Happy Birthday, Jake

Harry Potter Birthday Party

For Jake's 10th birthday, we through an epic Harry Potter themed party. I have to say that it is a good thing he chose "Harry Potter" as the theme as I was WAY into decorating and planning--I am a huge Harry Potter fan. One thing is for sure--when I like the theme, the party is so much more fun!

I sure love my little boy, and I am happy I got to celebrate him in such a fun way. Jake is such a special part of our lives and our family. I can't imagine life without him being a part of it! I am grateful every day that he is mine. A few things I love about this 10 year-old of mine:

He's always ready for a good laugh.

He will be the first to jump into an exciting game of Nerf Wars.
He loves his daddy and adores everything about him.
He thinks his sisters are pretty fun too.
He is kind-hearted.
He is knowledgeable in the gospel.
He has a testimony.
He loves The Book of Mormon.
He wants to be good.
He tries hard everyday.
He is my favorite little boy around. (And I can have a favorite!)
Most importantly--he loves Jesus Christ.

Truly, I wish I could put into words the feelings of my heart when it comes to this little man...I am so grateful I get to be his mom.

The Entrance to Our House

I made brooms for every child. I used wooden dowels, willow twigs, and hot-glue. I hot-glued the willows to the dowel first, and then wrapped them with rope to hold them in place. 

I also made each child a wand. These were made with longer chopsticks (purchased from Amazon), hot-glue, and paint. I first used hot-glue to create the handle. Once the glue was dry, I painted each wand. I liked the black spray paint wands best, but craft paint worked too!

We put a walkie-talkie in the end of the sorting hat. I spoke a little louder than usual, so my husband knew when to speak, and then he sorted the kids from the other room. It worked perfectly!

Previous to the party, my family and I went to Universal Studios in Florida. We loved the Ollivander's Show, so we tried to re-create the show at our house. We tied fishing twine to different objects, so the objects could fly off the shelf as the wizard (boy) used the wand. We only allowed two of the children to experience the show as it would take too long for all of them. When it was time for the rest of the boys to get their wands, we pretended that their wand was claiming them as well, and we told them what was special about each one--just like the show. It was super fun!

Connor in the Ollivander's Show

Jake in the Ollivander's Show

This was my favorite part of decorating. I loved the candy and the signs...really--everything about it. It was so much fun!

For Potions Class, we labeled items for Italian Soda's to sound like items from a potion. Each boy created their own Italian Soda, and drank it with their cake. We also did an exploding baking soda potion where the color of the explosion (food coloring) described the type of wizard each boy was. 

I loved re-creating Hagrid's cake!

Jake led everyone with his wand in singing Happy Birthday to him. It totally cracked me up!

I made wands, brooms, and scarves for each boy. The scarves were made with two pieces of fleece sewn together. I cut the ends to look like the movie. We used these scarves to sort the boys in the different houses. 

I wish I had a picture of the boys playing Quiditch. I was too busy running around that I missed the whole thing. My neighbor made these rings for us with PVC pipe. We only had one hoop on each end instead of three. We tried to keep the game similar to the real game, but there were definite differences. Each team had a Seeker who would search the grounds for a golden ball (golf ball painted gold). We also had a Keeper for each team protecting their goal. The action happened with the Beaters and the Chasers. The Beaters were on the edge of our field. We didn't allow them to come to the center with the Chasers. They had to stay in marked areas running back and forth on the outside of the field. Their goal was to throw the Bludgers (soft balls) at the Chasers. If the Chasers were hit, they had to run to a penalty box and back before they could proceed to play. All the while the Chasers were busy trying to score.  To add an element of difficulty, the Chasers could only run a few steps before they had to pass their ball to a teammate.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Amber!

This girl is officially 13 today! She is spunky, fun, caring, genuine... She is a beautiful young woman. I am so grateful to be her mom! I get to bask in this personality every day, and let me tell you--it's always fun around here! I love you, Amber! You are meant for great things!

Hailey and Jake bought Amber skates!

Happy Birthday, Amber!

Happy Birthday, Amber!

Amber's is twelve. My little girl is now a young woman. In honor of Amber turning 12, and entering young women's, I planned a last minute surprise party all decked out with young women colors. We even watched the new hit movie "Once I was a Beehive"! I still can't believe that my little girl is no longer little.

Waiting to Surprise Amber

{PIZZA PARTY}
from left to right: Kellyanne (gymnastics friend), ?Brooklyn?, Amber, Ava, ? (gymnastics friend), Lorissa, Lilly

Young Women Colored Cake Waffles
I made a white cake and sectioned out portions and added food coloring to those portions. We then made the cake into a waffle--it was super fun and awesome!

Happy Birthday, Amber
Jake, Lilly, and Amber in this pic.

On her birthday…

Good Morning, Beautiful Birthday Girl

Jake couldn't contain his excitement over his gift for Amber! He wanted her to cover her eyes while he brought out the gift. It was too cute watching the two of them give and receive.

Hailey created a picture for Amber that is full of pictures of Amber and our family. The picture states, "I love you to the moon and back." A lot of thought and effort went into this gift, and Hailey could hardly contain herself when Amber was opening her present. I love it when my kids give a gift from the heart--it's becomes more fun to give than to receive.

A gymnastics mat has been on Amber's wish list FOREVER.

Twelve means Amber can wear make-up...

Young Women Leader's gave her an entire half-gallon of ice cream, and she wanted it all to herself! {It's her birthday--she can do that.}

Root-beer and Cake Make us Happy

Because Amber's birthday was on Sunday, she seemed to have an extended celebration for several days. On Friday she had a surprise party; on Sunday she had a family party; and then on Tuesday she attended the temple.

We are so grateful for Amber in our lives! She is a joy in our home. She is often the source of peace and harmony whenever contention may arise. Her happy light-hearted personality brings laughter every single day. Her love for life is infectious to all those she surrounds. 

After Uncle Brandon died, Amber went through a few months of pure struggle; however, she persevered and has become an even brighter light of the gospel. She has overcome a lot of fear and strengthened her faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the example she is to me and to everyone she comes in contact with.