a new do

Check out Claire's new haircut-doesn't she look beautiful?

38 and counting

cake with chocolate mousse icing-yummy!

My birthday cards were themed "top 10 things I love about mom". Here are my top three favorites:

Carter: you read to us when you would rather watch TV

Jared: she always thinks of us first

Claire: you adopted me (wow...words can't described what I felt when I read those words)

pool and lights

the boys checking out the pool...the thing next to them is the "tanning shelf/swim platform" and the circular thing is the hot tub. We spent quite some time figuring out where to put the hot tub so that you would hopefully be able to see the outside TV. It's all about priorities.

above view of the pool

Allen explaining to the kids exactly how every inch of his body will be massaged with water. Lights are in, tile is almost done.

Allen's office light

kitchen light that will be over the island...I found it online and was anxious/nervous that I might not like it in person...but I love it!

sneak day

they all enjoyed the new slide

Carter with one of his teachers and friends

A few days ago Carter had his long awaited "sneak day". This is a tradition at my kid's school, one that every kid looks forward to as they enter their last year. Some time during their fifth grade year, the parents come and "sneak" them away for a fun filled day (the two 5th grade teachers come too). This is something that the parents plan and carry out. I volunteered using our condo to get everyone into the indoor water park.

On the big day the mom's that were taking the kids, gathered together and walked into the classroom with our cameras in hand. The kids looked at us funny and whispered a few things to each other. But Carter just had the most blank stare, for a good 60 seconds- I have the footage to prove it; it is hilarious. He later said that he did feel like his mind stopped working for a minute. They (and I mean everyone but Carter) quickly realized why we were there and started jumping up and down cheering. A mom held out her foot and said "here is your clue to where we are going" She was wearing flip flops and it was 30 degrees out. One boy yelled "we are going to a shoe store!" and then another boys excitedly exclaimed, "we are going to get tattoos!!!" The mom has a tattoo on her foot. Classic.

The kids had a great time. I loved watching Carter will all these kids he has spent the last 6 years with. Literally every time Carter saw me I got a big hug and thank you.

music and tubing

The kid's school had a winter singing concert. Claire talked about it for months. She practiced her songs (and coordinating hand movements) in private so I wouldn't hear them, but told me over and over I was going to love them. Carter smiled his goofy smile and said "well, at least I don't have to sing one song because I am playing the bongos during it." And Jared would roll his eyes and beg me not to make him do it, saying, "mom, the third graders have to wear sombreros during one of our songs." And they all had to wear these shirts. There was more eye rolling from the boys when they walked out of their rooms wearing them. They all did great and the boys survived.

We headed up to Ober Gatlinburg and tried out the tubing. It was great. Claire was big enough to ride by herself and she loved it. Carter's goal was to be going fast enough that he hit the protection bumpers at the end...he barely tapped them on his last run. Jared was all pumped to go until he got up to the top and realized the hill was much steeper than it looked from the bottom (it really was). So he had one scary ride down with Allen and then spent the next two hours watching us. Jared continues to be the cautious one of the family.

the muffin

The muffin=joy. It is accomplished when Claire wears dresses that are lined and therefore stiff, so when she twirls around and then quickly sits down the dress stays up in a puff or what Claire likes to call a muffin. Sunday mornings before church you will hear Claire giggle with delight as she performs one muffin after another. In later years I don't want to forget the muffin or the smile it put on Claire's face, so I took a picture of them.

the real deal

Make note, February 8th and 9th, 2010, will go down in Langford history as the "mohawk days". Years from now we will be sitting around with Carter's son, telling him the story of the mohawk...one cold February night we were all hanging out and Carter announced he was done with his long hair and wanted his dad to buzz it again. Mom said he shouldn't waste the long hair and suggested he first buzz the sides and have a great mohawk for a day. Just a few days prior Carter had some fun with his long hair on "funky hair day". Carter just laughed at the idea...at first. As the discussion continued we talked him into having it buzzed Monday after school and wear it to Grammy's birthday celebration that night-just to show the family-surprise them all. He liked the idea. Then mom opened her big mouth and said she would give him $20 dollars to wear it to school on Tuesday, assuming he would never do it as we had just talked him into the Monday night. He immediately said he would do it for $50. Mom said no way and he said he would think about it for $20. Dad gave mom a "what are you doing, you should have said $5" look. A few days later Carter said he would do it for $20. And by time the day came he was actually looking forward to it. So, first Monday night. We walk into Grammy/Grandpa's house and Grandpa greets us at the door. He sees Carter and just shakes his head in disappointment. Later he admitted that he had flash backs of when Joel grew his hair over his eyes. The cousins saw him and some laughed, some said cool, and some just stared. Like Josh, who couldn't keep his eyes off Carter. We finally asked him what was wrong and he just crinkled up his nose and pointed at Carter. Lydia on the other hand, told Carter she liked his haircut. The next day at school Carter was the star. The teachers said little but the kids thought he was the coolest and couldn't stop touching his hair. He admitted to enjoying the attention. We stopped by Mimi's work to shock her. She laughed and said, "oh my" a lot.

PS, Carter hasn't asked for the money yet.

Grandpa's feelings about Carter's hair