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BOLT

As I put Hayden to bed the night of his birthday, he looked at me and said, "Mom, I don't have any friends." When I asked him why he felt this way, he replied "because none of them came over for my birthday." With my heart a bit broken for him, I explained to him as best I could why we didn't have anyone come over for his birthday, the primary reason being he and Noah had been coughing and running fevers just a few days before. After doing my best to reason with his five year old brain, I told him that if he was feeling better on the weekend, he could chose some friends to see the new Disney movie, Bolt. Fast forward a few days to Sunday, and this is exactly what we did - invited a few friends for an impromptu birthday celebration at the movie theatre. His friends helped him continue the celebration of turning five, though they didn't quite understand that they weren't the only ones watching "Bolt" as us moms had to quiet them down just a few times as their excitement over the movie got the best of their "inside voices." Hayden had fun watching the movie (which by the way is very cute and highly recommended as a family event), eating his popcorn, and slurping a slushee for the special occasion. When the movie was over, we walked across to where the Westgate fountain, usually there in summer, now replaced by a beautiful Christmas tree and opened a few presents. What a special way to celebrate a very special boy!

Our Singing Star

Hayden has been practicing for the last few weeks singing us a song from today's preschool program. Though the past few days he hasn't been talking due to a bit of laryngitis and the cold he's been getting over since Thanksgiving, today he managed to find his voice to sing just a bit - but, we've come to realize that he's not destined for American Idol anytime soon. During the program, there was a slide show of pictures showing kids from Hayden's class through the past weeks as they prepared for the program. Hayden was a bit distracted by this, and so in most of the pictures I took, you can see him either looking up to the side watching the pictures rather than at his teacher and us performing, or just standing next to his classmates. It was a treasure to see him, with his quiet voice singing softly, and his "scaled down" hand gestures. This a big improvement over the first singing program he did last year at Thanksgiving when he just stood up front with his face in his hands. We've come a long way with him feeling more comfortable in front of people, and though he may not be a rock star someday, we were glad to see him participate with his class and smile a time or two at us. We'll be saving the fame for little brother, who enjoyed the spotlight before the program began and then even snuck up to sit at Hayden's feet in the middle of one song - our Noah is a kid who is definitely not afraid to be in front of people!

The Big "5"

Today we celebrated Hayden's 5th birthday - as I sit here I am amazed that five years have gone by so fast! Not so long ago, he was this tiny little baby and is now my big, grown-up boy. I can't believe he is five already, which means next school year he'll be in Kindergarten. He is so full of joy and love, curious and inquisitive to the workings of the world - all day long, we were blessed with his bright smile as he relished in the birthday attention and celebration.
Hayden chose his birthday dinner of "zini" (Turkey Tetrazini) and wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting - to which he received both. It was a quiet day as he and his little brother continue to recover from having croup, but it was one we enjoyed together as a family.
Wednesday night after dinner, we went shopping with Hayden so he could pick out his new bike that we wanted to get him for his 5th birthday - he picked out a bright green and blue "Hot Wheels" bike and had fun riding it through the store that evening. First thing he did this morning when he woke up, was hop on his bike and even tried to ride it through the house. He didn't get very far, and so immediately after breakfast he was dressed and ready to ride. As he was outside riding, I tackled the Christmas tree decorating ...
and when all was said and done, we went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch (our favorite place to eat!). Though Hayden didn't understand why his friends weren't coming over for "his party," he was blessed all day long with phone calls and a special delivery from UPS containing his new Tonka Motorized Street Sweeper Truck from Grandma and Grandpa. His night got even better when Grammy and Grampy gave him a Hot Wheels "Stunt Track" which he'd been eyeing at Costco for the last several weeks, to which he replied "Awesome!" Lucky? Yes, for having so many people who care and love him and so are we to have been blessed with his life. Loved? More than he will ever know! Though he won't share with us his birthday wish, I know that mine for him is many more happy days ahead, and "awesome" birthdays too.

So Thankful

Hayden enjoying a cocktail (sparkling juice), sporting his new Disney hatMommy, Hayden, and the Grampster

Three generations of Robb boys (with one missing due to a much-needed nap)

Noah didn't each much turkey, but enjoyed his thumb! Grampy, Hayden, Grammy, and Noah

The day of Thanksgiving brought us a quiet morning to sleep in (sort of, if you call 6:45 sleeping in), followed by the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which I have always loved and have started watching with the boys now as our morning tradition. We then joined Grammy, Grampy, and Uncle Jeff at their house for the rest of the day as well as to enjoy dinner. It was wonderful to be together with part of our family, enjoying yummy snacks while watching the dog show, and then feasting on a delicious meal for dinner. Thank you to Grammy for making everything so tasty!

Thanksgiving is always a time when I reflect on all the blessings God has put in my life. At the top of that list definitely has to be our family and friends. Chris and I are so lucky to have each other; our healthy, happy little boys who bring us such joy and make us laugh at least once a day; his parents who are a constant source of support and will never know how much we love and appreciate them; my parents whom we are separated from in miles, but are with us always in our hearts and show us such love and support regardless of the distance; our siblings and their families whom we love and adore beyond words; and lastly, but certainly not least, our extended family and circle of friends, whom we are fortunate to have in our lives. We are so thankful for each and every one of you! Our wish for you all as we enter this holiday season is for you to experience the true blessing of the season and that your wishes for this Christmas and the new year be yours.

Disneyland

We just returned from three super days at Disneyland, meeting my parents, sister, and brother with his family. It was such a wonderful time to be down at the park, all decorated for the holidays to really get you in the mood for Christmas. The weather was perfect, and we even escaped the rain storms that were expected to roll through Tuesday afternoon - we had our rain ponchos, just in case, but thankfully didn't have to use them! Our boys had such a great time seeing everything there is to see at Disneyland and California Adventure, and Chris and I loved watching them experience it.

Hayden has been once before, though was not quite two when we took him. He still remembers some of it, but this visit was truly more memorable for him. He was tall enough to ride some of the 'bigger' rides, including Thunder Mountain Railroad (which was his first roller coaster ever) and Tower of Terror (which he states he will never ride on again ... poor kid, hope we didn't traumatize him for life with that one!) If you ask him what his favorite ride was, he will tell you the carousel; he and his cousin, Ashley, rode on that a few times together and were pretty much inseparable the entire three days. The highlight for Hayden, and us too, was seeing his two favorite "guys" in the parades: Buzz Lightyear and Lightening McQueen. Watching his face as he saw them both was pure joy - he waved at them as if he was waving to a best friend, with a smile on his face that radiated total happiness. It's something both Chris and I will tell you was one of the best moments of our entire visit.
Noah, on the other hand, (whom we are convinced is going to be our daring child), had fun riding the rockets in Tomorrowland, telling me to "go highewr mama," loved leaning forward to see the little town scene on Peter Pan's Flight, and was not at all fazed by the loud noises or sights in either Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion. He also happened to enjoy looking at, and using, every "bahtich" can in both parks (surprise, surprise), seeing what would happen when he kicked Mickey Mouse's shoes, as well as splashing my parents with fountain water in Toon Town. It's the little things that make us the happiest, right?
In our three days, we were able to fit in everything we wanted to do, and create some wonderful memories that will last us a lifetime. Whenever I go to Disneyland, I instantly remember all the previous times and am transported back to a time when it's okay to "just be a kid." Even as an adult, I still get excited about being in Disneyland and love all of it. To now be able to experience it with my boys just adds to the wonder, and seeing it now through their eyes, is something to truly cherish.

Take a Hike

Our weather here is now absolutely perfect! It truly is the time of year when you can actually enjoy life outdoors in this beautiful desert climate and today we decided to take advantage of it. After breakfast, we drove out to the White Tank Mountain Park for a hike - what a great way to spend time together as a family. We have taken Hayden several times out to the "White Tanks" and he has been asking for some time to go hiking, but each time we've had to tell him "when it's cooler, we'll go hiking." Today, his wish came true and he kept right up with us the entire hike. Noah hitched a ride in the backpack for the first part, then on the way back we let him walk a little bit. He thought it was great to try and keep up with his brother, and for the most part his little legs kept him going. After a few tumbles though he rode up on my shoulders for part of the way back and then in the backpack with Chris. There are some great places to hike and walk around the valley, and now that it is cool enough, we look forward to going back to enjoy another hike together.