Dak is 5!

Our big 5 year old. I mean, our 5 year old. Had a hoot of a birthday; got himself a new bike. He was a great sport when his Christmas bike 18 months ago looked unsettlingly similar to what a polished up version of Payte's old bike might have looked like. This one was his own, brand spankin new.

Here's a shot that the kids call "Dak's floating head". They think it looks like his head fell off and was floating around in the water.

Grandma Reynolds sent Dak some workout stuff, since he is quite a muscle man and was very much into her headband when were in Washington this summer.

Dak's birthday cake. I'd tell the story about how this thing was made, but suffice it to say that about 1/3 of the cake was left by the time I finished carving, fixing, recarving, refrosting, etc. It was a nightmare, but Dak was pleased with the outcome nonetheless.

While I struggled mightily to salvage the disaster I had created, Kat found great humor in my repeated failures so she thought to take a picture or two. You'll see in the picture a large bowl, full of failed cuttings, frosting, cake chunks, etc. Yes, we threw out more than actually survived on the cake. Don't be deceived by the smile - that's after the absurdity of my repeated messes and the lateness of the hour left me with no other reaction but to laugh. Trust me, it was preceeded by plenty of frustrated groans and growls.

Payte is 7!

Payte turned 7. Not much to say about that, just thought this was a cute picture. Of course she wanted a soccer ball cake, though her league was cancelled this season which has her a bit bummed.

So, we had a family lesson where we talked about self-control and sacrifice. The girls decided they wanted to try to go without sugar for a while. They set a goal of 2 months - I never thought it possible - but they were awesome. No syrup on pancakes, no candy, no ice cream, nothing. When it was over we told them both they could have an award for how well they'd done (the whole idea of sacrifice bringing blessings). Tay chose some new roller-blades, and Payte chose Draco - that's her snake. For all you parents out there who freak out at the site of snakes, just remember that we feed this guy once every two weeks, he rarely goes to the bathroom, rarely sheds, no potty training, and totally loves being held but doesn't care if you don't. We go on vacation and don't have a single worry. This is a dreamy pet if you ask me.

Payte's a goofy kid. She's obsessed with animals - dead or alive. She found this dead fish and dragged it around with her for a while.

Wall climbing with Gramps! Her face is painted, of course, like a soccer ball.
Payte and an unfortunate bird who had too close of an encounter with the roof rack. See previous note on her animal obsession. Of course we always say something like, "Payte, you can't pick up dead animals". Followed by, "but hold onto it for a second while we take a picture".