Viva Las Vegas, Kelly Clarkson, and other weekend-y things.

So, if Kelly Clarkson and I knew each other in real life, we'd be friends."~Alice Rita Koehne~

Remember way back at my birthday party, how I got concert tickets to Kelly Clarkson? Well, it was this last Friday and it seriously kicked butt. It was SO FUN.  She is an AMAZING performer. The band was incredible. Basically, it was great.

To be clear, up until this point, I had NEVER EVER IN MY WHOLE LIFE been to a rock concert. Orchestra concerts, yes, rock concerts? NO! Alice came to town and we rocked out with Derek and my good friend Lesley. To be clear, Derek did NOT rock out. He says he enjoyed himself, but did not rock out.

I took no pictures because I was too busy being an idiot, but for a mental image for you, I had hot pink streaks in my hair. ME!

I know, right?
*****

Today is Henry's fourth birthday, which is amazing to me. We had his party on Saturday, and I violated my own rules and let him open presents during the party. As I was sure it would be, it was a mistake.

From Nov 2009

The kids actually did pretty well.

Except for:

From Nov 2009

It's hard when it's not your birthday.
Aunt Alice to the rescue! (She brought him a present too!)

From Nov 2009

From Nov 2009

Henry still hates birthday singing, but he just covered his ears. Oh and the guy next to Spencer is Derek's co-worker, Shawn, whom Henry invited to his birthday. Shawn was kind enough to actually COME!

All in all a good birthday party (with to-die-for chili made by Derek), and today, Henry is REALLY four!

At four years old Henry:
hasn't changed much since three, except he's potty trained, and can dress himself.
loves straws and strings (seriously.)
is creative and engineer-y, always making something out of nothing (ala strings and straws).
is a good big brother for the most part.
is learning all his letters and what sounds they make.
is a good helper.
tells EXCELLENT stories.
loves Super Heros. Batman and Robin being great favorites.
is very sweet and loving and says, "I lub you mom" about 20 times daily.
is very high strung. Transistions are difficult for him.
a cutey-patootey!

What a great kid.

From Nov 2009

Look how hot and sweaty he was! That is party success in my book.
Happy Birthday Baby! We love you.