Forty

He did it!  Wes turned the big 4-0 and didn't spontaneously combust!  I don't know why he was so worried about this birthday.  It's not that different than 39 which is not really that different than 28, right?  His life is full, he will always be a big kid, and I love him to death.  To celebrate, I made him a birthday breakfast, complete with candle-in-grapefruit, he opened a couple of presents and a couple days later, I slaved over Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting (slaved, I tell you...blowtorch and all.)  We'll continue the festivities by eating said cupcakes and hiking with a few friends tomorrow...   

Liam did the birthday honors of presenting his dada with a very special gift.  This year, since Wes was NOT excited about this particular birthday, I wanted to do something really special for him that didn't involve surprise parties or a cake full of four dozen blazing candles.  So, I asked friends and family to send me comments that I would compile into a hardback book.  I was floored by the response.  People actually do really like him!  There is no way I can do the book justice now, so you'll just have to come and see it.  Wes was...prepare for cheese...moved, to say the least.  He told me it was the best present he had ever received. Mission accomplished!  Many thanks to all those who contributed.  

And I got him some Bulgari cologne so that he can smell nice on our dates ;-)

Behold, the mother of all cupcakes.  From bottom to top: a layer of graham cracker crust, layer of bittersweet chocolate, chocolate cake, another layer of chocolate and graham cracker, toasted Swiss meringue, weird candle.  Courtesy of Jennifer Shea, owner of Trophy Cupcakes.  

Happy birthday, sweatheart!  May you have many many many more happy years ahead!  

Liam's First Movie

This past month, Wes and I braved the movie theater with a toddler!  Other than an initial speedbump during the previews during which Liam got freaked out by a giant UFO-style Santa's sleigh, it was a total success.  Liam thought he had been swallowed up into a real life Winnie the Pooh book and was riveted most of the hour and fourteen minutes.  His dad had time-out duty, which he was forced to exercise once when Liam decided that kicking the chair in front of him was a fun way to pass time.  

And of course, he had to bring along his Pooh friend to the Pooh movie...

What a big boy!  We were so proud of our little guy.  Next movie?  Harry Potter!  (just kidding)

Charles Family Reunion 2011

Wes and I planned this year's Charles Week-o'-Fun in beautiful Park City, Utah.  (I know, we're really branching out.  We're in a recession, okay?)  I had the difficult job of making sure Wes budgeted everyone a few hours of sleep in each 24 hour period.  This family likes to really pack it in; seven days of concentrated Charles togetherness would certainly appeal to anyone, am I right?  Or perhaps I wasn't the only one who wanted to sleep for the next seven days and go into hiding.  But really, as you will see from the 70+ pictures, we created awesome memories that all began with dinner at Aunt Charlotte's house in South Jordan where we were able to ogle shamelessly over the brand new Baby Gavin Hatch.  Congrats to Ambree and Derek who will make such loving parents!  

Yes, there was some ogling over Baby Dominic, too.  

And ogling over Uncle Wes who may be turning forty this month, but who has the energy of a twenty-something...

Midget Olympics 2011:  Thank you, Uncle Mike, for organizing such a hilariously competitive event complete with a Bucket Toss, Foot Race, Human Hurdles, Egg & Spoon Race and Pool Kickball!  No mercy from the leadership, I tell you.  

Camping at Timpooneke:  Okay, so maybe the weather report said to expect severe thunderstorms and maybe no one really listened to reason and maybe we barely got the tents set up before the Storm of the Century hit and maybe we all thought we were going to die... Priceless.  Or maybe what was priceless was Liam screaming at 12am because he had never been camping and didn't understand sleeping in a tent with Mama and Dada and quietly packing up the small piece of dirt we were hoping to call home for the night and making the hour+ drive back to our comfy beds.  I'm not sorry.  Liam has plenty of years to adapt to the unforgiving wilderness.  

Lagoon: I took a much-needed mid-week break from the festivities and let Dada take Liam on the Lagoon adventure.  Although I wasn't there to witness it, I heard about the Dragon Rollercoaster from Liam for the next couple of weeks.  He was in heaven.

Day at Jordanelle Resevoir: As close as one can get to a day at the beach in a landlocked state, Jordanelle did not disappoint.   And as far as the kids were concerned, it was the beach.  We wakeboarded, surfed, and tubed.  Wes and I tubed together (is that what you call it?) and I may have laughed my liver and lungs out.  Probably not the smartest thing to do in my delicate condition (more on that later.)  Liam was not a fan of the boating experience.  If we were not going fast, he made sure we knew he was unhappy.  I think this week must have been all about expressing his individuality (does he get that from me?) because in the weeks following, he was an angel.  

There are just so many things wrong with this picture, I don't know where to begin.

Singles Tennis Tourney 2011 and Wrap-Up:  Could you just eat this face?  Brooklyn stole everyone's hearts during the week, which made it impossibly hard to say goodbye.  It is always such a treat to see the Travis Charles family;  they are probably the biggest reason we subject ourselves to such close-quarters for long periods of time each year.  Cute family!  As Liam's closest-in-age cousin, Avery and he were able to bond over similar interests, language skills and bath routines.  Wes wrapped up the week with a fantastic Charles Family History movie, Mike presented the midgets with medals for the Midget Olympics, Travis shared his Reunion 2011 Top Ten, and Papa John informed us of family plans for the next decade or so.  There is no such thing as over-organization, is there? 

Until next year, au revoir!