KAMBREN - 4 year old Birthday Boy!!

April 11, 2008 marked the 4th birthday of our sweet little Kambren. What a fun child he is to have! He was so so excited about his birthday & could hardly wait the 6 days from Kalen's birthday until his own. All he wanted for his birthday was a birthday cake & some balloons. What a sweetheart! Can't get any easier than that! Wasn't he surprised when he came down the stairs to see a whole bunch of balloons surrounding some fun gifts. We had a really fun day playing with his surprises & then swimming in the pool with his new water toys, blowing candles out on the cake, & of course - eating it. We love Kambren so much! We love his excitement about life, the outdoors, golf, his baby twin Kalen, his family, & hundreds of other things. Kambren is learning how to be obedient, helpful, kind, considerate, & prayerful. He is an awesome golfer, swimmer, climber, swinger, bike rider, runner, tumbler, & general all around athlete. He is loving, forgiving, playful, ambitious, rambunctious, & has 2 speeds - running & sleeping! He LOVES chocolate milk & plain milk with a dash of sugar in it. He LOVES Kalen! He loves playing with Rhees, Ambrian, & Aybrielle, & he LOVES teasing them!! He loves his stuffed animals, Ling Ling the monkey (Ling is monkey in Thai), & puppies, Matlock, & Old Navy, & his turtle; a very large stuffed Littlest Pet Shop animal who he named Swimmer. His favorite song is How Much is that Puppy in the Window. We are so blessed to have Kambren in our family & we love him so very much! We wish that all of his Grandmas & Grandpas, Aunts & Uncles, & cousins could have been here to share our fun day. He misses you & can't wait to see you all very soon!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAMBREN!


The handsome birthday boy with his new water gun.

Isn't he just thee cutest 4 year old in the entire world?!!

Isn't opening presents just the funnest thing for a little kid!

These tracks are Kambren's favorite thing. They are the funnest, sturdy, wooden tracks with a couple of cars, a bridge, some trees, lightposts, & a train track connector. This is our first set in the collection. There are some other really fun sets to make the entire city. I'm sure that we'll keep our eyes on them for another special occasion.

The kids enjoyed helping Kambren with his birthday tracks!

Kambren & Aybrielle putting the tracks together.

Kalen enjoying the water gun too!

WoW! What a fun remote control truck!

And a remote control airplane too!!

Having fun with the new truck in the backyard.

Isn't he a great driver. It's heading straight for Ambrian, & I'm sure it was intentional. Ha ha. Kambren - always the tease!

Hours & hours of fun with the truck!

Ambrian & Kambren are finding out that airplanes don't fly so great if there is the slightest amount of wind. Wouldn't you agree, Grandpa Jim?

" There now, that's better. And NO more wind please!"

Kambren was so thrilled with his birthday cake. He talked about it all day long! It wouldn't have won a Wilton contest, but as long as you can make a 4 year old happy - that's all that matters, right!

Silly Kambren!

Rhees told me that the putting green tasted the best. Kalen liked the plastic golf ball better.

Kalen's 1st Birthday Party!

The day after Kalen's birthday we were able to celebrate with some presents & a cake. He seemed to have such a fun time peeking into the presents & playing with his new, fun toys. All the kids really enjoyed helping him open his gifts, & of course, play with them.

Playing with his new toy!!

We found the funnest wire/wood toy with wooden beads like I have always wanted to get for the kids but never have. We found it clearanced, & because of that it was a much better price than we have ever seen. The kids just love it, especially Kambren & Kalen. It is like a little city with cars, a bus, a helicopter, & an airplane - & some other fun things. Very fun!!

And playing .....

...... & playing..... Don't you love when you find that perfect toy that will entertain them for such a long time!!! I can't believe it has taken us 5 kids to finally get one of these things.

Kalen also got a Fisher Price Gumball Machine with those Roll Around balls. It is darling, & plays the cutest songs when you push the lever that releases the balls to go down the spiral & out of the machine.

Kalen has been so cute with animals lately & will growl every time he sees one. He has seemed especially excited about bears, & so we decided to make him a cake that looks like a bear. I've never been the greatest cake decorator, as Grandma Monson will remember, but it turned out pretty cute. It tasted even better, for all you chocolate cake lovers! The kids thought that it looked a little too real though, more like something that you would find in a taxidermist's shop. I didn't mean to make it look like a head on a plate, but without shape cake pans, what else could I do? That's okay, it was fun, & it got eaten - that's all that counts.

"Oh my favorite!"

"You mean I have to EAT it?"

"Well okay, if you insist."

We took off Kalen's clothes so that they wouldn't get all stained from the chocolate frosting & cake .....

.... & then this was all he would do. He didn't even put his little paw into it. I gave him a taste of the frosting & all that did was make him cry, so I guess for now he isn't a chocolate lover. Maybe it was the bear thing?? But he is still the cutest little 1 year old on the planet!

We miss having family nearby to be able to come share special days with us & wish that you could have been here to see him being so cute & having so much fun!

Kalen turns 1 year old!!!

Wow, I really can't believe that my baby boy is 1 already. It seems like only 2 months since I went to have him. I think that I have been in denial about it too, because I hadn't even done any birthday shopping for him until his very birthday. I just kept putting it off, maybe hoping that it would take it's time coming. Kalen has been thee funnest baby in the world. I know that I have probably said that about all my babies - I love them all so much! He truly is just a little piece of sunshine from Heaven in our family! He has grown up way way too fast & I'm sad to see a little boy starting to emerge. But what a fun little boy he is, with his darling voice da da da-ing, & ma ma ma-ing all the day. He has been such a happy, joyful person to have around. He loves his brothers & sisters oh so much. He can't wait for them to come find him in the bed each morning, & they love him just as much. Rhees is his protector, Ambrian is his 2nd mommy, Aybrielle is his playmate, & Kambren is his soul-mate & twin from Heaven.

On April 5, Kalen's birthday, we went down town to Central World Trade to birthday shop at Toys R Us. Before we went inside Toys R Us, we stopped off at a stuffed animal specialty shop. All the kids are stuffed animal lovers & connoisseurs, & just had to choose 1 for Kalen. They all wanted to leave with a few for themselves too. Unfortunately for them though, they will have to wait until their own birthdays. Kalen chose a soft, little baby leopard which is really darling. The kids chose him 2 puppies, & Grammy & Grandpa Lynn sent him a cute little puppy too. He loves them all & when he plays with them he can be heard saying, "Aaah, Aaaah" with a gravely voice in the back of his throat. I think that means, "Grrr". It is absolutely adorable!

Enjoy the pictures from our fun shopping day & watch for another post for pictures of his party at home the next day, when I have another spare minute!

Thanks so much to all of you who remembered Kalen & sent wishes, money, or gifts to him. He loves you all so much & can't wait to meet you & get hugged & kissed by you in just a little over a month!!!!!



Rhees watching over Kalen in the stuffed animal shop.

Some of you may remember me talk about the little Sylvanian Family playsets that the girls have. Well, there is a fun Sylvanian shop in the Central World Trade Mall & out in front of it was a member of the Sylvanian Squirrel family. The kids were so excited & just had to have their picture taken with him.

Devin & his little birthday boy.

Oh, what a cutie! Don't you just love his expression!

This was the yummiest hamburger joint I have ever eaten at. It was funny because when Devin stopped to look at the menu here I kind of turned up my nose because I had never heard of it before & was worried that it wouldn't be good & then we would have wasted our money & would still be hungry. I was so wrong. The food really was great! The hamburgers tasted like homemade & the buns were really fresh made. The chicken wasn't that great, but for a "just like off the grill in the backyard" burger, it was awesome. The fries were so good, & we all left with a new favorite place for burgers. Next time we go I think I'm going to try the Veggie Burger! The picture isn't the greatest of anyone, but don't you just love Kambren being a ham for the camera!

Mommy walking with Kalen, & Ambrian in typical Ambrian style - clogging or dancing in the aisle way.

We were so excited to see Kalen's reaction to the big tigers & hopefully hear him growl at them. But, he ended up being so scared of the big ones that he wouldn't even let go of Ambrian's finger.

Kambren sharing a puppy with his little, best friend.

"I'm soooo big!"

What a happy baby on his FUN first birthday!!!!!

The Many Faces of a Cub Scout

So here are the pictures I promised of Rhees' past 4 years in Cub Scouts. Obviously this isn't all the pictures we have of everything, but some really fun highlights. He really has loved every minute of it! He has learned many things, made some neat friends, gotten to see some really great places here in Thailand, & had lots of fun. We are so so proud of Rhees & think that he is just the greatest son ever! Now we can't wait until Kambren starts scouts! Enjoy!!

A brand new Scout.

Excited about his Bobcat badge.

Preparing to eat Bobcat food.

Showing off his first ever Pinewood Derby car.

Proved to be a first place car too!

Sand that baby!

You can't really see from the picture, but Rhees did a really great paint job. Thanks to some help from Daddy!

A really great sword & a stunning swordsman at the Ancient City.

Enjoying lunch at the Ancient City with Daddy.

Enjoying an activity at Scout Day Camp, Ancient City, Thailand.

A Scout adventure on Kret Island.

Enjoying the boat ride on the way to Kret Island.

We love the rivers in Thailand!

Posing in a replica of an ancient structure.

Sharing a fun Cub Scout day with Dad at the Ancient City.

Blue & Gold Banquet March 2005.

3 Wolf Cubs. Samuel Martindale, Rhees, Jordan Morey.

Receiving his Wolf badge.

Wolf Scout & little sister Ambrian.

Wolf Scout & Baby-Ellie.

Having a tug of war at Pack meeting.

Gotta love those Pack meeting games!

Even the "Girl Scouts" love Pack meeting.

Rhees & Jordan Morey watching the Raingutter Regata.

"Blow Rhees, Blow!"

What a handsome scout!

Enjoying some leather work at the Family Campout.

Rhees & fellow scouts posing at the Family Campout, February 2007.

Rhees was Baby Bear in a skit put on by the Webelos.

Our first campout in Thailand! Family Campout 2007 happened to be held here in our compound last year & so we put up a tent in the back yard with all the other scout families. I was 8 months pregnant with Kalen & ended up sleeping out with Aybrielle, Ambrian, & Rhees. At about 12:00 AM the kids were all begging to go inside because they were hot, but I told them that we were going to stick it out. At about 2:30 AM while I was still trying to get to sleep, I was wishing I hadn't been such a stickler. Finally at 5:30 AM we decided to call it a night & move on inside.

Uniform inspection with the United States Marines.


Pushups anyone?


Whew! Glad that's over. Uniform inspection passed.

Oh the anticipation of the Pinewood Derby!

And they're off!!! Rhees' car is the black one with a lightening bolt.

This is a picture of Rhees' face just befor the final race. His car hadn't lost a heat yet, but if he lost this one he would take 2nd place instead of 1st. Can you just feel the stress! "Oh, please please!!"

First through the finish line!!

Oops, this picture was supposed to post before the last one, but I still don't know what I'm doing. So it didn't. I actually also think that the 2 pictures are from different heats because the cars are in different lanes.

YaY!!! We have a winner!!

Rhees actually had a faster time in a previous heat, of 2.493 seconds. Pretty fast!

Our little champion!!! First place in his den, & first place overall!! January 2007!

Rhees & all his fans. Oh we DO love the Pinewood Derby!! We're sure going to miss making & racing those cars!

Rhees & Daddy celebrating the win. "Thanks Daddy for all your help!!"

Ambrian, Aybrielle, & Kambren enjoying the Blue & Gold Banquet 2007.

A full fledged Webelos.

Webelos I honors.

Enjoying the pomp & circumstance of the awards presentation ..... somewhat. It's been an awesome time in Cubs - watch out Eagle Scouts!!