Are you kidding me?

Kerry and I went out tonight for Sushi and to see the much anticipated "Transformers" movie with some friends.  I have to say I almost walked out.  Can they sex it up anymore for these little kids, or for adults for that matter?  Our kids are still with their grandparents up in Idaho until tomorrow, but there were parents sitting in there with their 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 year olds. I don't know why they would take them to a PG13 show anyway, but in their defense the movie is made in partnership with HASBRO of all corporations -  a children's toy company.

I have to say I was completely disappointed.   They are going after our little ones, and it really is disgusting to me. Please heaven help us.  Go support a production company with a little more integrity.   There.  I am done.  Just had to get that out. 

Wheeeeesh......

Do you hear that? 

 It's the sound of June flying by right in front of our eyes!  With the last week of school always  hyper fun and busy, it started out with a bang and is going to end in one, too.  A few days after the kids were out of school I was able to go on a girly trip to DC for a week with some of my best friends.  We had our Amigos of Honduras golf tournament the day I got home, and that has left me with a few days to finish preparing to leave for our Stake Pioneer Trek.  We are leaving early in the morning.  After 6 months of meetings and trainings and preparation up the ying-yang, Kerry and I are Ma's and Pa's.  We are no longer the Westenskows, we are Isaac Van Wagoner Carling and Asenath Browning.  People call me "Sena" for short, and Kerry just nicknamed himself  "V Wags".   Oh how lucky are the 8 kids we will get tomorrow!  I'm actually really looking forward to it.  Trek or Bust!

Crazy fun, but  I can't wait for those lazy summer days to show up sometime :)  

(oh and some sunshine would be nice, too!)

Eva Ding

Ever heard of this girl?  Eva Ding.  Eva was reading a book yesterday when she excitedly said that there was a word with her name in it.  Eva Ding.  Eva Ding.  "Mom, what does Eva Ding mean?"  she wondered.

After a quick glance at the word I started to giggle as I read the word 'evading', as in "the suspect had been evading police for 2 years".  Oh that just struck my funny bone.  I still kind of like Eva Ding better, though.  Use it in a sentence.  It's a fun word!

Ethan's 7th Birthday....Almost a national holiday.

This chain represents the final hours of time Ethan spent anticipating his next birthday..... I couldn't take any more of the 10 times a day questions wondering how many more days, how many more days, how many more days til my next birthday.....this seemed to work pretty well.   Eva helped him make it.  I noticed on each chain link she had written something nice about him, like, "Ethan is so cool.  He has the best friends."  or  "only 3 more days...keep waiting!"  or "time to buy my lego toy at toysrus"  (helpful reminder to mom).  I told Eva that it was sweet of her to do that - Ethan told me that he was the one that told her what to write.  Sounds about right...

Just for clarification - That is a Lego Cake.  It is gorgeous, I know.   Ethan loved it...

And so did Becks.  After the party he made his move with a spoon and a cake platter. 

The day before his birthday he got to open Auntie's gift to him - he had his Lego Pirate set built that same afternoon.  I loved this picture with Beckham looking on - he is doing everything his older brother is doing and really wanted to touch/play/break all of those Legos....It was killing him to have to sit back and watch!

The morning of his birthday he got to open his gift from Grandma Idaho.  He had been asking me that whole week if he could open it early.  Every day he asked.  Every day I told him he had to be patient.  He didn't even get his hair combed that morning before he went straight to the present....Guess what it is??  Legos!  This kid is in heaven.

.

Uncle Mikey celebrated with us.  He gave Ethan the means to wreak havoc on an 

unsuspecting older sister and her friends this summer....

Something from Mom and Dad that was NOT a Lego set.... Wii Indiana Jones - the Lego 

version.

Earlier that day after school Eva and 3 of her friends locked Ethan out of the house and all made cards for him.  I thought that was very sweet of her to do.  This time, Ethan didn't tell her what to write.

We had Uncle Kirk stay with us for a couple of months and were able to have Katie and Zach here with us that night, too!  

Grandma Cherie and little boy blue.

Mayhem: Ethan's party with friends!

So we love parties and we love our friends.  But when you are throwing a party, usually there are always a few that can't make it.  I was planning on that.  Of course you hope that everyone can come, but usually you don't get everyone.    

This year Ethan really wanted to invite his neighborhood friends and some other friends from school that live farther away. I thought that we could do it at a park and he could invite a few more than usual because of more space that we would have, and a good chance that with Memorial Day, there would be a few that couldn't make it.  All 15 showed up.  

Holy Hannah. Have you ever tried to get 15  7-8 year old BOYS to do anything without pure mayhem?    Let's just say that it took almost 10 minutes to form 2 lines to play a game.  Eva counted them off..."one. two.  one. two.  one. two.  Ok all the one's line up here and all the two's line up here."  In a normal world, people remember their number, divide and go to their lines.  In 7 -8 year old boy world it goes like this:  "I'm a one.  No you're a one.  No I'm a two.  Wait - am I a one or a two.  Hey  - let's wrestle! "  And then 2 or 3 of them would break up into wrestle-mania groups and then we had to do a NEW count and do this about 5 times.  

Throw in a pinata, cupcakes, heavy heavy hangover, playdough, bubbles, and you've got yourself a party you're kiddo will remember and so will you....

Living in Harmony

See these cute little birds all perched up in their nest?  

Well for the last 2 years we have had a Kamakazi momma bird that swoops down if we walked past anywhere near nest in the backyard.   The nest is way up high on the rain gutter and we've had a nest there every year for probably the past 5  years.  Have you ever been attacked by a protective momma bird?  It got so bad last year that when I would go out on my deck to water my hanging baskets which are not that close to her territory, she still swooped down, right past your face, skimming it sometimes, and flew to the fence where she watched my every move.  Honestly, there were a few weeks where I was scared to walk in that part of the yard because she would literally dive bomb you.  She wouldn't attack Beckham - he was the only one.  So we'd send him to that part of the yard if we needed anything.  As stupid as this is - I can truly say that it was frightening! Who Knew??  You don't see her coming and then all the sudden you hear and sometimes felt this frantic wing flapping dive bomb right at your head and then it flies to the fence where she turned around and came right back at you.

My in -laws had been staying here with the kids for a week, and when we got home they told us about this bird that kept attacking them.  I chuckled, because I had never been attacked by a bird and thought that was kind of funny.  NOT So!!!  Crazy. bird. living. in. our. yard.    

I am happy to report that this year, she didn't bother us once.  Maybe she trusts us now.  Maybe it's a different bird.  Maybe we have all just learned how to get a long in harmony. Ahhhhh.... 

Goldfish Lesson

This morning at the garden store, Becks and I were looking at the big Japanese Goldfish in the water gardens.  As he was admiring the big silver one, he asked me -  or rather TOLD me that the fish had to have swimming lessons to learn how to swim.  I said "They do?" and he confirmed confidently that yes, they do.  Forced into agreement, I told him that yes, they probably did, but asked him who he thought would be their teacher?  

He said "Jesus!"