Collin is ELEVEN!

For Collin's birthday this year, he chose to go to Sea World as a family to see all the Christmas events. We went in the afternoon so we could see the parade in the evening and the lights when it got dark. So, for lunch we had his cheesecake and sang.

He got two presents. First, he got a holder for all his taekwondo belts. We actually had to order two for them all to fit, and Ryan screwed them together to make one long one. It's on his wall now. His other present was two tickets to the TransSiberian Orchestra Christmas concert, which was being held on Monday.

On our way to Sea World on Saturday, we had an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Yum!

When we arrived, we headed to the Pets Ahoy! show because Kate and I saw it last fall, and the boys hadn't. When we got inside, Ethan started complaining how cold he was and curled up in a ball in his seat and started to fall asleep. As we headed out of the auditorium, Ethan got really still, and then threw up all over the brick patio. He'd had Hawaiian Punch at Texas Roadhouse, and there were streams of red running down the path to the drain. I tried to make a wall so the masses of people coming out wouldn't step in it while Ryan tried to find an employee to clean it up. He found someone finally, and Ethan was too weak to walk, so Ryan carried him back to the car. So, uh, happy bday, Col... Part of being in a family, I suppose.

After keeping Ethan home from Church on Christmas Sunday, we drove to Sea World on Monday. Ryan met us at a nearby gas station, and he took Collin to his concert, and I took the other three kids to Sea World. I really wanted to see the Christmas Lights and all the special shows for the Holidays!

In January, Collin was ordained a deacon. He has passed the sacrament a couple times. He is still learning the procedure, but he's been doing a great job. In March, Ryan and I went with him to do baptisms at the temple on a Saturday evening. It is always nice to have some one-on-one time with Collin, who is so easy-going that he sometimes gets lost in the chaos.

Our move has been the hardest on Collin. He loved the outdoors, hiking and backpacking with Ryan. He also had a good buddy he left behind, Jayden. He had to leave his taekwondo school, and though he's adjusted and still got his black belt in December, he definitely preferred the climate at the old school better. As far as piano, I wasn't able to find a teacher who would teach him privately, so he's in a group class doing things he learned years ago. And, in a huge misunderstanding, he was placed in the wrong 5th grade homeroom at school and was left out of all gifted classes for the first quarter of school. In October, they accepted him into a pull-out accelerated class, but it isn't really enough. He's definitely looking forward to middle school next year, where we plans to take Honors Math and Science.

Happy birthday, Ca-Ca! We love you, and I'm so glad you are part of our family!