{HaPpY bIrThDaY to My 8 yEaR oLd BoY!!!!}

I can't believe I have an 8 year old!  My baby.....the one that started my motherhood journey 8 years ago is getting so old!  I have a feeling I am going to feel like this when he is 12 and 16 and 18!!!  Time is just a flying!!  This was a super special birthday for Ayden because he was able to get baptized!  I was so glad that I asked my friend, Carrie, to take pics of Ayden.....in preparation for his birthday and baptism!  We had a hard time finding a good date that worked, we rescheduled a couple times....but luckily we worked it out and I was more than impressed with the results!!!  This 1st picture that she got was my all time favorite of him!!  We could've ended right then and there and I would've been happy!!!  :)

HAHA....those teeth make me laugh!!!  I can't wait for those other teeth to start growing in so that those buckers in the front don't look so gigantic!!!  LOL!

Oh this goofball!!!  He sure was a handful during this session and thought he was so funny making the goofiest faces!!!!  :)

  

We are so proud of you Ayden for making the choice to get baptized!!!  What a sweet and smart boy you truly are!!!!

This year was a "party year" for Ayden, but he decided he wanted his birthday party to be going to an Angel's game!!  So we got tickets and he was able to take 3 of his friends with him!  They had a great time.....we loaded them up with candy and sunflower seeds, they got hotdogs and treats at the game.....but they couldn't make it to see the fireworks!  :(  It was a pretty boring game with no runs until the 7th inning or so!  Bummer!!

Ayden, Zaiven, Ty & Carson.....

Love this pic!!!!!  :)

On Ayden's actual birthday (Friday), we decided to go spend the day at the beach!  First up though, was opening presents and having traditional waffles for breakfast on the birthday plate!!  :)

Make a wish!!!!

It was a beautiful day for the beach!!  Uncle Branden and Aunt Laurel were visiting from Utah, so they met us at the beach with their kids & Grandma Brenda!  There's no better view in California,  in my opinion, than this one....driving down Newport Blvd.....just seconds away from the sand!!  :)

This little ham hock is still pretty scared of the ocean!  He has a love/hate relationship with it.....wants to go in, but doesn't want the water to touch him!!  :)  HA!  So he stays close to me on the sand and does a good job getting the towels sandy!!

Eating a PB&J.....I die over this kid in a hat!  I hope he always loves wearing hats cuz I think he looks super cute in them!!  :)

Speaking of hats....this kid is pretty cute in one, too!!!  :)  I think I just like boys in hats!!

Zoey and cousin, Natalia!!!  :)

Maddix was pretty obsessed with Baby Ethan!  It's fun that they are close in age!  :)

Bathing Beauty.....

Seaweed MONSTER!!!!!

Water lovers!!!  I am so grateful that they are 100% content just sitting at the shore and digging for sand crabs ALL DAY LONG!!!!  My anxiety level would be through the roof if they wanted to explore out farther in the ocean!!!!  :-/

Typical picture of Maddix out there.....wants to be in the water, but insisted that Grandma Brenda hold him so he doesn't get wet!!!  :)  Fine with me....the last thing I need is this daredevil, no fear toddler to have a love for the ocean!!!!

We got home from the beach and Maddix "helped" me make Ayden's birthday cake before we were meeting up for dinner with family!  The sprinkles looked like too much fun, so he decided to dump them.....all over!! 

We went to dinner at Island's with Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Branden, Aunt Laurel, Natalia & baby Ethan!  Wish I would've gotten a picture of the entire table!!  :(

Mmmmm.....Kona pie!!!  The BEST!!!!  He was nice enough to share this beast with his mama!!  :)

He got all of the stuff he needed to start Scouts!!!  He is SO EXCITED to be a scout!!!  In fact, I think the thing he was looking forward to the most about turning 8 was that he gets to start going to scouts!!  :)

Saturday the 28th was Ayden's baptism day!  He got baptized with another girl and another boy in his Primary class!!  I really wish we would've gotten a pic of all 3 of them together!!  :(

Daddy & Ayden.....and I really wish I would've gotten a pic of them in their white clothes!  It was just so crazy and so chaotic cuz there were 12 baptisms that day!!!  Eeek!!

Maddix.......when we DON'T want him in a picture.....

Maddix.....when we DO want him to smile in a picture!!  Fingers in the nose.....lovely!!!!  

So grateful to have most of our family there to celebrate Ayden's special day.....just missing a couple Aunts & Uncle's on Jeremiah's side!

After the baptism, we had everyone over to our house for dinner!!  We had a rainbow theme cuz I love the Primary rainbow song!  :)  It was such a fun theme to decorate with!!  :)

Baby Ethan.....

Carter & Maddix....

All of the cousins.....minus baby Ethan!!

I made this cake and was pretty proud of it....if I do say so myself!!!  :)  It may have leaned a little to one side, but hey, what do you expect from a beginning cake baker!?!?  

This was the inside!!!!  I was so nervous to cut in it and see what the inside looked look!!!  And then I was so pleasantly surprised!!!  It turned out perfectly and like I said....the rainbow theme was SO MUCH FUN!!!!  :)

Gift time!!!  This was a fun one from Uncle Joe & Auntie Cara....

He kept pulling and pulling and pulling dollar bills out of the box!  HA!  I have seen this on Pinterest and have been dying to try it!  What a cute idea!!  :)

More scout gear from Grandma Brenda & Grandpa Gary.....

....and his VERY FIRST pocket knife!!!!!!  Ahhhhh!!!!!!

He got his VERY FIRST fishing pole from Grandpa Roger & Grammy Con....the family tradition when the boys turn 8!!  :)

....and a tackle box filled with goodies....

On Sunday, we went to Grandma Brenda's & Grandpa Gary's house to see Branden, Laurel, Natalia & Ethan one more time before we headed up to Big Bear for the week!  

Baby Ethan was loving giving hugs.....

Maddix may not give the most gentle hugs, but I was at least proud of him that he didn't cause any major bodily injuries to baby Ethan!!  Phew!!!!!  :)

It's funny how BIG Maddix looks next to a baby!!  I can't believe that in 2 months we will be celebrating his 3rd birthday!!!!!

We went to the pool and the kids had a blast swimming together!!!  :)

Cooper was with us because he was coming up to Big Bear with us the next day for the week!!  Not sure whose idea it was to start building human towers, but they got a little crazy!!

Cooper, then Jer, then Maddix on top....

This one was an attempt at Jer on bottom, then Cooper, then Ayden, then Maddix.....this is how it ended!!!!

This one was the most successful.....Jer, Cooper, Ayden, Natalia!!  :)

Zoey loved having her only girl cousin here....they had lots of fun playing together and hanging out!!  :)

What an amazing birthday weekend Ayden had!!!!  So grateful we got to see so much of family!!!  It was the perfect way to spend an 8th birthday!!!  And one of my favorite things to do on my kid's birthdays is to look back and see how much they change each year!!!!  What a difference a day makes!!!!  :)

Cute little baby.....June 27, 2006....

Happy 1st Birthday.....(you remind me so much of Maddix in this picture)

Happy 2nd Birthday.....

Happy 3rd Birthday.....

  

Happy 4th Birthday.....

Happy 5th Birthday....

Happy 6th Birthday.....

Happy 7th Birthday...

Happy 8th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

20 Questions with Ayden:

My favorite thing to learn at school:  Math

I am really happy when:  I get to play Minecraft & Skylanders on Xbox

I am really sad when:  Zoey hits me!

My favorite book:  A to Z Mysteries series (he read them all this year)

My favorite vacation:  going to Big Bear

My favorite bedtime song: You Are My Sunshine (for the 8th year in a row probably)....and when I asked this question he said, "Well, you guys only do one"!!

My favorite sport:  Baseball

I like my Dad because:  he let me play Halo one time! (oh boy)

I like my Mom because:  she tucks me in every night for bed!

I like Zoey because: she helped me pay for the Wii. 

I like Maddix because:  he's fun to wrestle and he's snuggly & cuddly!

I like my family because:  they are nice to me!

My favorite things to do:  jump on the trampoline, go over to a friend's house, and shoot my bow & arrow!

My favorite food:  PIZZA!!!!!

My favorite restaurant:  McDonald's

My worst nightmare:  I don't really have one!

Who am I going to marry:  I don't know....I'm just a kid!!!

I like school when:  it's recess!!

Things that make me mad:  when Mommy won't let me go look at video games at Target, that I don't earn enough money to buy what I want, and that Daddy has to work on Saturdays (which is NEVER...except for today)

If I had 1 wish, I would wish:   that I had every Skylander ever made!!

One word that describes me:  XBOX!!!  (weirdo)