Choir Boy

I have just finished the most crazy week of my life, filled with nonstop parties, concerts, and even my first recital (more on that later).  It all began last weekend when David had the wonderful opportunity to sing in a youth choir with OCMCO, a full choir and orchestra directed by Brandon and Brett Stuart.  It was an amazing evening, with an audience of over 1500 people.  The power of the music was so strong that it brought tears to our eyes.  This is the blessing of living in an area with a strong LDS presence.

This is David's best buddy, Ethan.  It took some convincing, but we manage to get him to join choir with David.  They both loved it!

Snapshot of the interior of Samueli Hall.  This is also where our Symphony performs.

The girls stayed home with a babysitter during the performance, so it turned out to be a special datenight with James.  It was a dream come true for him.  He kept saying, "this is the best day of my life!"  After the performance we went out to dinner and explored the large Christmas display at South Coast Plaza, including the reindeer carousel, which Joseph used to ride every year as a child.

Happy Birthday James!

James had a birthday this past week. He turned a whopping seven years old!

The day turned out to be a regular day. James did get sung to by his whole first grade class, which he thought was pretty special. His school buddy, Derek, came over for birthday dinner and cake. The garage was set up with lights and a dance floor, and the kids enjoy dressing up and dancing their socks off.

James is quite the Minecraft enthusiast these days, so he requested this snowy Lego Minecraft set.  In keeping with our theme, I attempted a special Minecraft themed cake (thankyou, Pinterest). It's supposed to look like a grass block.  He was hilarious as he was blowing out the candles.  He ran around the room inhaling as much air as possible, but when he finally got back to the cake, he was entirely out of breath!  Seven candles is definitely tricky.

James is creative, smart, thoughtful, and really funny.  He loves to be tickled and laughs at all my jokes. He is a budding artist and a great dish doer.  Most importantly, I have seen growth in his testimony and intellect over the past year.  This will be an exciting year as we prepare him for baptism.  We love you James, and are so grateful to have you in our family!

Grandma and Grandpa M!

We were thrilled to have Grandma and Grandpa Mumford visit last weekend.  While they were here, we visited the beach, ate yummy Mexican food, hung out in downtown San Juan Capistrano, and hosted Jason and Anjuli.  I sprained my ankle the night of their arrival, so it was super handy to have a doctor in the house.  Thanks to dad's great sports taping skills and priesthood blessing, I haven't missed a beat.  Mom showered the kids with lots of affection and as tradition, made sure that the girls' toenails were painted pretty.  Love you mom and dad!  Come back soon!

Halloween

It's quite amazing that I am writing about Halloween just as Thanksgiving is around the corner.  We had a nice uneventful weekend.  The weather was hot, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Grandma Larsen was out of town, so Grandpa came to visit.  We carved pumpkins, ate chili, and did a bit of trick or treating.  Costumes were low key this year... I don't even have a picture!  James dressed up as a cowboy, David as a minuteman, Ruth as Elsa, and Emmy as a princess.  

Couldn't help but take a picture of the smoothie moustache.

True blue, BYU!  Emmy was so sad when it was time to throw her pumpkin out.

Happy Halloween!

at the beach...

Want to know a secret?  The best months to visit the beach aren't June, July, or August, they are September and October.  It's the fall that brings the hot weather, warm water, and no crowds!  When I say hot, I mean it.  We've had wave after wave this month of 95-100 degree weather.  It's looking quite possible that my kids will be wearing shorts until Christmas.  

David was pretty proud of his tunnel... big enough to fit a big head inside!

This was taken at our bonfire at the beach.  It's nice when the sun sets early, because we get dinner and a nice display all at once.  I love watching the kids (James is pictured here) dance across the golden water.  

Grandma and Grandpa Larsen

We've made some fun memories with Grandma and Grandpa Larsen this past month.  Joseph and Dave drove to the Rose Bowl to watch BYU's close defeat to UCLA.  A few days later, we shared cupcakes with Grandma on her 69th birthday!  She really makes 69 years look great!  We are very blessed to live near such kind, supportive parents.  It makes the craziness of California living well worth it!

This and that

Our drought was interupted a few weeks ago by a rainstorms that lasted one entire day.  When the downpour began, we all ran outside to enjoy the nice warm rain.  As you can see, our grass is basically dead.  What's left are a few tufts of crab grass.  Thankfully, the other plants in our backyard are still thriving... the Hybiscus, iceberg roses, and citrus are still going strong!

This little one loves to smile for the camera.  She is quite the ham these days and keeps me laughing all the time.  The other day, she pointed to my foot and said, "you have a big, big bum!" She is quite stubborn too.  When she wants my lap, she WANTS MY LAP!

Joseph and "Mary" with baby Jesus.  Love the Aftrican twist on Joseph's outfit.

Ruth is my diligent student.  After inventing her own homework for the past few weeks, she cried with joy when her teacher finally sent "real" homework home yesterday.  Actually, she did cry when I told her it was time to stop so that we could get ready for school.  It's looking like she will have all her homework done in one day.  School is a great fit for Ruth.  In all her five years of life, I have never seen her happier.

Most of the time, payback as a parent comes in very small doses.  Once in a while, however, your children surprise you.  David wrote this sweet essay to us for back to school night.  It made me cry!

James seems to be adjusting well to first grade.  He is embarassed when I kiss him goodbye, but then shouts hello from across the school when I am on campus during the day.  The most surprising thing about James is that has gone from super shy to Mr. Butterfly, and makes new friends quite regularly.  Apparently James likes Wolverines?!!!