Everything is Awesome

We celebrated Nate's birthday over the weekend.  The day began with his all-time favorite meal and ended with his all-time favorite cake.  In between he devoted his attention to each of the kids - baseball with Brigham, biking with Eliza, racing cars with Lydia, Legos with Isaac, and talking "Bach" with Clayton.  We also took the whole family to the theater to see the Lego Movie.  And then belted "Everything is Awesome" all the way home.  Because indeed, everything was.
Here are a few pictures from the day.  Happy Birthday, Nate - we are such an awesome-lucky family!

Sticky rolls and breakfast casserole. . . Mmmmm.

Birthday balloons - nonstop entertainment.

Eliza and I went to the sports store to get a birthday gift for Nate.  We ended up getting him a new pink bike.  Ha!  That's how shopping trips go with Eliza. . .

She and Nate put the bike together (minus the training wheels) and headed out to practice riding.  By the time I got out there with the camera - like 30 seconds later - she was already cruising.

On two wheels.

Eliza was just born to ride, I guess.

Here she is racing Brigham.

This video says it all.  She stops.  She starts.  She rides circles around me and everyone else.  She looks like she's been on a bike her whole life.  Go Eliza.  What an awesome birthday present!

Inside the girls counted candles and loaded them on the cake.

Wow.  If that doesn't make a person feel old. . .

Nate did a great job lighting every one.

And then blowing them out.

The kids showered him with cards.

This one is from Clayton.  Of course, there is another hidden message if you look at the colored letters.  It says,  "The world is filled with people, many people.  There are good people that I've never met - gracious, kind people that would give all thier belongings for the welfare of others.  And I know one.

My dad is a wonderful man.  He teaches me the doctrine from the scriptures.  He is proud of my accomplishments.  Years ago I stood next to my dad and he said a prayer, and then I was reborn, born of water, through baptism.  My dad was an eagle scout.  He is a lawyer.  He was a missionary.  He is a priesthood holder.  He is a husband.  He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He loves his children.  He is an example.  He is my father, and I love him.  Happy Birthday, dad."

Eliza wrote two notes.  I will translate.  The first one says, "Who can pick up mom? Dad can."  the second one says, "thanks for helping me crack the eggs. From Eliza"

She also drew a series of pictures of Nate from birth to present.  This is my favorite one when he got married.  I really love my long dreamy legs.

This is Isaac's (of course).  On the back he wrote, "Thanks for never letting me give up."

Brigham turned his card into a word search.  It says, (I love this) "You are such a good dad because you taught me how to run fast, now I'm the fastest one in my class.  You taught me how to play baseball and not to brag if I'm better than Isaac. (ouch) You are the best dad in the world.  I love you so much.  I hope you have a good birthday."

This was my gift to Nate.  I cleaned his office.  Nice, right?  It was like an archeological dig - uncovering layer after layer of my gazillion projects in reverse order, dating all the way back to October. He's glad to have his office back.  :)

Happy Birthday, Honey.  Even if Lydia cried in every picture, you still make everything about our life awesome.  Everything!