (no matter how old he is or if he thinks it will embarrass him infront of his friends.  He decided on a party at Elevate (trampoline park) and an ice cream ca...

I could stare at this picture all day!!!  Roxy absolutely loved being a mermaid on her birthday.  We had a fun mermaid party for her and some of her mermaid friends came to swim and party.  But a birthday isn't a birthday in our house unless you wake up to a kitchen decorated and your cake and presents laid out! I traded a lady newborn photos for Roxy's cake... she was obsessed! She opened her presents from us and then we needed to do a little bit of shopping before the party started.  Roxy felt so special in all of her mermaid gear. She even has a mermaid tail bracelet and necklace.  She even went shopping in her new mermaid swimsuit! We filled her piñata with all kinds of cool mermaid stuff! Rings, bracelets, keychains, bead necklaces, purses, gold treasure, mermaid tail necklaces, hair clips... Once all of her friends were here, we played some classic birthday party games and then played some games in the pool. Surprisingly, all of the girls could swim on the...

Breckie's eighth birthday was during Spring Break.  She decided on a tropical theme.  Together, we decorated the Luau treats. *Everett added the angry face We spent SOOOOO much time planning and prepping and on ONE of her friends was in town for the party. So we invited the whole Smith family.  We had smoked, pulled pork, coconut mango rice, hawaiian rolls, Italian sodas with bamboo straws and little umbrellas, fruit kabobs, luau dancer rice krispy treats and flip flop nutter butters.  We had a hula hoop contest and played pin the sunglasses on the pineapple.  And then lemon cake and presents.  She got coloring stuff, crafty stuff, a slime kit and a stuffed animal (tuktuk).  I'm pretty sure she had a great birthday!